Geo 730: December 13, Day 712: On the Flank of Hood

Turning around in the same spot as yesterday's photo of Mount Jefferson, there was Mount Hood, looming over us. I think the White River drainage is the valley near the center that runs off the right side of the photo. The valley running down the left center toward the road is the Salmon River.

Photo unmodified. October 10, 2012. FlashEarth Location.

Geo 730: December 12, Day 711: Misty Mountain

If all I wanted was alliteration, "Smokey Summit" would be more accurate, but The Hobbit and everything... This is from a pullout just below the Timberline parking area, looking south to Mount Jefferson, the next major Cascade peak in that direction. Due to the haze, it's difficult to see just how deeply eroded that mountain is, which indicates it hasn't had any significant summit eruptions since the initiation of the ice ages, some two million years ago. That erosion is a little more evident in a cropped and processed potion of the photo, below. I've actually been almost to the top of the icefield visible in this image.

Top photo unmodified, crop run through Paint.Net's "autolevel" routine.. October 10, 2012. FlashEarth Location.

Geo 730: December 11, Day 710: Mount Hood Ski Bowl

There's something a little forlorn about ski areas in warm weather. It's like looking at a road that's closed to traffic... due to circumstances beyond their control, they are unable to serve their purpose. On the plus side, there was a really nice view of Hood, and a somewhat different perspective of Crater Rock. If you're going over this pass, but don't have time to drive up to Timberline, you should've planned more carefully, this is at the upper end of the small town of Government Camp, but off of Highway 26. It's next to a rest area, so you have an excuse to get off the road and stop for a bit.

Photo unmodified. October 10, 2012. FlashEarth Location.

Geo 730: December 10, Day 709: Crater Rock

Here, we've come around to the south and far enough west that we can clearly see Crater Rock, a remnant dome from the most recent eruptive period (See "Old Maid Eruptive Period," near the bottom of this USGS page). It's that pointy dome near the middle of the summit amphitheater. The apron extending down the slope below it consists of pyroclastic flow deposits from repeated collapses of domes that grew during that eruptive phase. Timberline Lodge, our ultimate destination on this hastily re-planned day, sits near the bottom of that apron. It's a gorgeous building and area, so it's a little sad to consider that, in the event of new eruptive activity here, it will likely be utterly destroyed.

Photo unmodified. October 10, 2012. FlashEarth Location (approximate).

Geo 730: December 9, Day 708: Big Berm

Zooming into the leftish-center of yesterday's photo, you can see the large berm formed, I'm supposing, as the lahar mounded up over the river bank as it swung around that bend. It's far enough distant, and I'm uncertain enough about the size of the trees, that I can't even guess at the size of that bank. But it's clearly pretty big.

I get the sense here that much of Mount Hood's flanks are simply big piles of debris that have spalled off summit plugs and domes. That smooth slope, flattening distally, has very little holding it in place other than gravity. When there are heavy precipitation events, and water starts pushing the rubble around, enormous amounts can mobilize all at once. I hope I'm not alone in saying this sight fills me with awe, and increased my respect for volcanoes, even those that tend not to erupt explosively- such as Mount Hood.

Incidentally, the small "boxy" object on the horizon near the center of the photo is the upper ski lodge at the Timberline Ski Area.

Photo unmodified. October 10, 2012. FlashEarth Location.

Geo 730: December 8, Day 707: As Disastrous as a Lava Flow

By this point, Dana noticed I hadn't thought to roll down the window, in my excitement, and had taken care it from the driver's side. We had stopped briefly to allow some work vehicles to cross the road, which allowed a couple steadier shots, this one and tomorrow's. Then I took her camera so she had some photos too.

A friend from my early years at OSU found a couple of items, and sent along links, that may be of interest here. The following video is from this past July, quadcopter footage starting from the work road extending upriver on the left. It's quite spectacular, and two years on, there hasn't been much in the way of recovery, aside from some scrubby vegetation. (You can skip ahead to 37 seconds to avoid staring at an energy drink can for that long.)

Also, here's a link to a set of photos taken in the area in the immediate aftermath. I hadn't realized until today just how much damage had been done, or that the new bridge had just recently opened when we crossed it.

Photo unmodified. October 10, 2012. FlashEarth Location.

Sunday Funnies: Second Half Edition

If you missed the first half, they're back here. But for reasons I explained at the end of that set, I couldn't finish yesterday.

Senor Gif

Funny to Me

Maximumble

Sober in a Nightclub

Pictures in Boxes

Senor Gif

This Modern World

Wil Wheaton

Very Demotivational

Jim Benton

"Successfully answering questions after my presentation" What Should We Call Grad School?

Senor Gif

Cheezburger

Jim Benton

"Someone was bored." Senor Gif

Cyanide and Happiness

Sober in a Nightclub

Sober in a Nightclub

Very Demotivational

Medium Large (One of several "Rejected Holiday Cards)

Bizarro

You don't say!? Bad Newspaper

Tastefully Offensive

Tastefully Offensive

Savage Chickens

"Natural Progression" Sober in a Nightclub

Blackadder

Sober in a Nightclub

Blackadder

Blackadder

Darius Whiteplume

Tastefully Offensive

Geo 730: December 7, Day 706: White River Lahar

Yeah, Mount Hood is in there, too, but Day-um! This was, by a long shot, the most exciting moment of the day for me. The bank shown in the previous post is visible on the far right, and there are some sparse trees below it, which is why I think that bank is unrelated to this particular flow. But to the left of those lower trees... nothing but volcanic rubble. There's not much in the way of reliable scale, but the tops of a couple campers are just sticking up over the berm to the left in the mid-distance. I have seen countless lahar deposits in various settings, but I don't think I've ever seen one this young and fresh. The devastation is stunning. I'll mention the berm at the river bend in the distance in passing, but I have a better shot coming up soon.

Photo unmodified. October 10, 2012. FlashEarth Location.

Sunday Funnies: Over 40 Edition

Tina Stull

Senor Gif

Lunar Baboon

Funny to Me

Funny to Me

Ciara Knight

Reader's Digest (of all places!)

"Lying with Statistics" Jesper S. Dramsch

 Nerf Now (The follow-up text with the comic brings it up to date.)

"Holiday anarchy" Sober in a Nightclub

Sober in a Nightclub

Bizarro

Sarah Anderson

Stunning Pictures

The Far Left Side

Balloon Juice

The Alicianater

Cheezburger

[F]Art Zone

Fake Science

Matt Lubchansky

Senor Gif

"Whisk Management" Doodle for Food

What Would Jack Do?

Sober in a Nightclub

"Church Happenings" Bad Newspaper

Bad Newspaper

Darius Whiteplume

Channel Ate

Tastefully Offensive

Tastefully Offensive

Tree Lobsters

Very Demotivational

Buttersafe

Very Demotivational

Senor Gif

Tastefully Offensive

Full story at The Syrup Trap

What Would Jack Do?

Bizarro

1111 Comics

There are a slew of people here studying for finals (start tomorrow) on their computers, and I've been having a hard time all day getting a stable, free-flowing wifi connection. That, combined with the fact I came in pretty late today, means putting the funnies together has been late, slow and tedious. It's getting late, and time for me to go home, even though I'm only about half done going back through the last 7 days of saved items. I don't often do this, but here's the first half, and I'll try to get the second half done in the next day or two.

Followup, Dec. 8: Here you go... The Second Half Edition