Category Archives: Andrew

Andrew, Photo, Sarah, Travel

Kaua’i, Day 5

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Today we rose bright and early and drove to the end of the road to hike the Kalalau Trail. When we arrived at the trailhead, however, we discovered that it was closed due to the recent heavy rains. Not to be deterred, we hightailed it to the opposite side of the island, where there are numerous additional trail options. (Actually, the road is like a horseshoe with both ends in the northwest, separated by a few miles of the insanely rugged Nā Pali coast, so we ended up not far from where we started, but 4000 feet up.)

We hiked along the upper rim of Kalalau Valley (4000 feet above our original hike) and then went through the Alakaʻi Swamp, purportedly the highest altitude swamp in the world (I’ve read differing accounts). We ended up at the Kilohana lookout, where we could peer through rifts in the clouds across the Wainiha, Lumahaʻi, and Hanalei valleys. As the crow flies, it was hardly any distance to our rental far below, but the sheer cliffs and walls of tropical vegetation deterred us from any foolhardy bushwhacking.

A highlight of this hike was running into someone we knew! Three summers ago, we visited Nate and Christine in Falmouth and met Nate’s friends, Ben and Emory (see our July 2016 post with pictures of Emory). Emory lives on Kaua’i. We knew this ahead of time and had corresponded with him about our trip, but hadn’t made any firm plans to get together. Imagine our surprise as we clambered up a muddy trail and bumped into him! We love the serendipity of it all.

View along the drive to the trailhead.
Emory!
We made it through the swamp!
Shoes at the start.
The Fitbit approves.
Shoes at the end.

We were proud of those muddy shoes, but they caused us some unexpected hassles at the airport on our way out.

Andrew, Photo, Sarah, Travel

Kaua’i, Day 4

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Note the massive spike early this morning (March 15).

We awoke this morning trapped at the northern tip of the island! It rained heavily overnight, causing the authorities to close the Hanalei bridge. This was awesome for two reasons. First, all the other vacationers on the island couldn’t swarm up to the north-end beaches and trails (as they usually do). Second, the atmosphere appeared to have finally run out of moisture. Sweet.

We spent the morning at Tunnels Beach, near our rental, swimming and wishing that we’d remembered to grab snorkeling gear. There were plenty of fish to be seen even without a mask. Eventually, we headed into Hanalei for lunch. Most restaurants were closed because employees live on the other side of the bridge, but we were able to find delicious BBQ at Chicken in a Barrel, followed by our first shave ice from Wishing Well. If you’ve never had one, where a snow cone is bland, crunchy, and gross, a shave ice is fresh, soft, and delicious. They’re made by literally shaving a block of ice with a sharp blade, producing a fine powder. Add fresh fruit and/or fruit syrups, other toppings (like coconut cream), and maybe a scoop of ice cream, and you end up with a divine treat on a warm day.

Later in the afternoon, the bridge opened, so we went south to check out the Kilauea Lighthouse. Alas, it closed just as we pulled up. Plenty of beauty nearby, regardless. We realized that we wanted to be on the beach again for sunset, so we headed back north, grabbed snorkeling supplies from our rental (love it that they have a bin to share), and returned to Tunnels Beach for a jaw-dropping end to a perfect day.

Morning view
Waterfall by the road
A modern ford: the road is built for the stream to cross over it.
Tunnels Beach
Beach panorama
Great snorkeling out among the rocks and coral.
First time with the top down!
Lunch lizard (a guest, not on the menu).
Shave ice after lunch
The Rainbow
The Tropical Something
Kilauea Lighthouse
Just an endangered monk seal relaxing on the beach.
Sunset beauty
Selfie time
Sunset panorama – east
Sunset
Sunset panorama – west
April 2018 Addendum:

Although we thought the flooding was severe while we were on Kaua’i, the island was devastated by dramatically more serious flooding in April. By comparison with the USGS flood gauge at the top of this post, see the chart below for both March and April. Our “flood” appears before the Mar 17 line. The real flood hit on April 14. See also these dramatic before and after pictures published in Town & Country.

Hanalei River water levels from March 1 to April 30.
Andrew, Photo, Sarah, Travel

Kauaʻi, Day 3

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It was pouring today. Not the light mists, drizzle, and beams of sunshine that we encountered on our first two days, but nonstop, torrential rain. So we went to a fancy spa for glorious massages. Dreamy. Afterwards we were allowed to use the spa facilities including the hotel’s fancy “meandering pool.”

The great thing about tropical rain is that it’s not really that cold. Chilly, to be sure, but not insufferable. Luckily, it was too chilly for most guests, so Sarah and I shared the massive pool (and multiple associated hot tubs) with just a few other guests. I would never want to stay at a hotel like this, but the pool was amazing, with multiple waterfalls (including one with a cave behind it), two waterslides, a sandy zero-depth-entry faux beach, and the aforementioned hot tubs. See some pics below.

