A weather observatory on Mauna Loa

            If you head North on Route 190 and on to Daniel K. Inouye Highway. As soon as you pass the Mauna Kea access road there will be a narrow road on the right. This is the Mauna Loa Observatory access road. It was built to access the Mauna Loa Observatory which is a baseline station for the Global Monitoring Division of the Earth System Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which is at 11,141 feet. It is an almost 18 mile drive to get to the Observatory. Drop in visitors are not welcome at the Observatory, but you can make prior arrangements for a visit through their website at: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/mlo/index.html. This Observatory made the original atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements which alerted scientists to climate change. They have been monitoring carbon dioxide since 1958 and have the longest continuous record of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the world. In addition they also monitor other aspects of atmospheric chemistry as well as solar and infrared radiation.

            The road to the Observatory is paved all the way, so if you are only going to that point a 4-wheel drive is not necessary. However, there are a couple of interesting side trips on unpaved roads which do require 4-wheel drive vehicles if you wish to explore them. To find out what to explore download my Kindle book at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GYJRJ6Y. This road is really a one lane road, so you need to be very careful driving it. There are occasional areas to pull off to let oncoming traffic pass, as well as bikers coming down the mountain. It is wise to put your lights on to alert oncoming traffic that you are on the road. As with Mauna Kea make sure you have drinks and food with you, as well as a full tank of gas, as there are no facilities on the mountain. The lower portion of the road has been repaved recently, so the ride will be smoother than it used to be. There are several blind curves on the road so be careful.

            Follow  the road up the mountain and you will eventually come to a parking area on the left side of the road at the bottom of the driveway to the Mauna Loa Observatory. If you have previously made arrangements, you can have access to the laboratory. This parking area is also the trail head for a hike up to the summit of Mauna Loa. The road that continues straight ahead leads to the hiking trail. It is a long, strenuous hike at this elevation and not one to embark on whimsically. There are hiking books which describe it, and you should make careful plans should you decide to make that hike. We have always found the parking lot at the Observatory a great place to have lunch, with a spectacular view.