An afternoon thunderstorm preserves the green lushness of Waimea Canyon.

Kauai is a special place.  Within thirty minutes one can travel from sun-blessed sandy beaches into the humid forests of Waimea Canyon.  I drove to this spot under the blanket of darkness to shoot sunrise (unsuccessfully), and as the light slowly revealed the scene before me it was no wonder to see why Waimea is dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. More accustomed to the desert dryness of Utah canyons, I was fixated by how lush and green the plants and trees appeared.  This canyon was alive.  I spent most of the morning waiting out circling storms until a momentary break in the clouds allowed me to set up and capture a fast moving thunderstorm renewing the landscape of Waimea.  Minutes later I made a hasty retreat back to the dry comforts of my car after experiencing firsthand one of the wettest places on Earth.