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Young's Photo Gallery

Trip to Hawaii - December, 2010    -    PART 1

On December 22, Karen and I departed Los Angeles International Airport bound
for Hilo.  We stayed in Hilo (on the Big Island) for 6 days, then returned back
to Honolulu for the last 2 days of our vacation.  The weather was reasonable for
everything we had scheduled.  I gave an astronomy presentation to the people in
Hilo at the Imiloa Astronomy Center and a Stake Fireside for the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints regarding the creation as seen through the eyes of
an astronomer (all with Karen's help).  We visited two ham radio operators who
reside in the Hilo area, Richard (AH7G) and Barbara (NH7FY) Darling, as well
as used their ham radio gear to talk to stateside friends on the Triple H Net.

We took a helicopter ride over Volcano National Park, traveled around the entire
island on Christmas Day, and were given a tour of the Gemini North Telescope up
at the Mauna Kea Observatories.  We hiked to the extreme north point of the
island, as well as the south point to photograph waves breaking against the shore.

After arriving in Honolulu, we toured Pearl Harbor, visited the Arizona Memorial,
The Dole Plantation, The Polynesian Cultural Center, and the LDS Temple in Laie.
We wrapped up our vacation with a moderate 1 hour guided hike through the dense
forest east of Honolulu to see Likeke Falls before returning to Los Angeles early
on December 31.

December 22, 2010

Los Angeles to Honolulu, then to Hilo on the Big Island

The contrail shadow from our jet aircraft over the Pacific Ocean

The 'glory' as seen from our aircraft on the clouds below.

Honolulu International Airport

Storm Clouds as we flew from Honolulu to Hilo (on the Big Island)

Lili'Uokalani Gardens next to our Naniloa Volcanoes Resort Hotel in Hilo

Lili'Uokalani Park and Gardens

December 23, 2010

Rainbow Falls just east of Hilo

Flowers in the forest near Rainbow Falls

Karen catches me in a joyful moment at Rainbow Falls

Karen checking her photography images

Karen catches an unusual bird perched on a nearby railing

Activity from The Halema'uma'u Crater in the Kilauea Caldera in Volcanoes NP

December 24, 2010

Flowers on the trail to Akaka Falls State Park 12 miles northwest of Hilo

Akaka Falls

A small creek in Akaka Falls State Park

Alae Veteran's Cemetery 3 miles north of Hilo

Safari Helicopter ride over Volcanoes NP

Napau volcano crater in the National Park

The lava flow from the 1980's

The city of Hilo, Hawai'i

The activity in Halema'uma'u crater as seen from the Jaggar Museum in the NP

Hawaiian flowers on the road to the Punaluu County Beach Park

A small pond in the Punaluu County Beach Park

South Point (the very southern point of the Big Island)

Karen captures the waves breaking against the cliffs at South Point

10-foot waves offshore at South Point

The lights of Hilo to the left, with the hotel lights onto the grounds below our
 hotel room.  Mauna Kea is 28 miles in the distance at right center, with stars
of the 'square' of Pegasus just above the observatory

December 25, 2010

Drove around the entire Big Island

Mauna Kea Observatory, 28 miles west from our hotel in Hilo


Karen's image of the Mauna Kea Observatory, 22 miles away, taken from the
road to Akaka Falls State Park


Cactus at about 3500 feet off the Kohala Mountain Road, 8 miles northwest of
Waimea


Blue Flowers next to the Kohala Mountain Road


The cactus field looking west


The breakwater and harbor of Kawaihae as seen from the Kohala Mountain Road,
about 5 miles to the west


These cows were really skittish of us, and they moved quickly with numerous
white cranes leading their way, off the Kohala Mountain Road.


The Kohala Mountain Road comes into the small town of Hawi, the most northern
town on the Big Island.  3 miles to the northwest lies the Upolu Airport.  With
heavy rains prior to our arrival, we had to walk 1/2 mile east of the runway to
 get to the very north part of the Island to photograph these 20 foot waves.


A twenty-foot wave breaks well off the coastline


Karen captures a gigantic wave breaking on the rocks below


Continuing southwest, we came to Mahukona Beach Park


It was here that we finally touched the 'warm' Pacific Ocean waters


We stopped at the Samuel M. Spencer Beach Park, just south of Kawaihae


We stopped at the LDS Temple in Kailua Kona


Just south of Kealakekua on the Mamalahoa Highway (H-11), we had to stop as
a 'Tom' turkey and his harem of 8 hens crossed the road

A series of new wind turbines at South Point.  There are numerous others in the
same area, but are not working because of broken blades and missing pieces.


Karen's camera caught a nice rainbow late in the afternoon at South Point.  In
the background are the older wind turbines


Waves breaking at South Point


Large wave at South Point
\

Another 12-15 foot wave at South Point


Late afternoon at South Point


December 26, 2010

Attended Church, then photographed the waves near Hilo


 Looking across the Hilo harbor from our hotel,  to the Mauna Kea Observatory,
28 miles to the west.

December 27, 2010

We were given a tour of the Gemini North Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea by
a staff member, Ms Joy Pollard, of their astronomy facility based in Hilo


One takes the 'saddle' road out of Hilo, best suited for four-wheel drive (we
couldn't take our rent-a-car).  Ms Pollard took one of their vehicles, and our
journey took us to the summit of the saddle road at  6500 feet elevation.


Some regular trees at the 7200 foot elevation, which after passing took us to the
Visitor Information Center at 9200 feet.  We had lunch, then got a briefing on
what to expect weather-wise and altitude.


The Gemini North Telescope (a crew was working on the dome shutter).  When
we arrived, it was 28^o F with 15-20 mph winds.  The altitude is 13750 feet.
The telescope mirror here is 8.1 meters in diameter


The University of Hawaii's 2.2 meter telescope


NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility in the foreground (3.0 meter mirror), with
the Kohala Mountains to the northwest in the distance


Gemini North's mirror coating vacuum chamber


A 'dummy' mirror blank for balancing the telescope when the actual mirror is
taken out for re-coating.


The Gemini North 8.1 meter telescope


The secondary mirror near the top of the telescope tube assembly


Karen at the telescope base


The author at the base of the telescope


The instrument array at the base of the telescope


Part of the numerous cables routed to the telescope itself from the floor and
control room


The mirror cover (closed)


The dome structure for venting air currents (closed in the day)


The back side of the dome shutter


The control room inside the building.  There is also a similar control room at the
base headquarters in Hilo, for those who prefer to operate from sea level.  This
is becoming a very normal operation at many astronomy facilities in the world.


Small volcano craters near the summit of the mountain


The Subaru (Japan) Telescope (8.3 meter mirror) to the left, the twin domes
of the W. M. Keck Observatory (center), each with 10 meter diameter mirrors,
and the NASA Infrared Telescope to the right.  Each of the Keck mirrors are
composed of 36 individual hexagonal segments, rather than a single piece of glass.


Gemini North in the foreground, with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in the
background (left).  The latter has a 3.6 meter mirror


The twin W. M. Keck Telescope domes


Gemini North as seen from the northwest


Gemini North (left), the University of Hawaii telescope (center), and the United
Kingdom Infrared Telescope (3.8 meter mirror) to the right


The Caltech Submillimeter Telescope (10.4 meter radio dish, not glass) seen
here with the dome closed

Part 2