Post-massage smiles
In the cave
Behind the waterfall
Heavy rain at the pool

A few short video clips:

Flooded parking lot behind the Olympic Cafe.

Little did we know while frolicking in the pool that the rainfall total was unusually high, especially higher up on the mountain. After drying off, we strolled around downtown Kapaa and ended up stopping for dinner at the Olympic Cafe. Our waitress informed us that the only bridge to our part of the island had been closed since the morning. (Apparently it had closed shortly after we crossed it on our way to the spa.) She thought it would be closed overnight until the river level dropped. Yikes!

I confirmed the closure online, discovering that they close the Hanalei bridge whenever the water level rises six feet above normal. Astonishingly, the USGS provides excellent graphs of water levels for just about every river on the island. (Nerd glory!) They update automatically every ten-minutes; this is what we found:

The Hanalei bridge closes at the six-foot line.

Note that today’s level (March 14) went above six feet in the morning, peaked around noon, and has been falling ever since. Based on this, we were hopeful that the bridge would reopen, but weren’t sure.

Gotta love being on vacation, though, because who cares? Worst case: we find another hotel room for the night or sleep in the car. Neither are ideal, especially facing an unexpected expense, but both would be fun in their own way. So we ordered Mai Tais and relaxed at the Olympic.

Mai Tai time!
Flood shmud!

Eventually, we decided to drive north and take our chances. Miraculously, as we approached the bridge, the police opened it, and we were part of the first group of cars allowed to cross. The vacation gods are smiling upon us.

 

Andrew, Photo, Sarah, Travel

Kauaʻi, Day 2

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Our first full day on Kauaʻi: a walk on Keʻe beach at the beginning of the Nā Pali trail (we’ll attempt that later), a drive around the island that included a Russian fort, Waimea Canyon (!!!), and a chance run in with one of Sarah’s former SCA crew members (from the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness), Sam, at dinner.

Scary aside: while we were at the Waimea Canyon view platform, a young couple decided to take pictures of each other balancing and doing yoga poses on the railing above a sheer drop. They appeared to have some slackline experience, but we both feared that we were about to witness a Darwin Award.

First morning in Hawaii
Surf at Ke’e Beach
Spiny lobster shell?
Another part of the spiny lobster?
Lava rocks
Colorful beach rock
Beach roots at Ke’e
Trees behind the beach
Waimea Canyon panorama
Distant waterfall in Waimea
Waimea Canyon
Waimea Canyon panorama
Sam, one of Sarah’s former SCA crew members!
Andrew, Photo, Sarah, Travel

Kauaʻi, Day 1

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Departed Saint Paul at 7:00 AM. Arrived in Lihue, Kauaʻi, at 2:45 PM. The kids are in good hands with Sarah’s parents, to whom we are deeply grateful.

Today was about arriving, picking up the rental car (Sarah convinced them to upgrade us to a Mustang convertible at no additional cost), driving up to the north end of the island (we rented a place near Hanalei Bay), buying some groceries, and settling into our treehouse (a cozy studio apartment perched on massive three-story pillars). See pics below.

Ready for takeoff!
Over the Pacific.
We’d heard about the feral chickens and sure enough, this fellow greeted us at the airport.
Mustang!
Mustang!
On the road…
Pacific view from the highway.
Dramatic ridge.
View from our lanai.
Lizard in our kitchen reminds me of the chingchoks we had in Thailand and Singapore.

 

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo, Sarah

Igloo

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Ever since building our modest Ice Castle four years ago, we’ve wanted to build a more proper ice-brick igloo. We’ve steadily filled the garage with half-gallon and quart cartons in the intervening years. This winter, with plenty of arctic chill, seemed like the perfect time to tackle the project. Despite some pictures of me working on the project, this was spearheaded by Sarah, who did the lion’s share of the work with some help from Griffin and Maggie. (Oliver was an active observer.) The color in the blocks comes from some drops of food coloring added while we poured the water into the molds.

Proud builders
Early courses
Griffin was engaged throughout the process.
The mortar is a snow/water slurry.
Injuries on the job: note Oliver’s goose egg from when he tried to smash an ice brick with his forehead.
After a snowstorm.
An arch formed the basis of the final roofing.
It is complete!
The ceiling from within
Wall from inside
Igloo entrance
Igloo backlit

 

 

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie

Art Challenges

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In the evenings at our house, in those interminable minutes while we try to finish preparing dinner, the two older kids are often “bored” and don’t know what to do with themselves. Recently, Griffin shuffled into the kitchen and asked me forlornly, “Daddy, what can I do right now?” He wasn’t asking, “How can I help?” No, this was a bitter expression of hopelessness in the face of far too few minutes of screen time.

