Sierra Club Kauai Kayaking Outing 2011
The Sierra Club is hosting an outing Kayaking Na Pali on August 20 thru 26, 2011. Kayaking the Na Pali coast provides the adventurous traveler the opportunity to explore a truly spectacular wilderness area. ‘Na Pali’ refers to the sheer cliffs that soar up from the coastline, making the area accessible only by water or rugged hiking trail.
This 18-mile paddle is broken up into manageable segments, allowing opportunities to explore old Hawaiian civilizations. Snorkeling, beach walking, shell collecting, reading, and sunbathing are all daily options. Day hikes range in difficulty from leisurely strolls to strenuous hot climbs. A portion of one day will be dedicated to service work; perhaps a beach clean-up or light trail clearing.
Highlights
- Kayak the spectacular, chisled Na Pali coastline
- Participate in one day of service work — perhaps a beach clean-up or light trail clearing
- Enjoy snorkeling, beach walking, day hiking, shell collecting, reading, and sunbathing as options throughout the trip
Includes
- Kayaks, paddles, and personal flotation devices
- Camp sites
- All meals
Sea Glass Colors
Colors give a clue to the origin of the glass. Green Glass comes in a wide range of shades and hues. Dark green, kelly green, turquoise, teal, and sea foam. Heineken bottles, Rolling Rock bottles, Ball canning jars, wines, and of course Coca Cola from around 1915 to 1970. Cobalt blue, cornflower blue, light blue, aqua, and every color blue in between can be found. Phillips Milk of Magnesia, Noxema, Bromo Seltzer, and Alka Seltzer used to come in cobalt blue glass bottles, as well as poisons and medicines. Ball canning jars, and insulators used on electric poles in the early 1900’s fall in the lighter side of this category. Brown glass was also produced over a wide time span from the late 1800’s to present day. From old beer bottles, and old Clorox bottles, to Budweiser beer, brown glass can range from almost a black/brown glass to the lightest amber used for medicine in rarer glasses. One of the most common sources for red glass was made by Anchor Hocking Glass Company for both decorative household items and the 1950’s Schlitz Beer bottle. Tableware, brake lights, and marine running lights were also orange and red in color.
The World Wars changed how we made glass. The chemicals that colored the glass were either used for the purposes of war, or they were previously provided by the enemy. One chemical that was used to make glass clear came from Germany and the replacement chemical we started using turned glass to lavender over a period of time. Depression glass gave us pastels of pink, yellow and green widely used in house ware items. Vaseline glass mainly from the 1930’s had its own distinctive yellow green color. And there are also locally based companies with their own distinctive colors that were not distributed widely and only found in a specific area.
Sea Glass History
Glass is no longer used as it was in the past. Less than four decades ago everything came in glass bottles or jars. Milk was delivered to homes in glass bottles. Plastic was still a product of the future. Trash collection was not fully developed, and recycling was non existent. In coastal areas, many residents would bury their trash in the sand or simply toss it in the ocean. Dumps were located on sea-side cliffs. Today we know better and act differently (or let us hope so). With heightened environmental awareness, the advent of recycling, and the wide use of plastic for beverages, sea glass is becoming increasingly harder to find, and therefore, more collectable. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Glass was first manufactured in the USA in the 1790’s, and since then we have made it into all shapes, sizes, and colors. Beer bottles, whiskey, gin, and wine bottles. Fruit jars, milk bottles, food, mineral water, and soda bottles. Medicine bottles, drug, and poison containers. Electric insulators, ink bottles, tableware, and Depression glass. The glass gets into the ocean from shipwrecks, landfills, or boaters and is then tumbled smooth by waves and sand. Depending on the type of shoreline, tumbling will produce glass shards that are sharp and angular in shape, or on sandy beaches the tumbling will wear it down to a well rounded shape. Each piece of Sea Glass has an interesting history behind it. Tumbled by waves and sand, each piece has a unique shape to it. Some are triangular, some are round, some are shaped like a teardrop, and some are shaped like Zimbabwe.
Queen Lili’uokalani
On September 2 1838, Lydia Lili’u Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamaka’eha was born. Under the name Lili’uokalani she became Hawai’i’s first and only Queen Regnant of the Kingdom of Hawai’i and ruled from January 1891 to January 1893.
On September 6, Hawai’i Pono’i invites everyone to the Iolani Palace at 10AM to 4PM to rejoice & remember Queen Lili’uokalni with music, song, hula, mele, and prayer. The event features choral director Nola Nahulu, The Royal Hawai’i’an Band, Halau I Ka Wekiu, and the Queens Play. There will be educational exhibits and food booths on the lawn of the palace, and a special church service at noon. Admission is free. Hawai’i Pono’i was formed to educate those who live in Hawai’i as well as visitors about “Hawai’i’s true history, the Native Hawaiian people and the culture that makes Hawai’i like no other.”
Celebrate Queen Lili’uokalani by attending (or participating in) the 38th Queen Lili’uokalani Canoe Race on The Big Island of Hawai’i. This race started in 1972 as a way to train for the grueling Na Wahine O Ke Kai (Women) and the Molokai Hoe (Men) long distance canoe races from the island of Molokai to the island of Oahu. The Queen Lili’ukolani Canoe Race attracts people from across the World and is easily the largest racing event of its kind. Held each year on Labor Day Weekend, the fun includes a torchlight parade and dance on Saturday night, and an awards luau on Sunday.
The video above is from last year’s event.
