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Posts tagged ‘Kaua’i’

May 21

Hawaii, Day Eight

The word that was suggested most often for this blog by friends was the word “peace”.  I’ve chosen a couple of images to try to represent that.

Earlier this week, at the Kilauea Lighthouse on Kaua’i, I took this photo of a Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rebricauda).  There were scores of these birds along the nearby cliffs.  Graceful.  Peaceful.

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And today at Punalu’u Beach Park near the southern end of the Big Island, I saw this Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) sleeping on the black sand beach.

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This is my last Hawaii blog post until I get back and write a wrap-up.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this series.  See you soon.

May 19

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Hawaii, Day Six

A reminder that I asked a few friends to suggest words to inspire topics in this blog.

Today’s word is “strength”.

I found out this afternoon that one my best friend’s dog passed away.  Those of you who know me know that I’m a dog person, and I was deeply affected by this news.  My heart goes out to Shelley, Cory, Sierra, and Lyla for the loss of their family member.

I also learned today that two people were killed Tuesday in an ultralight plane crash along the Na Pali coast of Kaua’i. I didn’t know them, but I saw the police and ambulance crews rushing to the north side of the island.

We get through times like these with strength—our own inner strength, but more importantly, the strength of our friends and family. People who love us and care for us, and make us feel better when we lose loved ones and we hurt.

Today’s images are from the Na Pali coast.  These photos are taken with my Nikon D200, which I had converted to an infrared camera by LifePixel.  These daunting cliffs, especially rendered in infrared, say “strength” to me—Nature’s strength, the strength of the Hawaiian people who lived there, and the strength of the people who visit the coast today on foot, on the water, and in the air.  This is a challenging place.

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I hope tomorrow’s better.  See you then.

May 18

Hawaii, Day Five

Today’s word is “patience”, for two reasons.

First, I didn’t have time to edit any photos today, so I hope you’ll have patience with me and this blog, and wait for more photos tomorrow.

Second, our afternoon ended with a patient wait for a beautiful sunset that didn’t happen.  We were at Ke’e beach, a beautiful spot on the north shore to watch the sunset, but some clouds moved in on the horizon, blocking the sun.  Still, we waited patiently, hoping that the clouds might light up in brilliant colors.  But, the clouds and sky just turned to gray, and we packed up and drove to Hanalei for dinner.

Tomorrow, we are fly over to the Big Island of Hawaii to continue our adventure.  See you then.

May 17

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Hawaii, Day Four

Today’s word is “mystery”.

Thanks to the Na Pali Riders, we enjoyed a Zodiac tour of the Na Pali coast.  The Na Pali coast is gorgeous.  Because of the rugged mountains and the highland swamps, Kaua’i is the only major Hawaiian island that doesn’t have a road that goes all the way around.  They tried, but abandoned the road machinery in the swamps.  Don’t forget that Kaua’i is one of the wettest places on earth, with the Wai’ale’ale crater receiving an average of about 450” of rain a year.

Much of the land is sacred to the native Hawaiians.  It’s rough topography, it’s inaccessibility, and it’s incredible beauty combine to make the Na Pali coast mysterious and alluring.

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One of the highlights was to get to see the sunbeam near the waterfall of the Waiahuakua Sea Cave.

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May 16

Hawaii, Day Three

We had a tough day today.  The weather didn’t cooperate; only a bit of rain, but a lot of clouds that socked in some of the canyons all day.

Today’s word is “wonder”, which is what you feel all along a hike we did to the top of Waipo’o Falls, in Waimea Canyon.  The canyon is up to 3000 feet deep in places.

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This is an HDR (high dynamic range) image, created from three exposures with a one stop difference between each.

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