I usually reply with something snarky like, “Go stare at a wall!” (Never very effective, but surprisingly satisfying.) Last week, however, I came up with something new. Perhaps a parenting lesson from ECFE finally sank in. Or maybe it arose from the fact that I was facilitating an immersive “design thinking” week at school. Instead of snark or exasperation, I said, “YES! Quick, get a piece of paper and a pen. Draw a shape that represents you in a color that represents your mood!” (I was riffing off of an icebreaker from a recent workshop.) Startled by my specificity, Griffin immediately went to his desk and did it, coming back with a multicolored blob that included a variety of emotions (including “hungry” and “bored,” but also some positive ones). Then he asked for another “art challenge.” And I heard the distant sound of angels singing.

Art challenges have become a fun new activity to keep the gremlins of our witching hour at bay. Maggie, of course, joined in too. Below are a couple of examples of their responses to my challenges from the last few days.

Griffin: Draw a forest at night.
Griffin: Draw a forest at night.
Maggie: Draw a mountain lake.
Griffin: Draw a map.
Griffin: Draw a map.
Maggie: Draw a fairy village.

I’m not deluded enough to imagine that this will work forever, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. And I do love watching their artwork evolve.

Andrew, Maggie, Sarah

Whole30, Take 5

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After taking a hiatus last year due to Oliver’s birth, Sarah and I are diving back into our winter tradition of committing to the Whole30 program for thirty days. It’s always a good reset for us in the winter when we are more drawn to sweets and carbs. For those who don’t know what it is, we’re basically going to avoid sugar (including honey, syrup, artificial sweeteners, etc.), grains, legumes, and dairy for the next thirty days. That pretty much leaves fruit, vegetables, eggs, and meat.

White chicken chili

I believe this is our fifth time doing it, so it feels like a pretty smooth start. We made lists of recipes last week and stocked up at Costco yesterday. Chicken chili is in the slow cooker and I’ve got a dutch oven filled with my proprietary kale-and-sausage stew which I eat for breakfast every morning (with a poached egg… it’s divine).

Andrew’s spicy kale and sausage breakfast stew

The kids aren’t included, though of course they benefit from having fewer sweets and carbs on the menu. Maggie, however, isn’t 100% clear on this fact yet. While we were making lunch for them, she came into the kitchen and asked, in her signature end-of-the-world way, “What are we having for lunch? Pleeeeease don’t say that we’re having only fruits and vegetables!!!”

(Actually, we made mac’n’cheese.)

Mac’n’cheese for the kids. (Not at all Whole30 compliant.)
Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo, Sarah, Travel

Oliver’s First Flight

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Travel with three is definitely harder with three than with two. Even though Griffin and Maggie are great travelers at this point, they still need a fair amount of guidance and support, especially around luggage handling: “Don’t run over that lady’s toes!” “Your bag is tipping over!” “Your coat is dragging on the floor.” And then, of course, they simply don’t have the muscle power yet to get bags onto shuttles or sometimes even escalators. Add Oliver to the mix and at least one parent is relatively hamstrung. He comes with additional supplies too. We ended up traveling “light” with merely five suitcases, five backpacks and diaper bags, two booster seats, one full car seat, and the seemingly infinite writhing tentacles of our winter coats. There were a few moments when we were entirely beholden to the kindness of strangers.

But we made it, unscathed, and the flight itself was largely peaceful. Let the mayhem of a seven cousin holiday begin!

Ninja diaper change complete!
Self-occupied throughout the flight, but oh-so-loud.
Awaiting the rental car with our array of bags.
Andrew, Griffin, Photo

Pike Island

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Despite its proximity to our neighborhood, we’ve been here in Saint Paul for seven years without visiting Pike Island. The island lies at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, visible from many of the roads and bridges on the nearby bluffs. Sarah and the two older kids finally visited it a few weeks ago with some other friends. She gave it great reviews, so we planned a family outing for today. Alas, the fates were arrayed against us, and both Oliver and Maggie were sick. Griffin and I decided to face the cold north winds on our own and had a great time.

It’s about a three mile loop, and we decided to start on the north edge of the island.  The wind was blowing down the Mississippi, so it was mostly at our backs. The return trek, along the Minnesota at sunset, was less windy because the trees on the island acted as a windbreak. This was fortunate, because it would have been a cold walk with the wind in our faces. Highlights of the walk included hollow trees (big enough to climb into), a huge paper wasp nest, trees taken down by beavers, conversations about why there aren’t any three-eyed monsters in real life, and a monument showing how deep the river has been during flood stages over the past 150 years.

Griffin at the tip of Pike island where the Minnesota meets the Mississippi. Moments after shooting this picture, Griffins boots sank so rapidly in the mud that it looked like he would fall backward into the icy river. A close call!