Haleakala Sunset
Today is the last day of our Hawaiian vacation, and I thought this sunset photograph was a good choice for today's photograph. I took this at the summit of Haleakala, the enourmous volcano on the island of Maui. The structures at left are "Science City", where the Air Force conducts various research projects. My wife and I had driven up to see the astonishing terrain at the top of the mountain, to watch the sun set, and to gaze at a clear, moonless, starry Hawaiian sky. Unfortunately the cloud banks were just a little higher than usual, hiding the astonishing terrain. In a moment of sudden clarity we got to watch the sun set into the sea of clouds below us, and I snapped this photograph of my wife on the ridge. We crossed our fingers for clear skies as night fell and I parked the car and did a little stargazing through momentary gaps in the clouds on our way back through the switchbacks back down the mountain. I took this photograph on October 11, 2001.