Floating in the Air

The huge Mount Timpanogos appears to be floating in the air when shot from the south. The mountain is still mostly snow-covered due to a recent April snow storm. But Spring is on the way and most of the lower slopes were clear of snow by the afternoon. With its altitude of 11, 752 feet, it is the second highest mountain along Utah's dramatic Wasatch Front. The mountain is composed entirely of limestone and dolomite and has several notable caves including Timpanogos Cave, a National Monument.

The Laie, Hawai'i Temple

The Laie, Hawai'i Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located on the north coast of O'ahu on the Kamehameha Highway. It is only a short distance from the Church-owned Brigham Young University–Hawaii and Hawaii's number-one paid attraction, the Polynesian Cultural Center. The day we were visiting, the wind was blowing and it was threatening rain, but the rain stayed away and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We ate a little picnic lunch in a park with ramadas next to the Temple grounds and walked around the Temple.

The West Coast of O'ahu, Hawai'i

The island of O'ahu consists of two separate ancient shield volcanoes. The two, long dormant, volcanoes have been eroded into thin ridges. These mountains shown in the photo, belong to the Waianae Range. They are about 3000 or so feet high. The ridges run right down to the edge of the island and form a mostly rocky beach area. The climate on the West Coast is very different than the interior and other coasts of the island. It is semi-arid and looks more like Southern California than what most people would think of Hawai'i from the promotional ads. There are highways almost all the way around the island, but here on the West Coast the highway ends about where this photo was taken. The variety of O'ahu makes it a very interesting place to visit.

Central Mountain Ridge of O'ahu, Hawai'i

The island of O'ahu has a ridge of volcanic mountains that run roughly north and south along the east coast. There are three main highways that cross the mountains and in each case, there is a major tunnel cutting through the ridge. The ridge creates its own weather. Every time we crossed the ridge it was raining on the mountain and dry on both sides. The west side of the ridge is much drier than the eastern side. Most of the population and the larger cities, including Honolulu, are on the western side. Of course, the whole island chain has a volcanic origin and the steep, highly eroded mountains are evidence of creation of the island. 80% of the population of Hawai'i live on O'ahu and I think they are all on the roads driving all the time. The island has some of the worse traffic congestion outside of New York City and Philadelphia.

Miagos Bush in the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden, Oahu

A visit to the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden on Oahu is like a glimpse into wonderland. I could spend days and weeks looking at the variety of plants. When I visit a botanical garden or arboretum in Arizona or Utah, I am familiar with many of the plants. Most of them are old friends. Visiting a place such as Hawai'i is an entirely new experience. There are a few familiar plants, but most are entirely foreign. This is Osmoxylon lineare the Miagos bush. It is a non-native plant from Luzon, Philippines.

Honolulu and Diamond Head, O'ahu

This spectacular view of Honolulu and Diamond Head was not taken from an airplane. It was taken from the Ualaka'a Overlook in the Pu'u 'Ualaka'a State Wayside. The wind was blowing very hard and it was raining off and on. I had to take the photo and then turn quickly so my lens did not get rain drops. I was thinking that this was a long way from Arizona. The Wayside is located off Round Top Drive off Makiki Street in Honolulu. We drove up the mountain for quite a while on a very narrow winding road to get to this overlook.

West Coast of Oahu

The West Coast of Oahu is so dry that it looks like places in Southern California. The beaches are spectacular, not much sand, but beautiful waves and rock formations. The highway hugs the coast and ends just where you can see the mountain in the distance. The sandy beaches are confined to the coves where rivers or streams empty into the ocean. I would guess that these size waves are typical. Not much room for swimming or surfing however. The day was slightly overcast, but that was the same as it was almost every day during this season. Not much of Hawaii on the island of Oahu looks like the travel photos and brochures.