Super Volcanoes

I was up on time and quick to get downstairs to get my day underway. Like always, it started with putting on my dog walking shoes and then whipping out a set of 55 sit-ups. Next, I checked the temperature. It was a bone chilling 48 degrees – the coolest morning of the season, I think. After 50 push-ups I headed out the door with Ykraps. It was again very cloudy and cool, a stark contrast to our weather from two short weeks ago when we were enjoying sunshine and warm temps. As chilly as it felt this morning, it’s expected to get even colder tonight – 35-40 degrees as a low. Yikes! Coffee was just what I needed. While at my PC, I checked the day’s forecast a little more in depth wondering if Wednesday golf would be in the cards. According to the weather gods, we were still expecting clearing and sunshine later in the day but with highs only in the 50’s. That works for me. Unfortunately, I also saw that Friday’s forecast wasn’t looking any better – still expecting rain. I woke Mindy with coffee at 6:10am and was soon ready to meditate and stretch before heading out for a run. All of that went well. Once again, I wore two long sleeved wicking shirts to combat the autumn chill. Missing was that stiff gusty breeze we had to contend with for passed two days. If nothing else, the chilly air served as a smack in the face. Honestly, though it felt refreshing. Once again, my knee gave me no trouble at all. I was very happy about that. By the same token, I know I am not completely out of the woods. Mindy had fried eggs awaiting my return. Detecting a strange but unfamiliar smell, I asked how they were prepared, or more specifically if she used olive oil. She admitted using vegetable oil and has been for some time. I wasn’t at all pleased. I have done my best to eliminate it from my diet and have been using olive oil for several years now. And perhaps even more telling, she knows it. I wasn’t too pleased. It’s as if she’s purposefully trying to kill me. I felt so strongly about it that I offered to cook my own eggs for now on if that’s what it takes. I meant it too. My long term health is that important to me. Mindy left for school after doing Bella’s hair. Bella and I talked for while after Mindy departed, but not for long. I needed to get in the shower. The kids and I were at the bus stop at the usual 7:55am. The bus was there by 8:00am. I left for work a few minutes later forgetting to pack my golf clubs. I didn’t realize my error until I arrived at work and was walking into the building. Crap! It wasn’t that big of deal, though. If the weather improved enough for golf I could simply make a brief stop at home to fetch my clubs on the way given that we’d most likely be playing at Phoenix. That’s not too far out of my way. The other option was to head home around lunch time and get them. Work went well. We had a staff meeting that lasted until 1230pm, a customer meeting from 1to 1:30pm, and a Leadership meeting from 2 to3pm. As you might guess, the day flew by. During one of those meetings I sent an email to my golf buddies measuring their interest in golf after work. The weather was decent enough, although currently cloudy and in the mid 50s. Tom Clark was the only one who wanted or could get away, but only if we golfed at Raymond. Hmmm? Raymond would work perfectly for me since I forgot my clubs. It’s right across the street from my house. We agreed to meet there near 445pm. To do so, I left work at 415pm instead of 430pm. I called Mindy and let her know my intentions. She was at home, so I would see her while fetching my clubs. I made the stop at home brief. Mindy walked Ykraps affording me the opportunity to go have fun without worry. She and the kids were going costume shopping for Bella’s coming b-day party. Typically, the kids would be with Jimaken on Wednesday but we swapped nights this week. He’s taking them on Thursday instead. I was at Raymond even before 445pm, but no indication of Tom. Wait for it. Wait for it. At 445pm on the nose I phoned Tom to see where the heck he was. A father/son combo had just tee’d off and I hoped to get off next before the rest of the after work crowd arrived. Tom wasn’t exact when citing his location but said he was close. But considering he lives not three miles up the road, he was simply over stating the obvious. I got the impression he was just then leaving his house. He does that all the time. He suggested I pay for the both of us and wait at the tee box. At first I didn’t want to risk it, because if a crowd arrived before him I was ready to bag it completely. But it was only $13 a piece. What the hell. I paid for the two of us and waited on the #1 tee box. He arrived just as another twosome neared the tee box. We tee’d off directly. I