I am developing a minor affection for amateur astronomy in my old age. I am in awe at what the night sky holds for visual treasures. Billions of stars, just in our own galaxy. Billions of galaxies in the visible universe. Red giants, white dwarfs, black holes. I am fascinated and it has become a goal of mine to visit the best place in the world to see the night sky at its most stable and darkest--Mauna Kea, 13,800 feet above sea level on the Big Island of Hawaii.

A couple weeks before, I went online and sought information about going up this mountain, in a rented sled or on tour. I went on the web, punched up "Mauna Kea" and clicked on "Mauna Kea Summit Adventure Tours”. I scrolled down to "web cams". I got five-minute updated stills of different views from the top of this mighty volcanic mountain from three web cams that are located somewhere at the top. It was awesome. Flash Forward to January 1, 2003, a couple weeks later.

Linda and I were going to take out AMC-powered 2003 Inca Gold Wrangler up from Kona, Hawaii the next day. I got an idea! Let’s find the cameras and wave to everyone on the web, worldwide!

I called clubmember and close, personal friend Doug Eiriksen in Colorado Springs on January 1, the day before. His BBG AMX is on the cover of my AMC Color Musclecar history Book. He wasn't home, but I left a message to be at his computer between 1 and 2 pm Colorado time tomorrow if he could -- call me back if he couldn't. That night, he didn’t call.

Next day, Linda and I drove the Jeep, AMC inline six churning its heart out to make the steep climb to the top of Mauna Kea where 13 world telescopes reside to peer into the dark Hawaiian skies over 340 nights a year, far above the clouds down below. When we got there, I called Doug on my cellphone. He followed my instructions to punch up the Mauna Kea webcams and then we tried to find where on the real mountain he was seeing on his computer screen in Colorado, thousands of miles away. After about 15 minutes { on Sprint roam-rate!) and the fourth webcam, Doug said he could see a tri-angular radio tower with two white-domed observatories in the background. Since the top of Mauna Kea is about a square mile, we were still in for a major undertaking driving around. Then Doug said the screen said the camera was located on the Canada/France/Hawaii Observatory called "Gemini". The day before, we had seen trucks in a parking lot of an observatory that said "Gemini” on them, I remembered where, we drove there and BINGO! there was the radio tower. We drove the gold Jeep up to the radio tower and when the camera on the Gemini Observatory reloaded, Doug shouted over the cell phone, “There you are!". TOTALLY COOL!

The top picture is the downloaded image Doug saw, far away, with the little Jeep in it to the lower left of the tower and Larry is standing on the lower right of the tower outside the Jeep. The next picture down was taken by Linda at the same time Doug saw the above picture and shows Uncle Larry standing next to the tower. The bottom picture shows the rented Jeep minutes later at the base of the Gemini Observatory with the webcam circled. Totally Cool with AMC friends linked up via two satellites at once (cell phone and video), simultaneous photos and just plain fun!! And, if you were on the web and on the website with this camera on January 2, 2003, you could have seen us too! Around the world!

A BIG, “thanks!” to all our clubmembers who called, sent cards and notes and to one fine hobby friend who sent Linda and me a $20 to have a Mai Tai on him to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary on the Big island of Hawaii in December. And, even while on vacation, Linda and I never put the AMC hobby we love behind us. It makes a nice story.

South of Hilo, Hawaii is the Mauna Loa Macadamia Plantation and factory. And we found something AMC there! The top picture shows (in dim light) a refrigerated display case with macadamia nut cheesecake for those touring the grounds to buy and enjoy fresh at the factory. Though I could not get a clear shot of it, the nametag on the display case in the lower right reads, "Kelvinator"! It is an old unit, still operating on a daily basis over 50 or so years after it was made by Nash-Kelvinator, our AMC heritage! I just had to get a shot of it and tell you.

Next down is former clubmember Don Jennings. Don is 73 and is pictured with Uncle Larry in front of his handbuilt home in what he calls, "Paradise". (And Linda and I agree!) We stopped and visited Don near the edge of Volcano National Park south of Hilo. (We even flew over on Blue Hawaii Helicopters!)

Don was born and raised in the Milwaukee area in the 1930s. He became an AMC owner even after he and his wife and kids moved west in the 1960s to reside in beautiful Durango, Colorado. A divorce happened years later and Don, not liking any "big cities" bought a few acres near Crawford, Colorado on the rolling desert 300 miles from Denver and just east of Moab, Utah. Don lived in a modest yet comfortable bachelor way through the 1980s and 1990s making pretty wooden butterflies people screw to the sides of their houses for a decoration touch. For 20 years he drove his 401 Ambassador wagon and quietly collected AMC cars he found and bought in the area. All by himself. His love for AMC continued.

He went to the Hawaiian island of Maui in 1999 and felt a kindred Polynesian spirit well up inside him. He fell in love with the islands and the people and the culture overnight as millions have done for decades. In 2000 he had a small stroke and it took him a while on his own to recover. Then, he made the decision to sell out and retire for his last years in the place he came to love, Hawaii. He offered his longtime collection of cars and parts for sale and went back to Hawaii to look for a small chunk of Paradise he could knock together a small house himself and live in peace and harmony. Maui was too expensive but land near the volcanos on the Big island fit his bill. He bought a plot, cleared it with his 1982 Buick he had shipped over by running over the vegetation and then pulling it out of the shallow ground with a chain on the bumper. He got the materials and put up a small, comfortable house. In Paradise. Warm year around, tropical tradewinds and the seclusion he has always cherished.

Linda and I stopped by to say, "Hi" to Don, and wish him much happiness in retirement in December, in fact the day after Christmas. Don is a lovable character, a teddy bear of a guy. A retired AMC person. He is where he wants to be - Hawaii - doing what he wants with no one to answer to except Pele, the volcano goddess who could take his house with burning lava. But Don would go with a smile on his face. You are quite a guy, Don. Live forever in peace and harmony, my AMC friend!