In Mid December 2009 Dennis and I undertook a road trip to Yellowstone National Park and back again via Zion. I took many pictures on this trip and I will post them up here one day at a time.

Our first day of driving took us from LA to Salt Lake City where we visited with Karl and Caroline. Their place is a beautiful house at 600o feet or so on a ridge top. We didn’t stay long, just overnight, but we had a fun visit and promised to stop off on the way home.

From SLC we headed on up through a snowstorm to the West Entrance of Yellowstone, where we got rooms at the Kelly Inn, at which we stayed for our entire time in Yellowstone. We found out when we arrived that the Park was not actually open as yet for visitors on Snowmobile or Snowcoach. I hadn’t realized they shut most of the park off twice a year, in December until the snow is deep enough on the roads, and again in March through April 16 to plow the roads for car access. The road from the North to East entrances is open year round, however, so we decided to head up to the North entrance to see Mammoth Hot Springs on our first day. This was a very long drive since there is no direct road between the 2 entrances except the one through the Park, but we eventually made it to the Hot Springs. Since we were essentially during closed season we basically had the place to ourselves which was wonderful. We took our time wandering around and taking pictures until we were all pictured out, then headed further east into the park. We stopped off at Undine Falls and took a few pictures, and then did the short hike into wraith falls, only to find them buried in snow. The sun was setting by this point so we packed up and headed back to West Yellowstone.

Anyhow here’s a sample of what we saw on our trip up and in Northern Yellowstone:

SLC to Yellowstone Dec 2009

For our first program of the year on Saturday, January 9, we are going to Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park to learn more about this special place where we live – the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem – and what we can do to take care of it. We will meet Michael Leach, director of Yellowstone Country Guardians, there who will be our guide for the day.

On Saturday, January 9, a big yellow school bus will pick up Bozeman teens at 8 a.m. at the Hopa Mountain office, located at 234 E. Babcock, and will meet Livingston teens in the Albertsons parking lot at 9 a.m.

From Gardiner, we will enter Yellowstone National Park for a tour of Mammoth Hot Springs. Dress warmly, as we will be outdoors. Following the tour, we will head inside the Mammoth Hotel for a leadership presentation and a sack lunch. If weather permits, we will soak in the Boiling River afterwards, so bring a bathing suit and towel.

Please contact Jamie Diehl at 586-2455 or jamie.diehl@msu.montana.edu if you plan to participate in this YLP field trip.

reviewed December 27, 2009

Cinnamon Lodge is a bit out of town being situated on Highway 191 between Big Sky and Yellowstone National Park. It sits right on the Gallatin River and is mostly a Mexican food restaurant with a few steaks and burgers on the menu as well.

I know what you’re thinking… “Mexican Food in Montana?!?!?”. Well, it’s not exactly what you’d find in southern California or Texas, or even Mexico, but, the food is surprisingly good.

First the bad part… The service is Slooooowwww…. so, don’t stop if you’re in a hurry.

The restaurant is a large log lodge with a small bar near the entrance and a large dining room. The tables are sparse and they could probably double the seating if they chose to. It’s also very kid-friendly with a corner filled with toys, small furniture, a rocking horse…

We stopped on our way back to Big Sky from a snow coach tour of Yellowstone National Park. There were 8 of us, including 2 kids and a toddler. At 6pm, the restaurant was mostly empty and we stood in the entry way waiting for the hostess to see if she could seat us. She asked if we had a reservation… “no”… Then she disappeared, for a long time…

We waited with another group of about 5 people. They were seated and we waited some more…. Finally, they put a couple of tables together and seated us.

Water came pretty quickly, with a couple of menus. There were 8 of us sharing about 3 or 4 menus. I went up to the front door and grabbed a couple of kid’s menus. The waiter then returned to take our drink order… Another looooong pause.

We were a little anxious to get our order in, mainly because we had a 2-year-old with us that didn’t have a long tolerance for restaurants. The restaurant was starting to fill up. And just as our tolerance for waiting was about to expire, the drinks came…. And the waiter disappeared again before we could get our food order in.

He came back a few moments later and FINALLY took our order. Heather and her mother both ordered tea that came out luke warm. After the waiter took all of our orders, she mentioned it to him, to which he replied “I nuked it for 3 minutes!”. He then disappeared and returned a few minutes later with steaming hot tea.

