Catching air on Mauna Loa

The climb up Mauna Loa is an ethereal journey on a single lane road through overlapping lava flows to just shy of 12,000 ft (3600 m). At the end of the road is the NOAA observatory, an otherworldy collection of white buildings sitting on black basalt. Most visitors choose to drive up Mauna Kea to the space observatory, but if you prefer to ponder our Earth rather than distant twinkles, the NOAA observatory is a fascinating stop. The observatory is perhaps most famous for the longest continuous record of atmospheric CO2 (the Keeling Curve) - but the most fascinating tidbit I learned while there is that the extreme local topography of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa creates a massive atmospheric downwelling that can bring air from the  stratosphere down to the summit! 

The NOAA observatory on Mauna Loa

The road up Mauna Loa cuts through lava flow after lava flow, offering ample opportunity to practice your GEO-101 relative dating skills. The photo below shows a series of overlapping flows (of both the a'a and pahoehoe and variety) with an added spatter cone bonus! If you're worried about acclimating to the elevation, just bring along a geologist and the drive will take a long time...

Overlapping flows with a spatter cone along the road up Mauna Loa