Big Island Day Two

Today we travelled down to Kona to do some kayaking. We rented some gear and headed toward Captain Cook's monument (the place where he said his final aloha's) for some awesome snorkeling and paddling. We had hoped to see wild dolphins but they didn't come and play that day. On our way home we decided to head up Mauna Kea, the world's tallest mountain (base to top: 33,465 feet) to view the night sky. It was spectacular and there is a reason that it houses the worlds largest observatory. I've never seen so many stars in one place. The nearest "city" (meaning lights) is Honolulu, so the darkness, coupled with it's incredible height makes it an amazing place to star-gaze. And it's COLD! Talk about strange - seeing a mountain peak with snow on it in Hawaii?! I wish I had pictures of the night sky, but you can see some HERE. After some hot chocolate, a treat I haven't had or even wanted in nearly a year now, we headed back to the village...

Some of our pics for that day were taken with a waterproof disposable film camera and since the ants have taken over our scanner, I haven't yet been able to upload those.