Kauai 2011 day 15: Last day

Look at that: I've managed to finish posting my pics from last year's trip to Kauai a whole three days before we touch down on the island for this year's vacation. Between being very busy at work, trying to get as much done as I can before I leave, lack of sleep, and the usual pre-travel anxiety, my brain is pretty much in shutdown mode as I sit here trying to string words together. So I'll move right on to the photos.

A couple of the water coming in on the shore:





My promised photos of an adult Java Sparrow, also known to my brain as the mini Puffin:





I really liked how this Egret's breast feathers were backlit in this shot:



In the afternoon, we went over to Shell Beach one last time. The water was barely covering the long stretch of reef between the beach itself and the ocean proper, so I wandered on outto take a photo or two of Bali Hai. On the way, this bit of kaleidoscope-like rippling in the water caught my eye:



Looking back at the mountain directly behind me:



And, of course, Bali Hai. Well, technically it's the mountain that was used to depict Bali Hai in South Pacific. In reality, it's Mount Makana, and marks the beginning of the Na Pali cliffs.:



I thought of a great pun for this image earlier, but it's completely gone from my brain. So ... check it out: it's a bunch of plants that grew in the shape of a heart:



I liked the double wave thing I caught in this photo:



Probably my best shot of a wave rolling over:



On our way back to the car I spotted movement in some of the plants bordering the trail out of the corner of my eye. Further investigation revealed not just one gecko, but a bunch of them—all of them different shapes, sizes, and colors











When we got back to where my folks were staying, what did we encounter but... more geckos. If you look at this first one's lip, you can see what's left of an ant sticking out:



And this is the one in-focus shot I got of this gecko as it scurried away:




One last shot of the beautiful water of the Pacific to close out my Kauai 2011 photos: