12/1/2022 A spur of the moment trip. Sunday night, the Mauna Loa volcano started erupting. Seeing it in the news monday morning I was tempted to go. I've been hoarding Hawaiian Airlines miles for just such an occasion. Quick check of the weather shows clouds and rain... hmmm...

No idea if I'd be able to see anything with the weather, but if I don't show up I'm guaranteed to miss it. Worst case I'd just spend a day in Hawaii. Ah, why not.

A full day is all I would need. Flight booked, along with heli tour for thursday afternoon. Flying in wednesday late in the day, back out friday early morning. I contemplated camping but figured I'd check AirBnB as well. A place popped up near Volcanos park that is a converted shipping container set in a private jungle spot. I've always been curious about container homes, so that sealed it.

Seeing a volcano eruption in person has been on my bucket list for some time. Closest I've come is seeing glow in the caldera of Kilauea on an earlier trip in 2018, having missed the bulk of that eruption.

With luck (and action), I won't miss this one.

I actually looked at the typical flight path in and out of Hilo and picked a seat that's most likely to give me a view of Mauna Loa.

I change planes in Honolulu, and the view on approach to Oahu is what you'd expect - postcard perfect.

A short layover and a one hour flight to Hilo. I did pick the right seat, but the cloud cover is heavy and the eruption is not visible. It will be what it will be. The coastline is spectacular regardless.

I think that's Waipi'o valley in the picture below - I drove down into it on a previous trip.

Landing in Hilo at 2:30 in the afternoon, I get the rentacar and drive to the house. Surprisingly it's a 45 minute drive. It is cloudy and raining.

The house is very cool - glad I booked it. Secluded, surrounded by jungle, functional, clean, and well designed/decorated. Orders of magnitude better than soul-less big resort.

There is a hot tub sunk into the floor, and sliding doors open to make it part of the jungle outside. I will definitely be taking advantage of this feature.

It is now about 5 pm but the clouds and rain make for a dark, moody setting. I sit on the deck for a bit and catch up on emails, but then what? In the news they say there is lava heading towards Saddle Road, the main highway that connects Hilo and Kona. The part of the road that's closest to Mauna Loa is a 1.5 hour drive away according to google. And it's raining. But what else am I going to do? So I set out on the drive. Going through Hilo and then onto the Saddle Road towards Kona. As the elevation increases I basically drive into clouds. Visibility about 200 feet, heavy rain alternating with drizzle. But I'm here, might as well keep going.

I have no idea where I am relative to the volcano, and am pretty sure I've driven past by now. Maybe go into Kona for a bit? As I keep going, there is a break in the clouds up ahead and with the low sun poking through, the landscape is surreal. I stop to get a couple pictures, pulling way off the shoulder onto loose lava gravel (don't want to create a traffic hazard in these conditions, and the road sign said there was a $1K penalty for stopping on shoulder).

The clouds continue to clear and as they do, I look left and see this:

Right place, right time! I literally had no idea the volcano would be there. Wasn't even sure which side of the road it is on (though had I paid any attention to the map it would have been obvious). I just showed up, and there it is.

I moved the car further off the road and spent about half hour trying to get a decent picture and some video. I did bring the zoom camera with me in addition to the phone, so giving myself as much of a chance as possible. Phone pic first, camera ones follow.

The fountains of lava are mesmerizing to watch, and I spend many minutes just doing that through the camera, using it as a telescope. A short video here.

Glad I brought warm layers, jacket and beanie hat. It's a bit chilly and windy. Then the clouds roll back in and the viewing is over. By now dozens of people have parked on both sides of the road. Time to leave.

I head back to the house, stopping by a grocery store to pick up a couple bottles of prosecco - have something to celebrate. Even if I don't see another thing on the whole trip, mission accomplished already and I would be satisfied. And grateful. But there is more time left, we shall see what it brings.

The hot tub is awesome with doors open and lights off. Jungle is loud even in the rain with all kinds of chirps and whistles. Then off to sleep. I wake up briefly around 2 am and through the big window next to the bed I see starry sky. Interesting. Then I pass out again.

