Our Last Day in Kauai. Sadface.

So this is our last day of Kauai. We miss it a lot.

Here we go. We wanted to pack in a lot on this day, just to make sure we didn't miss anything. Every day was really leisurely, but the last day we ran all across this island. So we needed proper fuel

Since you can't live on coffee alone.

Banana Pancakes and a Bagel Benny. This is from the same place we went earlier in the trip. Kalaheo Coffee Co. and Cafe. Great place.

Our journey took us to the far West side of the island to this secluded beach. It is like 17 miles of continuous beach, but the only way to access it is via a dirt road that is abour 3 miles long. 100% worth the drive, even though I was paranoid we would pop a tire or get stuck in a rainstrom and then subsequently in mud. Neither happened at the end was this magic.

The most amazingly beautiful beach I have ever seen with no one but us on it.

Footprints???

So much awesome, we went a little island crazy.

Now we were on our way to the East side of the Island. We went to a BBQ place for lunch called Scotty's BBQ. This is the same area where we went bike riding the day before.

Amanda got this open faced BBQ sampler with pulled pork, BLT, chicken breast, and beef brisket. Really good. Oh, and mac salad.

I went with the pulled pork.

Where we live has more BBQ per capita than any place on earth. We eat a lot, especially for a region not known for BBQ. This place was pretty solid. Our home would be happy.

Our last adventure was to a place called Queen's Bath. You have to hike down a slippery trail.

Unfortunately during our descent, Amanda slipped. I tried to catch her but instead smashed her head. And she cut her elbow a little and scrapped up some other areas. But she is a trooper, so we traveled on.

And then you see this. Again, beautiful.

Basically you just jump in. The waves don't really go in it, but the tide is pretty strong. So I jumped in. And then got out in about 4 seconds, but it was pretty intense. I had to wait to see little girls do it first so I knew I could handle it. I know... I know.

And that is pretty much that. We went to the same organic place again for dinner. Had some more amazing food.

Salad round 2

Hummus and pita

Plate lunch with teri beef and chicken.

Next morning we got up, walked around, got a puka dog and left. But we will be back.

Furthermore, tonight is the La Food Fest. It is going to be amazingly amazing.

Bike riding in Kapa'a

And on the sixth day...we bike!



Andy and I rented beach cruisers in the town of Kapa'a (Ka-Pa-AH)



It was overcast but we had incredible views.









About 8 miles into our bike ride the heavens opened up and it started to rain heavily on us. Of course we didn't bring any beach towels or hoodies to protect us from the rain. We got deliciously soaked.

It was a fabulous experience! The bike trail and the town of Kapaa was perfect to bike ride in. We still had fun after getting rained on. It was just a little chilly.



We decided to stop in Koloa town for some plate lunches.





Teri beef, rice with soy sauce and macaroni salad. The teri beef tastes like teriyaki beef jerky. The texture is so different from anything I've ever had on the mainland. And for 5 bucks, you get tons of food. I barely made a dent in the beef. (Plus at this point in the trip, I was majorly craving veggies.)



I found a stowaway gecko! We didn't notice as many geckos in Kauai as we did in Oahu but they were definitely around.



After plate lunches came time for Turtle Watch 2010. Can you spot the turtle's head poking out?



Or his body catching a wave?



I seriously sat for hours watching turtles play in the ocean.



Andy boogie boarded the rest of the time. He was having a blast getting slapped by the waves.

After some more boogie boarding, snorkelling and beach bumming it we decided we needed to eat. We went back to Casa Di Amici. It was THAT good.



I ordered the spicy fettuccine with sausage, coppa, peppers and a spicy sauce.



Andy ate the ocean. Quite cruel after all that snorkelling we did. It had green lip mussels, calamari, shrimp and fish. I don't really love seafood so I let him enjoy it.



He was very happy.



I was very blurry and full from all that pasta! DUDE.


Have you ever rented a bike while on vacation? Where did you do it?

Our 1st Wedding Anniversary, July 5th 2010

So, before I begin, I am super excited for today. Amanda and I are going to see our first Major League Soccer game. La Galaxy vs. San Jose. Even though America is dumb and hates soccer, I went to England in 2002 during the World Cup and it is pretty sweet to experience futbol in Europe during the World Cup. This past World Cup was good, I'm excited. Landon Donovan is everything I want to be.

On that note, this is a recap of our anniversary.

The day started with a gift exchange. I gave Amanda a gift certificate to a local spa and she gave me tickets to see Anthony Bourdain in San Diego!!!!!! and his new book, Medium Raw, which if you have not read yet you should.

Then we went to a really nice little breakfast place called Kalaheo Coffee Co. and Cafe. Great coffee and breakfast.

I didn't really dig coffee until I was in grad school. Then I got a job at Starbucks while getting my teaching credential( I went through way too much school, and now I live at a school!) and now I am addicted. This was a good cup, probably the best of the trip.

Amanda got this amazing breakfast burrito with eggs and veggies. She was thrilled. I stole a bite. I was thrilled. We were collectively thrilled.

I went with a bagel sandwich with eggs and bacon.

The place was packed. It was great. What have I always said was the most important thing? Breakfast!

The rest of the day was spent at the beach. We snorkeled and saw some amazing fish and a turtle!

It was a great, relaxing, amazing anniversary day.

Now we go to the evening. We went to a place called Tidepools. Very peaceful, very romantic.

Yeah, it is a bit fake. Or at least an idealized version of life in the Pacific, but it was nice nonetheless.

Dinner started with the always appropriate Mai Tai.

Veggie Samosas

And now a magic trick. What is this?

What did you guess?

Ok yeah, it is a tomato. But what lurks inside?

Only an amazing salad of micro argula, bacon, and bleu cheese. This was truly outstanding and unexpected. We both loved it. It is nice when food can be fun.

On to dinner. Amanda ordered prime rib, mashed potato, and veggies. The potatos were subpar, but the prime rib was really nice. Amanda ate like, maybe 1/3rd of it, but it was good.

I had Opah, with crab stuffed shrimp, asparagus, and nasty potato.

The crab stuffed shrimp was the star of the show. I wish I just had 6 of those and no fish. The Opah was fine, but the shrimp and crab were amazing.

All in all, the Tidepools is decent. We were not thrilled. We thought Casa Di Amici was 100 times better (and cheaper) but the atmosphere at Tidepools was hard to beat. It rained a bit toward dessert, which was really pretty and fun. There was a Koi Pond as well, which I equate to the kiss of death, but it was an enjoyable evening. Oh, yeah dessert was this monster.

It was Kona Coffee Ice Cream in between two chocolate cookies, with toasted coconut and carmelized Macadamia Nuts, a bit of whipped cream and a piece of dark chocolate. Decadent. A great way to end an amazing one year anniversary. Can't thank all our friends and family enough for all being amazing people. Thanks for reading, thanks to everyone for being amazing.

PS...we are going to an amazing event on Saturday. The LA Street Food Festival at the Rose Bowl. LA has this amazing street truck scene. Literally dozens of amazing chefs doing amazing things in trucks. Anything from Korean BBQ to Ice Cream, Hot Dogs to Local, Organic, and Sustainable Cuisine. And there will be a ton of booze at the event.

PPS...we have been thinking about starting a Two Boos twitter. Good idea? Bad idea? Too presumptuous to think people want to see more?