When I pulled out of my driveway on my way to run town errands this morning, I saw the above sight.

It is a plume coming up from Halema’uma’u.  Apparently, the water level has been breached! Instead of heading to town I turned instead towards Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to catch the action.

There were news crews on the spot, some friendly (KITV) some condescending (starts with a C; has two Ns) along with many fancy cameras and cell phones all pointed at the billowing plumes, which kept coming and coming, growing larger by the second.

Many people were excited and posing; some were thieving: one photographer who used my red shirt to frame some of his shots told me he’d been away from his unlocked car for two minutes when he returned to discover his phone had been stolen.

I’m amped up after what I saw this morning.  So much power.  I feel fortunate to have witnessed it.  Yet, had the wind been coming from the SW instead of the NE, this would be a very different post.  I wonder at the condition of the facilities at the National Park.  It’s not going to be the same there, that’s for sure. And downslope, fissure number 20 just opened up. The curse of interesting times.