Volcano Hideaways

03/27/2025

Episode 15 of the ongoing Kilauea eruption series in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park started fountaining mid-morning, 26 March 2025, and I was out the door in a flash. Both vents were going strong when I reached a viewing point -- one tall and lean and shaking off tephra in the wind -- the other short and fat and puffing a messy plume while its lava overflowed the vent. It was like watching two different eruptions in the same place! As I was leaving I got a whim to stop at the Kilauea Iki Overlook to see how the fountains looked from there -- unbelievable! The fountains were so high! I know I say this every time, but this was the best ever!! The episodes just keep on getting better 😮

03/26/2025

For the past day we've been watching the lava ebb and flow within the north and south vents of Halema'uma'u Crater, with sporadic sprays and overflows onto the caldera floor as Episode 15 of the Kilauea eruption series continues its prelude... The latest update from the USGS states that "High fountaining has not yet begun, but is expected to follow the cyclic fountains and drainbacks as it did during episode 14." This photo is from my early morning shoot of episode 14 on 20 March, a couple of hours before the intense fountaining began. Fingers crossed for a good show later day 🤞

03/26/2025

Kilauea Volcano is still ramping up for Episode 15, but in the meantime I thought I'd share an epic photo from my friend Jill Brigg's Instagram... It's a White-tailed Tropicbird, or Koa’e Kea, soaring in front of the roaring lava fountain within Halema'uma'u Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Click on the link to get a full-sized view of the photo and to swipe to another shot of the dare-devil bird!

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03/25/2025

I was out before sunrise this morning, expecting the start of Episode 15 of the ongoing Kilauea eruption series, but aside from venting and a bit of glow, the volcano wasn't doing anything. The USGS has recalibrated the likely start time and expects it sometime today or tomorrow. Since I was already out at the Devastation parking area, I decided to walk the Byron Ledge Trail to the Kilauea Iki Trail junction. I hadn't been on that trail for a long time, and I enjoyed the sporadic views of the caldera through the trees. The dogs were waiting for me at home so I didn't spend too long, and I hope to be making another excursion today to see an eruption!

03/24/2025

Our Haunani House vacation rental, here in Volcano Village on the outskirts of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is so close to the erupting volcano that you can view the glow from the front yard. Episode 15 of the ongoing Kilauea eruption is imminent, and we happen to have availability in this 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom house right next door to us! So if you have a hankering to rush over and see the volcano that is predicted to erupt again today, we have room for you! Haunani House has a 2 night minimum, at $190 per night single or double occupancy, and a $100 cleaning fee. Check out the link to our website in the comments for more details, calendar of availability, and to make reservations if you're interested.

03/23/2025

Ka'u Desert wanderings in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park... Downwind of the intermittent eruptions in Kilauea Caldera, the desert might sound like a drab lava wasteland, but it reveals fascinating shapes and colors and life for those who venture out to explore it! You can approach via the Footprints Trail or the Mauna Iki Trail -- or even go in one way and come out the other if you want to experience the absolute best of it (requires a drop-off or staging a car)!

03/22/2025

What happens to the tephra -- the lava fragments and particles that are produced by the volcanic eruptions, like the intense one that we had a couple of days ago here on the Big Island of Hawaii? If you look at the photos of the fountaining, you'll see specks flying off the geysers like fleas from a shaking dog. The heavier particles fall back down, while the lighter ones are carried away by the wind. Yesterday I went exploring downwind of the eruption, hiking along the Koa'e Fault in the Ka'u Desert, figuring that the inland facing scarp would catch much of what went drifting by. What I found there was a lot of sand and ash, cinder and ash balls, and the golden glass filaments known as Pele's Hair. With the eruption currently on pause, heading out along the Mauna Iki trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will take you to this interesting area!

03/21/2025

Yesterday, 20 March 2025, was an epic day in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as Episode 14 of the Kilauea eruption series grew from small gurgling lava springs into full-on 700 foot magma geysers that overtopped the caldera edge. I was out along the Crater Rim Trail before sunrise, watching the lava pump across Halema'uma'u's surface, and then returned with Todd later in the morning when the intense fountaining began. Around noon Olivia and I went back yet again to see the sustained fountains with a dramatic and impressive plume... and watched the tropicbirds play in the heated updrafts... The eruption ended in the early afternoon. What a glorious day it was!

