Category Archives: Places

The path to Thurston Lava Tube

Thurston Lava Tube is one of the more visited spots in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It might not be as compelling as Puapoo Lava Tube, but it’s not far from the road and easily accessed. I tend to visit it whenever I’m in the park.

One thing I like about Thurston is the path to and through the tube. It starts with a drop into dense tropical forest, features a bridge leading to the maw of the tube, and then wiggles through the damp and the eerily lit interior until reaching the light at the other end.

Mauna Kea telescopes

One of the reasons Mauna Kea is a prime spot for telescopes is that it boasts clear skies for more than 300 days a year. It’s common to see clouds below the summit, but less so to see them passing above the summit like this.

In the foreground is the CalTech Submillimeter Telescope, one of 13 currently operating on the mountain.

Better Days: Skull

This old skull marked where the trail up Pu’u Wa’awa’a disappeared into the cloud.

Hawaiian stilts

The Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) is known here as the Ae’o. It’s endemic to the islands and endangered to boot, though the population is thought to be increasing. These two were by the Kaloko Fishpond at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. I wonder why they’re called stilts?

Clouds over Waimea

Seen from the lower slopes of Mauna Kea, a blanket of cloud climbs over the Kohala Mountains and Waimea, but Maui is still visible in the background.

Pinkhead smartweed

This cheerful, but somewhat weedy plant grows along roadsides. It’s particularly striking on Saddle Road where it adds color to the otherwise lava-rich landscape. Also, I like the name. It sounds like the not-too-bright son of a moneyed family on the east coast.

Abstracts: Moorish idols

A pair of moorish idols swim in shallow water at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.

Hawaiian zebra blenny

Hawaiian zebra blennies are a staple of rocky tide pools, living off organic detritus that accumulates in the pools. Taken by surprise, they’ll shoot off, over the rock, into the next tide pool.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii