Our next adventure was to summit Mauna Kea, the largest shield volcano in the world. It's also the tallest point in the state at 13,796'.
Unlike Mauna Loa which seems much smoother, Mauna Loa is dotted with tons of late-stage eruption cinder cones and exhibits some strange erosion patterns one…
Kapuka.
This picture was taken at the road going to the summit of Mauna Kea off of HWY 200.
Talk about some clear, thin air!
Mauna Loa slopes in the background.
Pretty cirrus clouds over-top lower lenticular-like clouds forming from orographic uplift.
The Onizuka Center for Astronomy looks like it'll be ready for nightfall.
Just outside the Onizuka Center there is a silversword preserve that showcases one of the nicest plants in Hawaii.
Silverswords only bloom once in their life, but I hear it's an amazing display.
Look DEEP into the silversword.
Mrs H gets into the photography act.
Nice stratocumulus form over the Silversword preserve.
This silversword was about 3 feet wide.
Not a bad view from the road to the summit. Note all the cinder cones and clouds forming between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
Here's a protected silversword that had recently bloomed.
Above the stratocumulus at about 11,000' and below the altocumulus.
Jeep with a cinder cone and bombs for scale. Why stop here? For an amazing secret that very few people outside the geology world know about.
Laura and I briefly walked cross-country to check out the surrounding Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Preserve. Huh?
