Sunday, May 24, 2009
Mount Redoubt is a Media celebrity!
Photographers are waiting for the few days when clouds don't obscure the volcano, which began erupting last month.
Clouds gave way on Friday, allowing the entire volcano to be visible for an extended period of time.
That attracted numerous people to flock to pullout points near the volcano - at Kalifornsky Beach Road, Bridge Access Road and the Spur Highway - to snap photos of Mount Redoubt.
Once Pat Porter of Kenai saw the clear view of Mount Redoubt, she turned around and went back to her home to get a camera.
"I've been here for more than 30 years, and I remember the last eruption, but I didn't get any photos. This time around, today was the first time I've been able to get to a camera and get back while it was still out. I wanted to take a few pictures, just to have them," she told the Peninsula Clarion.
Lyle Skrimger of Kenai also was compelled to take photos since the eruption is a rare occurrence.
"It only happens every 20 years, so I wanted to get a few. If I get one worth keeping, I may put it up in the house," he said.
Christine Armond of Kenai, who recently moved from the Midwest, had never seen Mount Redoubt or any other volcano erupt. She wants to share photos of the event with friends and family in the Lower 48.
"You just don't even see mountains back where I'm from, much less a snow-covered volcano giving off steam and ash, so my family and friends back in Oklahoma really love seeing this stuff," she said.
Others had more pressing reasons to shoot the volcano, like Jessica Gonzalez of Niksiki.
She's hoping for a good grade after being assigned a project for a photography class at Kenai Peninsula College.
"It's homework," Gonzalez said, but added that as homework goes - staring at the steaming volcano in the warm rays of the sun and in the soft breeze - it was a pretty enjoyable assignment.