hit a solid drive right down the middle and about 260 yards out. My second shot was solid but still 10 yards short of the green. I chipped up within birdie range – about 10’ out. I missed the birdie but got my par. I was pleased. Tom had a bogey. I was just off the back of the green in two on hole #2. I chipped on and two putted for a bogey. As our round of nine holes went on, Tom started playing uncommonly well. He par’d five of the final six holes. I was quite impressed. To do it, he made a number of long putts on some difficult greens. Meanwhile, I was playing my usual bogey golf. I had only one errant (really bad) swing on the nine, but that was off the tee on the #8 par 3, which I recovered nicely by putting my second shot on and within 12’. Tom shot a 41 and me a 44. By the time we finished the sky was almost completely clear, but the sun was setting fast. It was much cooler too. We agreed that if the father/son tandem in front of us headed off the course, we were gonna try and play holes 10 thru 13 which would bring us back close to the clubhouse. Just as we hoped, they left after nine so we proceeded with our plan to play on. I bogeyed 10 and par’d #11. Eleven is par 5. I narrowly missed being on the green in two and putting for an eagle. Instead, I ended up in the sand and had to chip on and two putted. Number 12 is a difficult par 4 dog-leg right with water and trees to the immediate right and a stream crossing the fairway about 70 yards in front of the green. I struggled a little and ended up with a double-bogey. It was practically dark as we putted on #12 but we still moved on to play #13 – a 200 yard par 3. Might as well, we had to walk by it to get back to the clubhouse anyway. I hit my #4 hybrid but fat and ended up tee box side of the stream guarding the green. I put my second shot on and putted in for a par. We called it a night. It was 723pm and too dark to play anymore golf. There was an incredibly beautiful sun set. It was a gorgeous autumn evening. I headed home arriving just after 730pm. By the looks of it, Mindy and the kids had arrived home just ahead of me. They were trying on their new costumes. I was hungry after a long work day and then 13 holes of golf all on foot. I was a little bummed to find nothing quick and satisfying for dinner. The kids and Mindy ate at Steak & Shake. I snacked on chunk cheese and pepperoni, and then a few dill pickle flavored potato chips. I was careful not to binge. It was getting late. Mindy coaxed the kids upstairs to ready for bed. While they readied for bed, I tuned the TV to the History Channel HD to watch a program about the volcanic history of Yellowstone and the probability that it might erupt again in the future. It’s one of the few remaining active super volcanoes in the entire world. They predict that millions would die from the direct and indirect fallout. I hadn’t ever before considered many of the ill effects that would in all likelihood follow from such an eruption. Weather, climate, food sources, water sources, air travel, and air quality would all be severely impacted. Jacob watched quite a bit of the show with me, but Mindy called him up to bed just before 9pm. She went to bed not long after getting the kids settled. I stayed up watching the program in its entirety. http://www.mahalo.com/yellowstone-supervolcano Yellowstone Supervolcano Below Yellowstone National Park is a subterranean chamber of molten rock and gases that make it one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. It is known as the "Yellowstone Caldera" and it was first discovered in 1871. The Yellowstone volcano has erupted three times in history, with each eruption being spaced by roughly 660,000 years. Fast Facts * The Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted 3 times in Earth's history * Last eruption occurred around 640,000 years ago * The last eruption released 8,000 more times ash and lava than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens * A 7.5 earthquake killed 28 people in Yellowstone in 1959 * In late 2008 and early 2009 a series of earthquakes hit Yellowstone Time * Volcanologists with the U.S. Geological Survey believe that supervolcanoes are likely to give decades of warning before erupting In late December of 2008, Yellowstone experienced over 250 earthquakes that ranged from being barely detectable to a 3.9 magnitude that rattled the park on Saturday, December 27, 2008. Utah geophysics professor Robert Smith said the activity was "certainly not normal," and the quakes were significant because they could have been caused by hypothermal activity related to the supervolcano. The park is a geologically active site and the December 2008 earthquakes mark the most intense activity the area as seen in years.