Orchid
Hapu’u
Violence Loses
Like so many with a Native American heritage I have been watching the protests at Standing Rock, trying to figure out which side of the issue I am on. I find I can not automatically support the tribal side of this as some of my relatives have, the issue is not so clear cut. I have been reading both sides to see where the issue lies.
The incident has much in parallel with the issues here on our mountain. Native people protesting a project that takes place on a purported sacred site. There is also the element of environmentalism in protesting an oil pipeline, and entirely different issue than a clean project like an observatory.
This week’s violent episode has me asking questions. How did this happen? What happened. The protest side has been loudly proclaiming that security guards just attacked them with pepper spray and dogs. They play up the injuries, including some to a child.
Plumeria
Pāhoehoe Inflation
Most people think that lava flows simply ooze forward and cool in place. But there is more going on than this simple version. Yes, flows ooze forward, but much of the mass of a lava flow arrives later, the flow can inflate to many times the volume as more lava arrives and lifts the crust from underneath.
Hurricane Week is Over
Well? We have survived Hurricane Week, two hurricanes brushing past the island. Other than a bit of rain and shattered schedules we are just fine. Madeline caused some power outages and dumped a good deal of rain on the windward side. Lester turned north and did not impact the island to any significant degree other than high surf.
Here in Waikoloa we got some wind and no rain from Madeline, and a touch of rain from the water vapor left behind by Lester. Mostly it has just been muggy and hot here on the leeward side.
IRTF at Dawn
Next Up? Hurricane Lester
Hurricane Madeline has come and gone. Other than some flooding, a few power outages, and minor damage here and there, Madeline failed to leave much of an impact on the Big Island. Indeed, satellite imagery loops show the storm coming apart as it interacted with the island and the big mauna. At the house there was some wind, no rain, just a very warm and muggy afternoon and night.
Next up is Hurricane Lester, due to brush the northern side of the island on Saturday…
Inside Passage – Echoes of the Past
SE Alaska and the coast of British Columbia are a place where the past does not get wiped away. Ruins, wrecks, and abandoned places are often left for nature to reclaim rather than scrapped or redeveloped. When traveling the waterways of the Inside Passage you are often wandering through echoes of the past.
Inside Passage – Echoes of the Past from Andrew Cooper on Vimeo
Madeline Arrives
So far is is just windy.
As the first part of the storm pushes ashore on the other side of the island all we are getting is wind. Gusty conditions prevail from Waimea to Waikoloa, about what we would get on a bad day of trade winds. It is enough to bump your car around the road a bit, with gusts around 45mph.
Keck closed up HQ at noon today, sending everyone home. Observing was cancelled last night and is cancelled again tonight. A few support guys went to the summit this morning, checked everything, then left.
While Madeline has been downgraded to a tropical storm, Lester remains a strong hurricane. I am a little more worried about the weather Lester will bring on Saturday.
