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!
Awhile ago we bought the Canadian National Parks guide and as soon as I realized Kejimkujik National Park was known for its back country camping I was sold. That meant after Cape Breton we needed to make our way southeast. True to form we decided to take the back roads down to a small family run RV park on the eastern shore. Since then we’ve also decided that taking the back roads in Nova Scotia is not generally a good idea. Sometimes we did to avoid toll roads, and other times it just seemed more scenic. More often than not it just meant bad pavement. Live and learn I suppose? The road was bumpy, it was rainy, foggy and not altogether scenic. The bright spot, however, was that we learned most gas stations have hard scoop ice cream. Score!
Murphy’s Camping on the Ocean
We pulled into Murphy’s and I was immediately not impressed. Our site was supposed to have 30amp but it was broken, so we had an extension cord that ran 20amp. It was raining. We were exhausted. It was also not cool enough plus the humidity was high so we were all kind of sticky. I went to bed wondering if we could get a refund and leave early.
But then…. the next day dawned bright and sunny. We had a crisp breeze off the ocean and the kids discovered the crab trap down by the docks. They spent HOURS playing catch and release with the small sea creatures, Alyssa and I went for a mid morning canoe paddle, and later that evening we all sat around the campfire and ate complimentary boiled mussels.
Kind of a quirky place but one that could definitely grow on you.
“As moms, sometimes we just need our own adventures. @alyssakerickson spied a lonely canoe just sitting on the dock at Murphy’s and asked about renting it. $10 later we were paddling among all these cute little islands for an hour and just enjoying a morning of quiet. And no kids. And adventure. Thanks friend for getting out there with me!”
Friday morning the 24th dawned beautiful, sunny, and just like that Andrew turned 11 years old. Since we had already fulfilled their birthday dreams at Cedar Point last month, the presents were sparse. We did manage to drum up some candy corn for him, and Cara wrapped everything beautifully in home made paper. He requested eggs on toast for breakfast (don’t mind if we do) and then we hitched up and towed the house to the beach for an afternoon in the sun!
Martinique Beach Provincial Park
Alyssa had heard from the locals that Martinique Beach Provincial Park was one of the best beaches on the east shore. From looking at satellite view we figured if we got there early and took up an entire parking lot with our two Airstreams we’d be fine.
Right?
Somehow we managed to miss the fact that it is also a popular surf beach and everyone was there early. Near the end of the narrow road we did manage to back in both our trailers & trucks and settle in for the day. Mostly we just crossed our fingers we’d be able to get out again!
“One of our biggest concerns on this trip was how Rachel would do. She loves Driggs, having her own room and hanging out with girls her age. While traveling is still magical to the younger two, she’s kind of over it. Showing up every week to a new group of teenage girls at church can also be intimidating and full of anxiety. The other week, however, she told us, “I’ve conquered church” while acknowledging that her prayers had been answered. 💕
I’m so proud of her and her attitude. Sure, she’d go home tomorrow if she could but in the meantime I love watching her grow and learn along with the rest of us.
Beach days certainly help too. We don’t have those in Driggs. 😂” – @currentlywandering
One thing I really love about Canada? Everyone is SO nice. We followed the Erickson’s out of the parking lot and everyone moved over, backed up, or gave us space. Seriously could have been bad, but really? It wasn’t a problem. Now, I probably wouldn’t recommend a repeat adventure, but I’m grateful we didn’t get stuck in there all night!
The town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
We ran into the weekend problem where everything was full, but managed to snack a couple of spots down in Lunenburg, NS for Friday & Saturday nights. We celebrated that evening with hamburgers & cupcakes and the kids were able to watch a movie. Birthdays can sometimes be hard on the road, but I think we pretty much nailed this one!
Lunenburge is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which I think means its pretty old. 🙂 We stayed in the lower loop of the Board of Trade campground and only *barely* fit. I’m not sure we’d do that again. It was within walking distance to town, however, which we took advantage of.
Sunday morning we hitched up and drove to church towing the Airstream. We don’t do this often, but sometimes its just logistically easier when we are trying to get from point A to B. We found the ward in the small town of Bridgewater to be incredibly kind and welcoming. If we ever go back to Nova Scotia we’d definitely love to spend more time in this region!
Kejimkujik National Park
We tend to fly by the seat of our pants – even when planning back country adventures. After talking with locals and getting a feel for the area I’ve realized we were VERY lucky to be able to back country camp in this park last minute. I’m so grateful it worked out, however, because this canoe circuit was one of the hardest and most rewarding trips we’ve had.
“When I found out that Kejimkujik was primarily a back country park my planning wheels started churning. We packed all our gear but haven’t had a chance to use it!
I talked with the rangers, with the outfitters, did a bunch of research online and we finally settled on the Big Dam – Frozen Ocean Lake loop. It involves 26km of paddling/hiking, 6 portages, 4 lakes, and 2 rivers. Definitely the most complicated trip we’ve ever undertaken!
We also found out this park is extremely popular with the locals and am incredibly grateful we were able to book any sites at all with such short notice.
One of my favorite moments? Rachel and Andrew successfully navigating this lake and pulling into the portage like pros.” – @currentlywandering
“That time we were on our way to the National park and I thought, “Hey! I wonder if we should take the paddle board along with our rental canoes?” Yes. Yes we should.” -@currentlywandering
“Sometimes we visit places with a stay in an RV site. Sometimes we jump in a little deeper. We just spent 3 days on a 16 mile canoe circuit in Kejimkujik National Park, in the middle of Southern Nova Scotia.