The heli flight is not till 2:30 pm, so in the morning after enjoying coffee on the deck I head to the beach. Kehena Black Sand Beach is a favorite from before, so that is where I go. It is a spectacular spot.

There is a pod of dolpins a ways off shore, and some people actually swim out to engage with them. If I had fins and a float pad I would do it, but I don't have enough trust in myself as a swimmer to head that far out without. I do take a couple swims near the beach. Water is perfect.

Almost two hours on the black sand and few more pictures, then off to the airport.

The heli company requires check in 45 minutes prior to flight, for safety breefing. I am a bit early. They say that the previous flight was canceled due to weather, but they are hopeful things might improve. It's a long uncertain wait but the short story is that my flight is canceled also. I explored numerous options, including possibly delaying my flight home, rescheduling with this or other companies, but no luck. Everything is now booked for at least a week out.

So it's back to the house, with the other bottle of prosecco and hot tub as consolation, and trying to figure out what else I might try. Kilauea is also erupting right now, and has been for a year, but it is not a very active eruption. There is only one spot to actually see lava, and it's supposedly only good at night. Also it's raining again. Well, might as well enjoy the private jungle paradise and go to sleep. Flight out is at 8:50 am tomorrow.

At about 1:30 am I wake up. The sky is dark but I think some stars might be poking through the clouds? It is definitely raining. But I'm not going to sleep again, too messed up from jetlag. Well, I'm here, might as well do something.

I take my time making coffee, and packing up. I google possible spots to try and see the eruptions, either one. There is an outlook that's about 12 miles up a one-lane road. Google says it will take me an hour. I have time. Plan B is the outlook in Volcanos National Park.

I drive in the rain to the road, but a couple miles in there is a gate and it's closed. Oh well, plan B then.

There is a fee for the park but the entrance booth is closed, you're supposed to pay at the visitor center. I head there and figure out the online process - it probably isn't enforced at 3 am but I want to be a good visitor and support the park regardless. Scan QR code, enter credit card, all done.

The best spot is an easy half-hour hike from the parking lot - it's on paved road that's currently closed. There is almost nobody around at this point, I only see two other cars. I pass a family on the hike and there is another person at the viewing site.

By now the sky is clear and full of stars. There is no 'preview' of the full view, you only see it in the last 100 feet of the trail. But what a veiw. Pictures can't possibly do it justice, it is surreal. But here are some pix anyway. Yes, you can see both eruptions at the same time. Here's a short video of the Kilauea lava lake.

What the pictues can't convey is the full scope of a sky full of stars (even multiple shooting ones), and the magical occasion of the two volcanos together.

You just have to be there, and after taking as many pictures and videos as I could, I made sure to actually be there. Just sit and take it all in for about half an hour.

The picture below is the closest I've managed to capturing the experience, but it falls far short. Click it for higher res version.

Then more people start showing up, the clouds obscure Mauna Loa, and it is time for me to move on. I pass an endless stream of people on the way in and the parking lot is nearly full. So if you have a chance to go, 3:30-4:30 am seems to be the perfect time slot.

There is still time before the flight, so I figure might as well catch the sunrise at the beach. It's kind of on the way. So that's what I do.

An awesome beginnig to the day, and end to the trip. That's a lot of experiences to pack into a couple days. Upon reflection, the most important thing I did was show up. There were so many opportinities not to, and each was a deliberate choice with no expectations other than to see what happens. I shall take these lessons to heart.

For the flight out it's raining at the airport, but the volcano itself is clear of clouds once we get above them. Though there is now a plume of steam/ash/gas that wasn't there yesterday. It's ever changing.

Depending on how long the eruption goes on, I might come back. But that would be a separate unplanned adventure.

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After the fact update - only a couple days later, the Mauna Loa eruption activity diminished greatly and completely ended in a week. Very glad I didn't wait for better weather. Opportunities constantly present themselves but don't linger. To take advantage of them one has to act.