Sharing photos, videos, vintage images I've discovered, and -- occasionally -- commentary and thoughts from retired life and travels.

disaster

Fall River Country

December 24, 2011

Each time we visit Rocky Mountain National Park, we travel the Old Fall River Road from it’s junction with the modern Fall River Road, U.S. Highway 34.  The road is two-way and paved for the first 1.75 miles, passing Lawn Lake Trailhead, Lawn Lake Alluvial Fan, and the Endovalley Picnic Area.   The remaining 9.4 miles is winding, narrow,  unpaved and one-way from the picnic area  to above treeline at Fall River Pass, following the steep slope of Mount Chapin’s south face to it’s junction with Trail Ridge Road.

Old Fall River Road was built between 1913 and 1920.

The Lawn Lake Alluvial Fan is a particularly interesting recent geologic feature.  It was created when flood water and debris rushing down the steep and narrow Roaring River valley from a failed dam at Lawn Lake slowed down when it reached the broader Fall River valley, leaving behind an alluvial fan of debris.  When we first saw it over 20 years ago, the large Roaring River gully scoured by the flow and the alluvial fan were still a fairly fresh scar on the land, with little new vegetation. In the ensuing years, the scar has weathered some and vegetation has moved in.

Additional information on the Lawn Lake Dam Failure, July 15, 1982
estes_park_lawn_lake_flood

Aerial view of Estes Park, July 15, 1982 (USGS)

Lawn Lake alluvial fan from Trail Ridge Road

 

 

 

 

 

Blog posts from this visit to
Rocky  Mountain  National Park:

  • Bear Lake
  • Fall River Country (this post)
  • Trail Ridge High Country (coming soon)
  • Estes Park, Colorado (coming soon)
  • Trail to Nymph and Dream Lake (coming
    soon)
  • Moraine Country (coming soon)

Selected Information
Resources:

Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park
Grand Lake

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Friday Faire–an eclectic list of interesting things and current events.

July 8, 2011

TGI Friday's

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six flags new orleans - killed by katrina

This may become a regular feature – or maybe not.

  1. T.G.I. Friday’s
  2. Grizzly kills man at Yellowstone National Park, first fatal mauling since 1986
  3. honey badger – The honey badger (Mellivora capensis), also known as the ratel, is a monotypic species of mustelid native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. (wikipedia)
  4. In some cultures, Friday is considered unlucky. (Wikipedia)
  5. Engineered from the finest genes, and trained to be a secret courier in a future world, Friday operates over a near-future Earth, where chaos reigns.
  6. Hogweed – Heracleum Mantegazzianum — a plant more commonly known as the giant hogweed and native to Central Asia — is spreading fast in several states, and experts are urging some residents to beware. The tall plant with large, attractive flowers the size of umbrellas contains sap that causes blisters, burns, even blindness.
  7. Kidnap survivor Elizabeth Smart joins ABC News as commentator.
  8. Solar System Scope – Interactive 3D model of the solar system – interesting, but too busy with ads.
  9. Katrina killed Six Flags New Orleans – Wikipedia
  10. Your Paintings – a BBC website which aims to show the entire UK national collection of oil paintings, the stories behind the paintings, and where to see them for real. It is made up of paintings from thousands of museums and other public institutions around the country.

11. The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

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On edge.

May 25, 2011

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A lot of people in the middle of the U.S. have been a bit on edge this storm season – for good reason.  This has been a bad, bad season, with over 500 severe weather related fatalities and over 540 confirmed tornados in the last 8 weeks.

What has made it particularly bad is that we have had several periods where a front – with a mass of warm, moist air to the south and cooler, drier air to the north – has stalled for several days.  During these times there have been multiple outbreaks – until the front finally gets pushed out to the east.

We are actually about as prepared as you can get.  We live in the country, but can hear the sirens in a nearby town.  A television station in Little Rock has an automated system that will call our cell phones and send an email message if there is a tornado warning for our area.  There is a a storm shelter in our house.

But still, after Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama last month, and Joplin, Missouri on Sunday, we pay attention when there is a threat of severe weather.

imageYesterday started out with a low risk of severe weather here.  Oklahoma was under the gun with a very high risk.

As the day progressed, we were upgraded to a moderate risk.  As I had time, I kept track of the weather conditions at work, watching a line of storms break out in Oklahoma and start moving east.  There were a lot of tornado warning boxes.

I had thought to work a little late prepping for upcoming classes, but decided to come on home when the last class finished at 8 pm. Storms were still headed this way.

We usually go to bed at 10, but decided to stay up a while to see what it looked like the storms were going to do.  They were at the state line and there were a couple of warnings for counties in northwest Arkansas.

imageAt 11 or so, it looked like the bulk of the storms were going to either dissipate or go around us, though there was one cell that was heading in our direction  that might reach us if it held together.  It didn’t look like it would, so we went to bed, though I had my cell phone next to me, just in case we got a storm alert call.

Apparently the cell broke apart in the cooler night air – after it destroyed Denning, Arkansas.

 

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Post image for Thinking of the workers at Fukushima Daiichi.

Thinking of the workers at Fukushima Daiichi.

March 15, 2011

I can only imagine how horrific it must be for the workers at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

Operators, technicians, engineers and other personnel at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plants have been dealing with plant conditions beyond anything they’ve ever prepared for, trained for or conceived of.

Many have likely also suffered severe personal loss from the earthquake and tsunami.

2011 03 13 154-dedication-image

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Reminder of a highway disaster.

March 13, 2011

Whenever we drive over the Interstate 40 bridge over the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma, we are reminded the 2002 bridge collapse where 14 people died. 

CNN – Participants and spectators of a fishing tournament were horrified by what they saw Sunday when a barge slammed into an Interstate 40 bridge, plunging cars and tractor-trailers into the Arkansas River.

The video is from crossing the same bridge on Friday.

Other links:

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From balmy to frigid, ice and snow–Winter roars back

February 1, 2011

Update — 2/2/2011:  We fared better than expected – no ice and just a trace of snow.  We just got the cold arctic air – 13° at 8 AM.

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Things have certainly changed in just a couple of days. Fortunately, we’ve had some warning, so have been able to make some preparations, just in case the storm is worse than predicted.

Even, though it’s raining for now, we’re in a winter storm warning, along with a significant part of the country.  Areas north of us and not too terribly far away are in a blizzard warning.

We’re hoping for snow and not ice.  Earlier today, the forecast was for a .2 to .4 inch coating of ice on exposed surface – tree branches, power lines, etc..

Fortunately, the forecast has changed to a thin layer of ice before the precipitation turns over to snow.

The temperature is currently above freezing.

Unfortunately, this monster storm is going to hit a lot of places hard.  Some forecasters are calling it a storm of historic proportions.

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