03/20/2025

Fantastic fountaining within Kilauea Caldera 🤯
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Episode 14 on 20 March 2025

03/20/2025

Episode 14 of the ongoing Kilauea Volcano eruption series finally got going this morning after a prolonged warmup period and man 🤯 what a show it was!! The south vent was absolutely explosive ❤️‍🔥, reaching high up over the caldera edge, and the north vent participated in the celebration every now and then 🥳, seeming to reduce the overall pressure when it did. This eruption sequence just keeps getting better and better!!

03/19/2025

The volcano just teased us with a taste of Episode 14 of the ongoing Kilauea eruption series: As I was drinking my coffee this morning I saw a small spatter and puddle of magma on the USGS live stream and I was out the door! It seemed certain that by the time I reached the Keanakakoi overlook, joining the rest who'd already gathered, that there'd be full-on fountaining. We were treated to a glorious pink aurora sunrise, but the heralded eruption never materialized... I stuck around until the Epic Lava guy wheeled his wagon away ("It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings") and then headed home... But I'll bet sometime today those vents will be roaring!

03/18/2025

Rainbow over Hilo's Bayfront Drive 🤩

03/17/2025

Happy Saint Patrick's Day from the Big Island of Hawaii! 🌈🍀..where the land itself is both the rainbow and the fabled treasure 💛🧡💚🩵

03/16/2025

Yesterday morning as I drank my coffee, the moon shone brightly through the window and I knew I had to go out. The cats protested as I rushed by them on the front porch and hopped into the car. I made it to Byron Ledge at the edge of Kilauea Caldera just before the moon dipped into obscuration behind the volcano's plume, and then I roamed around enjoying the sunrise in this colorful and dramatic location.
The USGS reports that the magma within the caldera vents remains at a shallow level, as the volcano continues to degas, and that if current inflation rates remain consistent, the next eruption is likely to occur between March 18th and 20th.

03/15/2025

I only recently became aware of the Kipahoehoe Natural Area Reserve... a sliver of state land that goes upslope on the southwestern face of Mauna Loa volcano... following alongside a tendril of the Alika flow of 1919. The rough road that has been bulldozed along the southern boundary of the reserve is open for hiking, and it rises from an elevation of 1600 ft (starting at Hwy 11) to 5600 ft in a mere 5.5 miles or so. The road is so steep that circuitous routes have been built in to some sections to mitigate the effort for both vehicles and hikers. Although this is a very driveable 4x4 road, the entrance is blocked by a locked gate (with a pedestrian walkaround), and there are several more locked gates in quick succession as the road proceeds upward 🤷‍♀️, eventually meeting national parkland. A walk along this road (whether up or down) is definitely a challenge, and provides a good bit of exercise. The scenery, as I've shown here, is mostly stunted native forest, and although Ohia and Koa are the most plentiful and recognizable, documentation states that there are 117 plant taxa native to Hawaii in this reserve, 4 of them rare.

03/14/2025

I had plans to see the lunar eclipse last night but the weather here in Volcano was rainy and overcast so I missed it. This photo is from 2021 when I sat at the edge of Kilauea Caldera and shot the Super Blood Moon during the May 26 eclipse.

03/13/2025

In the recent "Love the Arts" auction at Volcano Art Center, my brother won the bid for a private tour and luncheon at the Keauhou Bird Sanctuary here in Volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaii, and I was lucky enough to be included in the event. The primary mission of the sanctuary is to save critically endangered Hawaiian birds from extinction. The 'Alala, the large black Hawaiian crow, is currently extinct in the wild, but a small population is housed at the sanctuary, where they are kept safe, and a percentage are prepared for eventual release. Past attempts at release on this island have been thwarted by the hunting prowess of the 'Io, the Hawaiian hawk, so new, and carefully monitored, releases take place on the neighbor island of Maui where the hawk doesn't live. Best of luck to this lovely bird and many thanks to the dedicated workers at the sanctuary. 🖤

03/12/2025

The natural elements come together to create a scene of beauty in the harsh volcanic landscape of the Big Island of Hawaii...