SUPERVOLCANO and The Mis-information Superhighway

Posted on April 12, 2014April 12, 2014 by Dusty Roads

You saw it on YouTube, then Turner Networks and even the local newspapers. Bison are fleeing Yellowstone National Park. Earthquakes are “unzipping” the super volcano caldera!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMSPrHXvyws

Is a mega disaster imminent?

Not likely says Park Spokesman Dan Hottle. The bison are actually running toward the interior of Yellowstone right toward the ancient 55 X 18 mile magma chamber, the location of the past super volcano explosions.

The Video originally posted on March 20 and sparked stories as far away as Australia. Mainstream news outlets picked up the story and the video went viral. By now more than 700,000 people (make that 700,001) have viewed the alleged bison exodus.

When news of Sunday’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the airwaves, Turner Radio Network broadcast ” It appears the super volcano is unzipping !” The earthquake, which was the largest in 34 years, was actually centered north of the caldera boundary. It was generated by a system of fault lines, not magma.

Yellowstone has thousands of tremors every year. How could it not with geysers exploding and mud flats bubbling. There have been more than 250 tremors in just the past month. It is business as usual for the geothermal area.

But just in case the bison are trying to commit a mass suicide Spokesperson Hottle says he’s ready. “I’ve got my tent packed and a couple of bags of microwave popcorn. I’ll be ready!”

Just goes to show you can’t believe everything you see on the internet.

Oh one last comment for our Russian friends…Old Faithful will not burn down. 🙂

( Last year there was a 2 tree fire 8 miles south of Old Faithful. A Russian television station called asking if Old Faithful was going to burn down. )

Maui Wowie

Posted on April 5, 2014April 5, 2014 by Dusty Roads

You remember how I said once you book a trip you start to hear about the location all the time? It’s true. Since booking the trip to Tennessee I’ve seen ads for Tennessee Whiskey and an article about the Chattanooga Train Museum.

And Las Vegas made the news. They just opened a huge Ferris Wheel, the World’s tallest! There are 28 glass enclosed gondolas that are fully air conditioned. A full rotation takes 30 minutes.

Now I’m wondering if I should start thinking about Hawaii again. Actually I never stop thinking about Hawaii. I love it there but I have delayed a return trip in hopes of seeing more of the as yet un-visited states. But along with the Tennessee and Las Vegas news I keep finding things about Maui, HI.

Last night Wild Hawaii was on Nat Geo Wild. It was all about the ocean around Maui and a large segment concentrated on the humpback whales that migrate to Hawaii to give birth and mate. The show was filled with shots of whales breaching and fins slapping.

That show was followed by another episode but this time about surfing. After the show covered California surfers it segued into “Jaws” and not the shark. Jaws is what they call the huge waves that roll into Maui, HI. in the winter each year. Championship surfing at it’s best.

I picked up another magazine and the feature story was “The Road to Hana”.

Then the science channel had a show about volcanoes and Haleakala was discussed.

Seems to me the universe is lining up to entice me back to the Aloha State. Something to really look forward to. 🙂

Nat Geo Wild

Posted on March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 by Dusty Roads

There’s a television station/ channel called Nat Geo Wild. I hate and love it at the same time. Does your cable provider supply it in your area? To me it’s the new Animal Planet. I remember when Animal Planet launched. It was the new kid on the block and everyone wanted it. If it wasn’t available in your area you lobbied your cable provider to carry it. Now it’s a staple in most cable lineups.

Nat Geo Wild is a joint venture of Fox Cable network and National Geographic. It first launched in Asia, Hong Kong actually in January of 2006. It slowly worked it’s way to toward the New World, United Kingdom, Turkey, Ireland, Romania, India, Vietnam, and Poland.

The channel finally launched in Latin America on November 1, 2009. It didn’t make it to the United States until 2010 when it arrived in High Definition Glory, a true member of the National Geographic Family, dedicated to animal related programming with National Geographic’s signature quality photography.

I love this channel. I love the animals, the stories and the amazing vistas from Canyonlands to Safaris in Africa.

