01-27-2018, 05:30 PM
geochem - completely agree.
I just had a look at the comments for the article. One of them struck me from "Fumanchew".
"The UH should never have been granted management of Mauna Kea. They may have the academic resources to collect historical and scientific data at the site’s summit but they have no soul in it. In 2015 while riding a motorcycle from Hilo to Kohala at night and thru heavy fog I inadvertently took the road that led to the Mauna Kea visitors facility. I was shocked to hear loud music and found the area packed with parked cars and mini tour buses. The people there were dancing and drinking, having a blast. It was quite a contrast to the tent city of TMT protesters I rode past earlier in the day along the roadside near Honokaa. While heading back out to the saddle road another mini tour bus turned onto the Mauna Kea access road coming from the Kona direction. There is no way as a native Hawaiian with roots in Kohala, I or my family will support any development on Mauna Kea without a change in the way it is managed and more importantly who it is managed by."
I have no idea how you could possibly "inadvertently" end up driving to the VIS from the Saddle Road without knowing you're doing so, even in thick fog. It's a 90-degree turn and soon goes uphill very quickly on a much narrower road. It means the rest of the comment is doubtful at best and another example of the untruthful arguments we keep hearing about the observatories.
Oh, BTW, I've never seen people dance and drink at the VIS.
I just had a look at the comments for the article. One of them struck me from "Fumanchew".
"The UH should never have been granted management of Mauna Kea. They may have the academic resources to collect historical and scientific data at the site’s summit but they have no soul in it. In 2015 while riding a motorcycle from Hilo to Kohala at night and thru heavy fog I inadvertently took the road that led to the Mauna Kea visitors facility. I was shocked to hear loud music and found the area packed with parked cars and mini tour buses. The people there were dancing and drinking, having a blast. It was quite a contrast to the tent city of TMT protesters I rode past earlier in the day along the roadside near Honokaa. While heading back out to the saddle road another mini tour bus turned onto the Mauna Kea access road coming from the Kona direction. There is no way as a native Hawaiian with roots in Kohala, I or my family will support any development on Mauna Kea without a change in the way it is managed and more importantly who it is managed by."
I have no idea how you could possibly "inadvertently" end up driving to the VIS from the Saddle Road without knowing you're doing so, even in thick fog. It's a 90-degree turn and soon goes uphill very quickly on a much narrower road. It means the rest of the comment is doubtful at best and another example of the untruthful arguments we keep hearing about the observatories.
Oh, BTW, I've never seen people dance and drink at the VIS.