Did you miss us? Wowzers. I never thought that trying to be “normal” during a summer and sitting still could be so busy! Summer has finally arrived in Teton Valley Idaho and we are enjoying every last minute.
A few highlights from the last month or so:
70 Mile Bike Ride at Little Red with My Oldest
Proud of this girl!! As Sam and I talked leading up to the ride I told him that my goal was to get her over the finish line. I was there to pace, pull, cheer, remind her to drink, and be her cheerleader every step of the way. I’ve done long rides before. I knew I could do it, but SHE didn’t know her capabilities.
It was an honor to watch her set this goal and then fight to accomplish it. Helping my kids excel at their goals is one of my most favorite things about being a parent.
Cara is already talking about training for 50 miles next year and Rachel is eyeing Goldilocks for a 100 miler later this year. Heaven help us. 💪🚴♀️
Teton Valley Composite Mountain Bike Team & NICA Coach Certification
There are a lot of things we can give our kids traveling, but organized teams are not one of them. We used to laugh it off (not really being sports ball people ourselves) but as our young ones grow into teenagers I’m becoming aware of how valuable being a member of a positive, goal driven, and FUN group can be. Especially when the coaches are this freaking amazing.
There’s a lot more to come this summer about the Teton Valley Composite mountain bike team here in Idaho because we are going to enjoy every minute of it. I’m officially a Level 1 NICA certified coach which means I also get to ride and learn from these dedicated coaches and athletes.
Floating the Teton River
Sunshine? ✔️ Friends ✔️ Beautiful scenery? ✔️ Our inaugural float of the Teton River this week was a complete success! @annaraej and I managed to wrangle 7 kids from South Bates to Rainey Bridge and not lose anyone…barely. 😂 Luckily the river is fairly shallow and the current wasn’t incredibly strong.
Kind of hoping to make this a weekly occurrence especially as the temperature heats up this summer!
Volunteer Coaching at Teton High School Volleyball Camp
After attending a Gold Medal Square Volleyball Coaching camp in Long Beach, CA last month I was stoked to find out the high school team was bringing in coaches to run a local camp for the girls. I was incredibly impressed with their teaching techniques and excited that Rachel was old enough to attend! I learned a lot about coaching in action and am excited to put these skills to use this winter when club starts back up!
Camping at Jordanelle State Park for a Week
Not too shabby of a place to call home for a week.
We’ve never explored much of the Park City, Utah area but I’m really liking it. Thinking maybe we should make this an annual spring trip. Mountain biking, paddle boarding, and maybe throw in some sailing lessons?
Level 1 PMBI Mountain Bike Instructor Certification
Becoming a certified mountain bike instructor has been a dream of mine ever since I attend Outessa a few years back. Not only did I want to improve my own skills, but being able to coach and teach others is incredibly fulfilling. As Rachel put it the other day, “Wow, mom. Its like I get a free private lesson every time we ride together.”
Yes, yes you do.
“Riding in my happy place today. Rachel and I had a date on some singletrack while Sam took the other kids to a Flying Eagles event at the airport.
We worked on her climbing position, cadence, and then ready/neutral position on the descents. Plus we got a workout. 💪
My family came to visit for a week and my mom rented a house in nearby Victor, Idaho so we could all stay together. Anyone else’s reunions crazy fun and utterly exhausting?
We hiked in Grand Teton National Park, floated the Teton River, visited a local farm for a wagon ride, took family photos, road the lift to the top of Fred’s mountain at Targhee, ate ice cream at the Victor Emporium, and played lots and lots of games. We loved showing off our little valley!
4th of July Crazy + All the Rivers
Sometimes all we do is play. Local parade, floating with lots of friends down the south fork of the Snake, Family Night lift riding at Grand Targhee Resort, and topping off the weekend with a whitewater run down the Hoback section of the Snake River. Whew. We need some sleep!
Our time in upstate New York ended up being one of our favorites. We finally caught up with our friends, the Erickson’s, at Delta Lake State Park outside of Rome (not Italy). Mostly we just needed a place that wasn’t too far of a drive where we could all hang out for a few days. This totally qualified.
