On Wednesday we took the Mauna Kea Sunset tour. The tour van stopped at this little-used cattle station (6,800 feet) where we had a good dinner.

Little-used but not abandoned; this is the "bunk house."

It was still a nice enough temperature that we could walk around in shirtsleeves.

The landscape is dotted with cinder cones, teft over from the active days of Mauna Kea.

A collapsed cinder cone.

We stopped at around 10,000 feet to look at one of the few reamining silversword plants. Look at the background, too.

This plant flowers only every 15 years.

The red color comes from iron turning to rust.

We are above most of the clouds.

The first of the observatories. Near the summit of Mauna Kea.

It is still plenty bright at 13,796 feet near sunset.

Another Observatory getting ready for work.

Notice the pink glow given to the housing.

This one looks like a gladiator's helmet.

The sunset shed an interesting light on the observatories.

It was cold up here: about 30 degrees.

Look at the colors.

Everything was so clear...

I like the blue cast to the light in this picture.