So why do I hate the channel? I hate it because it is so real, especially in HD on a large screen TV. The locales and adventures call to my heart. I want to be in that sub at 500 ft. under the sea. I want to be on the boat off Maui watching the humpbacks breach in the azure water. I want to be scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

I want to climb aboard an airboat in the Everglades and kayak under the glaciers of Alaska. Maybe I’ll skip Antarctica but I’m not adverse to searching for komodo dragons on Indonesian Islands or visiting Galapagos.

It’s very possible that I can do some, if not all of these adventures… if I win the lottery. National Geographic offers vacations with their guides and photographers but like all things National Geographic, done to the max and with the price tag to match. They even have a “mentor” series where you travel to a location for training with their award winning photographers. Again $$$$.

So I dream on and torture myself with wishes. I take my little vacations and scratch the surface of these amazing locations. I enjoy my vacations but there’s a slight feeling that there should be more.

I watch Nat Geo Wild to see what I’m missing and keep my wanderlust fueled for my next adventure, and I keep dreaming. 🙂

A Little bit more about Vegas

Posted on March 29, 2014March 29, 2014 by Dusty Roads

You know how I mentioned that once you pick a destination it seems that’s all you hear about? Well as predicted I’m tripping over Tennessee but also Las Vegas. Facebook is a wonderful thing for keeping up with people and what did I see today? A post from a friend from the Bellagio. He’s in Vegas now and posted pictures of the floral arrangements in the lobby.

I asked if he was staying there and he said no, at the Flamingo! So of course I mentioned the Wildlife Habitat. I hope he stops in there and posts some comments or pictures.

Speaking of Vegas I think we’re coming to the end of the Free list. One last Free attraction that I found is the Volcano at the Mirage, nightly shows from 7 – 11 pm, all free.

I hope we have time to take an break from the fire shows and lights and get outside the city. Believe it or not, Las Vegas is within a few hours drive of some of the most uniquely beautiful state and national parks in the United States.

Nevada’s Great Basin National Park lies near Las Vegas. It includes the limestone Lehman Caves, the Wheeler Peak glacier, and Lexington Arch, a natural limestone arch more than six stories tall.

Valley of Fire is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park, dedicated in 1935. Ancient trees and early man are represented throughout the park by areas of petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyphs.

A National Historic Landmark, Hoover Dam is the highest concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere, standing at more than 725 feet above the Colorado River. Attracting more than a million visitors a year, Hoover Dam is located in Black Canyon, just minutes outside of Las Vegas.

There are several animal and bird sanctuaries and Desert National Wildlife Range. My reading about Desert National Wildlife Range or Desert NWR make me think this might be a good place to skip on this trip. It sounds rugged and many of the roads can become unpassable or require 4 wheel drive. But if we get bored there’s always the Grand Canyon. There are a number of tours to the Grand Canyon that depart from Las Vegas and even though I’ve seen it twice it would still be worth another visit.

I think it’s going to be a great trip.

More Free Stuff in Vegas

Posted on March 28, 2014March 28, 2014 by Dusty Roads

More free stuff kept coming up as I roved the world wide web. The Sirens of TI, a Pyrotechnics extravaganza on a Pirate Ship sounded like an exciting if, borderline X rated show but the latest updates indicate that the show has been canceled, apparently quite suddenly.

M & M’s World is touted as Free and might be kind of cool to see . Looks like there’s be ton of places for photo ops still I got the impression it was really a huge M & M themed gift shop kind of like a Disney store for chocoholics.

But then a entry for wildlife caught my eye. Called Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo it includes Flamingos of course.

Touted as one of the most unique and beloved attractions in Las Vegas, Flamingo’s Wildlife Habitat is a serene paradise. It is conveniently free of charge and open to the public daily. Nestled on the Flamingo hotel’s lush 15-acre grounds, the Habitat is stocked with exotic birds, fish and turtles.

A highlight is the Flamingo Island, home to a huge flock of Chilean flamingos. A colorful collection of other feathered friends such as Ring Tealed ducks and Sacred Ibis fascinate guests and populate the Habitat. In addition to our namesake, you’ll find swans, ducks, koi fish and turtles living at the Habitat. Two brown pelicans joined us from a pelican rescue in 2012.

All animals are carefully maintained. The species frolic on islands and streams surrounded by sparkling waterfalls and foliage. Spot hummingbirds zipping to their feeders, snap a few pictures of signature flamingos and watch the water animals at feeding time.