The food was actually pretty good. The margaritas terrible. Way too much sweet-and-sour mix.

We started with jalapeno poppers. These were jalapeno peppers sliced in half, lengthwise, stuffed with cream cheese, and wrapped in bacon. They are served with a strawberry-jalapeno jam that was pretty tasty. Actually, the waiter forgot the jam, and we had to ask a passing waitress for it.

For my main, I had the buffalo steak special. It was a fat piece of grilled buffalo, medium rare, that was delicious. This was served with a chile relleno that was pretty tasty and a cheese enchilada that was ok. Heather got a chimichanga that was enormous. It was filled with shredded beef and somewhat lacked finesse, but, was fine.

Sarah went for the chicken fingers from the kids menu. Can’t go wrong with chicken fingers. And Mary ordered a guacamole cheese burger that looked just fine.

I hate to put the restaurant in a negative light with the poor service because I actually like this restaurant. It’s comfortable, unassuming, and great when dining with kids. We just had a particularly tough time with the service on this particular evening.

If you’re travelling through with kids, or, just have a craving for a burrito, stop in. They’re friendly even if not always quick.

Todd Wilkinson remembers how far we’ve come . . . not all that far-

Looking Back Two Decades On Managing The Greater Yellowstone Ecoystem. By Todd Wilkinson. National Parks Traveler.

I was at that meeting in Jackson in 1983 to form the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. It is such a struggle against the entrenched bureaucracy with their ties to extractive interests!

Anyone who knows me knows I beat the living snot out of gear.  I don’t do it intentionally.  It just happens.  One day it’s new and shiny and the next it’s covered in dirt, abraded by slickrock and barely clinging to a modicum of usability.  This is especially true for shoes.  Way back when, during my pre-photography adventure racing days, I was offered the opportunity to do a gear test on a pair of Nike “backpacking” boots.  The test was supposed to run for 3 months.  The boots threw up a white flag at 1 month.  Apparently the folks at Nike were impressed with my ability to wreak havoc on their shoes because I’ve been an official Nike gear tester ever since.

As you might imagine finding durable boots that don’t require weeks of break-in isn’t an easy task for me.  Last summer, on a trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons, I neglected to pack my waterproof hikers.  Upon arriving in Jackson we were greeted with abundant snow still lingering in the high country and muddy trails down low.  I needed some waterproof boots and I needed them pronto.  We stopped at Teton Mountaineering and I wandered to the back of the store to check out the selection.  All the usual brands were there on the wall – The North Face, Salomon, Vasque.  And then there was Oboz.  O-what?  Never heard of ‘em.  An employee came to help and I explained my dilemma.  He suggested I try the Oboz Yellowstone Light Hiker.  He explained that it would fit my narrow to medium volume foot and that they are immediately comfortable – no break-in required.

I tried on the Oboz along with three other boots from the aforementioned collection.  To my surprise, the Oboz fit my weird foot perfectly while the others paled in comparison.  After walking around the store with the Oboz on my feet for about half an hour I decided to give them a shot.  Now, seven months later, I can say with absolute confidence that it was a wise decision.

I would usually start with my “likes” but this time I’m going to start with my “dislikes”.  Why?  Because they are so very few I’d rather just get them out of the way so we can move on to the good stuff.

A Couple Things I Don’t Like

• The hard rubber soles don’t provide great traction on the slickrock around Moab.  I can’t really say this is a design flaw or even a fault of the boot but it is worth mentioning.  If you do most of your hiking on slickrock, find an approach style shoe with a sticky rubber sole.
• The proprietary waterproofing (called BDry) is good but not great.  Gore-Tex is better.  eVent is the best.  Whatever technology they use seems to vent perspiration well and doesn’t leak through if you’re intermittently splashing through creeks or slogging through snow.  Stand in the middle of a creek because it’s the best place to compose an image and your feet get wet.  Is it fair to knock the boot for this?  Maybe, maybe not.  I’ve worn boots with other waterproof liners and my feet seemed to stay dry longer in the same conditions. (Update: Oboz contacted me after finding this post to advise that they are aware of some issues with the BDry membrane and that those issues have been resolved.  A “higher quality membrane” has been developed and is now in use.  They also noted that a new, all leather Yellowstone II will be out in 2010.)

