On Thursday, we went from a climate of 35 degrees Farenheit to 79.  It took three airports, two planes, two airplane meals, one TSA screening, and 12 hours from beginning to end. On Friday, we went from a climate of 83 degrees Farenheit to 27.  It took one van with 13 people, one picnic of stew, and about 3 hours.  And it was awesome. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Our Friday began with us waking up quite early for us -- that 4 hour time difference is great right now, but it's going to burn us when we return. We did a quick breakfast at a nearby strip mall and make our plans for the day, knowing whatever we did, we needed to be done by 2:30.  Tisha and I  are typically very laid-back vacationers and don't make a lot of plans in advance.  A vacation isn't enjoyable if you're constantly checking a schedule and trying to cram too much in.  Our philosophy is that if we miss something we wanted to do, that's all the more excuse to come back.  But we did have this one booking we didn't want to miss, so we opted for some light exploration and gathering of supplies. Since we're staying in a condo with a full kitchen, we picked up some staples like coffee, creamer, juice, and beer.  Oh, we got some decent beers, too.  I didn't buy anything from Kona Brewing Company, since we'll be going there to eat and I'd rather try it on tap, but we got some Blonde Lager and some Coconut Porter from Maui Brewing, in cans!  I'm really coming around on canned beer -- it's environmentally friendly, but it's also beer friendly.  No light == better beer!  Both are nice, though I prefer the porter (which is hardly surprising, given my tastes), but I felt something light and crisp would be good for drinking on this awesome blacony after a hot day. We visited the beach nearest the condo -- we're in the Waikaloa resort.  I'll be heading back there for a swim today or o tomorrow, but at the very least, I wandered into the water so I could get my feet wet in the Pacific for the first time.  We then took a little drive, exploring Waikaloa village, which seems to be the main residential area in the area.  I always think it must be weird to live in such a touristy place, but people do it, obviously.  I have the same thoughts whenever I visit Las Vegas, too.  The village was a nice little drive, and we visited their grocery store to pick up some things from their grocery store that the one in the resort didn't have. (What kind of grocery store sells only cone coffee filters and not basket style?) As I'd said earlier, we don't typically schedule things rigidly, but Friday was a bit different.  It was the one thing I'd booked in advance, on the advice of Ti who noted he wanted to do it when he was here but couldn't get an opening on any of the tours.  And that is the Mauna Kea Stars and Summit tour. At 2:45, we were standing outside the Kings Shops, looking up to the peak of Mauna Kea.  It looked so far away, covered with snow, and dotted with observatories.  It looked that way for a good reason.  And that reason is that it was far away, covered with snow, and dotted with observatories.  I'm a clever one, n0thing gets past me. Around 3, Buck pulled up in the van with 6 passengers on board.  Two other couples were waiting with us, and shortly we were underway.  After a short stop in the aforementioned Waikaloa Village to pick up our dinner, we made the drive onto the infamous Saddle Road. If you look at a road map of the Big Island, you'll see this road bisecting the island from the west side to the east, from Waikaloa to Hilo.  you might see this road and think, "Hey, shortcut!"  No.  Get that thought out of your head.  At least for now. The Saddle Road was built by the Army Corps of Engineers a long time back to access their training grounds in the middle of the island.  It was a single lane road at that time.  Eventually, the county and state decided to make it a two lane road, so they widened it.  The county paved one side, the state paved the other.  Imagine in your head what that road must look like -- two separate entities each working on the same road.  If you've any experience with bureaucracies, you probably have a fairly adequate picture in your head. Most rental car companies will not let you take your car on the Saddle Road.  It's that bad.  It's getting better -- partway the road becomes much-improved as they're re-engineering and re-paving the road.  If you come from Hilo, you can make it to the Mauna Kea summit access road without driving this horrendous section, for example.  But since we came from the west, we drove the bumpy, twisty road that would probably best be served  with a lunar rover than with anything used on this planet.  Foreshadowing alert: it was not the worst road we'd be on. From pick-up to our first stop, we spent about 2 hours driving.  Buck made the drive fun and interesting, feeding us the facts that I'm spouting here to make myself sound knowledgeable.  We went around the van and introduced ourselves.  Everyone else had been to the islands before, but for some it was their first visit to the Big Island.  A couple from Regina, Saskatchewan was in front of us -- represent north side! At 5, we stopped for dinner of stew and corn bread.  This stop allowed us to acclimate, since we went from sea level to 6800 feet in that time.  After a nice picnic in this wooded area, we were off again toward the summit, climbing more and more over the next 30 minutes to around 9000 feet, when we reached the visitor center.  And the end of the pavement. The summit of Mauna Kea is public access, but they don't want to make it easy for you to get there, since too many people means light and radio pollution at the top, which messes with the observatories.  So, for the next little while, you're driving up a 17% grade on bumpy dirt road.  Very bumpy.  We were waxing nostalgic about how nice the Saddle Road was.  Happily, once we passed the tree line, pavement kicked in again.  They pave it from that point since snow is frequent and it's much easier to plow.  Indeed, when we passed the visitor center, it was a bit surreal to see snow blowers, snow plows, and large equipment with chains on the tires, considering we were in Hawaii. By 6:30 or so we reached the summit, with a dozen or so observatories peppered about.  There were the 7mm radio telescopes first, followed by some impressive beasties, including the 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope witht the largest finest mirror on the planet.  Back at 6800 feet, parkas were distributed, and you need them up here.  It was snowy, slightly windy, and a blamy 29 degrees with the sun just peeking over the cloud horizon. Shortly after arriving the sun dipped below the clouds in a marvelous display of beauty.  It might have been the hypoxia, but it was moving.  And it would not be the first time I was moved that night. After a half hour at the summit, we made our way back to the visitor center at 9000 feet.  Buck parked the van and set up the 11 inch telescope beside the van while we perused the gift shop.  Then we got our own stargazing lessons, learning how to find various stars and constellations using guideposts and markers in the sky. At that altitude, in that darkness, the sky is simply enourmous, bright, and crowded.  With my naked eye I saw a satellite move overhead.  With the telescope, we could see the phase of Venus (it was slightly gibbous).  He pointed it at the middle star of Orion's sword, or at least what appears to be the middle star to the naked eye.  In this telescope, it was a nebula, the dust cloud plainly visible, and a trapezoid of young stars in the middle.  I could not believe the resolution -- I really felt in awe of the enormity of the universe upon seeing that through the scope. At that altitude, to the naked eye the stars of the Pleides are plainly visible, the band of the Milky Way stood out like I'd never seen before.  Through the telescope, we looked at the Andromeda galaxy, its shape clearly visible, and we looked upon Saturn, and could plainly see its rings. I've always had a fondness for astronomy -- the NASA Astronomy Photo of the Day is a part of my daily reading regimen, but this was just breathtaking.  It's a shame we live in such a light-polluted area, else I could see myself doing this every night. By 9:00, we were on our way back to Waikaloa, back over the Saddle Road, pulling up in front of the King's Shops around 10:20.  A full day, and worth every penny.  Ti, you have to come back and do this. I'll be peppering these posts with pictures upon my return to the mainland.  For my Facebook chums, I'll be uploading iPhone photos pretty regularly. What will today bring?  I have no idea, but it's time to start!