The South Kona Coast shines through a frame of brush and trees from the hillside 1,000 feet above on Hawaii’s Big Island. The coastline here is steep, gaining elevation quickly, and making for spectacular views like this one.
 
Here , the sides of one of the biggest mountain in the world, Mauna Loa shield volcano, angle into the warm blue Pacific on a clear Hawaiian day.
 
Since 2008, when a new vent opened in the Halema’uma’u crater the horizon line typically blends to white as it does here. The vent opening adds tons (literally) of volcanic fog, called vog, to the atmosphere each day. Trade winds blow the vog over the island to the Kona coast creating a line of gray. On a positive note, the vog helps to create beautiful sunsets each night.