Solar Eclipse tourist? Try Earthquake tourism...

[Ray Eklund]

I just love finding these short commentaries in the newspaper. One, dear to my heart. Earthquake... tourism.

Many of you may already be uncomfortable Boondocking by yourselves and that is fine. But come to the Rocky Mountains for Earthquake Tourism.

Western Montana had a decent 5.8 magnitude earthquake near Lincoln, Montana July 5th. No doubt a result of a fireworks display in town... or maybe something else is going on. The following day, July 5th and 6th earthquakes in the Helena Valley shaking 3.6 to 5.8. Not one, or two but to be conservative... NINE, maybe more but who is counting? I am, but are you?

Yellowstone Park at this time had 10. Nope. 100... nope. How about 1100 more or less during the last two weeks. The National Park charge you the same price to view the Magma Charged geysers... and no more for the minor shaking that occurs every day.

If you really listen to the Yellowstone Park Rangers what is creating all this steam and shaking... you will want to go, anywhere, but camp there.

Anyone can view a Solar Eclipse at home on television. But earthquakes... you must be where they occur. Won't it be something when the Earth, Moon and Sun align for those 2 minutes for the Total Eclipse and some seconds to tug at the molten mantle and iron/nickel core of the planet, just a little more to 'relax' for awhile? Gee... it is coming to this general area! Get to Jackson, Wyoming as it is close to Yellowstone and, maybe, read about it in the newspaper the next day! Actual experiencing an earthquake is more exciting than... reading about it, or some picture showing children running around in circles.

The New Madrid Fault in SW Missouri is a hum dinger that is building some friction, some day, or year or century... but it will be reminding you that even the Ozarks are not totally inert under the surface. Even if it is near the Mississippi River this quake Rang the Liberty Bell it was such a... shaker.

There are books that list State and County with major earthquakes. Find yours. My copy is lost in a garage stacked five feet high wherever cartons of books can be placed.

Sucking petroleum and water from under the surface has to fill these empty spaces between sand grains... and you know what that will get you... another pleasant tiny... earthquake.

Utah, Nevada, California... well anytime you are in the Rocky Mountains you have a good opportunity to feel a good shaker. Some, like one we experienced, could be heard coming and passing us in Central Nevada some years ago. Much like a low Train coming through... but under the surface.

The majority of these are bottle shakers and break a few loose objects, shake dust off of brick walls, etc.. But are indications that our Planet still has a molten taffy core and slowing cooling and as things shrink, or the Continents float over this dense gooey stuff... more can be expected.

My time as a kid living at the Canal Zone in Panama. Glass and china cabinets falling over and women screaming, down the street. Wasn't that something to remember? Ten year olds remember those as the 'Good Old Days'.

There are maps available that will show the active fractures that may have future earthquake potential. Just be patient. Our lives are not long enough to experience the Rockies pushing up through the Oceans in one large mass... but one little quake is an indication of, things to come.

Your home has no mountain view? If you lived long enough... there could be one some day. Mount Everest gets a bit higher every year.

Enjoy. Why Worry? A Solar Total Eclipse is an event. An earthquake... will get your attention, without sunglasses.

[Ray Eklund]

A Caveat for those of you wanting to get in on this Total Eclipse and Earthquake Adventure in this heavily promoted event by the Wyoming Chamber of Commerce or Tourist Bureau of the third kind. Have a good time for once in your camping experiences. Short of a volcano busting out while you are there, the people are friendly and the skies are not cloudy all day.

Many Airstream Owners plan their traveling vacation for months, if not a year in advance... just to be... disappointed.

Avoid being disappointed. Catch the Caravan of Doomsdayers following the Moon and Sun's path across the sky. When your sunglasses are pulled off into the darkened sky by this alignment of the Earth, Moon, Sun and no doubt Stars... bigger things are likely to happen, sooner than later.

Jackson, Wyoming will be within the 'epicenter' of the eclipse... but also just outside the 'epicenter' of earthquakes from Yellowstone.

If there is one thing you can depend upon in Wyoming... IF the climate does not change in 48 hours... the scenery... can.

[Ray Eklund]

Shelving books in a RV Garage in the Mohave Desert... makes one go into the AC cooled home and consider... tossing more and keeping less. Sorting at 103F is not too bad. At 110... I actually might want to read some of these geology books inside the house!