We arrived late in the evening and all the kids were incredibly excited to see each other! Even Kai, the dog, got in on the action. Once we were parked and leveled (and this was the hardest level I think we’d EVER done in the last 4 years) we stayed up way too late talking and catching up.
The next morning, the dads needed to work so Alyssa and I dodged rain storms and scrammed with the kids to the nearby Fort Stanwix for a little road schooling field trip.
We managed to make it back to camp just before it started a downpour. Luckily games are much more fun with friends and no one got too bored. It was actually nice to have a down day and an excuse to stay inside and relax.
We recently purchased Splendor, which is a super fun 4 player game. I think Anibel and Rachel have now played it over and over and they are ready for the expansion!
The following day, the skies cleared, the sun came out and we spent the day at the beach. Sam and I were finally able to pull out the new Needle Nose SUP board that Sea Eagle boats sent us to test out. Unfortunately the beach wasn’t very launch friendly so it wasn’t an amazing test but felt good to be back on the water!
Lake Placid, New York
After a few days, it was time to move on. After debating back and forth about whether or not to visit Lake Placid we decided to go for it. Mostly we were concerned about cell signal (have to work) and whether or not we could find an electric site (the humidity has been nuts). Turns out the weather was perfect, we found a great little RV park to stay at and Lake Placid is now one of my favorite places.
“We paid for one night. And then another. And then three more after that. We almost skipped Lake Placid but I’m so grateful we didn’t. The cool night temperatures, mountain air, and relaxing friend time has been exactly what we all needed. Running around barefoot on the grass creating obstacle courses doesn’t hurt too much either.”
Our first order of business was to take a short walk on the Peninsula Trails and jump in Lake Placid. The trails were fairly flat, the humidity bearable, and lake swimming is awesome. Perfect combination.
Swimming in Lake Placid
“There are some days where I look around and think, “What decisions did we make in our lives to land us here at this exact moment? Cause it’s pretty awesome.” Swimming in Lake Placid today was one of those.” – @currentlywandering
Hiking Cascade Mountain
One of our primary goals for the Lake Placid area was to HIKE. It’d been way too long and the Erickson’s, especially, were totally hankering for a good summit. After a bunch of research (mostly done by Alyssa) we settled on Cascade Mountain.
“Trees, rocks, more trees, lots of rocks. Sweat. A lot of sweat. Stair climb for hours and then an audible sigh of relief as the trail opens up near the top.
The kids give a whoop and are off like rockets scrambling their way to the summit.
It feels so good to be back in the mountains. The temperature has cooled down, the humidity is less, we don’t run the a/c all the time and have pulled out hoodies and long pants for the evenings.
We could definitely stay here for a bit.” – @currentlywandering
Starting our hike with a talk on Leave No Trace by the trail volunteers.
“There’s something incredibly disappointing about reaching a summit and having it be tree covered. @alyssakerickson worked hard to find us a rocky summit with a view and this one was pretty spectacular. The tallest peak here is only about 5,000 feet (so less than the town we live in) but what they lack for in height they make up for with vertical feet per mile on the trail. This one was STEEP. Which is killer on the way up AND on the way down.
Our kids were troopers and totally rocked it (literally) with only a few minor meltdowns along the way.” – @currentlywandering
Almost there! Short snack break with a teaser view.Summit looking towards Mt. MarcyOverlooking the town of Lake Placid
Mountain Biking and ALL the Swimming
Once again it was the mom’s turn to take the kids out while dads got work done. We do this often, mostly so Sam can have peace and quiet and everyone else is entertained but its way more fun with friends! We had kind of an epic afternoon.
Mirror Lake has a FANTASTIC public beach. The water is clear, the sand is good, there’s docks for the older kids to jump off and the boat launch is steps from the beach. All good things when two moms are trying to wrestle six kids.
