The Pink Pillbox

Since moving to Hawaii, I've wanted to do the Pu'u'ohulu Kai hike, also known as the Pink Pillbox. Well, I was finally able to mark it off my list!

We started out kinda late in the day (later than I normally like to hike), and headed to the west side of the island.

The hike itself wasn't bad. The beginning has a semi-steep incline but nothing crazy. The best part was the fact that the hike wasn't overly crowded. I feel like so many times we miss out on beautiful sights due to the crowds.

A super cool tree on the hike

There are 3 pillboxes you can see, go into and climb on top of. The views are absolutely phenomenal.

Tips for this hike:

• Bring lots of water, especially if you go later in the day.
• Don't leave anything of value in your car.
• Be safe. There are some tricky parts on the hike, with some drop-offs.
• But most of all, take some time to sit at the top and take in the scenery. 

Have you ever been to the Pink Pillbox? What did you think? Do you plan on visiting it one day? 

Kauai: Day One

We got up at 3 in the morning to head to the airport. We were the first to get our tickets and go through security. Luckily for us, the flight was a little less than an hour. So we didn't have to worry about trying to get sleep on a day long flight. Plus we got to see the sunrise while on the plane.

You can tell we were a little tired.

After getting our rental car, our first stop once on the island was to get coffee. Of course, right? We stopped at Java Kai in Kapaa.

 Their menu had some very interesting drinks that we have never heard of, which is kinda a big deal considering coffee is our thing. Cody ended up trying a coffee called El Bandito.

It had espresso, vanilla cream, and Mexican Coca-Cola. He loved it! They had other drinks like the Iced Shark Bite (extra shot of espresso, whipped cream, and raspberry). I totally recommend anyone who visits Kauai to make a stop here. You won't regret it.

After charging up on caffeine, we made our way to our first stop: Glass Beach. It's this super cool little beach that's located in an industrial area. You have to take a rough little road to get to it, but it's totally worth it. The beach itself has a lot of sea glass (hence the name).

 The area was beautiful. On both sides of the beach are towering black cliffs that the waves crash into.

At the top of the cliff to the left, there is an old Japanese cemetery. You access it by a small road next to the parking lot for the beach. The view from the cemetery is beautiful.

 If you stop to visit, please be respectful.

We decided to drive to Hanapepe and walk around a little while. We stumbled across a bookstore called Talk Story Bookstore. The outside was painted like shelves of books.

It's the western most bookstore in the United States and they had pretty much any book you can imagine.

Near the bookstore was a swinging bridge. A historic, swinging bridge to be exact.

So of  course we had to walk across.

Next stop, Waimea Canyon.

The view, simply breathtaking. The canyon is filled with so many different colors.

Honestly, pictures don't do it justice. I just stood there, taking it all in.

 The haze that covered the canyon, the layers of red, brown and green, the nice breeze that was blowing through, the waterfalls that flowed across the way.

Sometimes, you just need to stop and enjoy the things that nature has given us.

We ended our night early (around 7:30 to be exact). We fell asleep right away but we were so excited for what the next day would hold!