JFKA Forum Journals of the Plague Year?

[Ron Bulman]

On 9/5/2020 at 12:14 PM, W. Niederhut said:

   My wife and I are up in Estes Park this month, and I have been pleasantly surprised to see that almost everyone is wearing a mask on the hiking trails in Rocky Mountain National Park.  One notable exception was a portly couple we crossed paths with yesterday who were both wearing TRUMP 2020 T-shirts.  I felt unusually annoyed, but resisted the temptation to make a snide remark.

     When we got up to the Alpine Center on Trail Ridge Road yesterday, we could see columns of smoke billowing from the Cameron Peak forest fire a few miles away.   Creepy.

We came to Colorado in part to cool off from 100 degree days in Texas.  Coming into Salida I couldn't believe the car thermometer said 99.  My wife checked he phone.  Yep.  Then the car clicked 100.  I heard it was a record for the date on the radio.  A little cooler today up in the mountains today.

I hiked the Colorado Trail for about 100 yards today right below Mount Shavano, wife waiting in the car, couldn't go with planar fasciitis. 

Plague wise people visiting the ghost town of St. Elmo were masking only 1/4-1/3 but staying apart walking around.  But the chipmunk crossing was a disaster.  20-30 people, several kids, were gathered around feeding the little boogers, not a mask in site.  Didn't go there.

The weather is nuts.  90 again tomorrow then down to 38 tomorrow night.  90% chance of snow on Tuesday with a high of 40.  Low Tuesday night of 24 with a 80% chance of snow.  That's in Salida.  I'm supposed to go over Monarch pass Wednesday morning, that's 4300 feet higher.  Warm highway melts snow.  Then it freezes.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Ron Bulman

[W. Niederhut]

11 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

We came to Colorado in part to cool off from 100 degree days in Texas.  Coming into Salida I couldn't believe the car thermometer said 99.  My wife checked he phone.  Yep.  Then the car clicked 100.  I heard it was a record for the date on the radio.  A little cooler today up in the mountains today.

I hiked the Colorado Trail for about 100 yards today right below Mount Shavano, wife waiting in the car, couldn't go with planar fasciitis. 

Plague wise people visiting the ghost town of St. Elmo were masking only 1/4-1/3 but staying apart walking around.  But the chipmunk crossing was a disaster.  20-30 people, several kids, were gathered around feeding the little boogers, not a mask in site.  Didn't go there.

The weather is nuts.  90 again tomorrow then down to 38 tomorrow night.  90% chance of snow on Tuesday with a high of 40.  Low Tuesday night of 24 with a 80% chance of snow.  That's in Salida.  I'm supposed to go over Monarch pass Wednesday morning, that's 4300 feet higher.  Warm highway melts snow.  Then it freezes.

          We had to evacuate Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday afternoon because of the smoke from the Cameron Peak forest fire.   Trail Ridge Road was closed at 3 PM yesterday, and the fire is now burning the northern perimeter of RMNP.   The creepiest part was driving down Highway 34 through the heavy smoke in Lyons and Longmont, Colorado.  It was like a scene from the Apocalypse.

          Highs in the 90s forecast for smoky Denver this afternoon, followed by six inches of snow tonight!

          Thomas Friedman has accurately called this, "Global Weirding."  It's weird.

[Joe Bauer]

121 degrees in Woodland Hills just North of Los Angeles yesterday. Highest temperature ever recorded there.

115 in Hollister, CA ( location of the early Marlon Brando film "The Wild Ones") yesterday. 111 in Morgan Hill. 112 in Big Sur Saturday. 111 in Sacramento Saturday.

Heat wave in Kansas right now as well.

Death Valley, CA will reach 125 today.

You could literally fry eggs on sidewalks and car hoods here in California this weekend. Grapes left out would be raisins in 3 days.

Road kill mummified.

Check out the newsreel footage of the 200 campers trapped in surrounding fire at Big Bear Lake California and rescued by huge helicopters. They had to leave their vehicles behind!

And here on the Monterey Peninsula, the cities closed all their beaches this weekend!

They feared too many people would flock there and ignore social distancing. They even blocked off all the parking above the beaches!

HEY, the beaches are not "owned" by the cities! They are "public" spaces, owned by every citizen.

With this suffocating heat wave, thousands ( especially families with children ) have only one place to find cool breeze relief...the beaches.

Up here, no out of the ordinary Covid outbreaks have been documented from beach visiting. We don't have the crowds of L.A.

This is the first time I have flat out disagreed with government over-reactions to the Covid situation.

At least let suffering thousands take advantage of the fresh, cool ( and clean virus free ) air the beaches provide.

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Joe Bauer

[Ty Carpenter]

1 hour ago, Joe Bauer said:

121 degrees in Woodland Hills just North of Los Angeles yesterday. Highest temperature ever recorded there.

115 in Hollister, CA ( location of the early Marlon Brando film "The Wild Ones") yesterday. 111 in Morgan Hill. 112 in Big Sur Saturday. 111 in Sacramento Saturday.

