Measured from its base at the ocean floor, Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii is one of the tallest mountains on the planet.  Though only 14,000 feet above sea level, the summit, aptly named "White Mountain" by the ancient Hawaiians, is often covered in snow.  No, obviously we aren't talking about major powder or killer ski slopes, but there's a surreal majesty to standing on a beach on a typical 80-degree day and being able to see the snow-capped peak.  It takes just about two and a half hours to drive up there from the shore, making it possible to surf and snowboard in the same day (though realistically, you should take your time getting up there, allowing an hour for your body to adjust at the Visitor's Center at 9,000 feet, as altitude sickness resulting in "poor judgment and nausea" is common).

Right now, both Mauna Kea and its little sister, Mauna Loa (the name means "long mountain" in Hawaiian and it's the largest shield volcano in the world), 1,250 feet at the summit, are covered in snow.  And thanks to a swell that's been hitting the Hawaiian islands, the waves are pumping -- to have both extremes at the same time is truly AWESOME. Reality check: Contrary to popular belief, the Big Island does have good surf.  It's just not as easy to get to as on the other islands (as in it's not visible from paved roads), and you have to drive longer distances to get to it (since it's the biggest island: All seven of the other islands -- Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, and Niihau -- can fit on top of this one). But it's a rare day when you can't find waves.

Mauna Kea is notable for another reason: At its summit sit a dozen of the most sophisticated and sensitive telescopes on the planet.  Apparently, astronomers from around the world apply and wait years for a two-hour slot to sit up there and star gaze.

For the average Joe, getting up to Mauna Kea merely requires a four-wheel drive and iron lungs (just kidding about the lungs).  Or there are bus tours to the summit. But neither of these options actually include tours of any telescope.  A very limited amount of access is available to the Subaru Telescope through the University of Hawaii.  The only other way I've ever heard of anyone getting a real private, all-access tour of any telescope (unless you are well connected to one of the staff astronomers) is by making a major donation to the Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, which offers private tours to their VIPs.

Imiloa (which roughly translates from Hawaiian as "to go boldly exploring") is still a fledgling institution, barely two years old.  The center and museum, located in Hilo, cost 28 million dollars to research and build. They feature a number of state-of-the-art bells and whistles, such as the planetarium dome, where you can get a tour of the Hawaiian night sky and see 3-D movies, a cafe, and a number of interactive exhibitions, including the Cosmic Calendar of the Universe, a 14-billion-year history collapsed into a single year, created by the Smithsonian Institute.  But the cool factor at Imiloa lies in its imperfect attempt to connect the Hawaiian spirit of exploration and the tradition of navigating by the stars to the modern-day investigations of the galaxies taking place on the summit of Mauna Kea.  All exhibitions are bilingual in English and Hawaiian, and most of it is information you will never get anywhere else.

Much of Hawaiian culture was lost due to the introduction of foreign disease, which decimated the native population from about 500,000 to about 40,000 by 1900, and to colonization by Britain and then the US, which banned the teaching of Hawaiian language and culture in schools until 1985.  Now the islands and a growing number of Hawaiian-studies scholars are embroiled in the task of trying to recover and document what's still known.  I'm just a quarter native Hawaiian, but I still have fits of rage and depression over this; maybe you should too.  It's a great injustice still inadequately addressed by the US government.

So that's my rant of the day. What I really recommend you do is come to Hawaii to snowboard, surf, or sit under the night sky and maybe find a bit of yourself.