Waimea Canyon

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Karel and I were saddled with work the first few days, but with some work accomplished, our first exploration was Waimea Canyon. Known as the “Grand Canyon of Hawaii,” this state park is stunning. We were running late (which was usually the case), so we didn’t arrive to the park until near sunset. We happened upon a gorgeous creek just off the road. The red soil was very remarkable with the sunset lighting. Why is the dirt so red you ask? Apparently, Kauai is one of the oldest islands of the Hawaii chain, so the iron rich soil has had plenty of time to oxidize. Kauai is one of the wettest places on Earth too, which helps the oxidization process.

Our original plan was to ditch the hotel and camp at Kokee State Park. However, we found once you get into the higher elevations, the rainfall was very unpredictable. Scattered clouds when looking into the canyon, but as we drove higher, the weather became thicker. As we approached the camp site, the area was drizzly and incredibly humid. So we decided to scrap the idea and headed back down the road to the The West Inn Kauai located in Waimea. The West Inn was a bit more than what we wanted to pay, but the accommodations were very comfortable, even though it looked a little unwelcoming from the outside.