But, for you Special Interest Individuals, whom are scarce in numbers... some reading material:

Assessment of Regional Earthquake Hazards and Risk along the Wasatch Front, Utah. (1992) USGS Professional Paper 1500 A-J

Makes one want to check out Salt Lake City for a home site... during the partial Eclipse, coming soon into that beautiful high country.

Or:

Studies Related to the Charleston, South Carolina Earthquake of 1886 - Tectonics and Seismisity (1983) USGS Professional Paper 1313.

Good luck Number 13-13 to you, too. These are well illustrated so when Boondocking, you are able to tell a road cut from a major fault that could open up and swallow that 34 footer in an instant.

Thalweg in Wyoming... I see an email just arrived... before this terrible Solar or Seismic event could even take place. I am sure there will be another large, thick, well illustrated book on the Big Horn Mountains, swallowing up homes on the east side.

...and an email from Station Casinos, Henderson, Nevada... maybe a good 2 for 1 Buffet Offer for my efforts to inform you, the informed layman of Earthquake Tourism.

My time being isolated in the wilderness searching for that proverbial nonexistent Gold Mine in the Sky has not changed how I think... or maybe it has... but do enjoy your Summer visiting those wonderful sites in the Rocky Mountains.

Don't Blink. If you do...it could all be Ocean Front and you will have to pay more to camp, if you try to plan too far ahead. Time may slow down, but the seismic activity for August 20th to 22nd could be your last chance to live life to its fullest.

[Thalweg]

I think you missed one of the key attractions Ray; mass wasting. We had quite a lot of snow in the region this winter, then plenty of rain this spring. So the soils are pretty much saturated. Many of these soils are on hill slopes underlain by shale layers. So they are just itching to go scootin' on down the hill (landslide). All they need is something to kick them off. What would be better than an earthquake to do that.

So, how can we take advantage of that in pursuit of our recreational endeavors? Well, what could be more fun than riding a landslide down a hill? But what sort of equipment would one use to ride a landslide? I think that maybe a canoe would do the job. That would have the added advantage of preparing you for the possibility of the landslide damming a river, much the way the Gros Ventre slide did near the Tetons.

Since I'm just the idea guy, and Ray is a man of action, I suspect that we'll be seeing Ray and Nancy sitting in a canoe, on a hill slope above the Yellowstone river waiting for an earthquake. That should be a tourist attraction in, and of itself.

Send me a post card when you reach the Missouri River.

[Ray Eklund]

Forum members have the best ideas for a Family Vacation Adventure.

Bicycling down rough terrain is a great option to exercise and 'Ride the Slide'. Make sure your brakes are in working condition. You may need them and some skill. Those electric bikes we tried out west of Lander, Wyoming were a real 'hoot and a half' on the Wyoming Adventure.

If this thread was about Tires, Toilet Paper or even Tow Vehicles... there would be lots of opinions and updates. Earthquakes and Solar Eclipses just do not come up in conversations while standing in a line at the Casino to cash in your $2.25 video poker ticket.

Thalweg is actually a Genius when it comes to getting into trouble. His wife, bless her soul, keeps him on the 'straight and narrow'. Or a 4 foot two by four will also work.

Considering that no one is concerned by Earthquakes... you will be left alone and kept in the dark. Wyoming is concerned with 'Great Balls of Fire' coming soon enough. Won't those who remain ignorant that the "Sun will be burning out in August" and they need to buy flashlights to find their way around the house... be surprised.

My relatives need not hear a word until... that time arrives.

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Considering that no one is concerned by Earthquakes... you will be left alone and kept in the dark. Wyoming is concerned with 'Great Balls of Fire' coming soon enough. Won't those who remain ignorant that the "Sun will be burning out in August" and they need to buy flashlights to find their way around the house... be surprised.

By "Great Balls of Fire" in Wyoming, are you referring to the fact that we've got more, bigger grass in the field than we've had in many years, and by August we're likely to be having severe fire conditions?

These discussions of bad things happening during the eclipse remind me of Mark Twaine's, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Maybe we can convince someone that we'll bring back the sun if we're adequately compensated.