Kauai day 7

I woke to an overcast sky and decided to knock some tourist trap sights off the list.  The night before, I had started freaking out that triple blister toe was infected and would have to be cut off.  I'm not usually a hypochondriac, but I have had a blister get infected and shoot streaks up my leg before.  I looked up the nearest doctor and decided that if it was still painful, red, and swollen in the morning, I would go in.  

Fortunately my attempt at first aid and the nights rest helped a lot and I was walking just fine.

I saw a ton of sights today, so I'm just going to list them with a quick description.

Shipwreck Beach:my friend Peter cliff dived here and I wanted to too, but seas were rough and no one was there

Makawehi bluff Path:  a flat path with varied terrain that was surprisingly beautiful-it Meandered along the cliffs edge

*after all the hiking the last 2 days, my brain was going silly.  This path was so entertaining to me.  First, I saw giant snails which I used my best British accent to appreciate their size, ie.  Gargantuan beast, hefty bugger, thick sloppy, and so on.  This entertained me until I came across a golf sign that used the phrase "errant balls".  I came up with many new ways to include this phrase into my vocabulary.  Lastly, I found a chair on the side of a cliff and proceeded to ask every family/group/person (it got very crowded on my way back) who passed, "did you put my chair here??!!" 

Mahaulepu Cave:  nothing spectacular, but very well maintained "guided by pamphlet" nature walk

Spouting Horn:  cool hole in the rocks that sprays, lots of tourists here, get in get out

Glass beach:  I used to tease my ex that sea glass is smooth trash.  

Salt pond park: pretty, but not spectacular 

Polihale:  huge beach at the end of a bumpy dirt road.  I bet this is a beautiful beach out in the middle of nowhere, but today it was rainy, windy, empty, and the waves were all over the place.

Waimea town:  less ritzy than Hanalei bay, I saw a laundromat here and I threw my stuff in.  I can deal with dirt, but my stuff was sweaty, muddy, damp and just nasty.  I was happy to walk around the town while my clothes got free of their stench!

Drive to Waimea canyon:  this drive is amazing!! Endless ocean on one side, random unexpected canyon on the other.  The road twists, turns, dips and quickly gains altitude.  I loved it.

Waimea lookouts:  it was already 4 here so most of the crowds had died down.  I imagine all the lookouts get crazy crowded.  I stopped at every one!  This canyon is beautiful with waterfalls and even a rainbow!  And then I got the the last two lookouts that looked over Kalalau valley where I had just hiked.  At first you could see nothing but clouds and people were leaving, but I waited, hoping for the clouds to clear, and I ended up getting a gorgeous view of the valley.  I could see where I had once stood! I would have never have thought a couple days ago that there were masses of people looking over this tiny part of the trail-so cool.

My goal here was to get to all the lookouts, spot the trailheads, pick up a trail map, and then make camp at Koke'e campground. I successfully completed all but getting a trail map.  The office was closing and the map that they did have had no trail descriptions :(. 

I did ask one question:  which trail should I do to see the K valley (there are a couple). She looked at me and suggested I take some easier trails as "Nu'alolo is the hardest one we have".  Guess I know which trail I'm starting with tomorrow!!!!