Augustine is restless – check out the webcam

Do check out the link behind the button above – fascinating pictures of Augustine. It is pretty cool to see the difference in the mountain – prior to this eruptive phase and now. Lots of beautiful white snow before and now Augustine’s flanks are covered with gray ash.

Very cool pics, though. Be sure to check them out.

And, in case you were wondering how far the moose family is away from all this – you can see on this page. The map shows all of the volcanoes that are near the Kenai Peninsula.

We have seen eruptions in all of the mountains marked in red since we have lived here. I think the only one that covered us in ash was Augustine back in ’86. The wind favored Kenai in the other eruptions – carried the ash to Anchorage.

This disrupts commercial air flights as you might imagine. Even the puddle jumpers between Anchorage and Kenai aren’t flying right now. I imagine that if there are no more eruptions this morning that ban might be lifted. Alaska Air cancelled 28 flights yesterday. One couple took a taxi (!!!!) from Homer to Anchorage – that’s over 200 miles – can’t imagine the fare. They hoped to be able to make their flight out of Anchorage, but were told it wouldn’t fly once they arrived at Ted Stevens International Airport. Poor guy – he wants to so badly get to Seattle to see the Seahawks play today. Doubt that happened.

When Redoubt blew back in ’89 I was in Las Vegas taking part in a bowling tournament. Hadn’t been watching the news while I was there. As I was leaving the hotel I called hubby to tell him I was on my way to the airport and he laughed and asked “don’t you know what is going on here?” Well, duh, honey. Of course I didn’t know! So he filled me in. Told me I probably wouldn’t be able to get home that day.

At the LV airport I was told I could stay in LV because there were no flights going into or out of Alaska at that time. What??? No way! I did NOT want to stay in Vegas. Get me as close to AK as you can. So they sent me part way – to Seattle – where I met with the same dire news. No flights in or out of AK.

But my nephew was at the Seattle airport – he was on his way back to AK on leave from the Navy. His airlines had given him a hotel the night before and would that night as well. I took him up on the offer of the other bed in that room. We went back to the airport early the next morning to be met with the same news – no flights. Sigh! Also the news that they had now determined this to be an act of God and would therefore not be giving out any more hotel vouchers. What?!!!

So we “slept” on the settees and chairs in the airport. This was before 9-11 and there were still lockers to be found in the Seattle airport. I locked up our luggage so we wouldn’t have to lug it all around with us.

I spent the next three days bouncing back and forth between airline desks – standing in long lines trying to get a flight out of Seattle for my nephew and myself – and for my sister (his mom) who had been visiting her husband’s family in Ohio and who was expected in Sea-Tac by that fourth day.

Did I mention that this was just a few days before Christmas???? Now, I’m pretty good natured and I really was enjoying myself there. Nephew and I took the bus from the airport on day 2 and visited the Space Needle and stretched our legs a bit. But even good nature stretches thin after a bit – esp. that close to a treasured family holiday.

I teased the folks at the desks that if we were all still to be there on Christmas I expected a tree, lights, turkey and the trimmings, AND presents! They smiled and said “next!”

Finally the day came when they said come get a FIM (flight interruption manifest) from your airline and go to Alaska Airlines to get a ticket for the next available flight. I parked nephew in the line and went looking for Sis who was arriving at that very minute from Ohio. I grabbed her and rushed her through the airport to the line where nephew was inching towards the desk. Phew! Made it – got all three of us on that flight – and I slept all of the way home. I was exhausted.

Nephew later told Sis when she asked how it had gone that “Aunt Moosie can talk to anyone anywhere about anything at anytime!!!” He was so glad to have been rescued by his mommy. 😉 He caught a ride back to Kenai on a paper delivery truck – a ride Papa Moosie arranged for him. Sis and I spent one more night in one more airport and flew down the next morning.

The Anchorage airport (quite a bit smaller then than it is now) was FILLED with people who were doing the same thing that we had been doing in Seattle. Sprawling and sleeping in awkward positions and trying to keep upbeat about the delay.

This was back before my internet days. I did not have as many friends then that I do now. TODAY I would be able to call upon some of you to beg a bed for a few days until the furor died down. Back then it was only stay in the airport. I think the churches and other organizations missed out on a way to be good stewards. This was all over the news – it was well known that there were thousands of people – okay, probably hundreds of people – stuck in that airport. They could have been there offering shelter, sustenance, friendship. Instead I had to pay $5 a day to take a shower (do they still have those in the Seattle airport?) and numerous quarters a day to move clean and dirty or not so clean clothes into and out of the lockers. Thank God I had some money left from Vegas – I hadn’t done much one-arm banditing and so had come home having only spent money on food during the tournament stay.

Is it any wonder that I am a pretty laid back traveler now? I have no problem with 1 hour delays. I have very little problem with 4 hour or longer delays. I enjoy sitting back and watching people. I think back to those four days in the Seattle airport and I smile – because I know that sooner or later I will be back home in Alaska – where the volcanoes rumble and spit steam and sometimes ash – where the lupine grows in the summer and the fireweed tells me that winter is coming – where my grandbabies are growing like little weeds and await me with hugs and kisses – where my heart has found a home.

Ahhhhhlaska.