Now On To the Good…And There’s A Whole Lot of Good

• Hiking boots this comfy right outta the box shouldn’t be durable.  Actually, they should be but they never are.  Until now.  The Oboz never gave me blisters or hot spots, they never felt too stiff and they never made my feet go numb.  What they have done is give me miles and miles and miles of super comfortable hiking in the mountains of Wyoming, the rainforests of Washington, the coast of Oregon and the deserts of Utah.  More importantly, after 7 months, they’re still going strong.  No delamination, minimal tread wear and all the seams are still intact.  Go Oboz!
• As I’ve already mentioned, my feet are weird.  I have a low arch, a razor thin heel and a narrow to medium volume forefoot.  Athletic shoe shopping is not my favorite thing to do.  I usually end up wearing thick socks and custom lacing boots that are too wide for my feet.  Not so with the Oboz.  I slipped in my Superfeet insole and the fit was perfect.  No custom lacing.  No unusually thick socks.
• Light hikers don’t usually offer much support when you’re carrying more than 15 pounds on your back.  I regularly carry almost twice that with all my photography and day hiking gear crammed into an abused pack.  The Oboz haven’t flinched.  I’ve not turned an ankle (knocking on wood at this very moment) and even after 10+ miles my feet don’t feel overworked.  I have no doubt these boots could be pushed into use for weekend trips.  Even with the support and durability these boots offer they don’t feel like big, fat leather bricks on your feet.  A men’s size 9 weighs 37.8 oz. per pair but they feel much lighter in use.
• Oboz boots/shoes incorporate different outsoles on each model.  The Yellowstone uses what they call the “Sawtooth”.  As I’ve mentioned it doesn’t grip well on slickrock.  But stomp through mud, dirt or rocky terrain and the outsoles shine.  Even on steep downhill trails covered in scree they seemed to bite into the terrain with terrific traction.
• Waterproof hiking boots aren’t cheap.  The Oboz Yellowstone retail for $125, which isn’t cheap but it is lower than the offerings of most of their competitors.  That combined with the fact that the Oboz will outlast the others means these suckers are a great value.

If you’re looking for a comfortable, reasonably priced, durable waterproof hiking boot and you’ve got a narrow to medium volume foot you should seriously consider the Oboz Yellowstone.  If you do and you feel like sharing your opinion stop back by my blog and leave a comment for all the world to see.

You can learn more about Oboz at their website, www.obozfootwear.com.

Disclosure: I have not been compensated in any way to write this review.  I am not sponsored by or affiliated with Oboz.  I just really dig their product.

Yellowstone

© Leana Jalukse. December 2009. Supervised by Lea Sonn.

It’s still open!!

I thought this money-wasting imaginary benefit to a few Cody businesses died when Dick Cheney went away.

Sylvan Pass opens for winter travel. Billings Gazette.

Yellowstone Winter - Elk

Winter in Yellowstone National Park is brutal with subfreezing temperatures and deep, deep snow. Surviving winter there is a challenge and many animals don’t survive. When the snow covers the grasses and plants, elk and other mammals will resort to browsing pine needles and bark just to make it through the day.

The painting is available for sale – contact Marti for pricing info.

Almost a week without a post. Hey, if you haven’t noticed, it’s a busy time of the year.

We’re almost there, really … a couple more group previews, some last-minute adjustments and we’ll be able to play ball at last. In fact, there will be some exhibition games taking place this weekend.

I think it will be well worth the wait, as we will have basically every significant player, at least the ones who qualified for their teams. The Strat-O-Matic Negro leagues set has surpassed even the very high expectations, and so our timing has been most fortuitous.

OK. As Lewis and Clark may have said, on to the Pacific. California is alone at the top here, but Japan is clearly an outstanding team, and certainly one to watch for in the tournament portion. Japan is in here because there aren’t that many Western states, with some combining to form teams, and as we mentioned last time, the international group had no vacancies.

Because of pitching, I think the smaller combo teams here are better than most and this group might not be as one-sided as it appears. I don’t think there’s a ton of upset potential, but the teams at the top of this crew will have to work harder for their wins.

1. California. Can’t wait to play the outfield of Bonds, DiMaggio and Williams. I think if we were playing a full season with the best teams, they’d win. I’m not so sure about the tournament, however.

2. Japan. Not really a sleeper because they won the 2006 and 2009 WBC tournaments. But just to remind everyone, they’re real good.