Everyone liked it so much that the unanimous vote the following day was to return to the beach. Alyssa and I were able to sneak in a trail ride first thing (ALL the roots!) and then we took our paddle boards and played at the beach again for a few hours. We couldn’t have asked for better weather!
“Mirror Lake is a beautiful paddling location. It’s not overly large, and while it would take effort you could paddle across the entire thing. Sure the area is touristy, but not overly so. The weather yesterday was perfect and the water was like glass.
I had my first chance to really take our new @seaeagleboats Needle Nose SUP for a spin and this thing can really MOVE. I felt like it cut through the water with ease, its super stable, and easy to paddle. So excited to keep testing it out as we travel further east!
Thanks @alyssakerickson for standing on the shore and grabbing this shot of me. I love it!”
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We spent some time in downtown Lake Placid (touristy but there are some fun shops. Its super cute!), the adults made it down to Keene for a pie date and then it was time to move on!
Southern Utah is one of my favorite places. Like ever. The red rocks are unreal and there are piles out of outdoor activities that could keep an sane person busy for a lifetime. Mountain biking runs a close competition to skiing as my favorite sport, so naturally as snow season wound down we started planning a spring trip to warmer, dryer climates.
To make re-entry in full travel a little easier, we decided to head right back to where we left off last spring: Hurricane, Utah. The camping is free, the trails are incredible, and if we get bored Zion National Park is a quick 30 minute drive. Not too shabby, right?
JEM Mountain Bike Trails
We were able to camp right along Sheep Bridge road (Campendium Link) in the middle of the JEM trail system. It was perfect for intermediate enthusiasts that we are. Enough uphill to give our lungs a work out, and some sweet rolling downhill to bring on the fun. Our oldest two kids had a blast, and we would switch up who rode with who. Andrew and I did a loop together up Dead Ringer to the top of the Mesa, Sam & Rachel took a spin, and Cara & and I had some one on one time on the easiest trail we could find. At one point Andrew said to me, “Mom, if we came here every year then I could see how much better I’m getting by the trails I ride.” Wise words, my boy, wise words.
For deets on the trails, we love the Trail Forks app (Apple, Google). I love the GPS dot that shows my location and its easy to plan a ride that loops back the way we want. My favorite loop was up Dead Ringer to More Cowbell, down JEM, down Goosebumps, and then back up Dead Ringer. Pretty sweet ride. Cara loved the little green loop we did on JEM from the Gould South parking lot.
Cool off in the Virgin River
Since the temps were flirting with the high 90’s (a little too hot for us actually!) we spent a great deal of time cooling off in the Virgin River. Our Airstream friends, the Ericksons, were camped inside Zion so one afternoon we drove in for a potluck and a swim.
Another evening we met up with Arika from Zion Adventure Photography (she took our photos back in December of 2016 and we LOVE them) and Shanti from Hike it Baby and their families for pizza and a dip in the secret spot with the swing. Totally fun meeting up with these ladies and the kids all had a blast swimming in the river. We ate at River Rock Roasting Company and I wish I could eat there everyday. We had an assortment of pizza, sandwiches, and salad and it was all delicious. Also ordered a cinnamon roll to go and secretly ate it with Sam after the kids were in bed so I didn’t have to share. 🙂
Hike the Narrows
We hiked a small portion of the Narrows back in 2015 when our kids were super little. Although we knew we didn’t have the gear (or the desire) to hike the entire thing this year either, we decided to hike up as far as we wanted and then turn around. We jumped on the shuttle around 3pm at the main Visitor Center and started hiking about 45 minutes later.
The water was cold, but not completely freezing, and we managed okay in just our Chaco sandals & swimsuits. The trail in from the shuttle stop is about a mile along a paved path, and then we hiked for about another mile through the water until we came to a swimming hole. The kids were brave and took turns jumping in, then we found a quiet spot to eat our picnic dinner and headed back.
Someday I think we’ll hike the distance (and rent dry suits!) but for now we just needed to cool off and this totally did the trick!
