Sunday up on Hualalai

Today, the day I chose to hike up in Kaloko Mauka, was the first day in a week or so that the mountain wasn't clear in the morning. The fog rolled past and kept the temperature down, but no rain. A day to enjoy the mountain, like this ohia/fern forest:

and this pit crater:

You can see the bottom in this one. It's lush and green, greener by far than the vegetation at the rim:

This pit crater is a mile or more away from the summit area that Puna Geothermal is supposedly looking at for, uh, geothermal energy, although the article was confusing. The Puna G spokesperson said that they weren't interested in going up near the summit, but that's where the hotspot is. Most likely just another idea that will go nowhere.

I'm also not worked up about the Lingle/Ledge proposal to raise the gas tax. It seems like a more responsible way to do public works than what the feds are going to do; borrow tons of money and spend it reckessly (to solve the problems caused by excessive, reckless borrowing and spending). And I liked Obama's plan of sending $500 to every taxpayer a little more last year, when Bush sent $600 each, plus $300 a kid. That sure stimulated the heck out of the economy in 2008.
In the meantime, deep breaths. Enjoy the forest.