1 On to the North shore of Kauai and our timeshare overlooking Hanalei Bay towards Bali Hai - deep breaths and a cold drink in hand
2 Although the sun sets behind the mountains this time of year, it still puts on a glorious color show
3 Brunch at Sam's in Kapa'a on our way to do our first round of grocery shopping. Yay, I finally had my first mac-nut pancakes with coconut lilikoi syrup of the trip. Oh and a really good bloody mary as well.
4 Even 11am can be Happy Hour if you want it bad enough!
5 Beautiful view overlooking Kapa'a Beach from Sam's lanai while we sipped our bloodies
6 Practicing the various selfie modes on our new phones
7 Heading out the back way from Princeville down to Hanalei we saw a sign for "lunch with a view" pointing towards an area that we though was just multi-gazillion dollar estates overlooking Hanalei valley. Boy were we surprised to find this recently opened salad and smoothie stand perched on the bluff, operated by the family that has farmland down along the banks of the river.
8 We saved about $12 million by enjoying a farm-fresh acai bowl and soursop smoothie, sitting on a picnic bench with a 270° breathtaking panoramic view overlooking the Hanalei River, village, and bay. A single drink at the former St. Regis with the same view would have cost us triple what we spent.
9 Nene family - mom and dad checking out the HBR pool with the young'uns who haven't been banded yet
10 Mike Keale entertaining poolside. Unfortunately not much of a crowd since this brief spot of blue sky was just that- very brief followed by a cold downpour. You can sort of tell that his easy-up was on the verge of blowing down in the high wind.
11 Wait out 1-1/2 weeks of rain and we can at last see the horizon at sunset again, even if it is raining over Bali Hai
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16 Laysan Albatross nesting on the Makai Course
17 Nene parents and their goslings
18 We had dinner planned on the South Shore and we had never visited any of the gardens on that side. So we spent the aftertoon touring Allerton Garden, one of the three National Tropical Botanical Gardens situated on Kauai. We mistakenly thought Allerton was just a garden of native and canoe plants, similar to Limahuli on the North Shore. Instead, we were greeted by planned gardens and statuary that were part of Robert Allerton, heir to what is now Chase Bank, and his "companion" John Gregg's estate where they entertained themselves and society's upper crust.
19 The tour bus takes you from the visitor center to the center of the gardens themselves. Along the way are spectacular views of the Lawai Kai beach once owned by the Allertons and used as locations for movies like Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.
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