Waimea Canyon

Also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea Canyon is a beautiful and impressive sight to see. Derik and I spent an entire afternoon driving along the canyon and stopped at every turnout to take pictures.

At one point he pulled over suddenly and said, "There's a waterfall over there!" I'm not sure how he spotted it, because I even missed it and I was the passenger! Sure enough, waaaay across on the other side of the canyon was a huge waterfall cascading down to the valley floor.

After we were several hours into the drive, we realized that we had forgotten to fill up our gas tank before we set out on the afternoon excursion! We also were not sure how long the highway continued on, or if there would be a gas station at the visitor's center we were trying to reach. We bickered back and forth for a while about whether to turn back or not. At the last turnout for viewing the canyon, we were lucky to find a local who informed us that the highway ran for quite a ways longer, and there was no gas station at the end.

So close, yet so far! We had no choice but to turn back and head for town, but not before getting some stunning looks from the end of the canyon. We had driven for hours, but the ocean was still in view even from that far inland. It was just incredible.

There is one lesson to be learned from our visit to Waimea Canyon: ALWAYS CHECK THE GAS LIGHT BEFORE GOING ON A LONG DRIVE!

Cheers.