Sue and I were asked by our dear friends Jade and Mahea to shoot their wedding in Hawaii.  How could we say no?  We spent two weeks playing on the big island with friends.  Here are some photos to share…

© John David Becker 2010

Yep, we saw double rainbows too…

© John David Becker 2010

Volcano National Park was our first stop.  We’ve walked around calderas like this one before, but never IN a caldera.

© John David Becker 2010

This is the view from the bottom.  It was pretty fun to walk the smooth martian surface and climb among the bus-sized pieces that pushed upwards just before solidifying.

© John David Becker 2010

The last time this caldera was active, magma was seen shooting up 1,500 feet and higher from the volcano.  From where I was standing inside the caldera, it would have been about as high as the sun, give-or-take.

© John David Becker 2010

Across from the Caldera was a Lava Tube.  It’s pretty interesting to think of liquid Earth flowing through here like water through a straw.

© John David Becker 2010

We didn’t get to see any lava flowing into the ocean, but we did get up at twilight to see the orange glow of the lava pool inside one of the calderas.

© John David Becker 2010

This little pheasant character wasn’t so stealthy.   His little brain probably thought, “they’ll never see me while I peak through this blade of grass!”

© John David Becker 2010

Yeah, natural sea arches are pretty amazing.  Makes you ponder…

© John David Becker 2010

I like things that seem out of place.  You could look 17 miles in every direction and not see a single palm tree.  This little gathering grew out of the lava fields to make their own oasis.

© John David Becker 2010

Big waves crashing 60 feet into the air…

© John David Becker 2010

From sea to mountaintop.  Mauna Kea rises 14,000′ above the ocean and clouds below.   This makes for astronomical astronomy.

© John David Becker 2010

Sunset with friends is also a great way to celebrate your ascent.

© John David Becker 2010

Sunset on one side means one crazy shadow on the other.  When you’re this high above the earth starting at Sea Level, the resulting shadow is like nothing you’ll see anywhere else.  Technically, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world starting from the sea floor.  If you look really closely, you can the shadow of me waving on the peak of the mountain.

© John David Becker 2010

The Milky Way looks pretty appetizing with almost no light pollution at 10,000′ ft.

© John David Becker

When you take a sip of your drink from the peak of Mauna Kea and seal it up, the return to sea level has a funny affect…

© John David Becker 2010

Tree’s still have beauty in their afterlife…

 

© John David Becker 2010

© John David Becker 2010

All good things must come to an end.  In this case, the road was blocked by a 6′ blanket of lava.  Appropriate ending to this post.

Advertisement