The Rim Fire in Yosemite - A Time Lapse Journey

 The Rim Fire in Yosemite National Park has consumed a few hundred thousand acres of pine forest and scrub land.  It is a devastation that is all too common out west with over a century of fire suppression (causing forests to become too dense) and a decade of drought. My friend John P. sent along this YouTube link to a time lapse of some of the smoke columns from this fire. Look at it here.

Animal Crackers - A Review

My friend and Grand Canyon park ranger Scott Kraynak has just published his book with fantastic illustrations in it. Called "Animal Crackers" the book is reviewed here in one of the latest editions of High Country News. Congratulations Scott and good luck with this book.

You can visit the books web site at: animalcrackersbook.wix.com/animal-crackers.

From their web site:

'Animal Crackers' is a mix of poetry and art, a creative effort by the brothers Kraynak.  While Scott is primarily the artist and Jeffrey is primarily the writer, to say that one wrote while the other illustrated would be a gross generalization.  For our creativity has bridged the divide and neither half would be as good without the input from the other side.

The Blackhawk Landslide in Southern Caifornia

Now and then, friends send me items of interest that I find too interesting to pass up. This one is on a little known but stupendous landslide that occurred just south of Victorville California, about 17,400 years ago. You can read the geologic description of the events here. You are sure to be amazed! Other dating estimates and stories can be found here, here (this link will allow you to download Shreves dissertation and geologic map as pdf's), and here is especially good.

Next time I am on my way to SoCal, I will be doing a drive by.