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This journey begins with a short climb toward
the observatories.

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From there, we turn back down Mauna Kea, on

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Hawaiʻi Island.

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Filmed in summer, the road leads from the high

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volcanic landscape toward the visitor station.

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The paved road curves uphill between the
observatories.

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White domes stand on separate rises, with dark
volcanic

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ground around them.

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We are still climbing through this part of the
journey.

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Soon, we will turn our attention to the road

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down.

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The first bends open a longer view of the
mountain.

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A guardrail follows the edge of the road, while

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the ground falls away beyond it.

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From this direction, the route we climbed is a

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succession of ridges, rather than a single
summit.

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Notice the rounded forms on either side of the
road.

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Mauna Kea began as a shield volcano, but later
eruptions

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added cinder cones and rugged lava flows.

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Those later features help give its upper slopes
their irregular

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outline.

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The asphalt makes a dark line across the brown
slopes.

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At each turn, the near ridge blocks the distance

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for a moment, then lets it appear again.

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The view changes with the road, even while the

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weather stays clear.

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By this point, the observatories are behind us.

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The surface is gravel, and the edges of the

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road are less sharply defined.

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Loose stone sits close to the track.

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The quieter pace gives us time to see the
texture

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of the ground.

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A cloud layer stretches beyond the bare slopes.

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Nearby, the cinders are sharply visible.

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Farther away, the land becomes a broad shape
against

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the clouds.

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There is very little vegetation in this part of
the

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view, so the contours are easy to follow.

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There is another chapter to this mountain
beneath the dry

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landscape.

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Geological evidence records repeated glaciation
on Mauna Kea during earlier cold

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periods.

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The clear, stony slopes we see today are one

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moment in a much longer history.

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Mauna Kea has deep cultural and spiritual
significance for Native Hawaiians.

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The observatories and access road are only part
of its

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story.

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A scenic drive can show us the surface of the

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mountain, while reminding us how much lies
beyond a

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visitor’s view.

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Lower down, small plants begin to return beside
the road.

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The wide, bare ground gives way to patches of

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grass and shrubs.

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It is a modest change at first, but it

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marks our return toward a different part of the
island.

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The visitor station brings this filmed descent
to its close.

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Continue with the ascent and observatory walk,
linked below.

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Thank you for traveling with Travelscapes.

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See the road.

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Hear the story.