First shot is of the ultralight. Second sequence shows the active, hot lava beds. Clouds, smoke, sulfur dioxide everywhere. Note clouds on the ground on left in that sequence. They were flowing uphill along the ground. Second sequence shows rain clouds combining with smoke that was continually appearing and dissolving all around us. We had to fly through one suflur cloud that suddenly materialized in front of us – tasted terrible. The lava was flowing through a channel just like a river in its bed, and it was moving as fast as flowing water. The lava beds were extensive and hot. We got caught in a thermal and were ascending at over 1000 meters a minute. Not what we wanted to do in an ultralight. Pulled to the left and were promptly thrown down toward the lava by the force of the sheer. The only time I got really scared as we were not that high above the lava at that point already. We were able to find a small break in the clouds and ran for home. My pilot said he had been flying since 1960 and that was the eerist ride he ever had. I told him it was eerie yes, but it was also so awesome I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The whole world, earth and sky, was surreal. It looked like we were glimpsing Pele’s trailing gown while she flitted among the lava flows playing in her fields. What a sight and what a ride.