Ka-bluey!

Have you ever seen a volcano while it's active? Neither had I until Monday and Tuesday this week. It wasn't spewing lava (that would be scary) but Mt. Redoubt, since waking, has caused chaos for airline passengers and spewed enough ash to leave dust or even inches here & there. I was on my way to a Southwest AK village site visit when our prop plane (better for flying with volcanic sediment in the air than jet planes) gave me a view from the window I was not expecting. Mad scramble for camera.It was like catching sight of a celebrity! So much talk, hassle and observing over this Mountain, and here it was in front of my eyes! Every day when leaving work I cover my computer in a plastic bag in case abrasive ash leaks into the building's ventilation system and brings our electronic world to its knees...okay, that's an exaggeration but we make preparations based on this very event. 

I should add that I never made it to my village given bad snow conditions. I was weathered in at Dillingham, which again proves that Alaskan hospitality is the best. I stayed and visited with my friends Heather and Dylan. I've shared our story before on the blog.  They're moving from D'ham in just a few days and having a baby boy in just a few weeks, so it was a true gift to spend time  in their just-sold home. They really treated this stranded traveler well! 

Guess I'll have to try for New Stuyahok another time but who knows if the volcano will be steaming then. In the meanwhile, my work has made a policy that if Anchorage schools close for ash, our offices do too!

*Amy