Relax
Most importantly we dove right back in to traveling life. There’s been some adjusting, but mostly I feel like we picked up right where we left off. The weather was a tad windy, but we did manage to have some good outside relax time while we were at it!
Our conversation about living in Hawaii went something like this:
Me: Okay, so Hawaii. If you kids could do anything you want while we are over there, what would it be?
All 3 Kids: See a volcano!
That settled it. We are huge National Park advocates and there are two in Hawaii – Haleakalā National Park on Maui, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Since Hawaii Volcanoes has a currently active volcano, that hit the top of our list for this trip. We island hopped from Oahu for about a week an spent three days on the windward side of the island at the National Park.
When We Visited: Nov 24 – 26, 2017
Ages of Kids: 12, 10, 7
Where We Stayed
We had friends suggest staying in the park at the lodge, and I also looked into possibly camping or staying in one of the cabins in the park. Unfortunately by the time we nailed down our dates, there was no availability.
That actually turned out to be a good thing because we found the the most amazing AirBnb rental in the nearby town of Volcano. Only 15-20 minutes away from the entrance, it was the perfect home base for exploring the park. I loved that we weren’t camping in the rain (it rained a lot and was COLD), we had a full kitchen, a hammock, and a hot tub. Doesn’t get much better than that!
New to AirBnB? Use our link to sign up and get $40 of credit towards your first trip!
1. Visit the Kīlauea Caldera Overlook & Jaggar Museum at Night
We spent Friday the 24th driving over from Kona, and managed to stop by the Kīlauea Visitor Center on our way through to our rental. We talked with the rangers about hikes, picked up our Jr. Ranger Books and made plans to return in the evening to see the Caldera at night.
After dinner we drove back into the park and managed to snag one of the last parking spots at the Jaggar Museum. We could easily see the glow of the Kīlauea Caldera in the distance. The overlook has an amazing view, with plenty of information displays. Inside the museum the kids spent their time doing a photo scavenger hunt for their Jr. Ranger Books and learned all about Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Volcanoes.
It was cold – so definitely dress warm and bring layers! We never made it back to see the overlook during the day, but from photos I’ve seen the view during daylight is also quite spectacular.
2. Explore the Lava Tubes
We’ve visited multiple caves and lava tubes all over the country, but never in a forest jungle quite like this one. The lave tube trail is a short, 1/3 of mile hike and takes less than 20 minutes. In fact, we did it twice!
We easily tacked this on to our Kīlauea Iki Crater hike as we ascended out of the crater right at the entrance to the Lava Tubes. It was a great way to do both without having to move our car and try and get parking!
3. Hike Across a Crater
The Kīlauea Iki Trail was pretty spectacular! We knew we wanted a longer hike (more than just a 1/2 mile to an overlook) and this one came highly recommended by the ranger. What blew our minds was the change in geology from up on the rim to down in the crater.
We started at the trailhead along the Chain of Craters road in a lush jungle. Once we started the descent into the crater, the landscape quickly changed from tropical rain forest, to barren rock garden.
The trail across the crater felt like we could have been on the moon! The kids loved looking at all the cool rock formations, and we even found some of “Pele’s Hair” – fine threads of volcanic glass that are formed when a spray of lava droplets cools rapidly in the air.
Once across the bottom of the crater, we had to make the 400 ft hike back out and then it was a short walk along the rim back to our car.
Total Miles: 4
Time: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging – 400ft descent and ascent in and out of the crater. Trail is switch backed and you can just take your time.
4. Bike and Hike to See Surface Lava
Finding surface lava is a bit tricky. Sometimes the lava is pouring into the ocean (I’ve seen photos – so cool!) but other times its just slowly moving on the surface in different areas. Current conditions are available on the NPS Hawaii Volcanoes website, and you can also talk to a park ranger to find where the most recent lava flow is.
