A GOOD LEI IN KAUAI

 A GOOD LEI IN KAUAI

The year was 1977, 44 years ago when I was a new teacher at San Dieguito High School, in Encinitas, teaching Biology and Marine Biology. Being my first year I was ready to take on the world…then June 1st…all the new teachers were pink slipped (passage of the Jarvis tax bill, lowering property taxes). PINK SLIPPED, really! so like any good American I applied for unemployment for the first time in my life. I then received my $700 check in July and guess what, I was rehired in August…. what to? Put the $700 in savings? Save for a house? Nope, Bill Behun, Joe Ford and I headed off to Hawaii for some adventure!

22 MILE IN/0UT 
KALALAU TRAIL

After a brief stop in Honolulu to do some surfing at Queens in Waikiki, we went to try our luck on the famous 22 mile in/out Kalalau trail, on the Na Pali coast of Kauai, and yes some of the areas surrounding the trail is where they filmed the movie Jurassic Park. After 11 miles the trail ended at a stunning beach full of dunes with a spectacular 300 ft. waterfall that we bathed under each day. 

HANGING IN THE CAVES

At night we camped in the caves. I will never forget reading the book "Dune", by Frank Herbert about giant sand worms on a desolate planet.  Then, in the middle of night under a full moon, in our cave, some kind of giant crabs emerged from under our sleeping bags 

(scarring the heebie-jeebies out of me!) and scurried down to the beach.

HEATHER AND TORREY
2004

Another great time, I returned to the trail again with my daughters, Heather and Torrey, and hiked the first section in 2004. After the hike we snorkeled at Kee beach and saw an array of colorful fish and coral heads. We ended the trip surfing the challenging breaks at Poipu beach, while the locals were egging us on and not in a good way.

So why am I writing about Kauai in 2021? I guess because it is never too late to have an experience that makes you wonder how incredible nature is. The kind that you think about the whole plane ride home. But first, why were we even there to begin with. Loraine and I went there to support Shannon, her daughter and Max with an "AU Natural" birth. Yep, no pain meds and no epidural! We no sooner got there when Shannon said, back your bags and take Leif, their 3 year old son, to the Hanalei Resort hotel, while they to do a home birth.

LEIF IN THE SAND 
POOL

HANALEI RESORT

So off we went toting our 3 year old grandson to play and frolic for a couple of days. Well not quite, poor little guy had been stung just 2 days before by one of the deadliest creatures in the sea..."the Box Jellyfish," stinging the entire front of his torso. After a visit to the  emergency clinic he was deemed ok since his breathing wasn't affected. However, he was still in a lot pain and itched like crazy. So add that on top of never being away from mom and dad for a sleepover. Loraine and I did pretty good entertaining him at the pool until the sun went down and then our work really began. To make a long story very short, I think climbing Kilimanjaro was a little easier, but we all survived. In the meantime Leo Rain was born, a beautiful 7lb healthy baby to Shannon and Max. Shannon did the final delivery in a birthing tub, underwater, with a minimal time of intense labor pain. As she described it, "when I entered the birthing tub full of warm water, I went into kind of a zone, the water seem to encompass me and take away my back pain." She continued, "with only a 45 minutes of hard pushing and out he came." What’s interesting is with no epidural you can feel how hard to push, so no rips or tears to her body.. pretty darn cool if you ask me. 

FIRST TIME LEIF
SEES LITTLE LEO

MAX AND LEO
BONDING TIME

LEO RAIN
 GARDENIER

With the baby here I was free to roam. Loraine was dealing with some hip issues so off I went on a bike ride along the Kappa coast. I enjoyed the fresh moist air and sweeping views of the turbulent ocean and the old land pineapple plantation on the other side of the road.

KAPAA BIKE PATH 
ALONG THE COAST

Then one day Loraine and I took the morning off and heading to Hanalei River for some kayaking. Hanalei kayak rental is right on the river so all you have to do is drop the kayak in and decide if you want to go to the ocean or the mountain valleys.

KAYAKING HANALEI RIVER

We chose the mountain valleys and cruised along the river checking all the giant white crowned Siris Trees with their mangled cave-like roots dangling into the river while snowy egrets swarming in their branches. Paddling up river into the wind was great exercise, but tiring. We finally hit the low water turn around point where the rapids started, and the real fun began. A quick dip in a hollowed out pool was called for and a quick pee behind the bamboo trees, which as it turned out, opened up into this verdant green pasture that looked like it was out of the 1970s Fantasy Island TV show. I was half expecting little Tattoo to come out with Ricardo Montalban and saying, "Welcome to Fantasy Island". The return trip was like a Disneyland E ticket, paddling downstream it was full of cumulus cloud formations with the Na Pali mountain ridges jutting up into the sky.

  

Ok, I know you want to know what the overwhelming moment was. I needed one more day of snorkeling so I headed off to Anini beach. Anini beach, is another one of those paradise beaches, with giant tropical trees draping their branches over the 

ANINI BEACH

sand and water... the stuff they make movies about. 

So I talked to the local beachboy lifeguard, and asked him where to go to see some cool stuff. He said, “hey man down by the river mouth, go swim out to the buoy to see the turtles.” Turtles... heck I would be happy just to see some live coral and fish. Well, as it ends up, this is the place to go for everything. You see, most of the coral has been decimated on the island by a brown algae and sand sediment settling and choking the coral polyps. 

But here, I was seeing some stunning coral heads, with an assortment of dazzling 

colorful reef fish…some with black triangular bodies, with a white spot on its side and sparkling blue eyes.  They were feeding and darting out from the coral branches. I even saw the old classic parrot fish with blue lips. Then out of nowhere, a giant green sea turtle appeared floating above one particular coral head, turns out it was a “cleaning station.”

TURTLE CLEANING STATION

As I watched from a distance the turtle hovered above the coral head, then turned upward toward the surface in suspended animation with spread flippers, like an eagle unveiling his wings. It appeared as if it was in a comatose state (I know Galapagos tortoises do that when they are cleaned by finches), he suspended his body in a free float as 100s of tiny diamond shaped, yellow striped cleaner fish cleaned everything, even the shell. Seems the sea turtles also realize any algae etc., growing on their shell will impede its hydrodynamics. After he dazzled the audience, (that would be me), I wondered if this is how Shannon felt in the birthing tub (in the zone). He then floated up to the surface and gulped some air and in a free floating roll drifted back to the Coral head for another cleaning.

TURTLE CLOACA

Now content, he surged forward with his flippers and down to the base of a coral head and seem to edge himself under the reef to relax. Sea turtles can spend 4-7 hours underwater. How can they possibly hold their breath that long, you might ask? Well, they have special evolutionary structure called a ”Cloaca” (sometimes called an anus) that allows them to absorb oxygen from the water in a resting state. The cloaca can also excrete urine, solid waste and be involved in reproduction. Pretty cool, imagine being                                                able to breathe through your anus. 

So I will close with one last thought, nothing like a "good Lei in Kauai" (handmade by my daughter in-law),and especially if you are a Granddad. 

And may all of you extend "Kokua" (spirit of kindness with no expectations) to others.  

RAINBOW 
EUCALYPTUS

 

FYI: This is my last regular blog. Feedburner from Google, who does stats too, is no longer sending them out to your emails. My blog spot just passed 15,000 views with them, so it was a good run. I hope all is well with you and in the future I will be  personally sending them to your emails                                       directly. 

                               Mahalo, Jerry