Ashy Update
Short story: we're fine and ashfall was light.
So, yesterday our friend Gryphraptor came over. We went out for lunch and then we all went and saw Watchmen. It was a very good movie, and all three of us enjoyed it a lot. Little did we know that while we were seeing the movie, Redoubt had erupted twice. But even if we had known, we probably wouldn't have cared, because Redoubt has been erupting all week and life goes on, you know?
After the movie, we went first to Borders Books, and then to Michael's Crafts, so that I could pick up some painting supplies, because I am feeling the call to paint again. We were in Michaels for about 15 minutes, I'd say. When we came out, we opened the trunk of the car for me to put my supplies in, and we noticed that light grey powder was gathering on the car. Is that ash? Dino asked, and yes indeed it was. Ash was falling. Barely noticeable. We got in the car and Dino got on the cell phone to his lackey at work, to make sure about their computer equipment. Dino tells Lackey that the ash fall is barely anything and Lackey says, yeah well look to the south. We were in the parked car facing north, where there was sunny blue sky. We turned around, looked south, and saw the sky was a dark ominous grey brown.
Dino wanted to go to Best Buy quick before going home, so we drove over there, which was basically across the street from where we were. Dino's driving, but Gryph and I look south down the street as we cross the intersection, and we can see that cars are already kicking ash up enough that driving visibility is getting bad. We dash into Best Buy. We can feel the ash in our mouths and gritty in the corners of our eyes. My blue jacket is covered with grey specks by the time we get in. We make it a very fast stop and run back out. The car is covered and pretty much grey when we get back out.
We live in south Anchorage, so we have to drive into the ash to get home. The fall itself was actually fairly light, but because of the cars kicking it up, visibility is poor. When we get home, Gryph decides he'd better go, he lives north of us, so the fall is heading in the direction of his place. We give him a face mask to take with him, because even in the car we could feel the stuff in our mouths. Dino seals up the windows of our house again. We don't bother with tarping the cars this time, because it was too late by then, really.
Anyway, ash continued to fall for awhile, and then it stopped, but all in all, even though it seemed like a lot when it was in the air, we really only got a dusting. Dino and I went out after it was over and I did get some pictures.
This is my car, which still had a little snow on it from the other day. Ash is clinging to the windshield, but you can really see that the snow is grey by looking at the tire tracks and footprints, where the snow is still white underneath.
Here's my windshield
Here's a better shot showing the white footprints in the grey snow.
This is a close-up of the actual ash, which you can see is not really flakes, but rather very particulate. Of course, all those little grains are tiny bits of what is basically glass, so it's really no good breathing that, and it sure doesn't feel great in the eyes. I had to take my contacts out as soon as we got home, and I've been cleaning grit out of the corners of my eyes since then.
A footprint
So, it was an inconvenience, no fun to breathe, and it's in all likelihood not the last ash we'll see before Redoubt is done, but Dino and I aren't going to let that get us down! Still would rather live here in Alaska over any place else in the world!
And just one last picture. This is from the Alaska Volcano Observatory website, where they have an entire gallery of gorgeous photos of Redoubt that I urge everyone to take a look at. But this one, and others taken at the same time... wow. This is lightning in the ash plume over Redoubt.
Isn't that just gorgeous in a biblically apocalyptic sort of way?
So, yesterday our friend Gryphraptor came over. We went out for lunch and then we all went and saw Watchmen. It was a very good movie, and all three of us enjoyed it a lot. Little did we know that while we were seeing the movie, Redoubt had erupted twice. But even if we had known, we probably wouldn't have cared, because Redoubt has been erupting all week and life goes on, you know?
After the movie, we went first to Borders Books, and then to Michael's Crafts, so that I could pick up some painting supplies, because I am feeling the call to paint again. We were in Michaels for about 15 minutes, I'd say. When we came out, we opened the trunk of the car for me to put my supplies in, and we noticed that light grey powder was gathering on the car. Is that ash? Dino asked, and yes indeed it was. Ash was falling. Barely noticeable. We got in the car and Dino got on the cell phone to his lackey at work, to make sure about their computer equipment. Dino tells Lackey that the ash fall is barely anything and Lackey says, yeah well look to the south. We were in the parked car facing north, where there was sunny blue sky. We turned around, looked south, and saw the sky was a dark ominous grey brown.
Dino wanted to go to Best Buy quick before going home, so we drove over there, which was basically across the street from where we were. Dino's driving, but Gryph and I look south down the street as we cross the intersection, and we can see that cars are already kicking ash up enough that driving visibility is getting bad. We dash into Best Buy. We can feel the ash in our mouths and gritty in the corners of our eyes. My blue jacket is covered with grey specks by the time we get in. We make it a very fast stop and run back out. The car is covered and pretty much grey when we get back out.
We live in south Anchorage, so we have to drive into the ash to get home. The fall itself was actually fairly light, but because of the cars kicking it up, visibility is poor. When we get home, Gryph decides he'd better go, he lives north of us, so the fall is heading in the direction of his place. We give him a face mask to take with him, because even in the car we could feel the stuff in our mouths. Dino seals up the windows of our house again. We don't bother with tarping the cars this time, because it was too late by then, really.
Anyway, ash continued to fall for awhile, and then it stopped, but all in all, even though it seemed like a lot when it was in the air, we really only got a dusting. Dino and I went out after it was over and I did get some pictures.
This is my car, which still had a little snow on it from the other day. Ash is clinging to the windshield, but you can really see that the snow is grey by looking at the tire tracks and footprints, where the snow is still white underneath.
Here's my windshield
Here's a better shot showing the white footprints in the grey snow.
This is a close-up of the actual ash, which you can see is not really flakes, but rather very particulate. Of course, all those little grains are tiny bits of what is basically glass, so it's really no good breathing that, and it sure doesn't feel great in the eyes. I had to take my contacts out as soon as we got home, and I've been cleaning grit out of the corners of my eyes since then.
A footprint
So, it was an inconvenience, no fun to breathe, and it's in all likelihood not the last ash we'll see before Redoubt is done, but Dino and I aren't going to let that get us down! Still would rather live here in Alaska over any place else in the world!
And just one last picture. This is from the Alaska Volcano Observatory website, where they have an entire gallery of gorgeous photos of Redoubt that I urge everyone to take a look at. But this one, and others taken at the same time... wow. This is lightning in the ash plume over Redoubt.
Isn't that just gorgeous in a biblically apocalyptic sort of way?