4th of July in Kauai: Part 1

Beware! You are in for a semi-picture heavy post. This was the 4th of July, the day before our one year anniversary. We decided it would be fantastic to visit Waimea Canyon (aka the Grand Canyon of the Pacific) to celebrate.



On the way up to the canyon, I noticed this waterfall in the red dirt. It was so random and strangely beautiful.



Then we got to our first lookout. We walked around a lot so we wore our running shoes and I carried my Nike + with me to track our mileage.



Holy crap. I was not prepared for this kind of beauty.





Andy ditched those Target brand sunglasses a day later. Buyer beware. $10 sunglasses don't last long.



The island of Niihau is 17 miles southwest of Kauai and we were able to take a peek.





Barely there but we saw it.



Then came the second lookout.



What a stunner. Oops...I mean...







There was a lot of driving involved between stopping to look at different things so we snacked on these addicting Maui Onion chips. I know they sell them on the mainland but I never buy them. Only in Hawaii!





The Na Pali cliffs are stunning from this angle. I wish we could have seen them from the ocean!





Andy was brave enough to get close to the edge. I was semi-freaking out.



I am unnaturally scared of heights and ducked down low to avoid feeling dizzy. Don't laugh. Okay. Laugh if you must but don't come crying to me when you're stuck in a glass elevator on the 20th floor of a high building. (Story for another time.)



Doesn't this look scream, "I just invaded your land!" Totally.



This look screams wistful and serene Andrew.



Once we got down, we stopped at Island Taco. I read reviews on Yelp and decided we should split an order of kalua pork tacos.



They were huge and stuffed with salty pulled pork and crunchy cabbage. We each ate one taco.



And split an order of coconut shrimp.



From Shrimp Station which is right across the street from Island Taco. I highly recommend both! The shrimp was very delicious albeit a little greasy. They had some grilled shrimp options also.



And it's a shack. A tiny little hole in the wall. Food always tastes better from smaller places like this.

After lunch, we headed back to Poipu to change clothes and see Spouting Horn.





Needless to say, it was STUNNING!



Not unlike this young man here.



I rewore the same dress twice. Shame on me.



We decided that the 4th of July requires some alcoholic beverages. In the form of tiki drinks. Andy and I started with Mai Tais.



The bartender made me a red, white and blue pina colada. It was surprisingly refreshing and not too sugary sweet. I loved it.



Then came Hula Pie! If you have ever been to a Duke's restaurant, then you have had Hula Pie. It's macadamia nut ice cream, fudge, whipped cream and bliss in pie form. Very indulgent and very delicious. (This explains why I gained weight in Kauai...)



Afterwards we walked to the beach closest to our condo and watched some fireworks.





Fireworks on the beach? Pretty fantastic.



Next up: Our one year wedding anniversary in paradise.

Kauai: Part 3- Waterfalls and organic produce

Where did we leave off? Andy and I spent some time in the mornings and evenings sitting on the lanai enjoying the views, sunshine and quiet.



I bought this dress specifically for Kauai from Anthropologie. I love it but it's probably not the most flattering on me. It was super comfortable though.



We went to dinner at Merriman's in Poipu. Merriman's has an upscale restaurant upstairs and a more casual eatery below. We opted to eat below. I had a cobb salad. It was the best cobb salad of my life. The organic Kauai-grown tomatoes...words cannot explain! I loved that Merriman's used local and organically grown produce.



I got a side of potato-mac salad. I absolutely detest mayo and usually all potato or macaroni salads but there's just something about mac salad in Hawaii. I had to have a bite or two!



Andy had a lamb burger teeming with spinach. I should have asked him for a bite but I was too in love with my salad. He raved about the burger though.



We ended our evening with some music. Then the rain started pouring in and we ran to our condo for cover.



The next day, we went to see this waterfall. The Wailua waterfall was quick and easy to drive to. Definitely made me appreciate Kauai's rainy weather. Look how beautiful this is!





You can hike down to the pool at the bottom of the waterfall but we dared not.



We ended up driving to Princeville to check out the St. Regis and see how the other half lives.



Please ignore my make-up free scary appearance..



Princeville was a little overcast and rainy but very beautiful.



But I still had to go take a picture of this couple kayaking down the river. How fun would that be?



We finally got to our destination for the day. But first! We explored the dry cave.





This is from inside the cave. Spooky!



Then it was off to Ke'e beach.





Complete with chickens! Of course. We spent some time here snorkelling and swimming. I loved Ke'e beach and would highly recommend it to anyone travelling to Kauai.

We'll be back with more later!

-Does it excite you when restaurants use local, organic and sustainable food?