Hawaii 2003 (page 4)

There's a whole lot we missed on Oahu. But we had to move on to Kauai, and that was a Very Good Thing because it's a great place.

Did I mention we took a helicopter tour? It was a great way to see the island and hear about some of its history and geology. The green fields down there are coffee. Yum.

One family owns a huge amount of the land on Kauai, including the coffee plantation and Waimea Canyon.

We didn't have a chance to drive into Waimea Canyon for a hike, but next time, for sure! It's been called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. (The weird pink stripiness is a reflection of my legs in the helicopter window. Photoshop as I might, I couldn't get rid of them.)

Those white buildings are part of a military base. But what gets me about this picture is the seamless transition from sky to water. It really looks like that!

We flew along the Na Pali Coast, which looks familiar because you know it as Jurassic Park.

The clarity of the water never ceases to amaze me. Here we're looking down into the water from a couple hundred feet up, into fifty or more feet of water, and it's crystal clear.

This is our last shot of the Na Pali coast from the air.

And here we are in front of the helicopter after the ride. The yellow packs are flotation vests, not barf bags... although there was an ample (unneeded) supply on the copter. The pilot called them "Aloha bags."

Two days after the helicopter trip, we took a boat trip (and very few pictures). Here's the Na Pali coast from sea level.

Wow. It really does look like that.

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One of the boat's crew took our picture. (I look like an oversized toddler in that hat, but it did keep the sun off me.)