"If you don't know where you're going, any bus will do"

We took a couple of days to go to Kauai to really relax and, boy, was it worth it. Once again, we stayed at Waimea Plantation Cottages and stayed in the BEST cottage on the property. On the night we arrived, Thursday, there was a terrific thunderstorm that dumped barrels of water for several hours. When we finally got up into Waimea Canyon for some sightseeing, the waterfalls were in full flow. It was spectacular! Unfortunately, Grandma Judy and Grandpa Gaston weren't able to come with us - they had to cut their vacation short and return to Knoxville. So, we took them on vacation by proxy!

	The view from cottage 79 towards the pool		The view towards the beach straight out from cottage 79
	The view over the covered lanai of cottage 79		Along the lanai of cottage 79
	A view of cottage 79 from the lawn		The shore of Waimea Beach towards the East
	The shore of Waimea Beach towards the West		Cottage 79 from the beach
	Coconuts on the palms from the lanai on cottage 79		A view of cottage 79 from the swimming pool
	Rows and rows of coconut trees line the ground of Waimea Plantation Cottages		A huge banyan tree near the beach at Waimea Plantation
	Bird tracks are everywhere along the beach		Me enjoying a walk along the Waimea shore
	An ultralight aircraft caming zooming by!		The keiki enjoying some hammock time before dinner
	The office building at Waimea Plantation Cottages - my FAVORITE place to stay on Kauai!		A view towards Niihau over Waimea and Kekaha as we climbed up Waimea Canyon Road
	Our first full view of Waimea Canyon on a bright, clear day (at least it started out that way!)		Another full view of Waimea Canton
	There were waterfalls everywhere due to the HEAVY rains on Thursday night!		A great view of the valley showing the swollen Waimea River and several waterfalls
	One of many waterfalls in Waimea Canyon that day		A great view of the canyon from the big lookout point
	Melissa and Matthew enjoying the view		The keiki take in the enormity of the view along with several other park visitors
	The keiki and me enjoying the day		One of many free-range hens that joined us for our picnic lunch
	One of a few free-range roosters that stopped by to share our sandwiches and chips		The fellow was mighty bold! He even liked the jalapeno's and onion's that fell off our sandwiches!
	Matthew decided to share his lunch in a more personal manner		Matthew used himself as a serving platter!
	This waterfall was very found on the side of the canyon close to the road to Kokee State Park		A spectacular view of a waterfall from the side of the canyon
	The water was cascading down the side of the canyon walls wherever it could break out		Matthew and I visited the Russian Fort Elizabeth in Waimea - the girls stayed in the van and read
	A view of the center of Fort Elizabeth		Another view across the center of Fort Elizabeth
	Matthew and I scaled the south wall of the fort to see what was on the other side		A view of the mouth of the Waimea River from the top of the fort wall
	Matthew waving before we climbed out of the fort		The top of the wall is hard to identify unless you're standing on top of it.
	Another view along the top of the fort wall		A view of the south wall from the ocean side
	The shore along Waimea from the mouth of the river		A close-up view of Waimea Beach
	The information display describing Fort Elizabeth		Welcome the Fort Elizabeth
	Historic Waimea, Kauai		The history of Fort Elizabeth
	A description of the Fort Elizabeth self-guided tour