DeLappenings: Kauai 2022

Aloha! (Again, again.)

Day 3 dawned just as spectacularly as the days before.

I’m hoping I don’t miss a sunrise for the remainder of our trip because it’s absolutely the best way to begin each day.

So peaceful, so grounding, and so unique, each and every morning (today was the clearest skies and the strongest breeze, so far).

I love that the hubby and I always wake and make it out there first. Then, one by one, the kiddos sense the light and the sounds of the ocean and come wandering out all warm and sleep-rumpled and adorable. :)

With no official excursion booked for the day, we earmarked this time for a trek to Waimea Canyon (the Grand Canyon of the Pacific), and further up, the unreal views of the Kalalau Valley with the ocean glimmering as far as the eye can see.

The road itself is windy and okay for a decent chunk, but also terrifying for people like myself, who are insanely afraid of heights. I was leaning so far over—away from the guardrails and steep drop offs—that I was practically in the driver’s seat.

Bless the hubby for knowing the strength of my emotions when it comes to heights, and for doing his best to accommodate my anxiety—even when it means he has to drive like a snail or forego that spectacular pic that requires standing on a precarious rock, because I just. Can’t. Deal.

Throughout the 30-45 minute drive up, there are numerous lookout stops to enjoy. My anxiety guided us toward the most tolerable of the steep terrain, ha.

Pictures don’t even represent the majesty of the area. It’s impossible to capture the topography in all its glory, but we sure did try!

The view in the rear-view mirror on one of the curves that captured the Pacific in the distance:

It’s insane that you can peer left over the cliff and see nothing but gorgeous ocean; look right and you have the canyon. Where else can you get these insane visuals no matter the direction you’re facing???

I need to tackle a separate post to cover our wild chicken stalking and joy while on Kauai. It’s been a riot, and as fans of the movie Moana, we holler “Heihei” every time we see one (which is often, tehe).

Eventually, along this journey, you reach the official Waimea Canyon Lookout, which offers absolutely insane panoramic views. (Also of note: I might officially keep the Grand Canyon off my bucket list if I react this strongly to similar excursions, ha. Not sure I could handle it!)

If you’re noticing a lot of Chica and Hubby pics around this point, it’s because they were the bravest at being close to the railings, ha.

Family selfie hilarity. Love these bloopers. ;)

Now. At this point in the journey, I’m guessing most people turn around and head home.

BUT.

If you’re willing to drive another winding 20 minutes to reach the Kalalau Lookout, you’ll find a view so spectacular, it’s breathtaking.

Legitimately…that much BLUE that’s both sea and sky is just unreal. I kept coming back to the line of the song (again, with the Moana love): “see the line where the sky meets the sea and it calls me.”

Truly, no other way to contemplate the merging of sea and sky on the horizon. Stunning. Just…STUNNING.

Back down to earth…and JoJo’s Shaved Ice (which served as our lunch, because, vacay).

Again, since we had no specific timetable we had to follow today, we allowed ourselves some leeway to wander at times. Like during a bonus souvenir shop stop for the kiddos…or this coffee farm stop for Mama and Daddy, ha.

With 3,100 acres, this is the largest coffee farm in the United States, and since it’s becoming sort of A Thing For Mama and Daddy to hunt for new coffee on vacations, and for the kiddos to complain about it, we knew we had to stop. If only to drive our children nuts. ;)

But they found a gorgeous gecko to keep them entertained, ha.

Just look at the intricate colors and patterns. It’s impossible for me to look at minutia like this without thinking of God.

Despite a looser schedule for all of our wandering today, it was still jam-packed. Enough that we only had 15 minutes to race back to the resort for a quick change before our nice dinner on property at this lovely restaurant that’s housed in these thatched-roof buildings over the water.

Naturally, we’re nothing but serious and well-behaved—even at fancy dinners. Not.

Now.

The remainder of the post is our after-dinner raucous family photo shoot, ha.

With such insanely gorgeous surroundings, and family color-coordination, I took full advantage and captured about a thousand photos.

It’s been a standing demand/gift for this anniversary trip that the kiddos put up with all the pictures we want (muhahahah, evil laugh).

We conned them into extra-agreeable posing (and rowdiness, apparently) by promising them a nighttime swim after we were done.

Some of these shots are so golden, I wonder why I ever bother with professionally photography shoots for our annual holiday cards (and Chica even told me so tonight’s ha). Though it’s so nice to pass the baton so someone else, on occasion, and appreciate the high quality of professional equipment.

The point is: professional or not, I really love these candids SO much, and you couldn’t ask for better surroundings and sunset lighting.

PRICELESS.