Geo 365: Nov. 24, Day 328: Reminders

After our quick stop at the southeast end of the bridge across Brush Creek for the views of the tormented trees, we headed up the road a mile or so, then turned into Humbug Mountain State Park. Then we headed back west, through the campground, to a day-use parking area, with a paved trail under the bridge and down to the beach.

Even during the late 80's and 90's, sporadic "tsunami evacuation route" signs were popping up in coastal towns, but the Tohoku quake and tsunami seems to have really boosted awareness and planning efforts. While signs such as the above do not indicate any immediate danger, they are present at just about all (if not all) shore access points I've been to since that event. And I distinctly remember, in this case, surveying the landscape around me thinking, "What if the car is blocked in by debris? Where would we go?" In other words, the chance of being in tsunami danger is almost nil, but not quite. Being reminded in this manner to simply look around and assess the situation is for me, and I truly hope for many others as well, a very useful public service. Over the last few years, this has become a normal habit of mind when I'm below about 50 feet elevation at the coast.

Photo unmodified. May 7, 2013. FlashEarth location.