2010-2-23 Salt Pond, then a Tripadvisor meeting at the Hyatt in Poipu

Looked outside our condo this morning and had an unusual sight!  The ocean was really calm!  Here on the East side it's usually rough.  Today there were even paddle boarders out there.

 But we still didn't hang around the East side long.  We headed West.  First stop---the Waimea Canyon lookout on the main highway.  Loved the clouds today.

 Don't know which was more impressive----the land or sky?!

 Close to there is Glass Beach---so we took a side trip down to check it out.

 the glass "beach"

 view of the beach from up the hill to the Japanese cemetary.  The people down on the beach are picking up pieces of sea glass.

 I always like checking out the cemetery when we're in the area, too.

 Wonder if people are still being buried there?

 From there we continued to Salt Pond---to the side past the little runway.  This is where we like to snorkel at Salt Pond, but sometimes it's hard to drive to this area.  The road ends by the "salt ponds" with a bunch of pot holes, then sand.  But we were able to make it there this trip.

 Heading in

 There are a surprising amount of fish here.

 even an occasional eel

 It's sort of like a fish nursery.  For the first couple years we came to Kauai, it's the only place we saw trumpet fish.  Here was a little one.

 more juveniles.

 This is also a good place to see other wierd things, like this invertibrate---I believe it's some kind of sea cucumber.

 a rare and shy Cardinal fish

 another sea cucumber---Conspicuous Sea Cucumber.  Had only seen them here at Salt Pond (years later I've seen a couple at Anini)

 It always amazes me how fish can live with what seemed to be really serious injuries.

 a close up of the Conspicuous Sea Cucumber eating lunch.

 Even though it's far away from our place on the East side, I love going to Salt Pond.  Even the beach is beautiful, large, and usually not crowded.  Although we often see local picnicing and camping here.

 admiring the sky again.

 Wish I was on one of those inner tubes right now!

 This is the area we snorkel in.  Doesn't look very big, or very deep, but it's deceivingly roomy when you're snorkeling.  Sort of reminds me of a little Lydgate that's open to the bay.

 looking along the beach of the snorkel area.

 How it opens into the bay

AFter a couple hours here, we cleaned up and headed to Poipu.  I like to check things out on Tripadvisor a lot and someone had suggested a get together at the Hyatt for the torch lighting ceremony.  So we went and met some interesting people.

 Even stayed for the ceremony which included hula dancers. (I photoshopped myself in to the far left)

 We were even treated to an impressive sunset while we were visiting.

Another interesting day of snorkeling.  We also did something new and went to a Tripadvisor Meet and Greet for the first time ever.  It's always fun doing something new---as well as the tried and true.