Trips around United States
Hawaii
I spent another week in Hawaii, although on this trip I spent much less time looking around and more time working. But, I did go over to the eastern (rainy) side of the island. Specifically, to Akaka Falls. They're extraordinarily beautiful, and definitely worth the visit. On the way back, we stopped by Laupahoehoe Point which, as with most places in Hawaii, was also beautiful.
Big Island of Hawai'i
One of the premier astronomical observing site in the world is on Mauna Kea, HI. And thus, some of the biggest telescopes in the world, including the twin Keck telescopes, are found there. Caltech has a sizable fraction of both Keck telescopes, and I volunteered to observe three nights (with a few free days in between). Typically we observe single nights remotely from Pasadena, but it's a lot better to be in Hawai'i. We actually never observe from the summit itself. Instead, it's done remote from the northern part of the island in Waimea.
Although a good portion of my trip was observing, I did have some time to look around, both on land and in the ocean (there is amazing snorkeling there). And I drove up to the summit of Mauna Kea itself, which is just a surreal place. Almost like Mars, except with breathable (if thin) air and telescopes. The Keck telescopes themselves are amazing, with almost perfect 10-m diameter mirrors.
Air travel into/out of Hawai'i is also interesting. The airport at Honolulu is modern, but open air. The airport in Kona is somewhat antiquated, with no jetways, meaning Boeing 767's are boarded via stairs. I don't think I've seen that anywhere else.
Here's the main album, with links to the specific sub-albums: Kona and Waimea, Mauna Kea, snorkeling, travelling, and the Keck Observatory.
Washington DC
A week and a half after getting back from Arizona, I headed to New York for the holidays, and then to Washington DC for this winter's AAS Conference. While there wasn't much particularly amazing at the conference (at least photography-wise), I did spend a few days afterward wandering around Washington DC. A bit colder than California, but I didn't mind too much (well, perhaps the mid-twenties temperature with brisk wind was a bit low for wandering around the Mall). I did stop by the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, and spent half a day at the National Zoo (where not all the animals were hiding because of the cold). Plus, I got to see the original spectrograph from the Palomar 200" telescope at the Air and Space Museum, which made me very glad that we now use computers at observatories.
Bushkill Falls
Today, my family and I took a trip to the Poconos to see Bushkill Falls. Apart from the commercialization of the place, it was a beautiful area.
North Carolina, Eno River, and Duke Gardens
This weekend I flew out to Durham, NC to visit a friend who is a graduate student at Duke Univeristy. On the way there, I tried out doing some photography from the plain. It's definitely nothing amazing, but some of the photographs you can get from 30,000 feet in the air are interesting. Unfortunately Delta did not clean the plane's windows prior to my flight so the photos are rather hazy.
While in Durham, we spent some time in Duke's botanical gardens as well as Eno River State Park. The botanical gardens are hosting a water lily competition this year, making for some amazing lilies being displayed. Eno River was a nice state park where we went for a hike. Overall it was a great trip and a good chance for some good photos.