We drove out to the Lava Viewing Area (Google Maps) where there is a huge parking lot and a gazillion vendors that sell bikes and tours. We arrived around 3:30pm which was perfect as we wanted enough time to get out to the lava before it got dark – just check when your sunset time is (ours was about 5:45pm). We spent about $65 for bikes for the 5 of us (2 adult bikes and 3 kid sized). Most rental companies included a headlamp (you’ll need it), a bottle of water, a bike lock and a fanny pack to put it all in. We also saw vendors that had bike trailers for rent, and even ride along attachments for smaller kids. It can definitely be family friendly adventure!
We biked along the dirt/gravel road for 4 miles until we reached the National Park boundary. Here, everyone locks up their bikes and heads out on foot across the cooled igneous rock to find the good stuff. There were enough people out there we mostly just had to follow them towards the smoke. There are no trails, but the rock is uneven and in some places we were jumping across deep gaps. As we got closer, encouragement from others coming back was pretty awesome.
We crested a small hill and then in the distance we could see it – LAVA! Being up close to legit volcanic lava has been one of our favorite experiences to date. We found slow moving lava, but every once in awhile an entire shelf of rock would lift up and the molten stuff would just come pouring out. It was incredible. If you get too close I can imagine that your shoes would melt (we didn’t have that problem), and while it smelled bad, the stench was not overwhelming. There are no rangers out there, no guardrails, fences, or anything to protect you from doing something stupid. Just be aware that you are on you own. We saw at least 2 ambulances on their way out at the end of the night so injuries do happen, just be careful!
We stayed out there well past dark just waiting and watching and soaking it up. After a quick snack we turned on our headlamps and made the trek back to our bikes. The ride back was difficult. Cara was really tired, the road is NOT flat, and we had our share of tears and frustration over a bike that wouldn’t shift very well. She ended up walking most of the hills and then we’d ride as fast as we could downhill. We managed to get back close to the cut off time (all the bikes MUST be back on time).
Overall it was an amazing adventure! We’d do it again in heartbeat, but maybe just make sure all the bikes shifted a little easier. Dinner in Volcano afterwards was a definite treat!
5. Drive Chain of Craters Road
Sunday afternoon was a perfect time to drive the Chain of Craters Road. There are multiple pull offs to see varies craters, and the weather changed dramatically from up at the visitor center (lots of clouds & rain) down to the coast where we could see the sun! The road ends at the Hōlei Sea Arch which extends out into the ocean. Eventually it will collapse, but it was a beautiful view along the coast!
There’s plenty of other hiking trails, back country adventures, ranger led tours and activities we could have participate in, but overall we are happy with our time spent in the park. Seeing lava up close was definitely the highlight of our trip to the Big Island and we highly recommend it!
We enjoyed living on Oahu but when my parents came to visit last September we decided to island hop over to Kauai for a few days just to mix things up. I had quite a few people tell me Kauai was their favorite island and we were curious to see the differences. Our top activities were to hike a section of the Na Pali Coast, and kayak up Wailua River to Secret Falls. Everything else we’d just play it by ear one day at a time. It worked out pretty perfectly if I do say so myself.
When We Visited: September 22-28, 2017
Ages of Kids: 12, 10, 7
Where We Stayed
We don’t particularly enjoy staying long term in hotels and resorts get pricey so we opted for an AirBnb rental in Lihue. I looked into staying at different parts of the island but with a $200 cleaning fee we opted to not move around. That meant we had to drive a little further for some things, but overall it was worth it.
Our rental was fabulous! We were on the top floor with an amazing view of the ocean. The condo was well cared for, we had what we needed in the kitchen (maybe a little cooking oil would have been nice), fans in all the rooms, and they had a chest full of boogie boards and sand toys for the kids to use at the beach. Peter was responsive as host and sent over shampoo/conditioner and extra beach towels when we asked.
We’d often come home from the days activity and more often than not jump in the pool for an hour. It was lit up pretty at night, and there was something soothing about swimming in the water while it was dark out. We definitely loved having easy access to a pool!
