So although Radler is getting bigger, (s)he still likes to go on hikes and be active. And it's a good thing too!!! After our initial stay in Poipu, we headed to Hanalei Bay, where my family lives and owns a vacation rental (http://rentalo.com/64679/hanaleivacationhouse.html).
Juddy and I got up early and hiked the Kalalau Trail, also known as the first 2 miles of the Na Pali Coast trail. It's four miles round trip of pretty rocky terrain. Definitely not for the weak at heart, but totally breathtaking! My family had recommended the use of walking sticks which was probably some of the best advice we received on vacation! The biggest thing about this hike is that it's not about the destination; rather it's totally about the journey. We were happy we got going early because by 9am the sun comes over the mountains, starts beating down on you and makes the already intense hike a LOT more intense! We had a blast and I was excited to show Juddy this famous trail. I REALLY wanted to kayak the Na Pali Coast, but alas, it looks like it will have to wait until next time. Kayaking would have been an all day event and completely in the sun the whole time which, I'm pretty sure, Radler wouldn't have enjoyed. Our final day on the east side of Kauai, we spent with my family checking out waterfalls, touring rich guy's properties, hiking Secret Beach, catching up, eating incredible local ice cream and just loving the time together. Radler got lots of belly rubs too.We woke up super early to catch our flight to Maui. And when we walked outside, the most vibrant double rainbow I've ever seen was stretching the sky. It was so big and so close there was no way to get the whole thing into one single picture frame. It was absolutely unbelievable! And what a way to wake up!!
We got to Maui and headed towards my friend Michelle's house where she graciously hosted us for two nights! It was great to see her (it's been years) and her contagious, optimistic, and endless energy personality hasn't changed a bit! Radler, Juddy and I checked out Big and Little Beach, snorkeled and toured the Lava Fields with Michelle.
. You know Juddy and his rocks!! I think we have as many pictures of rocks as we do of us! Michelle's husband's whole family flew in the following day so we headed to our condo. We woke up early the next day and decided to drive the legendary Road to Hana; a 50 mile or so oober curvy road right along the cliffs of Maui. We stopped at Twin Falls, about an hour into the drive and immediately discovered our camera battery was dying. AHHHH! you can't drive the Road to Hana without a camera! And no disposable camera would provide enough pictures as we wanted to take. So we re-evaluated and decided to check out this waterfall adventure I'd found in the tour book. It was off the beaten path, through a bamboo forest where you'd discover the first of four waterfalls. Each waterfall was suppose to be bigger and better than the last and required an adventurous spirit to get there. Juddy and I thought we knew the way good enough to leave the book in the car. Boy, were we wrong! We missed a couple of turns, thought too much and ended up deep in the bamboo forest. We finally came out to a large pond with a herd of cows swimming in it. It was nothing that we were expecting and honestly, quite discouraging. We made it to the road and the adventure that took us an hour to wind our way through the woods and around Cow Shit Creek, took us approximately 3 minutes walk from our car. Rather than give up we decided to put some food in our bellies, re-read the tour book and try again. This time we found the right trail! The first waterfall was easy to get to (if you didn't over think the trail). 
Oh yeah, I can't remember or find on google the name of the waterfalls, so I'll insert that later. The second waterfall, you had to scale a muddy, slippery rock face to get to, but it was twice the size of the first. There was a rope on the side of the rocks to help your balance and most kids could get up it if they had an adventurous spirit. To get to the third waterfall, we had to climb a sketchy homemade ladder which I have not included pictures due to the fact that I'm sure it would make the Grandmomsters nervous! Also, at that point we hid our things and just brought the waterproof disposable camera. 
Why you may ask? Well, besides the fact the our digital camera was now almost officially dead, the next part of the hike included bouldering for approximately a mile, a bunch of mini waterfalls and then swimming 100 yards to get to the final destination. We made it the entire way. Unfortunately, it hadn't rained in a while so the waterfall wasn't pounding but it was (again) the journey and not the destination that mattered. We had our adventure, with all it's ups and downs and succeeded. AND we'd managed to rearrange our day with the dying of our camera battery to create unique experience that we'll never forget. And just so you know, Radler's got an adventurer's spirit and loved the exhilaration of our adventure!We charged the battery that night and tried the Road to Hana again the following day. As we passed Twin Falls, we picked up a hitch hiker who turned out to be on her way to Hana.
We were listening to this monotonous CD guiding the way to Hana and offered the hitch hiker the option to A)listen to this CD with us or B)be our guide. Thankfully, she chose B. Like us, she likes the more off-the-main-path scenic views that weren't where every tourist stops. She quickly showed us Heavy Falls, another minor adventure to get to! It continually amazes me that there are all these drop dead beautiful secrets on any little pull off. You'd never know what gems lay 250 feet from the road unless someone takes the time to show you (or you have the most awesome guidebook on the island). Again, I won't go into detail about what we had to do to get there, but I know Radler is soaking up his parents lively spirit...
Opps!!! How did those get in here?!?!
After Heavy Falls, we were shown Stoner's Pool which is definitely private property. But alas due to our guide, we had the "in"! We trekked through the plentiful jungle, through stream and giant crawfish infested pools to come to our lovely destination...a calm waterfall that just had a special feel to the space. Juddy's need to cannonball was undeniable, and we hung by the pool and soaked in the tranquility.
When we finally got to Hana, we dropped off our tour guide and took her recommendation for a good BBQ joint. It wasn't good, it was AWESOME!
I bought a case of their home made sauce to bring home with us! It was only 2 ish, so we ate and then headed to Red Sand Beach. Radler was tired, so we napped on the beach for about an hour before heading home. Rather then turning around, we finished off the loop which includes a long stretch of one lane, dirt road and some real stink eye from some old locals. Oh well, we pulled over anytime someone came up on our rears and I think that most of the locals were thankful for our quick reaction time. We only really got one serious stink eye.Our last full day in Maui, we drove the other side of the island and stopped at the
#1 beach at the #1 destination in the world. All we can say is that we think that all the hotels on the #1 beach are who paid someone to call it the #1 beach. It was definitely NOT our favorite, but we're a little different from the norm.
We checked out of our condo, had lunch with Michelle and found a beach to relax on until our flight back to Kauai.
We've seen so much of the two islands, I am very grateful Radler has given me the energy to hike, climb, beach comb, swim and continually be on the go. I'm' also grateful that Rad let's me know when (s)he's tired and it's time for a nap or to just read by the beach. We've had such an unbelievable time here in Hawaii. Finally, I'm so grateful to have been able to spend this time with Juddy before our lives change drastically. We have laughed constantly on this trip! He's been so understanding and helpful; truly just an amazing man. I'm reminded every day why we got married and how awesome a father he's going to be. We're heading home tomorrow, but I can safely say that Babymoon 2009 was a total success!! I recommend one for everyone!!Much love, Danielle, Juddy and Rad