3. Oregon. The battle for third is going to be interesting. In time, Washington may nudge ahead on their young pitchers. But for now I like the Oregonians.

4. Washington. Probably will get in the tournament anyway, and really it’s a coin flip for third.

5. Yellowstone. Killebrew and some solid pitching could help the Bison sneak up on the previous two in the short-season format.

6. Alaska/Hawaii. Great rotation, but lack of offense will keep the 59ers from being more than a pain-in-the-neck factor in the Pacific.

Next: The South rises again.

mengembalikan jati diri bangsa

Kembalinya Lewis dan Clark dari perjalanan mengembalikan jati diri bangsa mereka ke Pasifik memperkuat keyakinan bahwa negara Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa luar Missouri tidak cocok untuk Mengembalikan Jati Diri huni atau digunakan. Tahun berikutnya salah satu mantan anggota ekspedisi Jati Diri sedang sibuk mencari calon pelanggan untuk berang-berang dan bulu-bantalan makhluk. Ini kasar keras kepala orang gunung John Colter bekerja dalam perjalanan ke dataran tinggi negeri di daerah yang sekarang barat laut Wyoming.

Matanya hampir tak percaya apa yang mereka lihat di sana. Tapi ia kemudian dengan hati-hati menggambarkan keajaiban mustahil ia temukan dan orang-orang segera mulai Kebangsaan memanggil daerah amp quot Colter amp s Neraka. amp quot Untuk laki-laki mencari lebih banyak dan lebih baik wilayah pertanian di sini adalah bukti lebih lanjut yang amp quot Barat amp quot itu baik – hampir berharga.

Beberapa tahun kemudian orang gunung lain melakukan perjalanan ke bagian ini hampir tidak dapat dipercaya. Dia Jim Bridger sama-sama keras kepala tapi dia punya cara cerdas dengan kata-kata. Kisah Bangsa yang diceritakan tentang jet uap lumpur gunung berapi sumber air mendidih dan tampaknya mustahil benda lainnya dengan cepat merangsang rasa ingin tahu orang dan juga aman Jim reputasi sebagai teller cerita tinggi. Mereka tidak repot-repot mengisi petisi atau memulai petisi Jati Diri Bangsa atau permohonan warga ekspedisi resmi di daerah.

Namun itu sudah bertahun-tahun kemudian ketika kereta api telah mendorong barat dan semakin Mengembalikan Jati Diri banyak orang telah melihat ajaib ini bahwa ada datang perasaan itu harus disimpan yang belum terjamah untuk semua Bangsa waktu. Jadi itu adalah bahwa pada tahun itu dikhususkan sebagai taman nasional pertama kami dan lebih dari . . hektar membuatnya masih terbesar kami. Ini adalah kira-kira empat persegi panjang sekitar mil dari utara ke selatan dan rata-rata mil lebar. Lebih dari Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa dari wilayahnya terletak di Wyoming sementara bagian yang sangat kecil ini di Montana dan jejak di Idaho.

Bagian tengah taman adalah sebuah dataran tinggi rata-rata sekitar . kaki. Kecuali ke barat Kebangsaan daya dataran bergulir ini dikelilingi oleh besar gunung-gunung berselimut salju yang menimbulkan tambahan mengembalikan jati diri bangsa . sampai . kaki. Baik dataran dan puncak-puncak gunung berapi di asal dan wilayah sekarang di final non-kekerasan vulkanik tahap tindakan.

Akibatnya kepala fitur pemandangan taman adalah geyser dan banyak lainnya termal atau air panas keajaiban. Banyak format petisi

Troop 22213 spent the last week of July enjoying Yellowstone National Park. The vacation started early on Sunday morning. The girls were excited and settled into the 12-passenger van that would become their “home” for the next 23 hours. As we were leaving town, we decided to take a detour and see Mount Rushmore. It added on some time to the trip, but it was worth it. The girls enjoyed being able to see this national monument, and it was amazing seeing something that we had only seen in pictures. After the stop, we continued on our way to West Yellowstone. We arrived at 3 a.m. The girls were sent right to bed for a few hours of sleep before our activities really began.

The first day, we went to Fountain Paint Pots and Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. The girls learned that you cannot rush mother nature!