“Out of the ocean and into the pool. Sometimes its nice to take a break from the salt! We absolutely loved this @airbnb property we stayed at on Kauai. As a recent host ourselves, we know how hard it can be to keep things in tip top shape, and these guys totally nailed it. ” -Currentlywandering
We were also just a few minutes walk to the ocean. There is no swimming, but the sunrise was totally worth getting up for! We’d definitely recommend his place if you are planning a vacation.
If you’ve never used AirBnb but want to give it a try use our link to earn $40 towards your first trip!
The Island of Kauai
If you imagine the island of Kauai like a clock, Na Pali Coast is at about 11:00, Lihue & Wailua is at about 3:00, Poipu Beach is at 6:00, and Waimea Canyon is at 9:00. You can’t drive entirely around the island, so Lihue is a perfect middle spot to create a base camp. Its also where the airport is located and since we had to drop Sam off early so he could fly back and teach it was quick and easy.
——-Day 1: Friday——-
The flight from Oahu was only about 30 minutes, so we were barely in the air at all before landing at Lihue airport. We picked up our rental car and stopped by both Costco & Walmart to pick up groceries before heading to the condo. Once there we dropped the kids with a movie (don’t worry they were extremely excited) and the four adults headed off for our first adventure: a helicopter ride.
Helicopter Ride with Blue Hawaiian
My dad had been looking forward to this for weeks and it did not disappoint. Most of Kauai is wilderness (both privately owned and state land) and there are many places you can’t see except by air. The raw majesty of the cliffs were amazing and I love seeing the Na Pali coast from the air. My only disappointment is that I feel my photos didn’t even come close to capturing the experience. Next time we’ll have to go doors off just to see if I can do better!
There are a few companies to choose from, but since my parents were graciously gifting us the trip they had the honor of choosing. My mom had heard good things about Blue Hawaiian from friends so that’s who we went with.
Our pilot was great at explaining the geology, history, and other interesting facts about the islands. Plenty of movies were filmed here (Jurassic Park anyone?), and we also flew over Tunnels Beach where Bethany Hamilton had her shark attack while surfing (If you’ve never seen Soul Surfer its a definite must!).
——-Day 2: Saturday——-
Sleeping Giant Hike
I desperately wanted to hike this, but knew that our kids probably wouldn’t enjoy it so I convinced Sam to go early with me on Saturday morning. It was steep but luckily it hadn’t rained recently so the trail was relatively dry. Even though it was 8am the sun was still up and we became hot and sweaty fairly quickly. So, totally normal Hawaiian hiking experience.
“Sam and I got a little exercise early Saturday morning by climbing to the top of Sleeping Giant. Within 30 seconds we were dripping sweat and not just because of the elevation gain. Hiking in humidity is no joke.” – @currentlywandering
All Trails does a great job with trail descriptions and maps for pretty much all of Hawaii so we followed their route. Once you get to the picnic shelter its a bit of scramble up to the point with a view. If you aren’t scared of heights it is pretty spectacular.
Wailua River Kayaking
Everything I researched mentioned kayaking up the Wailua River and then hiking up to Secret Falls. Traveling the river is the only way to get to these falls, and we enjoy a good paddle anyway so this adventure was top on our list. We rented boats from Wailua Kayak Adventures who were fantastic.
They helped us load 2 double kayaks (that can seat a small child in the middle) and one single onto our rental minivan with no problem. Our rental included the boats, paddles, life jackets, and really cool dry bag backpacks. We had a few dry bags of our own, but theirs were way better. They also gave us a map of the river, explained where to tie up our boats for the hike, and gave us directions to the put in on the river.
The paddle up the river was a lazy 45 minutes. We splashed each other and just enjoyed the scenery.
“We kayaked the beautiful Wailua River last week on Kauai and had a blast! We managed to fit three people on these two person kayaks by having a kid sit backwards in each one. It made for some entertaining conversation during the 45 minute paddle, especially when Cara decided she wanted to paddle backwards!
