Destination: Hanalei Valley, Kauai

The view from Kilauea Lighthouse, on the road towards Princeville and Hanalei...

Just past Princeville you come to this panoramic lookout over the taro fields of Hanalei Valley. The road winds down, you cross the first of numerous one lane bridges, and you've arrived in paradise.

You'll mostly find locals, having fun diving off the pier, if you wander down the road from the center of town. The beach is nice, and the water is very calm here, too.

As you proceed down the road, there's a seemingly endless succession of exotic, mostly deserted beaches.

Somehow, each beach is more beautiful than the one before...

Sometimes it takes a little climbing to get down to these beaches, but, when you get down to a beach like Lumahai Beach (below), it's definitely worth it.

The view from the rocks out at Lumahai is pretty awesome.

Finally, as you continue down through Haena to the end of the road, where the Na Pali Coast begins, you reach Ke'e Beach, where the water is calm and crystal clear, and there's nothing but ocean between you and Japan.

About the only other place we've seen water as clear as the water at Ke'e, is in the Bahamas.

It's a good idea to pack your lunch back before you leave Princeville or Hanalei, because the nearest places to eat are back in town, and you're not going to want to leave.

At least, not until the sun sets.

Thus ends another day in paradise.