Archive for the Volcano Category

A step back for two forward.

Posted in Volcano, Waapa with tags on December 27, 2011 by DriftingSon

Just when I was about to feel good about getting steady work done on the Wa’apa, I get a reality check.  It’s really no surprise, of

Stern deck rent asunder.

course, that it would be the miserable climate we’ve had around here lately.  Fifty degree mornings and steady rain for weeks makes for very poor epoxy curing air, which allowed the deck on the stern to pop off after I removed the clamps, literally tearing the plywood apart.  Still- I did resolve the problem with bad fillets by using all-purpose flour mixed in to the epoxy instead of sawdust (thanks for the tip Trevor!) and it’s brilliant.  Makes a perfectly smooth paste, inexpensive, and completely organic- can’t go wrong on any level.  Hopefully it won’t become bread on a hot day.  In the future I hope to try it with a fairly new epoxy product called Entropy Bio-Resin, which is less toxic than the current petroleum type, being partially produced from the paper industry waste stream.

Next is more fillets and the bow deck, and am working on the mast step while the epoxy cures on those tasks.  Stay tuned, but please do something about this weather!  At least the forecast is showing that the winds will be dying down finally as we approach the weekend, and while that doesn’t guarantee dryer air, it does mean that I’m actually starting to plan on getting some kayak fishing in on Saturday, for the first time in well over a month.  That should go a long way towards clearing my epoxy-fogged head.

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Halemaumau glowing brightly.

Posted in Photography, Uncategorized, Volcano on May 19, 2011 by DriftingSon

A late night visit to our friendly local volcano finds it glowing brightly once again.  Kilauea is a volcano that has been erupting consistently since the 1980′s, yet is always changing.  Standing on the edge of the crater under a full moon is always an amazing experience- I just need to remember to dress warmly.

I’m happy to say that these images are now for sale, in various sizes of prints, or even as postcards and coffee mugs(!).   Not that I expect anyone to really be that interested, but- apparently I still enjoy the process of photography enough to want to put the stuff out there.

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You can find these and more images on my stock photo site.

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Kayak fishing at Punalu`u, with video!

Posted in Fishing, Kayaks, Volcano on January 27, 2011 by DriftingSon

Not far up the coast from Honuapo (where I hooked the shark), is a nice little beach park called Punalu’u Beach Park.  Famous for it’s black sand beach and basking turtles, it also has a public boat ramp and prime fishing territory only short paddle way.  Unfortunately, like Honuapo, the near constant barrage of the trade winds makes this place pretty nasty in a kayak on most days.  Always watching for the good Kona wind days (no trade winds) I’ve fished it a few times already- solo once or twice, with Paul, and twice with fellow Volcano Village dweller Grant.  The first time Grant I went out we mostly caught a few bottom fish (Moana) and I got a small Ulua on the paddle in.

At the time I recall Grant being frustrated with getting plenty of strikes but not keeping the fish on the hook, a problem which he appears to have solved quite handily.  He had gotten out last week and hooked into a few nice Omilu, which he tagged and released with tags from Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources’ Ulua Tagging Project.   This time he went ballistic- we found ourselves in nice looking water and the fish decided that Grant had nice looking bait.  Three varieties of Tuna (kawakawa, tombo ahi, shibi) and a kahala that hit so hard it broke off his rod holder leaving the rod dangling in the water by its leash.  It was unbelievable- every time I paddled away from him and looked back, he was fighting another fish!

Grant loves to video his trips and has been getting some great footage- check out the clip from tuesday’s trip below, followed by some video he made of my ulua I caught and released at the start of the day.

 

Be sure to check Grant’s YouTube channel for more great footage of his fishing.

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Aquaponics grow bed finally erupting in Volcano

Posted in Aquaponics, Sustainability, Volcano on November 15, 2010 by DriftingSon

To be honest, I had kinda given up on the system ever getting balanced.  After having fish in the system for a good 5 months, anything I planted in the grow bed would just wither and die, clearly not getting the much promised nutrients from the captive fish below.  My water tests never revealed any presence of fish waste, and always had a pond full of algae, so I blamed it on our cool night time temperatures that didn’t allow the bacteria to thrive in growbed, which meant the algae were consuming the wastes and not my plants.  At about six months, things started to change.  There was a long warm dry spell that might have been enough to get the bacteria going, or maybe it was just enough time (bacteria do grow less vigorously in cool temps), but suddenly the mint that had been languishing in there started to become a healthy bush.  A few other plants began to follow suit.  Feeling encouraged, I tossed some Mesclun salad mix seeds in the cinders and even they began to sprout and grow.  I let one good rain flush the pond clear of algae- and things got even better.  The plants grew even faster, and the pond has stayed clear of algae.  The algae had been robbing nutrients, and now that the grow bed is firing on all cylinders and absorbing all of the nutrients, there is nothing for the algae to feed on and re-establish itself.

Balance.  It’s a beautiful thing.

And it reinforces the fact that living in a high altitude cloud forest environment like Volcano, requires a special kind of patience.

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Tonight’s view of Kilauea in moonlight

Posted in Photography, Volcano on July 27, 2010 by DriftingSon

I keep trying to catch a night with the winds blowing a different way so that the plume will at least not bend to the right as usual.  But trade winds are trade winds, and they are just always there.  Oh well- nice night for a walk along the rim of Halema`uma`u crater.  While the lower extreme of Kilauea is burning houses, the chimney at the top keeps chugging away…

11:34pm and a full moon

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I can still ride a bike!

Posted in Bikes, Volcano on July 18, 2010 by DriftingSon

Despite the presence of a cold, wet, and dreary day in Volcano (surprise!…) I somehow inspired myself to actually air up the tires in the trusty old Karate Monkey and hit the trail.  Felt good.  REAL good, and it’s a shame I let so much time go by without riding.  It was the same old Crater Rim Trail jaunt, something I tend to get bored with quickly if I ride it too often, but- I really shouldn’t be allowed to complain about a 12 mile ride on the rim of an active volcano.

Karate Monkey peers into the void, Halema`uma`u Crater

Click map for ride details

I knew Drifting Family went to see Peter Pan at the Kilauea Military Camp theater, so I swung by and found them attempting a game of tennis after the show, which was good fun to watch for many reasons.  By the time we were ready to go we realized we should just eat at the KMC cafeteria, which has decent food (cajun mahi mahi and all-you-can-eat salad bar) for little expense.  By the time we were done with that, it was dark, and I conveniently accepted a ride back home.

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