Day two brought us to a ranch where they taught us how to Fly Fish. It was a great experience. We then had supper with a Girl Scout Junior troop from West Yellowstone. They brought their flags, and we had a flag ceremony. After supper we went to the local Smokejumper base and learned all about smokejumping. It was a lot of fun.

Day three was exhausting but fun. The morning started with a nine-mile horseback ride that lasted two hours. One of our guides’ grandparents were from Faribault! After our ride, we enjoyed a great lunch of buffalo burgers and brats. The girls even had some time to rock climb.

Then the adventure began. We went white water rafting. It was the most fun experience we had. We all slept great that night!

Our last day, we spent at the Canyon in Yellowstone. We had “hobo lunches” that we made over a fire, and then we went on a ranger hike to look at the falls. They were wonderful. While in Yellowstone, we completed the Jr Ranger badge and learned a lot along the way! There was a little time found to do some shopping as well.

The next morning was early as we loaded up and got ready to call the van our “home” again. This time the trip only took us about 18 hours. All in all, we had a great time. The girls were wonderful, and we could not have asked for a better trip!

- Robin, troop leader

Click here to see more photos from there trip.

Heads up.

Old Faithful Snow Lodge opened up for the winter season on Friday December 18th.  At the helm of 704 (a.k.a. Plowboy), I went South to Flagg Ranch for my first day live with guests. Five of us deadheaded down at 10 a.m. with a shoveling stop at Moose Falls. I ended up full up with 10 guests coming back. Good first run. On Saturday, I went out to West Yellowstone. Deadheading out and coming back in live. Another good run. Yesterday was a day of training showing my mentoree, Anthony, the ropes of a Bomb. Today was a lazy day off and tomorrow I head South again. Live both ways. Bringing Elizabeth and Steve back in on their first winter Yellowstone trip.

Plowboy at Fairy Falls trailhead

Plowboy salute

Old Faithful is a very faithful showcase of the Lord's great power within creation.

Old Faithful is one of the most well known natural wonders at Yellowstone. It is not the only thing there however. Check out the entire Yellowstone Gallery at my Fine Art America Store by clicking here. 74 images from this great natural wonder are waiting for you! Check them out today!

The feel at the Paint Pots in Yellowstone is quite mystical!

The Upper Terrace Drive at Mammoth Hot Springs is a neat drive! This is just one view from there.

Howard's Backside

Going on a week at Snow Lodge. We left Houston, Texas in the snow on December 4, Dad’s birthday, at 3pm and headed for Austin. Met up with Rocky and family and ate dinner at Magnolia Street Cafe. After dinner and some hanging out at Rocky’s, we hit the chilly road for Kyle, Texas and the home of the Coats. Left Austin around 10 and hit Kyle at 11:00. Most of the denizens were napping when we arrived. Some roused themselves admirably (Chris and Bret). Others (Jack and Will) were not as heroic. But they would more than make up for it the following morning.  Bret and I ended up hanging out until 4 am. I was up early the next morning with Jack and Will. Watched Empire Strikes Back, decorated the tree, ate breakfast, decorated the tree. Jack hung the Angel. We hit the road northwest just before noon. We made it to Lubbock that evening. Longhorns 13 Nebraska 12 in the hotel room. Made it to Cheyenne the next day. Hit snow and wind in Colorado. The worst of it in Denver traffic. Escaped in one piece and out of Colorado to Cheyenne. Flat tire and Sierra Trading Post the following morning delayed our departure til noon. Drove north in and out of snow and dropping subzero temps. But the roads were good and we made decent time. Rolled into Billings around 7:30pm for a shopping and dinner run on the snow covered roads. After supplying up, we escaped the urban sprawl of Billings and rolled further West on 90. Rolled as far as Big Timber. Got a hotel room there. Up late early to rise. Subzero driving to Livingston to 89 south to Gardiner. Checked in at HR at 9:45am. Directly to work for both of us. The next two nights were spent in the Mammoth Hotel. Rolled to Snow Lodge on Glavals and MC5s on Wednesday December 10. Made the final bus by the skin of our teeth 30 seconds late. Pride in Punctuality. Started snowing and it continues. Wheeled vehicles are out. Tracks are in. We picked up 11 Bombs from Norris today. I head back to Norris tomorrow to pick up some passengers, “four wives and two maintenance men.” Snow Lodge opens Friday, December 18. Skiing has been great. Carl and I broke up Grant’s Pass on Saturday. Stopped a mile from Shoshone Meadows, turn around time already exceeded. Our tracks should be covered by now. I still nurse my blister.

