Honeymoon: Day 5

On Friday, we had somewhat of a busy(ish) schedule. We had a few free hours in the morning, so we went ahead and soaked up some sun by the pool. We then showered and prepped for our drive back north for an afternoon of activities..

First stop was Common Ground in Kilauhea, the "north shore's field to table experience." Again, this was one of my parent's recommendations. Their mission is based on sustainability. On the grounds you'll find "the Fields," which houses several plants, crops, animals, etc. They also house the Garden Cafe, which serves the very foods that they grow. As a dietitan and foodie, this was my kind of thing. I was not disappointed.

The cafe is entirely outdoors, very laidback. We placed our orders, chose a table, and just enjoyed the scenery of the Fields in the background. I will say this was one of the most reasonably priced meals we had, and we got loads of food. I got a burrito with Kauai pork and Andy ordered a chicken wrap, both with gorgeous, fresh garden salads. . Neither of us finished even half of our meals, but they sure were tasty! Probably a favorite of the trip..

Then we toured the Fields a bit..

I think we left the cafe a little before noon to head over to Silver Falls Ranch for our horseback ride. I will say that on a map, it looks like the ranch is maybe 1/4 mile down the road, very close. This caused a bit of a riff with Andy and I on what route to take. We had to backtrack and go a wacky way because the road is private. Andy was right...

We got to the ranch super early for our 2 o'clock ride, signed papers, changed clothes, and were set. We were the only two riders on the tour, so it was just us and our tour guide. After a brief safety review, we were on our way. Our tour guide (Sabrina? Britney?) gave me a calm horse named Ace because I have only been on a horse 2 or 3 times. Andy got a more difficult horse because he had more experience. He actually told our tour guide that he is "savvy" on a horse. He may have regretted it later because his horse did go off the path a few times.. The ride was nice, but I wish we would've had to use more riding skill. My horse was so trained that I basically sat on him and he led the way. It was just a slow paced walk through a swamp area, with the trees and mountains in the background. We stopped at a stream with a "waterfall" and had a light meal of chicken teriyaki, rice, and juice. We got to feed the horses treats, and headed back to the stables. Even though Andy and I both like riding, it's not something I would need to do again.

I honestly can't remember our guide's name, but she was nice. She grew up on the island working with the horses on the ranch, but had left for a few years to work with horses on the mainland. It was nice because she knew a lot about Hawaiian history, but she also wasn't sheltered to just Hawaii (she was blond haired and didn't really look Hawaiian though). It was at the ranch that we learned about Ni'ihau (the forbidden island). She also brought up a conversation about GMOs, but I will discuss more about that controversy in a later post...

Next, we went to Kauai golf for some putt putt! It was again just right up the road from the ranch and is actually a botanical garden. I will say it wasn't the greatest mini golf course I've ever been on, but it was still fun. I liked that they had fun facts about Hawaiian plants at each hole.

When we finished we shared some gelato, and headed back toward home with one stop left at the Kilauea Lighthouse. The lighthouse is the most northern point of all of the Hawaiian islands. We thought it would be a fun landmark to visit. However, when we got there we saw that it closes at 4 pm, so we couldn't go out on the peninsula to the lighthouse itself, but rather just had a distant view. On our next trip I think it would be an interesting thing to do with no doubt amazing views.

Then we enjoyed the scenic drive home watching the sunset. I think we visited the pool for a late night swim and some relaxing in the hot tubs (we did this two or three nights but I can't remember which ones). Even at night it was such a relaxing place. I miss it just thinking about it. We hit the hay and were ready for a hiking adventure the next morning!