We started with a portage to and paddle across Big Dam Lake. #allthedamjokes” – @telegramsam
“All three of my kids are strong paddlers, and it makes canoe trips fun. We switched up boat arrangements quite often, and it was great to spend time with each. We had two canoes and also a paddle board/kayak, so there were no passengers for th first time on a trip like this. Everybody had a nice round of paddling.” – @telegramsam
I plan to do a full write up of our trip as soon as I get time to go through ALL the video. Stay tuned for that.
City of Halifax & Enlisting as Soldiers
After our canoe camping trip in Keji, we towed back to Halifax, Nova Scotia and met up with the Erickson’s again. Mostly we just needed to recover, get some work done, and get Rachel to the LDS temple. The kids and I also managed a visit to the Citadel for a road schooling field trip. I wish it hadn’t been as hot and humid that day because the fort was AMAZING. I loved watching the soldiers in uniform march, play the bagpipes, and shoot their weapons. We could dress up, enlist in the army, and even attend of day of school.
If we had had longer (and looking back we should have just done it!) I would have explored more of the southern coast of Nova Scotia. Its rumored to have some of the best beaches anywhere. However, it was time to turn and head back towards the US.
We loved our stay in Lake Placid, NY and as we were talking about where to go next I noticed that @adirondacraftco followed us on Instagram. Wait, what? There’s whitewater rafting!? Sign us up! After a brief conversation over Instagram we found out they still had availability, worked a deal for a discounted trip for the 10 of us (still hanging out with Kid Project), packed up and were on our way!
When We Went: August 2, 2018
Ages of Kids: 12, 10, & 8 (8+ is the minimum age during the summer, 16+ in April, 10+ in May)
We love whitewater rafting and have somehow managed to squeeze in a trip every year. Two years ago we ran the Snake River in Jackson, WY and last summer we spontaneously jumped on a trip in Jasper, Alberta. The kids especially were incredibly excited to tackle a third river this year!
Although we’ve run rivers before our friends, the Erickson’s had not. Super fun to get them on their first river and we picked a great one!
The Upper Hudson River Gorge is located near Indian Lake, New York. Its a super small town and most of the adventure seeking guests drive in from Lake Placid – in fact many of the guides for Adirondac Rafting Co. also live in Lake Placid and drive down for work. Not too shabby.
After talking with the guides we found out the smaller Indian River (where we put in) and the larger Hudson river are controlled with a dam release. Four times a week the dam releases enough water for the multiple companies in town to run whitewater trips. Its called “The Bubble” as the increase of water moves down the river, raising the levels as it goes. Because of the timed release all the companies put in roughly around 10am and ride the bubble down the river.
So, yes. We surfed the dam river bubble.
This section of river has 12 named rapids and ranges from a Class IV in the spring to more of a II-III in the sumer months. Total distances is about 15 miles which is the longest section we’ve ever done!
Check in time was 9am and went super smoothly. We signed a waiver and then got suited up with a life jacket, helmet and paddle. After a brief safety talk we loaded on to the Tiger bus for the short 10 minute ride to the put in.
There’s a bit of a jockeying at the put in with eight different companies running multiple boats. Our guide were awesome – they got us in line and in the water with no problems. It looked that most of the guides between companies were friendly enough but I was especially impressed with the experience level and professionalism of the guides with Adirondack Rafting. We later found out that our guide, Brad, has been down this river about 700 times!
Our first section on the Indian River was immediately fun! My favorite thing about this river is that I felt it was ripply and exciting most of the way. While sections weren’t necessarily classified as “rapids” they were still whitewater fun and kept us entertained.
Around 12:30pm we started looking for a lunch pull out. The trip includes lunch and it was delicious! Turkey sandwiches, chips, oranges, lemonade and cookies. After a few hours on the river everyone was hungry so we gobbled up our food while perched on some rocks with a pretty sweet view. Adirondack Rafting company has also partnered with a local food bank to help feed families in need. For every meal they give out on the river, a donation is provided to the Regional Food Bank of N.EN.Y to feed local families in need. How cool is that?
Back on the river! Some of our favorite rapids were after lunch. The kids took turns moving around the rafting and alternating who got to ride in the front or the middle. At one point Brad handed the guide paddle to Sam and stuck him in the back to steer! It was super fun to have Sam at the helm and he did a great job navigating a few of the smaller rapids.
We had plenty of time to play and swim in the water as well. We jumped off Elephant Rock and were also able to surf some of the rapids! Something I’ve never seen or done before. We basically tucked into the overspray of a rock and the kids thought it was hilarious that our boat entirely filled up with water. It was a blast!
Jumping off Elephant RockSurfing the rapid
We pulled off the river around 3:30pm and helped load the rafts back onto the bus which was quite exciting as we basically had to throw them up there. As the kids settled back into their seats for the 20 minute drive back to Indian Lake I could see their eyes start to droop. They had an amazing time but 5 hours on the river for young kids is pretty intense!
We are so happy we made the trip down to Indian Lake to river raft. If you are ever in the Adirondack/Lake Placid area its totally worth looking these guys up! I guided some rafting a bit in college and I know there are certain ways to hit rapids for the best ride. Sometimes you go in sideways, sometimes backwards (eek!), sometimes you paddle up river and I love that these guides really know their stuff. I could tell they loved their job and truly enjoy providing an amazing experience for their guests.
Disclosure: Adirondac Rafting Company provided us a 50% discount in exchange for social media posts and a blog post. We are super grateful we got to work with them and highly recommend them as a company. All opinions are our own!
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!”
[pp_gallery id=”10422″]
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!
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?
We loved our stay in Lake Placid, NY and as we were talking about where to go next I noticed that 