(National Geographic News) – The huge column of molten rock that feeds Yellowstones “supervolcano” dives deeper and fills a magma chamber 20 percent bigger than previous estimates, scientists say.

via Under Yellowstone, Magma Pocket 20% Larger Than Thought.

Did you know that Yellowstone National Park sits on a supervolcano?

I didn’t — until I watched Rachel and Matt’s Coolest Stuff video podcast on the place and they frightened me to death. And then, just as I was about to write about how scary the supervolcano is, it got supersized. A recent study published in the “Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research” says that the magma chamber a few miles beneath Yellowstone is 20 percent larger than previously thought, according to ScienceDaily. So if the thing erupted, the devastation would be worse than everyone expected — if that’s possible.

How bad did it look before its size got recalculated? According to the Discovery Channel, an eruption would take out the whole park, the nearby communities, and ash pouring out of the park would spread all the way to the Pacific Coast and throughout the Midwest. It would even cause worldwide weather problems. The last time the supervolcano erupted — 640,000 years ago — it ejected 8,000 times the ash and lava that was ejected from Mount St. Helens when it erupted in 1980. Mount St. Helens ash spread 22,000 square miles. The ash from Yellowstone’s ancient eruptions showered as much as half of today’s United States, according to ScienceDaily.

But how does a volcano get the prefix “super”? According to Discovery, a volcano is super when it erupts infrequently and really puts on a show when it blows. For example, when Yellowstone erupted 2.1 million years ago, it had 10-mile-high towering ash cloud, and poured about 1,000 cubic miles of ash. Good grief.

Let’s hope mellow Yellowstone doesn’t get angry — because you know what happens when someone who never gets angry, gets angry: well, something much more cataclysmic than Old Faithful.

More on natural disaster…
How is volcanic ash made?
How Extinction Works
How Earthquakes Work
How Landslides Work

I thought it was a great movie. Action packed and just what I wanted to see that night. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I even left with a headache from clenching my teeth. I did have a few problems with their apocalypse science.

Here’s a preview of the movie: Makes me want to go see it again!

1. Solar flares

Have happened and continue to happen. There is argument that 2012 will be a severe year for solar activity, however, the damage caused will likely be our electrical systems. This is a big concern as the last major flare knocked out telegraph systems worldwide shocking operators and setting telegraph paper on fire. This event was the Carrington Super Flare in 1859. It’s possible that a similar event could knock out electric and satellites on a massive scale causing trillions of damage and months to years to repair.

Fox News on the pontential of solar flare electricity problems:

It is highly unlikely that a new form of radiation will cause the core of the Earth to heat up at an uncontrolled rate as it does in the movie causing volcanoes to erupt, the crust to split and plates to drift at high speeds.

2. Earth Crust Displacement theory/Crust Destabilization

Hapgood (the guy who made the theory) was a historian, not a geologist. The theory has been debunked by the scientific community. Plate tectonics explain the movement of plates but their courses would not be changed by core heat. It is possible that the convection that moves the plates would accelerate, but it currently moves at such a slow rate (a couple inches a year, depending on location) that the amount of heat to accelerate the movement to the degree portrayed in the movie would be so vast as to be nearly impossible and would likely destroy the Earth in a different manner.

3. Yellowstone

There has been a lot of research done about Yellowstone Caldera and the conclusions are quite disturbing. I think that Yellowstone is one of the scariest threats to North America, if not the world. It was downplayed a lot in the movie. The Caldera used to be a ‘Super Volcano’ and erupted so violently that it destroyed itself, leaving the fascinating and beautiful Yellowstone area. Yellowstone is the largest collection of thermal features in the world. The last giant eruption, 640,000 years ago was 6000 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens. A future super eruption could explode with the force of 1 million Hiroshima bombs. A pyroclastic flow would accompany the blast, obliterating everything near-by. Falling ash and debris could kill anything within 1,000km. A lava flow large enough to coat the US to a depth of 5 inches could occur. Within minutes of the eruption tens of thousands would be dead. The long term effects would be worse. The tons of ash in the atmosphere would block out the sun, causing a nuclear winter and massive food shortages. Yellowstone tends to erupt every 600,000 years or so leaving us 40,000 years overdue. Scientists have discovered that the ground in Yellowstone is swelling upwards indicating magma activity. If Yellowstone lives up to the expectations of researchers, we could be facing an extinction level event.

