7/2/25
Aloha Everyone!
Well, this week was very enjoyable. One reason is that I got to see Kilauea Volcano spewing lava 1500
feet in the air. Over the past 35+ years we've seen it oozing like molten brownie batter, flowing like a waterfall over a cliff, and shooting like a fire hose into the sea, but we've never had the chance to see it fountaining. Usually this behavior occurs at the beginning of an eruption, then quickly transitions to a longer gushing phase. But this eruption, which began December 23, has acted almost like Old Faithful Geyser, waking up about once per week and shooting lava 1k feet high or more for about 8-10 hours, then going quiet again. On Wednesday morning we learned the latest episode, #28, had begun just a couple of hours earlier, at about 4:30 a.m. By 7:30 we were on the road and reached Volcanoes National Park about 10:30. It's about 90 miles south on a two-lane road that is curvy more than half of the way, and we stopped for a bathroom break and a malasada at Punalu'u Bakery.. Despite all the cars flooding into the area we managed to find a place to park not far from the summit crater rim and we quickly hiked to the first overlook point. Yup, it was still going strong and shooting up as high as 1500 feet. AWESOME!! We kept walking along the rim until we got to the closest point allowed -- about 1 mile away from the plume. The sound was incredible, like a dozen freight trains. The weather was perfect for viewing this natural wonder -- clear and fairly warm as opposed to the more usual misty and cold conditions at the summit. Also, the wind was carrying the noxious SO2 fumes away from the viewing area, as well as the fine strands of volcanic glass called Pele's Hair. These strands are very light, and when airborne can be a real breathing hazard. On the ground all around we could see strands that had been deposited from earlier episodes. Some of these were quite long, 6-8 inches, because they had not yet been broken by the elements into smaller pieces. We stayed for a couple of hours, then had a picnic lunch and drove back home. We learned later that the fountaining abruptly shut off shortly after we left, about 1:20 p.m. Our timing was perfect!
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| Got Any Marshmallows? |
feet in the air. Over the past 35+ years we've seen it oozing like molten brownie batter, flowing like a waterfall over a cliff, and shooting like a fire hose into the sea, but we've never had the chance to see it fountaining. Usually this behavior occurs at the beginning of an eruption, then quickly transitions to a longer gushing phase. But this eruption, which began December 23, has acted almost like Old Faithful Geyser, waking up about once per week and shooting lava 1k feet high or more for about 8-10 hours, then going quiet again. On Wednesday morning we learned the latest episode, #28, had begun just a couple of hours earlier, at about 4:30 a.m. By 7:30 we were on the road and reached Volcanoes National Park about 10:30. It's about 90 miles south on a two-lane road that is curvy more than half of the way, and we stopped for a bathroom break and a malasada at Punalu'u Bakery.. Despite all the cars flooding into the area we managed to find a place to park not far from the summit crater rim and we quickly hiked to the first overlook point. Yup, it was still going strong and shooting up as high as 1500 feet. AWESOME!! We kept walking along the rim until we got to the closest point allowed -- about 1 mile away from the plume. The sound was incredible, like a dozen freight trains. The weather was perfect for viewing this natural wonder -- clear and fairly warm as opposed to the more usual misty and cold conditions at the summit. Also, the wind was carrying the noxious SO2 fumes away from the viewing area, as well as the fine strands of volcanic glass called Pele's Hair. These strands are very light, and when airborne can be a real breathing hazard. On the ground all around we could see strands that had been deposited from earlier episodes. Some of these were quite long, 6-8 inches, because they had not yet been broken by the elements into smaller pieces. We stayed for a couple of hours, then had a picnic lunch and drove back home. We learned later that the fountaining abruptly shut off shortly after we left, about 1:20 p.m. Our timing was perfect!
The other fun thing this week was that on Monday we went to a matinee showing of F1, about Formula 1 racing. As you know, one of my many quirks is my fascination with fast cars. These are the fastest in the world, and the movie depicted what it would be like to race them with heart-pumping realism. You may recall that several years ago Karen gave me a birthday present that was the best I could have ever asked for -- driving a Ferrari and a Lamborghini around a special track in Las Vegas. I described this experience in a blog, How 600 Horsepower Helped Me Try For A Darwin Award . The cars I drove are actually for sale, and could be driven on the street, if you're rich enough. On the other hand, Formula 1 cars are very special, and could never be driven anywhere except a race course. The "formula" refers to a set of restrictions and regulations that forces the designers and engineers to be innovative and creative in how they coax maximum performance from the cars. The restrictions also place great importance on skills of the drivers and their support teams, which was the focus of the film. The filming of the racing scenes was first rate, and I needed several tissues to catch the drool the photography and editing produced. Needless to say, I was very glad to have seen this on a big theater screen with full bone-rattling sound.
In more mundane news, I resumed a couple of activities I had paused because of my surgery. I got back to our pool this week, and I even went to the gym for a very light workout. On Thursday I again accompanied Karen for a round of golf at Makalei. No tee shots or long approach shots, but I did a few more chip shots and putts than last time. Karen did very well, getting a par and a bogey. The weather was better this time, and we even had some periods of sun. I'm now about 3 1/2 weeks out from my surgery and although I feel really pretty good, I'm trying not to overdo it. At 4 weeks my surgeon says the inner tissue strength is about 70%, increasing to 90% by 6 weeks. So far, so good.
OK, that's enough for now. Stay cool, enjoy your summer. Carpe Vitam.
1 comment:
What a beautiful week! Don’t you wish they were all like that?
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