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:
Video Player
Media error: Format(s) not supported or source(s) not found
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.
Our first full day on Kaua’i: a walk on Ke’e beach at the beginning of the NÄ 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.
Departed Saint Paul at 7:00 AM. Arrived in Lihue, Kaua’i, 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.
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.
While working on a project yesterday, Sarah became justifiably frustrated that the kids were goofing off and not following directions. At some point, she blurted out, “You’re being so inefficient!”
Griffin replied, “We’re kids. We’re not supposed to be efficient.”
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.)
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.
It was just a short jaunt up the coast to McMinnville, Oregon, where we stayed with Sarah’s friends, Jordan and Megan, on their incredible farm. Their kids were generous and welcoming to ours, inviting Griffin and Maggie to have a slumber party with them in their epic loft (with passages into multiple rooms upstairs… top-of-the-line cool). That was fun, but it turns out that five kids in a loft can generate a lot of heat. On the following night they all elected to sleep under the stars on a second floor deck. Other highlights of the visit included lots of time in their amazing garden, candle-making, churning butter, cookie baking, and cherry picking.
After Seattle (for days 8-12 if anyone is counting), we headed along the coast to Florence, Oregon to rendezvous with Andrew’s brothers and their families. They drove up from the Bay Area, meeting us as far south as we could get on this trip. Click below to see larger versions of the pictures in a slide show. It was a great visit!
Our first destination goal was Seattle, to visit Sarah’s uncle Bob and aunt Carol. After four plus days on the road, we were all looking forward to staying in one place for a few days and catching up with family.
Our first day, Wednesday, we got to hang out with Carol while Bob was finishing his work day. We enjoyed a walk to a local park where there was a fantastic playground and a hopping weekly farmers market. After going back to the house, the adults chatted and prepared dinner, and the kids were happy to have a table to spread out their Legos.
Clearing the table for Legos actually lead to a serendipitous highlight of our trip. Carol had a pile of mail she was moving for the kids, which caught Griffin’s eye. He saw a flier and said, “Is that Yayoi Kusama?” Carol, stunned, looked at Griffin completely speechless, wondering how he knew this artist.
Griffin created this illuminated quote from Yayoi Kusama during art camp.
A little background: The week before we left on our trip, Griffin and Maggie attended a week-long art camp with a local artist, Kari Maxwell. We met Kari a few years ago when we bought a painting from her at a house party. I later found out in addition to being a very talented painter, she also has classes and workshops for children called the Create Everyday Classroom. I signed the kids up for a camp they could attend together (the first time they fit into an age category at the same time!), and it happened to be the week before we left. The kids came home overjoyed each day with their experiences with Kari. She’s a teacher who is focused on process, and Griffin and Maggie each came away with so much knowledge and desire to create! On the first day of camp, they learned about Yayoi Kusama and her Infinity Rooms. This study obviously made an impression on Griffin.
Back to Seattle: Griffin recognized Kusama on a flier for the Seattle Art Museum, which was hosting a huge exhibit starting that Friday. We could not believe the synchronicity! Carol informed us that the advanced tickets had been sold out for months, but we figured we could swing by the museum so the kids could at least see a poster. We made plans to head there on Friday.
On Thursday, Bob took the day off to take us on a ferry to Bainbridge Island. The kids had never been on a ferry, and they were surprised to learn that being on an island felt like being on the mainland! We had clear views of both downtown Seattle and the ever elusive Mount Rainier. It was a beautiful day. We ended it by eating dinner out on Bob and Carol’s newly refurbished backyard patio. We all slept like rocks.
Friday, we were excited to learn that Carol was not needed at work, so all seven of us headed into downtown to hit the famous Pike Place Market. We took public transit, and riding an accordion bus was nearly as exciting to Griffin and Maggie as the destination itself. At Pike Place, the kids were in awe of the hoards of people, the flying fish, and the seemingly endless choices for what to have for lunch.
After a sunny meal overlooking the sound, we headed to the art museum. Shockingly, there were rush tickets available to see Infinity Mirrors, so we snatched them up! We were all so excited. We never would have even thought to go to this amazing exhibit had it not been for the kids, and there was something incredibly special for everyone that Griffin and Maggie were the leaders of this particular adventure. The infinity rooms themselves were other-worldly, and we all felt so lucky to have gotten a chance to experience them. Griffin and Maggie were the only children there, too, and we had several docents express their delight that we had three generations attending the exhibit together.
After a really wonderful visit, we bid farewell to Bob and Carol on Saturday morning. We barely scratched the surface of Seattle, so we’ll be back!
Route, Day 5
One of the few photos of all five of us, on the ferry to Bainbridge.
Bob and the kids look out on the sound from the ferry.
Griffin loved this playground!
One of Maggie’s many Lego creations.
Maggie and Griffin loved sitting in the accordion seats on the bus.
Griffin and Carol at Pike Place Market.
The brass pig just begs to be sat upon.
Carol indulged a game of tag with Maggie and Griffin on a beautiful sunny Seattle day.
At Pike Place Market.
At Pike Place Market.
Oliver and Carol snuggle at the Seattle Art Museum.
Bob and Oliver snuggle at Pike Place Market.
It’s a dairy kind of day: eating ice cream while watching cheese being made.
Griffin and Maggie share a couch with Yayoi Kusama.
An infinity installation, “Infinity Mirrored Room–Love Forever.”
“Dots Obsession–Love Transformed into Dots”
Bob gets in on the “Obliteration Room.”
An infinity installation.
Bob, Carol, and Maggie in “Infinity Mirror Room–Phalli’s Field”
This infinity room, titled “Infinity Mirrored Room–Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity,” was one of our collective favorites.
