Lavaman & NP closure

Lavaman is the name of our Olympic distance triathalon here in the island. Held last Sunday so Ron & I spent the day up there volunteering. Arriving at 5:30am to help with body marking/numbering. The body marking was staged at what we call "A" beach near the Hilton in Wiakoloa. All transitions are done there. The swim starts at 7:30 in the bay (1.5k), they pick up there bikes there in the parking lot area for a (40k)ride, a loop down to the Four Seasons and back leaving their bikes to do the (6.2) mile run. We left body marking to take ice to the bike turnaround point and stayed and gave out bottles of water before returning with tubs and trash. The last few runners were still taking off but the party had begun with music and dancing on the beach and one of the biggest food spreads I have ever seen and the food kept on coming all catered by the Hilton. I think the winning time was 1:54 something and Bree Wee, a local, was fourth in and first woman in 2:04 I believe. Fun day and then Monday was had company for dinner, then I did yoga on Tues morning and I was so exausted by Tues afternoon that I slept the rest of most of the afternoon. It was that getting up at 4am on Sunday that upset my inner clock, I'm sure!!! Today was back to normal as I managed to get in my early morning hour ocean water jog.

As I drove home from town I listened to our daily Civil Defense update on Kiluea. As a precautionary measure they closed the Volcanoes NP, the Kiluea Lodge and Military Camp and the Volcano Charter School. Lava is not the problem, of course, but the fumes are. It is thick as pea soup over there as the gas plumes flow out from both Halemaumau and Puo'o crater vents. Winds coming from the southeast somehow keep the smoky stuff over there and some heads up towards Hilo and the Hamakua coast. Usually 'the Trades'/tradewinds blow it south and Kona winds send stuff called vog up our way. Vog is a mixture of volcanic gas, dust and moisture in the air. By the time is does get to us it just makes our area hazy in some areas. It has been very voggy this week after a few clear days last week. Today we are supposed to get some rain. Rain seems to clear it out and the coffee trees can use a drink too! No one seems to be able to predict why all this volcanic action, fumes and molten spatter is acting up. Could be that the magma is rising and there will be a breakout of lava in the Halemaumau crater which has not happened since 1924. The high levels of sulphur dioxide levels are almost unheard of so I believe that it's just trying to clean itself out, spurt some lava and then go rest for another 60 years.