"Dave's Big Island Page ..." a Hawaii (State of) Travel Page by Darby2

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizzare and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

Douglas Adams ........The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I've been to Hawaii only once.

In the fall of 1978, my friend Alan and I went to the BigIsland to visit the new Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) then under construction on the summit of Mauna Kea. We brought along our own telescopes and set them up on floor of the vacant observatory dome. Quite an effort to breathe at this elevation of nearly 14,000 feet! But the view of the night sky was extraordinary! No wonder this is considered to be the best observing site in the world.

To learn more about the CFHT: CFHT

Photo: Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius courtesy CFHT
We stayed at the Kona Tiki Motel right on the waterfront (I think it was a mere $32.00 a night) and set our telescopes on the seawall to view the wonders of the night sky from this latitude. Fresh Kona coffee in the morning, fresh fruit from the motel's own banana and papaya trees! Dangling our feet over the seawall to feed the tropical fish just below.

Of course we toured the whole of the Big Island as well, from the Volcanoes national Park, the Fern Forest near Mauna Loa, the Macadamia Nut farms, Akaka Falls, the Kalapana black sand beach, and lots more places.

The east side of the big Island is lush with tropical vegtation