These lava flows, on the northeast slopes of Mauna Loa, show some of the colors lava takes. Together with the untouched islands of vegetation and cloud shadows, I think they make an interesting patterned landscape.
Category Archives: Series
Abstracts: Palm
This is a view of the base of the petioles (leaf stems) of a traveler’s palm (Ravenala madagascariensis). It’s not a true palm but a member of the family Strelitzia with flowers similar to some bird of paradise flowers.
Abstracts: Raindrops on agave
I know about surface tension, but I still like to see raindrops beading up. These are on an agave leaf.
Abstracts: Trees from above
These dense trees can be found in the vicinity of Kilauea Volcano and show that nature thrives if it is spared by the lava flows. This view reminds me of broccoli.
Better Days: Wrecked bomber
On the evening of Tuesday, February 25, 1941 this twin-engined B-18 bomber was part of a group of four aircraft on a night training mission. They had started out from Hickam Field on Oahu. Not far from Hilo the plane lost its port engine when a bearing failed. The pilot decided to try and reach Suiter Field (now known as Upolu Airport) at the island’s northern tip. It was not to be. Flying on only one engine, the plane lost altitude. The crew thought they were over the sea, but suddenly a mountain appeared in front of them. The pilot yanked on the flight yoke wheel and the plane stalled and flopped into the trees around 10 p.m.. Incredibly only one crewman was slightly injured.
Search aircraft from Hickam Field found the plane the next morning around 9 a.m.. The nose of the plane was hanging over a 75-foot deep ravine about 3,500 feet up on the northern side of Kohala Mountain. It was one of the most inaccessible places on the island. A rescue operation was started, but it was Thursday noon before it reached the crew.
Over the years, the aircraft has slid into the ravine which is where it rests today. As these photos show, the plane’s condition has deteriorated and it is increasingly being engulfed by trees. But it is still quite easily spotted from the air. On the ground, it remains one of the most inaccessible spots on the island.
It’s also worth noting that just nine months after this crash, almost all the B-18 bombers based at Hickam Field were destroyed on the ground during the attack on Pearl Harbor. 77 years on, this B-18, in its remote resting place, is one of only a handful remaining in existence.
For more information about this aircraft and the crash, search online for Big Island Bomber – hiavps.com or go to pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-18/36-446.html.
Abstracts: Clouds on the water
Clouds over the ʻAlenuihāhā Channel, between the Big Island and Maui, cast strong shadows on the waters below.
Signs: No Lay Net
Lay nets are also known as gill nets. They can be hundreds of feet long and many feet deep with floats on the top edge and weights on the bottom. The problem with them is that, rather than targeting specific food fish, they can catch anything swimming by including turtles and monk seals. Because of this, they’re banned in certain areas, though not everywhere in Hawaii.
To me, this photo represents how the ban works. This section of the Kona coast is one of those areas where lay nets are banned. Someone has gone so far as to erect a sign in the lava near the coast. But that’s about it. In due course, the sign will fall down. It probably won’t be replaced. In the meantime, enforcement of the ban is spotty at best. Even when a violation is called in, chances are no one will be out to check on the situation until long after the net has been hauled and the netters gone home.
Abstracts: Cruise ship windows
Every week, a cruise ship drops anchor off Kailua Kona and passengers are ferried ashore to explore the delights of the town or to go on tours of the island. While it’s there, the ship dwarfs the town.
This image shows a section of the ships side, row upon row of cabin windows. Technically, one might be expected to refer to these as portholes, but I don’t think that applies to cruise ships, which are basically giant floating hotels.
Graham's Island 