Hawaii Revisited by Greg

My work took me back to Hawaii for 2 nights of observing on the Keck II telescope. I was able to confirm a few low-mass brown dwarfs (mass greater than planets, less than stars) and came across a previously unknown galaxy!

The view from my room of the head quarters with the mountain in the background.

Closeup of the mountain. My telescope was the one in the middle.

Right when I landed I went for lunch in Kona and had a calamari sandwich with fries and a Coke.

Then I went to Mau'umae Beach where I swam with a sea turtle.

I visited a number of small historical towns. Here I stopped at Mr. Ed's bakery for a coconut turnover.

I photographed a lot of flowers.

And relaxed at the 420 ft. Akaka Falls.

Explored a state park that was located along the coast, under a highway bridge, where this stream meets the Ocean.

Took in the views at Laupahoehoe Point, where in 1946 a tsunami hit and washed away a school house with 20 children and 4 teachers.

Finally I drove the the view point at Waipio Valley, but didn't make the hike down.

For dinner I had a BBQ chicken sandwich with coleslaw and an onion ring on a hawaiian roll.

On my way back to the airport I visited a coffee plantation, which had great coffee and lots of farm animals.

Cat sleeping in the company store.

Roasted coffee cooling before being bagged.