Eruption!

A quick update for our Lava Light family of friends.  Kilauea is erupting.  CJ and I have been out twice already and it is beautiful.  The eruption is contained entirely inside the caldera and it has already built up a sizable lava lake.  You can not yet see the lava directly from any of the legal observation areas, but if the flow keeps up at this rate, you may be able to see it soon.  Night time is best to see the plume as a bright orange and yellow.  It is quite a show.

Crowds in the park are sizable at sunset and evening.  They thin out at midnight and stay that way until dawn.  We love being there an hour before dawn…perfect conditions.

Along with the eruption comes the vog…and it is back.  We have lost our bright blue skies for the moment.

Covid has been a real problem here, but the numbers are now going down.  Still an issue and visitors are few at the moment (the beginning of October is normally very busy with Iron Man visitors…but the Iron Man was moved to Utah for this year so things are pretty slow here).

A couple of whales have already been spotted, but the heaviest number of whales do not arrive until December.  Don’t expect to see any during the October time frame…if you do it will just be one or two.

Retail and restaurants are still impacted by the pandemic.  There are enough open to serve your needs…but it is not wide open with lots of choices.  We are hoping that will change come Winter…but who knows at this point.  About 70 percent of all eligible people on the island are now vaccinated.  There are still mask and other restrictions in place…and you will need to check on up to date travel requirements.

It is a great time to visit, if you can put up with some covid related hassle.  Crowds are small.  Our gallery is open 11-7 daily and by appointment if you want to visit at some other time.  We have been doing great business since last October and we are very grateful for the support of our returning customers.  We have missed our Canadian friends and hope they return in large numbers this Winter.

We are healthy and happy and can not wait to see you.  Aloha.