Ridgeline

I’ve been tracking the likelihood of auroras and geomagnetic storms on and off ever since I moved to the Pacific Northwest. This year and next, are times of peak solar activity. But all too often, Sun and Earth weather never lineup. When there is a chance of seeing Aurora, it seems to come on a cold, foggy cloudy, rainy night. Or I miss an alert and find out about it after the fact from online posts by semi-professional aurora chasers. These are the ones I check most often:  Aurora Forecast | Geophysical Institute Aurora Viewline for Tonight and Tomorrow Night (Experimental) | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center And still have never seen one. Until now. The early May weather last night was clear and cloudless, combined with a KP9+ activity level. (I’m told that’s very high.) I debated where to go; I considered going out past Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascades. Often, eastern Washington has different weather and has a better shot. But this time, I decided to head to different da...

 It's been a while since I posted here, but thought I'd share some news. After my cross-country trips in 2020 took to me to many new places, including Glacier National Park in Montana, the family and I returned there this month for a few days of hiking and exploring. Logan Pass, the Skyline Trail, and Going to the Sun Road are not to be missed! Skyline Trail View from Going to the Sun Road Hidden Lake near Logan Pass

Over recent summers, we've all come to love, hate, hear or tolerate the irony-drenched sounds of "Yacht Rock". Michael McDonald, Toto, Kenny Loggins and all the rest. Baby Come Back by Player. Soft rock of the 1970s and 1980s. I've come to believe there's a related, more recent, different and better genre. Beach Rock Radio It's the sound you heard walking down the beach in the 1990s, coming from a series of boom boxes. It's the music that was playing in the beach snack bar. It's the kid brother or sister of the alternative music your older cousins brought back from college in the 1980s.   Edgy, relaxed, pretending to be alternative with a healthy dose of pop mixed in.   I've been talking about with friends the past few years and am ready to unveil the genre.  Let’s consider some examples. Smooth, Santana with Rob Thomas:  with Santana is a top-level example. Ubiquitously the sound of summer -- not yacht rock, and not alternative. Take a Bow , Mad...