Darkened Skies

For the past three or four days the sky here has been hazy. Smoky. But it doesn't smell like smoke, and I hadn't heard about any fires in Montana that would blow the smoke this way. Because whatever it was is blocking out the sun, it's rather dark and cold during the day time. It doesn't feel like summer like this. Its as though a smoky storm cloud had settled over the Palouse, not moving on, but never raining either.

Finally, this morning I discovered the reason for the strange haze.

It's not smoke from forest fires. It is smoke, yes, but a very light and strange smoke. This smoke is from a volcano eruption up in Alaska. Apparently the Okmok Caldera volcano erupted on July 12, sending ash chunks as far as the border between the US and Canada. The smoke has carried this far south, and possibly much further. I've been googling it all morning, trying to find a map of the damage so that I can see for myself. Unfortunately, I can't find any maps, and most of the pictures aren't exactly incredible. So I've satisfied myself with reading new reports about it.

I've never experienced a volcanic eruption before, so this is cool. I know it's only the smoke that we're getting down here, but I still find it incredible just how far it spreads. I remember my parents telling me about when Mount st. Helens erupted some twenty years ago or so. Ash was raining for days, and not just here, but all over the world. Ash and smoke were reported from all corners of the globe. The eruption had been huge, and effected not only our corner of the country, but the entire country! The entire world! I wish I had been there to see it, though. People were told to stay indoors, because they weren't sure if the ash was toxic or not. My father laughed at that, however, and went for a walk, scuffing up the ash with his shoes as he walked. My mother didn't think it was toxic either, but she decided to just stay inside anyhow. If I had been alive then, though, I would have walked with my father. Defying the authorities, haha!

Anyhow, Okmok shall now go down in history (or at least in my journal) as being my first volcanic experience. I don't care if I haven't really "experienced" anything or not. We have the smoke, therefore, it effects us. So hah.

Now if only I get a hurricane or tornado to come...