Posts Tagged With: Kauai

abandoned sugar factory

one of the roosters found everywhere on the island

Ed at McBryde

Our primary activity today was McBryde Garden, one of three gardens on Kauai run by the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It is on the south side of Kauai. Parts of Jurassic Park were filmed here. And no, we did not see any dinosaurs about the place.

McBryde is a self guided tour of a garden focusing on preserving tropical plants. They had sections on plants native to Hawaii, spices and fruits, palms, and plants brought over and used by the Polynesians (first Hawaiians). It is not a showy place like a rose garden, although certainly flowers and blossoms are present.

It was a pleasant morning for a stroll through lush greenery. Our retention of the information we read may not be great but enough to bore you the next time we meet. Of course we talked to people from around the country. Maine who also got hit with snow. Bloomington MN. Oregon so we got to gush about our trip there a few years ago.

After the garden, and our usual pbj sandwiches for lunch, we went to the “spouting horn”. This is a coastal location where incoming waves rush through holes in the rocks to create geysers and trumpet like sounds. Unfortunately, we did not come at high tide so the geysers, while cute, were not spectacular.

The south shore coast has a higher concentration of resorts due to its drier weather. We passed a number of these in Poipu and then drove by an abandoned sugar mill. Another example of profits made and a run down plant left for eventual resolution by taxpayers. The nearby town of Koloa has a statue of the 8 major ethnic groups involved in making sugar a major force in Hawaii. (Europeans, Hawaiians,Filipinos, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.)

We also made a brief stop at a beach close to our inn but showers cut that short. We went driving up in the mountains instead. Dinner was homemade and Downton Abbey wrapped up the night.

Ed Feb. 10 8 pm