Big "V-Rod" Dave Hits Kauai, Hawaii

[BigDave]

In April, BigDave Wife & I had the honor of visiting the most wonderful place on earth.  Kauai, Hawaii.  We were there for 7 days and I could have stayed there 14 more.  We took advantage of a "once in a livetime" experience and did about everything you could possibly do in 7 days on that tiny island.  Some of you know, Mrs BigDave has some serious health conditions so it was real nice to be able to make the arrangements for her to go and enjoy such a special trip.











About 4 days into the trip however, I was itching for a ride.  I didn't pack the GS so I had to improvise.  I kept seeing these big fat Harleys all over the place and I wondered if anyone rented anything else.  I made plenty of calls.  No GS's, no Honda's no nothin.  Harley was the brand for the rental shops.  They said thats what EVERYONE wants to ride, so thats what they have.



I stopped at one rental place near the hotel.  I just had a hangup about riding some bike with some weird footboards on them.  I just didn't want to ride a cruiser I am sorry.  I then saw the V-Rod.  I asked if it was the same price as the other hawgs and the guy said it was the same price.  I looked at the bike real close.  I asked him if it hauled ass.  He told me the engine was made by Porche.  I said, "thats it, I'll take it."  



I remember watching the documentary on the Speed Channel about how HD came up with the V-Rod.  It was real interesting and I did gain more respect for HD as a result.  They really put the bike through a bunch of tests before rolling the bike into production.  If there was a Harley to be had by me, it would be that one so I was happy to give it a day ride!



I am a firm believer in ATGATT.  Being I didn't pack my gear, I had to impovise again.  There is a Wal-Mart in town, so shopping I went.  I ended up with $3.00 leather work gloves, a plastic poncho, a $16 back pack for my ponch, water, camera and beef jerky.  I wore my sweatshirt and my Nike 3/4 high hiking boots.  Top that off with the "Ride Free"  dickhead helmet from the rental shop.  When I asked the guy if he had a helmet for me, he said, "we don't have a helmet law around here."  I objected as I told him I had a law against splattering my brains all over the pavement.  He handed me a helmet...



















I think the other riders on the island were amazed at my outfit.  Every other rider I saw that day had Shorts, t-shirts and tennis shoes.  Oh well.



So.

Bright and early on that Thursday, I took off from Lihue.  It took me a little while to get used to this thing.  Right away I knew it had LOADS of power. The next thing i learned is that I was going to go deaf.  Even a 40 mph.  The bike is a naked and between that and my dickhead helmet, the wind noise was horrible.  Leave it to me to find fault with this ride within 48 seconds of leaving the rental shop. My plan that day was to leave Lihue to the North and travel along the east side of the island to the North of the island and go as far as the road goes.  The road ends up on the NW corner wher the Na Pali coast starts.  Anyway, I knew I'd be near the Wal-Mart soon, so I went in and bought some foam plugs.



Finally, I am off.  Within 5 minutes, it was pouring rain.  At least when it rains on the island, its not cold.  Its rather pleasant other than the fact I couldn't see.  So, I pulled over to towel off.  This is up the coast near Kapaa.











Within minutes, it cleared.  I contunued North and I came across a sign that said, "Lighthouse".  I couldn't pass that up so off I went.



The area is now a wildlife refuge and the lighthouse had not been used since 1914.

























After I spent a wonderfully relaxing hour at the lighthouse, it was onward towrd Hanelei Bay for a stop by the sea.















I spent a good while just sitting and thinking and breathing the misty air.  It was just wonderful visiting such a beautiful place.   I came to the end of the road, so it was time to head back.  First order of business was lunch.  I stopped in Hanelei for Ahi & chips.  Thats right folks, sushi grade tuna fried up with fries.  



There is not too many roads on the island except near the coast as the mountains are just too rugged.  So on my way back, I made sure to take any roads that went back towards the mountains towards the West.  I got to see a couple of sights like the waterfalls at Wailua.











As much fun as I was having, I was actually ready to get off the Harley.  The bike was not real comfortable as I felt like my feet were in front of me and I had to hang on real hard to keep from falling back.  If I were on something more comfortable, I would have rode till sundown and went to the east side.  All in all it was a very memorable experience seeing the island on a bike and enjoying the day.





From other times during the trip, I'd like to share some nice photos...



Here is coming down out of the clouds as we arrive in Kauai.











On the second day, we visited the Fern Grotto via boat ride up the river..











Later in that day we visited Waimea Canyon.  This was one spectacular site!











The next day we visited the far western portion of the island.  The last 4-5 miles were kind of rough, but it was a rental car so no big deal. This is Polihalo State Park.  Only about 4 other people were over here.















We stayed at the Hyatt Regency at Poipu beach.  What a wonderful place!  The food each day was out of this world.  Kauai has an ordinance that prohibits building over six stories.  The resort has like 500 rooms so it is spread out and takes up about a half mile of beach front.











This is right near the hotel near sunrise.











Just a pretty shot down the road from the hotel.  I commented at the time that there seemed to be a thousand shades of green on the island.











One of our special outings was a dinner cruise up the Na Pali coast.  This cruise gives you a view of the west coast of the island that you can only get to by boat or helicopter.  There is no roads or trails for that matter on the 14 mile stretch of the west coast of Kauai.



Here is the view from the boat as we left Port Allen.











The boat was a large sailboat with a strong motor.  About 30 guests on the boat.  Most everyone on the boat stayed put in their seats.  I spent most of the time near the front of the boat on the rail.  The breeze and the spray from the sea was so refreshing.  I could really get into the ocean and sailing. Maybe one day...



As we went up the coast, you soon see why there is no roads over here.  The mountains go all the way from sea level to over 4000 feet just off the coast.  These views left me speachless.































On our way back, we were honored to see 2 pods of grey whales.  The Captain said it was really too late in the season.  He said he does this trip every day of the year, and if he is lucky, he see whales 2 times a year.  He had never seen this many whales in one trip.  One pod had a male, female and one baby.  The other had mom & dad and at least two babies.



My lame digital camera was too slow to get the big splashes from the adults.  The whales gave us a show!  The all were very close to the boat and decided to make some waves of their own.

















On our last day, we visited a place that was recomended to us by a local.  It proved to be the most remote and wonderful place we visited.  We once again tested out our rental car as we had to travel a few miles of rough dirt. The area is just East of Poipu.  Most tourist don't go down there as the road scares them away.  I just pretended the minivan was a dual-sport and off we went.

















BigDave wife got to get go down to the edge of the water in our own little cove.  She really liked this area, as did I.  For someone in her condition, it was very moving seeing her enjoy herself so much and enjoy the most beautiful area we were visiting.  After hanging out with her for awhile, I decided to go explore and take some pics.  As I ventured out onto the point, the scenery became more spectacular with every step.























































As the clouds rolled in, we started to gather our things.  It was the last day on the island.  Visiting this area was very special to us.  We then really understood why the locals have so much pride in their island.  The island sucks all the stress out of you and really makes you appreciate the more important things. It brings to mind fact you should make the most of every living momment.  At least that what it did for us.