private paradise

A few weeks back Tim and I were driving by Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.  We do want to actually visit the gardens one of these days, but on this particular day we decided not to go in.  Instead, we pulled over on the side of the road and noticed a trail just to the left of the garden entrance.  We decided to go see where it went.

Best idea EVER.

The trail goes steeply downward through a gorgeous canopy of palm trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves high overhead and making everything glow.  At the bottom of the path, there are a bunch of signs warning you to "STAY ON TRAIL!" and "DANGER!" Tim and I ignored those, of course, and discovered the most breathtaking picnic spot ever.  A patch of grass under a palm overlooking the ocean and nearby cliffs... the perfect private paradise.  Around the corner was a small waterfall and river flowing into the ocean.  It was so beautiful.

I took lots of pictures, and I'm sure we'll be going back there again!

These vines are so cool looking!  They almost look like tiny snakes, all slithering up the tree.