Unfortunately, on our way back she was a little bored and ended up playing with her glasses just above the waterline. Yep. You guessed it. They slipped from her fingers and despite Rachel’s valiant snatching attempt, and me bailing out of my kayak after them her glasses sank into the murky depths. ” -@currentlywandering
We took a little side detour on the way back and found a spot to do a little cliff jumping. The paddle back is always the worst with kids, so we were prepared with snacks but we were all still pretty excited to get to the take out.
Secret Falls Hike
Once we arrived at the trail head, we pulled our kayaks out of the water and onto to the muddy bank. We were advised to not leave any personal items with the boat, so we grabbed our packs, and our Ice Mule Cooler with lunch (this dry bag cooler has come in handy SO many times!) and set off up the trail towards the falls. We’ve learned that hiking in Hawaii is best done in Chacos, or other similar sandals. Its frequently muddy, there are usually stream crossings, and sandals are great for keeping our feet protected once we get to the falls and want to swim.
The hike was fairly flat, 1 mile trip to the falls. There is a stream crossing with a rope but be advised there can be flash floods here so just be careful! Stick to the trail and before you know it, you’ll arrive at the falls! The water was cold(er than the ocean!) but we enjoyed swimming, had lunch, and then started the trek back to the boats.
Dinner at Verde Restaurant
We didn’t eat out frequently (it adds up when you factor in kids) but we had heard good things about Verde Restaurant and since it was already 5:00pm by the time we brought the boats back we went for it. Really great Mexican food, casual enough we didn’t feel out of place in our swimwear, and not overly pricey. The portions were large, so Cara ordered off the Keiki menu, and Rachel, Andrew, Sam, and I split two burritos between us. It was perfect.
——-Day 3: Sunday——–
Going to Church
We are in the habit of attending all three hours of our Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint meetings every Sunday while traveling and this was no exception. I’ve found that church is a great way to meet some of the locals and get a feel for the culture, plus its nice to just rest. Even on vacation. We definitely weren’t the only visitors as the chapel was packed, but we enjoyed the services. We did attend at 9am so that left the afternoon free for exploring.
Waimea Canyon Drive
We decided to have a big lunch since we knew we’d be out later. Waimea Canyon was about an hour drive from our condo, plus driving in the canyon itself and I wanted to be out late enough to catch the susnet. Luckily our kids can read in the car and are used to driving.
We had heard mixed reports about the canyon – some said the roads were too windy and they ended up getting car sick, others raved about how beautiful it was. Our opinion is probably somewhere in the middle. We didn’t really hike anything, but mostly just stuck to the overlooks which was just fine. Definitely drive all the way to the end of the road as the view over the Na Pali coast was one of my favorites.
“Driving Waimea Canyon and stopping at the overlooks was the perfect Sunday afternoon activity. Its like the Grand Canyon, only GREEN. So, not really?” – @currentlywandering
“Remember how I said that every mountain range is unique and I love it? Hawaii has taken that to a whole new level. I can’t get over these ridges and how the greenery just grows right up these vertical slopes. Blows. My. Mind. .” @currentlywandering
On our way back down out of the canyon we caught that sunset.
——-Day 4: Monday——-
Na Pali Coast Hike
Originally we planned to visit Kauia I was set on backpacking this trail. I had heard it was downright spectacular, but after some initial research we decided that it wasn’t feasible with our kids. Then I thought we’d do the 8 mile round trip to Hanakapi’a waterfall, but in the end we decided that staying with my parents was more important and just went to the beach. Parking was rumored to be a nightmare so we tried to get there early, but even so we barely managed to squeeze into a spot.
The trail has quite a bit of elevation (both up and down) which kept us entertained, and luckily it wasn’t too muddy. Much of the trail was in the shade, but there were sections that were unprotected and got quite warm. We were with my parents so we kept a slower pace which was totally fine with me as we were pretty out of hiking shape ourselves!
The beach was okay. It is not advised to get in the water, so we walked along the sand, Cara collected rocks, and we at our picnic lunch before starting back along the trail.
