The Brookston Family Blog
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We checked in when we first landed, but we didn’t even look at our room until early evening when we returned from the South Shore area around Poipu. Our hotel was small and unassuming, just like we like them, especially since we spent so little time there. Our sliding glass door opened right onto the beach, which was just a few yards from our room.

The view from our room.

Our ocean view.

Sarah takes a dip.

While I get my feet wet.

When we reached Kipu Falls, there were a couple of dozen people there, mostly locals from what we could tell. There were some people in the water below, some were off to our right by a large rope swing and the rest were standing at the edge of the falls with us.

People in the water below, waiting and watching.

Then suddenly, without warning — at least to us — a woman leapt over the side of the falls to the water below. Then two men stepped up and casually did back flips off the edge.

We hadn’t noticed it before but there was a large metal ladder to the right where people could climb back up to the top.

Then we saw our first Tarzan swing out on the rope swing as high as he could go before letting go and dropping to the water below with a loud thud and a big splash.

Tarzan groupies stood in the water below snapping pictures.

The next thing I know Sarah has stripped down to her bathing suit and is asking me if I dare her to jump.

I don’t think she needed much encouragement as she inched closer to the edge, fighting her extreme fear of heights.

Then with a quick look back she was in the air plummeting down the side of the falls.

Triumphant!

Swimming in the deep water below, watching those who her followed her down before climbing back up the ladder.

As the Tarzans continued putting on their impressive display.

Our first real hike was to a little known spot by the name of Kipu Falls. Its not listed in most of the guidebooks because it’s primarily a local spot. We found out about it in a book on Kauai day hikes I picked up for Sarah before we left and I recalled reading about it in a guidebook that specialized in sites off the beaten path the last time we were in Kauai. It was a nice easy hike t get us started and there was a big payoff at the end, especially for Sarah.

The path meanders past a cane field and you can’t help like felling a little bit “Children of the Corn” about the hike.

The stream which was on our right was calm and mostly idyllic.

With huges trees lining the water, all ready for next Tarzan.

Eventually, small rocky waterfalls began appearing until …

We reached the big drop, where the water fell a little over twenty feet straight down.

The falls viewed from the other side. This was beautiful but the best was yet to come.

We decided to attack a portion of Kauai each day and on Friday we visited spots on the Southern part of the island, around Poipu. Even though the Spouting Horn is supposed to be a bit on the touristy side, I still wanted to see it, at least briefly.

It’s described as follows:

Water, forced into a lava tube by the surf, gushes into the air making an eerie hissing noise. The ancient Hawaiians believed that Kaikapu, a lizard goddess, was trapped by a clever fisherman in the lava tube and the hissing is the sound of her angry roar.

Okay, it turned to be verrrry touristy, but it was still cool to see.

Our first close-up glimpse of the pacific ocean.

Sarah at the Spouting Horn.

The horn spouts!

And again. It does this every couple of minutes, with the tide.

Across the highway was the visitor center for two of the botanical gardens on Kauai, which is nicknamed “The Garden Isle.” But we decided pretty early on that we didn’t want to do anything involving tours but instead wanted to make our own way and see whatever we found along the way. So there was this beautiful lily pond there, but we didn’t take the full tour.

Sarah and me by the lily pond.

Hello from Kauai, the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands (at least our favorite). We just go home wat freaking early this morning after taking a red eye overnight. Sarah went in to work and is hurting pretty badly. I’m not much better, but at least I’m at home. The slide show to our trip will be starting shortly and most likely continuing over the next several days. We packed a lot into our four days there.

Sarah, freshly lei’d, arrives at Lihue Airport Friday morning.

Today is Carol Stoudt’s birthday. She and her husband Ed started the first microbrewery in Pennsylvania, not far from where I grew up. After my grandfather retired he worked part time there helping out with maintenance. He was married to Ed’s aunt (who was not my grandmother) so I’m distantly related to the Stoudts by marriage. I grew up going to the restaurant, Stoudt’s Black Angus, but had already moved to California by the time they opened the brewery. But it’s been great seeing them at the various craft beer industry functions from year to year. Happy birthday Carol.

Me and Carol behind Stoudt’s bar during a Christmastime visit.