Being on the western side of the island, we get all the sunsets. The sunrises on the other side of Haleakala, so we only get the morning light once the sun is well up in the sky. but the evenings can be glorious. I'm actually surprised that the island doesn't tip to one side each evening since nearly every one seems to flock to the beach on foot and by car to watch the daily astronomical spectacle.
The scales of motion... the slow turning of the Earth, the glacial rate of erosion of the beach rocks, the fast rate of water motion, and the gentle ebb and flow of the ocean, combine to make this an interesting composition.
With the sun beginning to disappear, the light takes on a more golden hue and for a few minutes, everything seems to be aglow.
As the sun crept closer to the horizon, the reds and yellows got more intense.
Finally, an escape from the endless rain and cold of the PNW to sunny Hawaii. On my first night there, we drove to a place called Secret Beach (although it isn't much of a secret any more) to watch the sunset.
