By 7 am, Marti and I were at the Kauai Scuba Center, a dive shop in Eleele. They took eight of us out by boat to two sites on the West side; we did two dives down to depths of 45 to 60 feet. As I had not done any diving since I got certified 14 years ago, I was a bit apprehensive, so I asked for one of the instructors as my dive buddy. He was very good, and kept me focused on the amazing and rare sealife living in the depths. I loved all the sea turtles; we were able to get quite close to them as they swam here and there.
By noon, we were back on shore. On our way home, we stopped at Salt Pond briefly, then at the Kauai Veterans Cemetery, where our father is buried. There we rested and ate the lunches we had packed. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to ice cream at Lappert’s in Hanapepe. The Hanapepe River runs through the town, and as at Waimea, one can cross the river over a swinging bridge. I took a photo of our shadows — Marti is on the left, raising her hat above her head. The water looks terribly muddy, doesn’t it, or maybe it’s the way my camera filters the light.
West of Hanapepe on Highway 50 is Kaumakani, which seems to have the reddest dirt on the Island. What do you think?! We’re told that the red color of tropical soils is due to laterization, the process in which soils are depleted of silica and enhanced with aluminum and iron oxides. Due to its volcanic origins, Kauai’s soil has a high iron content, which over the centuries oxidized into — yes, rust.
When we were growing up, sugar was king on West Kauai, but by now, the industry is all but defunct. After 119 years in the business, Gay and Robinson announced late last year that they were calling it quits, and as we watched, Olokele Mill in Kaumakani continued processing the last sugar harvest. Cane trucks were delivering the stalks to be crushed; evaporators reduced the juice to raw sugar. Though we didn’t go in, next door to the Mill is the Sugar Plantation Visitor Center, which offers tours and displays historical artifacts associated with the industry.
By mid-afternoon we were back at the Cottages, a bit exhausted from the day’s activities. But there was more: around 5 pm, one of the staff brought two of his horses onto the beach for us to ride. We rode along the sand from Driftwood Beach in front of the Cottages, to Kikiaola, the Small Boat Harbor, then back all the way to Waimea Pier, before returning to the beach where we started. Marti’s horse got spooked about half-way through the ride and tried to throw her, but she hung on like a rodeo rider. We both really enjoyed the experience, and I’m grateful to Dwayne for his kindness and generosity.
