Life by the Volcano

Well, now I can say I've lived through a volcanic eruption! Or, to be more specific, I've been within 100 miles of an erupting volcano. Nearby Mount Redoubt (see area map here) finally erupted in late March after months of being on "Orange Alert," and a series of eruptions have continued ever since. It may erupt for weeks or even months, according to its historical pattern.

Pictures from National Geographic (click on photos for the full articles):

This is a new level of dramatic, even for Alaska! The airports and air force base shut down, a number of lightning storms initiated by the ash cloud lit up the volcano, and melting snow from the eruption caused mudflows and flash floods to threaten the massive storage tanks at the base of the volcano that hold over 6 million gallons of crude oil (Exxon Valdez Part 2 waiting to happen—right around its 20-year anniversary).
Yesterday, one of the subsequent eruptions finally brought ash fall to Anchorage. I was prepared:
My neighbors' dog even had his own dust mask and protective booties! What a sight.

But, so far Anchorage has only gotten a light dusting. This is how much accumulated on my windshield that day:
I collected a little bit of ash for making pottery glazes, but it was probably not enough for one batch. Maybe I can find more in Homer or Talkeetna, where they got dumped with ash several times so far. Anyway, hopefully Redoubt will simmer down now...stay tuned!