When Chris and I travel, my main rule of thumb is to expect the unexpected. You’ll see this as a recurring theme in my blogs. Travel makes me want to do better and be better. Frankly, it also inspires me to move. Some days the urge is so strong that I just want to quit our jobs, sell everything, pack up essentials and our dogs and GO. No, not run away. More like chase our dream life.
About six years ago, in December 2012, Chris and I traveled to Kaua’i, HI. It was so beautiful, it almost defies description. Kaua’i is known as the “garden isle” and is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also typically one of the wettest places on the planet. I say “typically” because when we were there, they had a drought. A. Drought. Of course. We were there to explore the many waterfalls, hike, swim, snorkel, everything you’d want to do in a tropical environment. But, if you think a little thing like a drought would stop us, you’d be very wrong.
Some of our favorite things to do when we travel are kayaking, snorkeling, horseback riding and walking/hiking. Kaua’i was no exception. We decided to do a group kayak tour along the Waimea River in a tandem kayak. This was our first kayak excursion together – I sat in front, Chris in the back where he repeatedly ran us into the mangroves. Other couples in our group were getting annoyed with each other while Chris and I couldn’t stop laughing! Even when a mangrove tried to take my head off, we laughed. (Tip: if you really want to know if your relationship has “it”, travel together AND tandem kayak – it’ll tell you pretty much everything you need to know). When we stopped for lunch and a hike, we were supposed to see a “famous” waterfall…. yep you guessed it, because of the drought, it was non-existent. Still, a beautiful stop, just with a trickle of water and a puddle, not the rushing, let’s get naked under the waterfall, type.
Our horseback adventure did give us the chance to swim under a waterfall…sort of. Although technically I guess it’s a waterfall, and it was fun, it really wasn’t the romanticized spot I’d imagined. It was definitely a great way to cool off from a fun, hot and dusty ride though.
At one point during our trip, we decided to just drive around to see what we could see. Between the palm trees, flowers, gorgeous beaches and an old abandoned sugar mill, it was a great little road trip. Until I looked at the gas gauge. Whoops… “E”. And, wouldn’t you know it, not a gas station to be found! The little warning light came on and a sense of urgency set in. We happened to be on a road where there were no houses, let alone stores or gas stations. Along the side of the road, we saw a man walking so I pulled over to ask him where the nearest station was. “Just up the hill” he said. Ok! Easy! Back out on the road we go, up the hill and nope. No gas stations. At this point Chris and I are both getting annoyed because not only are we about out of gas, but we also have a very low tire. Great. No choice but to keep going. We come out of a bend in the road and low & behold we are saved! COSTCO!!! Fuel, moods and air restored!
Driving to Mount Wai’ale’ale shouldn’t be missed. The views are incredible. At the top, you can look down to the Nā Pali coast where you might recognize the scenery from movies like Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Six Days-Seven Nights and Pirates of the Caribbean (there are quite a few more of course). Something we discovered while driving up the mountain, it gets cold (who knew??). We went from a perfect 80 degrees to 58…with the top down of course. Oh and no sweatshirts or coats. We had to use a turnout along the side of the road to put the top back up on the car and turn the heat on! Lesson learned. Always carry a sweatshirt!
We also saw Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”. We made several stops along the way and saw helicopters going through the canyon and heard goats. Mountain goats! Their calls echoed throughout the canyon which made it seem so surreal.
All in all, as first “big” trip as a couple, it went great! We had so much fun, laughter and adventure!!
What was your first “real” trip as a couple? Did it make or break you?
Great Blog. Love reading these. Keep up the writing. Looking forward to the next chapter.