Friday, December 2, 2022

 Friday, December 2, 2022

 We were up at 4:30 this morning to view the lava flow at Mauna Loa. John asked to drive. Some people are more comfortable when they are at the wheel. I was concerned because most accidents here occur during the early morning hours as people return home drunk or high. John assured me he would drive defensively. He rides a motorcycle. Driving defensively is a necessity. John was a good driver. He could do at least as well as I could, if not better. On the way, the car did something unexpected; it surged forward faster than the speed set on the cruise control. That was concerning.

    We were on Saddle Road a bit after 5 am and made it to the Mauna Kea access road by 5:30. Judy had recommended we go there to see the view. Parking on the access road was legal; parking on Saddle Road was not. If stopped, drivers were fined $1,000. Judy said there were hundreds of cars on the road when she was there on Wednesday night. We left early in the morning on Sandor’s advice. There were people out, but the road wasn’t jammed.

   I had warned our guests to dress warmly. When we reached a spot on the access road on the mountain, they were surprised to see the temperature was 47 degrees. At the top of the mountain, the average temperature is 32 degrees. We have snow at the top of the Mauna Kea in the winter. Yes, right here in Hawaii.

  John, Carol, and Christine were impressed with the view of the lava fountain and the lava dribbling down the mountainside. I wasn’t. Judy had seen lava up close and personal on another occasion. Maybe that helped her experience the view as life-altering. It was also possible that the night was overcast when she saw it. In that case, the sky would have been aglow with the red light of the lava. That would have been impressive. Tonight, we had a crystal-clear night. The stars were the impressive show. Carol tried to convince me the lava was impressive, saying it was a view of the earth spewing out its innards. True, but that is a top-down perception. Would it be as impressive if you didn’t know what it was? We were too far away.

   We went home, had breakfast, and caught some makeup sleep. My three guests went out sightseeing. I stayed home and worked on updates.