Living the Aloha Hi

Monday, March 3, 2008

2008-March 3: Lydgate, South for sunset

Lydgate is a place we like to stop at when we were around the East side during the daytime. Many look at it as only a place for beginners, but I've seen some interesting critters there that I haven't seen elsewhere. Plus it's a pretty safe place to hang out most of the time.

Love seeing the school of these yellow fin surgeonfish.

and these stripeys that I haven't seen anywhere else but here and the Waikiki Aquarium.

After a fun afternoon of snorkeling, we cleaned up, then headed South to wait sunset. I love this gazebo on the grounds of the Kauai community college. We pass it whenever we're riding through Lihue on our way South.

Another of my favorite views on our ride South.

Since we were still early, we rode around a bit. Stopped here at the Spouting Horn. This is looking South/West of the Spouting Horn.

across the street from the horn is this big clump of multi colored bougainvillea.

I think I've failed to include anything about the chickens on Kauai in my previous blogs. As anyone who has been there knows, they're everywhere. These are the Hawaiian Moa (Ornamental Red Jungle Fowl) introduced to the island centuries ago by the Polynesians. Since that time these birds have been intentionally and unintentionally cross bred with many other species of chicken, from fighting birds to wild fowl. Hurricane Iniki helped to scatter them throughout the island. Since there are no mongoose on Kauai, they don't have many natural enemies.

Someone told us that several hens lay their eggs in one nest, then when they hatch, one hen takes care of the whole bunch. Haven't researched to see if that's true, but I never really thought about how they would end up with so many chicks of the same age.