Ono Shave Ice
After a good hike, I’m pretty sure everyone needs a little shave ice. We found Ono Shave Ice in Kapa’a. They had a great selection of flavors, large portions and weren’t terrible expensive. We may or may not have come back at least 2 more times before we left the island. If you’ve never had Shave Ice (not ShaveD ice) our favorite way to eat it is with ice cream on the bottom and condensed milk on top. So delicious!
We spent the evening at the condo cooking dinner and swimming in the pool.
——-Day 5: Tuesday——-
Today was a rest/logistics day. I had to drop Sam off at the airport so he could teach class at BYU-H by the afternoon and since Cara lost her glasses kayaking I took her to the local optometrist at Costco to get her a new prescription (it was about time anyway) and get new ones ordered.
The kids lazed around the house playing games with grandma and grandpa until Cara and I returned and then we meandered down to the local beach.
Lydgate Park Beach
Lydgate Park Beach is a man made beach so its protected from riptides and rocks. The rock wall surrounding the swimming area attracted fish, so we enjoyed a little bit of snorkeling in addition to playing in the sand and throwing around a frisbee. Perfect Hawaiian vacation evening.
“We had a totally relaxing, calm evening on the beach tonight at Lydgate Park. Little bit of snorkeling, lots of digging in the sand (Cara), and Rachel let me use her as a model. Just couldn’t pass up this gorgeous evening light.” -@currentlywandering
“Found a way to shower post snorkel without getting water in his eyes. 😂 .” -@currentlywandering
By the way – coolest snorkel masks EVER. We could breath through our noses (such a huge plus!) and they had great vision. Also we never had to blow them out – the tube stops up when you dive under water. Check them out on Amazon.
——-Day 6: Wednesday——-
Poipu Beach
My mom requested a beach where we could snorkel AND body board. Now, if you are familiar with either you’ll know they generally don’t go together (one is better in calm water and the other you need waves) but it just so happens that Poipu Beach had great snorkeling and the neighboring Brennecke’s Beach deliver a powerful 1 -2 punch. I had packed over our Wildhorn snorkel gear (can’t leave home without it anymore) and we rented gear for my parents at Snorkel Bob’s in Koloa. They had prescription masks which my mom was excited about so she could actually see the fish!
“A family that snorkels together totally rocks! Cara is my little fish, and it was fun to have grandma & grandpa experience the joy of snorkeling with this girl. She gets so excited and its contagious! Poipu Beach is also one of the BEST snorkeling spots I’ve been too. So many fish and beautifully clear water!” -@currentlywandering
We snorkeled for a few hours at Poipu and then grabbed our stuff and wandered over to Brennecke’s where the surf was coming in. Its a small area but we all managed to catch some waves.
“She doesn’t like to snorkel, but can ride a pretty mean boogie board. ” -@currentlywandering
Puka Dog
We had our fill of the beach by early afternoon and stopped by Puka Dog for a late lunch/dinner on our way back to Lihue. They are Hawaiian style hot dogs which were highly recommended by a friend and oh – so -yummy! Add in a freshly squeezed lemonade and we were in heaven!
——-Day 7: Thursday——-
Koloa Zipline
Our final day on the island we chose to zipline as a birthday present from my parents to the kids for birthdays/Christmas. They are not many places that will let 7 year old kids zip, but Koloa Zipline was awesome. Not only did all my kids get to zipline, they went by themselves almost the whole time. The restrictions are weight dependent and also factor in wind and length of the zip. Totally up to the guides in the moment, and ours were fantastic.
After a short stop for more shave ice, we headed to the airport and them home to Oahu! We packed quite a lot into our 7 days on the island and it was fabulous! I felt like for the first time in a LONG time we were on vacation. Sam took work off, I didn’t worry about blogging and the kids didn’t bring school. We played hard, ate good food, and watched movies or played games together in the evening. We definitely loved our Hawaii vacation and can’t recommend it enough!
My family came to visit for a week and my mom rented a house in nearby Victor, Idaho so we could all stay together. Anyone else’s reunions crazy fun and utterly exhausting?
