[cogitator]

Something to watch for; a Mauna Loa eruption is a true spectacle of nature. It's probably still at least a year away; probably longer, but you never know with volcanoes.

[laotzu]

It ought to be a big one. Wouldn't want to be riding my bike down the hill that day.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[Popof8]

Valcanoes are kind of like DemocRATs:

They're unpredictable;
They spew a lot of gas and hot air;
They pollute the environment;
They're destructive;
They serve no beneficial purpose;
As they spread their influence they kill living and productive things;
They're godless;
They'll burn their friends and supporters without conscience;
They get crusty when they're old;
They are dangerious to people and other living things;
They waste a lot of money on studies;
They're a natural disaster;
They create a lot of motion but fail to progress;
They create a lot of smoke to obscure their dangerious propensities;
They stink;
They can't be relyed upon;
People die because of their actions;
Animals die because of their actions;
Plants die because of their actions;
Virgins get sacrificed to them;
etc. etc. etc.

[DJtex]

I lived in Maui for a few years. Going to the Big Island to see the continuous eruption there is a primal experience. There's just no other way to describe it. Since 1983, Kilauea has been in continuous eruption. The Kilauea caldera is at the 4,100 ft. level on the flank of Mauna Loa, which is over 13,000 ft. high and is the largest volcano in the world.

Mauna Loa has been quiet since 1984, but it's erupted 33 times in the last 150 years. The experts say that's it's inevitable that all of Mauna Loa will be covered once again in lava. That's 65% of the Big Island.

[skeeter]

A couple of years back I visited the Kona side of Hawaii & was surprised to notice all the vapor - smog - coming off the side of Moana Loa. Not anything like the clear skies I remembered from before.

I was told that this smog, which is considered a health hazard, has really depressed real estate values on that side of the island.