On our last day in town, we packed at leisure, had a nice (big) breakfast, using as much of the food that was left, and stepped away at noon. With almost 4 hours until flight time, Ken and I did last-minute shopping and made a number of photo stops. Here, we're about 15 minutes from the airport at a lookout. I wanted to capture (l-r) Maui descending from the dormant volcano, Haleakala. the atoll, Molikini, which is a beautiful dive spot, and the island of Kahoolawe. Historically this arid island was used as a military training ground & bombing site. In 1993 however the State of Hawaii established the Kahoolawe Island Reserve, and as a reserve the island can only be used today for Native Hawaiian cultural purposes and any commercial development is prohibited.
That was the photo I hoped to get on this overcast day with clouds that threatened heavy rain. But I left the crowd taking that photo and sidled over to a barren cliff where this couple was whale watching, binoculars in hand. It seemed a nice closure to the trip, knowing people were peacefully enjoying the animals and there'd always be this scene of tranquility to remember our visit.
