Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Kauai with the Burdettes


KC finally convinced my family to take a vacation together, and we had a blast! KC spent months planning the trip, and after taking a few plane rides and having to divert a little because of a canceled flight, 13 of us finally made it to Kauai (minus one bag that somehow ended up in Orlando???). Surprsingly enough, the girls were still pretty happy and not too cranky after the long travel day.


Maycee and her cousin Sophia

Our resort was on the south end of Kauai in an area called Poipu. It had some great pools and a great veiw of the beach and some great sunrises/sunsets. It helps when the island is naturally just as beautiful with really fun things to do that don't cost a penny...Like waterfalls to jump off, rope swings, and one of the the most beautiful coast lines to hike.


30 ft. Kipu Falls


On the top of the falls, before we jumped.

Austin mastering the rope swing.

The highlight of the trip trip for me was the Napali Coast. We hiked along the coastline for two miles until we reached a gorgeous beach, then headed inland another two miles to one of the most amazing waterfalls I have ever seen. It was one of the toughest hikes we have ever been on...not everyone came, but those who did were not disappointed (KC had already done the hike twice, so he was happy to stay back and spend a daddy-daughter day with Maycee...said it was the highlight of his trip!) Definately worth the 8 miles and the five and a half hours. By the end we had one sprained ankle (sorry Joe), three tired girls, eight very sore legs, and four very accomplished happy hikers.

We wouldn't be smiling so big if we really knew what we were getting ourselves into! (KC totally lied to us and didn't tell us how long and hard the hike was so that we would actually do it)


AMAZING!!! This was our view for the first and last hour and a half!



Still...not really knowing what we have ahead of us!

Such a pretty beach, but we couldn't get in the water because the undertow was SO dangerous!

TOTALLY worth the long hard hike!!




This is how our bodies felt at the end.... And this is how proud we were that we conquered it!
The rest of our time was spent at the pool, on the beach, golfing, snorkeling, body surfing, eating, taking way too many pictures, and best of all...enjoying the island food! It was great to be with my family and we missed those who couldn't make it. Here's to a repeat trip in a couple years...



Grandpa giving the girls a horsey ride.

Nothing is better than the feeling of sand between your toes!




A really nice family with twins was leaving the day we got there, so they left their floaties for us!

It took the full four days, but Maycee finally warmed up to the pool water, she did not like it at all at first!

Not so sure about all the water coming to get her...

Leaving the resort for dinner then on to the airport!!

Silly girls!! My sister-in-laws, Cari and Emily. I'm not to happy its our last day!

Daddy and Maycee enjoying the view.

5 comments:

Taylor and Ruby Ricks said...

Wow looks like a fun trip. I am a very jealous.

Decker and Christine said...

Maycee is so cute! I can't believe how big she's getting! And can I say that I'm jealous that your 6 month old has ALREADY BEEN TO HAWAII??!!! Way to go on the hike. Looks like a great trip!!!

Frances said...

Hey KC - looks like a great trip! Give me a shout sometime. I don't have your info.
Frankie
franceshagan@yahoo.com or
franceshagan@gmail.com

melissa said...

kauai really is the best! we got married in poipu and seriously it's my favorite (and not just because of that!) did you guys make it over to the north side into the hanalei bay area? it's pretty cool over there. and i think i've jumped off that same waterfall! it was like 10 years ago but still, it looks familiar...and the napali coast seriously is awesome!! it's one of my favorites as well. next time you go we will have to tag along. we loved kayaking on the wailua river so you'll have to do that next time!

Brittany said...

That looks better than incredible!! The view is just stunning. I just love the picture of Sally's and Maycee's toes in the sand. Her baby flip-flops were adorable. I'm glad to see you were able to soak up that Hawaiian sun!