Tag: Hawaii

Yet Another Hurricane

It has been a wet weekend here as yet another hurricane makes a swipe at the island.

This has meant over an inch of rain and some strong winds at the house. A pair of 14,000ft mauna between us and the oncoming storms has worked as usual.

The windward side took the brunt of the storm, but this was a marginal hurricane. In general there have been no major impacts on the island beyond some localized flooding in the usual places and downed trees blocking roads.

I did deploy a new rain gauge this weekend, just in time for the deluge. An electronic tipping bucket of my own design that seems to be operating quite nicely.

Hurricane Hone passing south of the islands bringing wind and heavy rain the the Island of Hawaii on August 25, 2024
Hurricane Hone passing south of the islands bringing wind and heavy rain the the Island of Hawaii on August 25, 2024

A Misty Night at Kaʻohe

While I have gotten plenty of telescope time lately, it has usually been morning sessions with the old Astrola in my driveway. This is a low effort and thoroughly enjoyable practice that I engage in about half a dozen times each month. Such sessions do mean that my 18″ telescope languishes for far too long in the garage.

Ben Harmon checking the sky in anticipation of a good evening of observing at Kaʻohe
Ben Harmon checking the sky in anticipation of a good evening of observing at Kaʻohe

I really need to change that.

Thus when my fellow staff at Symbrosia start asking for another star party it made a good excuse to get the big ‘scope out of the garage and under a dark sky.

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The King’s Loop

The region south of Waikoloa along the shore seems to be a barren field of lava with little to offer beyond miles of dark rock and baking sun. That may seem to be the case, but there are surprising gems out in those lava fields.

The King's Trail south of Waikoloa
Looking along the King’s Trail south of Waikoloa

The plan? As usual hike the King’s Trail south from Waikoloa, but this time explore some of the smaller trails I had passed by in the past. Perusing the satellite imagery reveals a surprising number of trails through the lava. Considering the substantial effort it takes to cut a trail through the worst aʻa lava those trails must be significant somehow.

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