Kauai

          It was shaping up to be an exciting Sail-Away!

We went over to the port rail and peered down on the dock, waiting for us to be cast off and underway.

The time was 4:40 PM.

All Aboard was at 4:30.

But…. The gang plank was still out 😊

          That meant that we had the possibility for “Pier Runners”! Remember them? I described them (complete with photos) about two months ago in a previous post, (Ports of Call, November 2022). We rushed to get some Umbrella Drinks to watch the festivities with. Down waiting at the gang plank there was a bevy of white uniformed personnel, accompanied by the Security Staff.

                   They were pacing….

                   While furtively glancing down at their watches…

                   This can only mean one thing…. We had passengers AWOL, and the ship was ready to sail! The perfect recipe for an afternoon of crowd-pleasing entertainment!

Word spread quickly that the opportunity to watch some half-witted late comers was rapidly coming to a climax, and the rail was soon filled with anxious spectators. The Casino Staff showed up to facilitate the placing of bets and deciding on the odds for the arrival time, and whether it would be before, or after, the last line had been cast off and we would officially be able to call out Aloha! Arrivederci! Adios Amigos! See you in Tahiti!

          We scanned the official Port entrance, no one there or running down the street leading into the Port. These guys were seriously late! Now everyone knows that the All Aboard time is set so that we can depart somewhat later, leaving a small cushion of time to allow for situations like this. Usually that cushion is about a half-hour or so. But if everyone else is aboard and that departure time comes and you are not aboard, or being seen running frantically (to the delight of the spectators and Casino Staff) down the pier…… well, let’s just say you should probably have your passport with you to facilitate your flight to join back up with us at a future port.

          A cheer went up from the assembled crowd!

          Activity at the Port Entrance!

          No! It can’t be!

                    We’ve been ripped off!

 It’s a Tour Bus!

The kind that gets the “Guarantee” that the ship will wait! What a bummer! The dejected spectator crowd quickly dispersed muttering obscenities like a sailor.

Wait a minute, we are sailors!

Anyway, we were all disappointed that it turned out Ok and these folks actually had no worries about getting back on time when they were on an official Princess Excursion.

          Next time we will check it all out before placing our bets!

All of this occurred after we had returned from our Excursion to the other side of the Island to see Waimea Canyon and a few other points of interest along the way. Waimea Canyon has been dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” (aren’t we getting tired of the use of other places being used as the descriptive for other sites, cities, etc.?)

But I guess that it works as it quickly gives the reader something that is already familiar and easy to comprehend. In this case, the multi-colored canyon walls are something that Waimea has in common with its Arizona cousin. It is quite spectacular, especially when the waterfalls are running! And running they were!

 Because of the way the Tradewinds hit the mountains around here (making their own micro-climate) the average annual rainfall up there in the mountains is about 500 inches, making it one of the wettest places on the Planet! This makes for good waterfall watching as water is the key ingredient in a waterfall!

          Kauai is the oldest island in the Hawaiian Island Archipelago. If you feel one of those “lessons” coming on you would be correct! No worries, it’s an easy one!

                   We all know that our planets crust moves above the somewhat semi-liquid insides of our world. This is called plate tectonics. Think of it as an orange being peeled into relatively large pieces and then re-fitting those pieces back on the orange so that you can move them all around. The “seams” of the peeled orange are where the “Fault Lines” are located.

          Ok, now get out your world maps and locate Midway Island, the same one that was in the WWII spotlight. Midway is actually the last island (or first as you will see) in this very long chain of islands. It is to the northwest of Hawaii, way out there in the Pacific. Ok, there is a hot spot under the sea, and it is currently located under the Big Island of Hawaii. That is why we now have active volcanoes on that Island. Over gazillions of years, the earth’s crust has moved over this “hot spot” (like sliding our orange peel around). Midway Island was once located over this spot which would make its past location where the present Big Island of Hawaii is now located.

                    See! I told you it would be easy!

                   So, since Kauai is the island closest to Midway in this very long line, you can see how it is the oldest landmass in this current grouping of islands. You can also understand how the Big Island is the youngest.

          But, Midway is almost 1300 miles away! This shows you how far our planet’s crust can move over the years because of “plate tectonics!”

                   Lesson over.

                   This “age” gives the geological features of Kauai a very nice worn-down, vegetative covered look…. you can feel their age! Combined with the rainfall induced growing green garden, this effect is like having a comfy blanket covering everything. As dramatic as Waimea Canyon is, it still has a friendly feeling to it.

                   Speaking of friendly feelings, Ron, our Tour Guide and Driver was absolutely superb. He is a native Hawaiian and can trace his lineage back as far as it can go in a land that holds its past history in a series of dances (Hula) that keeps their story alive.

                   He also was about as laid back as anyone we’ve ever met.

                   The drawl in his speaking was entertaining and sounded like he was on quaaludes or something! (Heyyy maaan…… nice bus!)

                   But he wasn’t 😊 as witnessed by his great driving skills used negotiating the switchbacks on the road to the summit where the overlook for Waimea Canyon was located. What his attitude did do was keep us thoroughly entertained with his constant banter featuring lots of local history, anecdotes, and a great collection of “Dad Jokes” that popped out randomly.

                   Waimea Canyon is 3,567 feet deep and about 12 miles long. Not nearly as massive as its big cousin, but just as remarkable given the fact that it is located on an island that, in its entirety, is less than one third the size of the other Grand Canyon!

                   Kauai is also one of the favorite places to use in films. If you have seen Blue Hawaii, Six Days Seven Nights, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Descendants, South Pacific, or Donovan’s Reef, you’ve already seen parts of this place called The Garden Isle.

                   Ok, here goes…

What do you call a cow with no legs?

                             Ground beef!

                             What do you call a cow with just two legs?

                             Lean beef!

                   Don’t worry, we’ve got a million of ‘em!

And we’ve got five (!) days at sea on our way to Tahiti to relay all of them to you!