Adventures of Brandon, Heidi, and the Hobblets: Kauai 2015

Brandon, Morgan, and I were fortunate to go on vacation to Kauai with my parents, brother Bryan, and his wife Nicole (and unborn daughter!). I was nervous about all the flying and driving, but of course Morgan handled it like a champ. Not a single cry or fuss on any flying or driving portion!

We stayed in a 3-bedroom condo in Lihue. It was nice to have space to relax and the ability to cook our own meals.

The weather didn't always cooperate, but we still had some nice sun and warmth. We also had some beautiful sunsets and sunrises from our condo.

Morgan especially loved watching the wild chicken that would wander past our patio. There were two sets of hens with baby chicks. She was always calling out to the "cheep cheep", "aa-buck-buck", and "doo-doo". This is a hen sheltering her chicks from the rain just off the edge of our patio.

One of the favorite activities was snorkeling at Poipu Beach. We saw some beautiful fish! Despite a couple applications of sunscreen, we also received pretty good sun burns!

On a rainy day we decide to see some of the indoor and driving sites. Dad wasn't feeling well and stayed behind to rest up. We visited the Koloa Rum Company and tasted their Rum Punch and a couple other rums. We also visited the Kauai Coffee Company (where it was windy but not raining).

Morgan enjoyed seeing the train at the Koloa Rum Company/Gaylord's Plantation.

Morgan also loved playing in the sand. Grandpa was happy to help build sand castles. She liked sticking her feet in the ocean, but was less sure about the surf pulling the sand out from under her feet.

We also visited Spouting Horn, where pressure from the waves is forced through a hole in the rocks and creates a geyser.

Brandon, Bryan and I set out for an epic hike in hopes of seeing the NaPali coast. We knew heading out it was gamble because moisture is forced up the coast and creates clouds, which is exactly what happened. It was a really neat hike with various different ecosystems, first through dense ferns, then through dense trees, then we broke out into more desert-like terrain and plants...all over just two miles!

Our lunch spot. You can't tell, but just on the other side of that ridge is a 3,000 foot drop to the ocean! It would be an amazing view, if it weren't for the clouds!

We hiked further along the narrow ridge to the lookout, patiently hoping the clouds would clear.

At long last...our patience paid off and the clouds cleared just enough to see down to the ocean and the NaPali Coast!! It's so hard to tell the scale, or see the amazing colors from the pictures.

It was clear enough at the lookout further up the road to see a little more of the coast.

On the way down we stopped to see Waimea Canyon. It's such a tiny but diverse island!

Waipoo Falls in Waimea Canyon. This is the falls that Brandon and I sat on top of last time we were on Kauai.

The Marriott resort down the hill had a daily Koi feeding, which we took Morgan to see. She loved feeding the fish, and was not at all scared of them. They would come right up on the step and nibble your toes or eat out of your hand.