Heat wave in Kansas right now as well.

Death Valley, CA will reach 125 today.

You could literally fry eggs on sidewalks and car hoods here in California this weekend. Grapes left out would be raisins in 3 days.

Road kill mummified.

Check out the newsreel footage of the 200 campers trapped in surrounding fire at Big Bear Lake California and rescued by huge helicopters. They had to leave their vehicles behind!

And here on the Monterey Peninsula, the cities closed all their beaches this weekend!

They feared too many people would flock there and ignore social distancing. They even blocked off all the parking above the beaches!

HEY, the beaches are not "owned" by the cities! They are "public" spaces, owned by every citizen.

With this suffocating heat wave, thousands ( especially families with children ) have only one place to find cool breeze relief...the beaches.

Up here, no out of the ordinary Covid outbreaks have been documented from beach visiting. We don't have the crowds of L.A.

This is the first time I have flat out disagreed with government over-reactions to the Covid situation.

At least let suffering thousands take advantage of the fresh, cool ( and clean virus free ) air the beaches provide.

 

Amen, Joe. These lockdowns are the result of little tyrants flexing their power over the common man. I'll bet you Newsom is nice and cool somewhere today. Remember this during voting time, whether it be for local dog catcher, council member, governor or president.

[Joe Bauer]

8 minutes ago, Ty Carpenter said:

Amen, Joe. These lockdowns are the result of little tyrants flexing their power over the common man. I'll bet you Newsom is nice and cool somewhere today. Remember this during voting time, whether it be for local dog catcher, council member, governor or president.

Ty, I agree with much of the lockdown program.

However, here our fresh ocean air beaches were providing cooling physical relief and clearly calming "psychological" stress relief for tens of thousands of people, many driving over 100 miles from inner state cities like Stockton, Modesto, etc...to give their families this needed relief.

Our beaches are big enough to provide much distancing.

Shutting them down during this incredibly stressful time of heat waves and massive fires is wrong imo.

I have seen pictures of L.A. area beaches where it seemed hundreds of thousands were congregating. Different situation by far here with one tenth that amount.

[Ron Bulman]

13 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

          We had to evacuate Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday afternoon because of the smoke from the Cameron Peak forest fire.   Trail Ridge Road was closed at 3 PM yesterday, and the fire is now burning the northern perimeter of RMNP.   The creepiest part was driving down Highway 34 through the heavy smoke in Lyons and Longmont, Colorado.  It was like a scene from the Apocalypse.

          Highs in the n90s forecast for smoky Denver this afternoon, followed by six inches of snow tonight!

          Thomas Friedman has accurately called this, "Global Weirding."  It's weird.

The mountains were surreal today.  Outlines as you approached them.  From Salida to Buena Vista over Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park, Crested Bute.  I think it's smoke coming from this fire 100 miles to the west.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/pine-gulch-fire-largest-fire-in-colorado-history/ar-BB17sf5d?ocid=uxbndlbing

I'd say 80-90% of people along main street in Crested Butte (one lane/one way)were masking and social distancing.  Not crowded but a lot of people out.

The amount of traffic coming out out of Taylor Park/CB over Cottonwood pass was astounding.

[W. Niederhut]

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Is Now Linked to More Than 250,000 Coronavirus Cases

One study estimates the public health cost of the super-spreading event is near $12 billion.

https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/09/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-is-now-linked-to-more-than-250000-coronavirus-cases/

Edited September 8, 2020 by W. Niederhut

[Joe Bauer]

1 hour ago, W. Niederhut said:

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Is Now Linked to More Than 250,000 Coronavirus Cases

One study estimates the public health cost of the super-spreading event is near $12 billion.

https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/09/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-is-now-linked-to-more-than-250000-coronavirus-cases/

Excellent point WN.

Their fun get together with no social distancing and mostly without masks cost the rest of us a massive amount.

This economic cost reality should be brought out more in the overall debate.

[Ron Bulman]

2 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Is Now Linked to More Than 250,000 Coronavirus Cases

One study estimates the public health cost of the super-spreading event is near $12 billion.

https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/09/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-is-now-linked-to-more-than-250000-coronavirus-cases/

Even fox news acknowledged this, 20% of new cases in August traced to Sturgis.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-linked-to-20-of-us-coronavirus-cases-in-august-researchers/ar-BB18PcTl?li=BBorjTa

32 degrees and snowing in Salida.

[W. Niederhut]

1 hour ago, Ron Bulman said:

Even fox news acknowledged this, 20% of new cases in August traced to Sturgis.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-linked-to-20-of-us-coronavirus-cases-in-august-researchers/ar-BB18PcTl?li=BBorjTa

32 degrees and snowing in Salida.

Ron,

    Did you bring your skis?

    As for Salida, you are probably familiar with the local Anglo pronunciations of Colorado's old Mexican towns, (acquired at gun point from Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.)

     Instead of "Sal-ee-da," we say "Sal-aye-da," (rhymes with saliva) and we call Buena Vista, "Byoo-na Vista," (rhymes with, siste(r.)

