Another post on the theme of ‘Glow,’ this week’s WordPress photo challenge.
Early morning light illuminates the Wo On Store at Halawa. This was one of many shops in North Kohala back in the sugar plantation days. A lot of these businesses were run by immigrants. The name ‘Wo On’ means ‘harmony and peace.’ The building now houses the Rankin Gallery.
The theme of this week’s WordPress photo challenge is ‘Glow,’ so I thought I’d use that as my cue for the week’s posts.
First up is a goat clinging to the precipitous side of Pu’u Wa’awa’a. I particularly like how the goat is looking at me, but casts a crisp, more profiled shadow in the early morning light.
On the downside, there must have been a dozen or so goats in the area and, between their avid grazing and scampering about on the exposed slopes, they contribute greatly to erosion. My time watching them was accompanied by the constant sound of small rocks tumbling down gullies and puffs of dust and dirt churned up by their hooves.
Here are more photos from last weekend’s Ironman World Championship race.
Top: Sarah Piampiano of the sweats up the hill toward Hawi.
Second photo: Tessa Kortekaas, Karen Steurs, and Lisa Tyack duke it out on the way to the cycling turnaround in Hawi.
Third photo: Tools of the trade on the bike of Mike Blackburn.
Fourth photo: Christian Godtfredsen zips downhill. Many of the riders would go long distances with their heads down like this. If it were me I would undoubtedly veer off the road into a tree.
Fifth photo: Robert Kenneth and Asbjoern Bakken push uphill and into a headwind.
Bottom: A long line of cyclists straggle up the slope toward Hawi. Around this point the hill eases, but the headwinds picked up.
Yellow plume flower (Justicia aurea) hails from Mexico and Central America. This one was at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
For more information about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, go to htbg.com.
Above: The sign by the start of the trail to Mauna Kea summit.
Below: Two disrespectful people and one more on the way, dwarfed by the scale of the volcano.
Yesterday was the Ironman World Championship race on the island. The race, comprising of a 2 mile swim, a 110 mile bike ride, and a running marathon, starts and ends in Kailua Kona. I usually check in with the race in the vicinity of the bike leg turnaround at Hawi.
Top: The race leaders head up the hill toward the turnaround, accompanied by support vehicles, race marshals, and cameramen.
Second photo: Pumping the pedals is hard work, but can be colorful.
Third photo: Lionel Sanders of Canada led the race at this point, but lost the lead before he got back to this spot on the return journey. However, he retook the lead later and only lost it a couple of miles from the marathon finish, to Patrick Lange of Germany.
Fourth photo: Bentley Walker of the United States digs deep approaching the turnaround at Hawi.
Bottom: Like Sanders, Lucy Charles of Great Britain led the women’s race heading toward Hawi, but she, too, ultimately finished second, behind Daniela Ryf of Switzerland. Charles and Lauren Brandon of the United States were well clear of the rest of the women’s field at this point.
These views of the trail across Kilauea Iki Crater, taken from the rim of the crater, give some idea of the scale of Kilauea Volcano.
Above, a group of people, looking very small, walk the trail across the crater floor.
To the left, smoke and gases from the active vent in Halema’uma’u Crater can be seen. Halema’uma’u Crater is part of the Kilauea Caldera which is much, much bigger than Kilauea Iki Crater. And, yes, that same group is still visible on the trail in this second photo, along with several others hiking the trail.
For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/. For more information about Kilauea Volcano and it’s eruptions, go to hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/history/main.html.
This mini helicopter was parked at Upolu Airport recently. A single seater, it looks like a home-built aircraft. A little while later, I heard a clattering noise and saw it airborne, headed east along the coast.
Graham's Island 