I shot these two pictures with my iPhone from the deck of my friend Roger’s house on the island of Kauai. It’s a magical spot on a magical island – 6 ½ miles past the last town on the north side of the island and only 2 miles from the end of the road, Na Pali State Park, and the coast that Michelin calls “arguably one of the most beautiful natural spots on earth.”
Leaving Seattle on a wet and cold January morning and arriving here six hours later was a heavenly gift. Roger and his wife, Marilyn, were welcoming and generous. We were here 6 years ago and loved it then. This is one of the great ways to “Survive Seattle” in the winter.
Every day of our five-day visit was sensational. We walked from the house to the end of the road on three of mornings and rode bicycles into Hanalei for breakfast on another two.
Roger introduced me to stand up paddleboarding on the Hanalei River and after a couple of rookie dunks I was paddling up river under my own power. Two days later we paddled again, this time on the Kahiliwai River into what seemed like the Heart of Darkness. I half expected to run into Mr. Kurtz along the way.
At the end of every day we walked across the road to the beach where we shared some wine and the sunset with a group of their friends.
Not such a bad way to “Survive Seattle.” Good friends, good food, good weather, good beaches. Mahalo Rog and Marilyn.