    My personal favorite-- white folks from old Colorado call Pueblo, "Pee-ebb-lo." 

[Ron Bulman]

This is nuts.  100 degrees Saturday.  27 here now with about 5 inches of snow.  Traffic has about died out, a snow plow went by a few minutes ago.  Overnight calls for possibly 9 more inches.  A high of 43 tomorrow with more snow won't melt it all.  I don't know if driving to South Fork via Del Norte will be doable or not.  No way I'm going back over Monarch pass in this as I planned.  Glad I brought a hooded heavy sweatshirt, jacket, flannel shirts and hiking boots.  Wish I had gloves.  The guy and gal in the next room are up from Amarillo on a Harley trike.  His brother is coming up tomorrow with a trailer to haul them home.

[W. Niederhut]

16 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

This is nuts.  100 degrees Saturday.  27 here now with about 5 inches of snow.  Traffic has about died out, a snow plow went by a few minutes ago.  Overnight calls for possibly 9 more inches.  A high of 43 tomorrow with more snow won't melt it all.  I don't know if driving to South Fork via Del Norte will be doable or not.  No way I'm going back over Monarch pass in this as I planned.  Glad I brought a hooded heavy sweatshirt, jacket, flannel shirts and hiking boots.  Wish I had gloves.  The guy and gal in the next room are up from Amarillo on a Harley trike.  His brother is coming up tomorrow with a trailer to haul them home.

Ron,

    You should be able to take Highway 50 down the Arkansas River Valley to I-25, (at Pueblo) then I-25 south to Raton and (287 to) Amarillo.

    My guess is that the snow will be gone within 48 hours-- even up on Monarch Pass.

[Joe Bauer]

Reporting from the Monterey Peninsula California Coast line regards the almost entire statewide Martian red tinged skyscape cloud and haze cover.

It still looks quite sun ray blocking outside to me this morning, although maybe 40% lighter in color and brighter in sunlight. More yellow than red.

I am sure it is the same all up and down our Coast line from above S.F. all the way to L.A..

This sun blocking phenomena is just eerie, creepy, ominous and depressing.

I can tell you it is also hugely effecting the personal and business areas of life throughout our heavily populated state.

People are not going out in this. Even dog walking looks to be curtailed to a minimum. Rec trails are empty. Outdoor dining attendance outside restaurants is nill. It was so dark out all day yesterday it was like a Volcano had erupted near bye.

A month of this and my guess is plants would stop producing chlorophyll. 

Yesterday there was no wind. It was eerily still.

Dogs weren't barking, birds weren't flying around and chirping, squirrels weren't skittering about and dropping acorns on our roof. Our local deer population was hiding. We eventually found three laying down under our backyard trees. Very still. I think the animals sense something unnatural and uncomfortable. They were just hunkered down all day. Only increased outdoor nature activity we noticed were dozens of lines of ants. Millions of them all around our house and next to it. What the heck?

Hope by tomorrow this dark ominous veil lifts.

Edited September 10, 2020 by Joe Bauer

[Ty Carpenter]

1 minute ago, Joe Bauer said:

Reporting from the Monterey Peninsula California Coast line regards the almost entire statewide Martian red tinged skyscape cloud and haze cover.

It looks the same to me this morning.

I am sure it is the same all up and down our Coast line from above S.F. all the way to L.A..

This sun blocking phenomena is just eerie, creepy, ominous and depressing.

I can tell you it is also hugely effecting the personal and business areas of life throughout our heavily populated state.

People are not going out in this. Even dog walking looks to be curtailed to a minimum. Rec trails are empty. Outdoor dining attendance outside restaurants is nill. It was so dark out all day yesterday it was like a Volcano had erupted near bye.

Barely any sunlight and what light there was was Martian red/orange/grey.

A month of this and my guess is plants would stop producing chlorophyll. 

Yesterday there was no wind. It was eerily still.

Dogs weren't barking, birds weren't flying around and chirping, squirrels weren't skittering about and dropping acorns on our roof. Our local deer population was hiding. We eventually found three laying down under our backyard trees. Very still. I think the animals sense something unnatural and uncomfortable. They were just hunkered down all day. Only increased outdoor nature activity we noticed were dozens of lines of ants. millions of them all around our house and next to it. What the heck?

Hope by tomorrow this dark ominous veil lifts.

Could you take a few pics and share them, Joe? 

[Joe Bauer]

Ty, actually I don't know how to take photos and post them on the forum.

I am incredibly inept with computers and camera work and posting such.

No I phones, I still only have a flip phone!

But if you type in San Francisco fire sky photos I am sure what you see is what we here are seeing regards the skyscape 125 miles directly South of the City.

Today is 40% less dark than yesterday.

Yesterday's sky was really like something you would imagine from a volcano eruption not too far away. So dark, people were driving around with their headlights on in the middle of the day!

Darkest blocked sunlight day I can ever recall in my 68 years on this 65% water covered planet.

Edited September 10, 2020 by Joe Bauer