Now we have a sighting of a very rare breed - the photographer himself!
We liked the burger we shared at "Tex Drive In" very much, but we very much LOVED the malasada lady there. (Malasadas are portuguese pastries that transform into pure pleasure in your mouth - mm mm!)
The next series of pictures were taken at Waipio Valley. We started at the overlook and then decided to drive down into the valley on the rather steep "4x4 ONLY trail." A number of others had either hiked or driven to this beautiful black sands beach nestled below steep, green mountains.
After savoring Waipio Valley, we drove west through Waimea (ranch country) where we encountered a ferocious dust storm and then desert. Once we reached the western coast, we headed straight to Hapuna beach - GORGEOUS white sands and turquoise waters!
After swimming at sea level, we decided to hightail it to the summit of Mauna Kea (a dormant volcano reaching almost 14,000 feet) for sunset and stargazing. We made it to the observatory at 9,000 feet, only to learn we were about an hour too late to make to the summit on the "4x4 ONLY trail" by sunset. Instead, we watched a spectacular sunset from the cold and windy 9,000 feet. In the following photo, the clouds are lower in altitude than our vantage point, and the ocean extends beyond the clouds to the horizon. May I recommend clicking on this one?
BRRRR!
Once the sky completely darkened, we were able to star-, moon-, and planet-gaze with the advantage of perhaps the cleanest air in the world, as well as complimentary usage of very large, expensive telescopes.
What a day - and night - to remember!
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