Basically if the characters where all standing around when Yellowstone blew, end of movie. However, they daringly escape doom to fight another 2 hours.

Another problem with Yellowstone is that the force of the eruption could be enough to knock the Earth off the precise and perfect tilted axis that provides our temperate weather. Not by much, but even a degree or two could change life as we know it.

4. Planes

Most of this movie involves escaping to the air, but there is no way a plane could fly in the ashy conditions after Yellowstone blows.

5. Communications

Somehow, after the solar flare, volcanic eruptions and crumbling earth, people are still seen using cell phones and satellite communication. If a solar flare were to occur at this level, satellites are unprotected outside our atmosphere and would be damaged if not destroyed. I doubt that the cell phone towers would withstand the earth quakes and volcanic activity either. Especially after we are shown the ash clouds destroying Las Vegas.

6. Tsunamis

Yes, tsunamis make sense if pieces of crust are falling off into the ocean and if I ignore the previous goofs. Underwater activity would agitate the oceans and cause tsunamis as well. The boat that is capsized in open water makes no sense. Tsunamis are hardly noticeable out in deep water. Maybe a larger wave, but definitely not enough to sink a cruise ship. I have some questions about how a 1500 meter (or whatever) wave was nearing the peak of Everest at some 29,000 feet (or more, don’t quote me on that number) but it’s kind of silly at this point.

7. Africa being the last land mass left/first to resurface

I don’t really understand why Africa is left or resurfaces first (it wasn’t clear to me what happened exactly). It may be a nod to the cradle of life or the area’s fertile grounds breeding civilization by agriculture, but it may just be a coincidence. My major problem with this is that Africa is already on an unstable continental plate. Africa is on a plate that is being pulled apart and thinning, as California is doing in Baja, but it hasn’t been as pronounced. Lake Victoria and some nearby lakes in South-Eastern Africa are being formed by this process. The entire rift valley should have been destroyed by the same process that swallowed up California.

8. Pole reversal & magnetic shield

They mentioned the poles reversing in the movie. If this had happened, the Earth’s magnetic field that protects us from solar wind (radiation) would be comprised for an untold amount of time. During that time, we’d get fried by the radiation. Apparently, the only change in the movie is that the South Pole moved to Wisconsin.

9. What happened to the core radiation? At the beginning of the movie we hear that the core is heating up and causing all this. After all the volcanoes and flooding and all that, it’s fine now? Unlikely. If the core were to start generating more heat (it already generates radiation and heat), it wouldn’t end there. The strata of the earth (the core, inner core, outer core, mantle, etc) would eventually become unstable causing further heating reactions, accelerating the process. (That’s bad)

There are many more little mistakes, but I understand that it’s just a movie and that things need to be tweaked to make the story work and not be completely depressing. I did really enjoy this movie. It was stressful and fast paced and made me say ‘wow’ as I left.

Basically, if something were to happen, it’d be better to just stay put and die rather than extend your misery because there is little to no way that you will survive. Life on this planet is fragile and any changes, even miniscule can destroy life on Earth. It is unlikely that the world will end in our lifetime, but there are a multitude of theories about how it will all happen. I’m not worried about any imminent destruction, but I am absolutely fascinated by it.

*The likely hood of any of these scenarios in our lifetime is unlikely (excepting the solar flare that could knock out electric) and I personally do not buy that the world will end in 2012. However, if it does, I plan to spend my last day with my loved ones and accept that it is time.

***I do not profess to be any sort of scientist or have any professional knowledge on these subjects, only what I have learned in college and the things I have come across in recent research

2808 bison killed under the Schweitzer Administration

Bison calf being processed at the Stephens Creek Facility YNP

In an address to the Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer boasted that “No governor in Montana history has sent more bison to slaughter than this governor.” During Schweitzer’s administration he has the dubious distinction of presiding over the deaths of 2808 wild bison, 1,616 of which were killed in a single year. This from a Governor who campaigned on the promise that he would work for more tolerance towards buffalo in Montana.

Schweitzer tells livestock group that lobbyists have stalled help
Matthew Brown – Associated Press