Oct 10, 2016: Some serious mileage
 

http://cellar.org/2016/pileofdirt.jpg

So what you see here is a dude looking at a huge pile of dirt. Sometimes, though, the best stories are hidden in a huge pile of dirt.

He's at a road cut northeast of Helena, Montana. The pale stripe above his head is volcanic ash. I believe the dirt-and-rocks blend above it is flood tailings from the draining of an inland sea, but the original description (available at Earth Science Photo of the Day) does not mention that bit. It does talk about the ash layer though.

The ash layer came from Mount Mazama. If the name's unfamiliar, it's because we don't call the mountain that any more. We call it Crater Lake, Oregon. As the ash cloud flies, that's 550 or so miles on the other side of the Rocky Mountains from Helena. By road, according to a famous map/directions site, it's a little over 800 miles and is about a 14-hour drive in ideal conditions.

That must've been a REALLY big boom.

Aaannnnnnnnnnndddd of course I forgot to put the date in the title. Someone, anyone, help fix my goof?

She changed her name from Mazama to Crater because she was so embarrassed over making an ash of herself.
Would I lie to you... my oldest and dearest friend... if it didn't involve money or sex?

you funny

Date is still wrong - unless we are a year ahead of ourselves ;)

hurr durr

I would show him how to edit if he would show me how to post a pic where I want it to go. Phone guys only need answer. Is that right clodfobble?

tarheel

...I don't have any idea what you're asking me, but I'm going to say yes, it is completely, 100% right, and you can take that to the bank.

Thankee for the fix! And the funny :) You guys have a way of lifting my spirit in tense times...

(Today's the day my neighbor gets back from physical therapy at 10 a.m. and we immediately throw our sh*t in the truck (metaphorically speaking) and haul ourselves over a 7000+ foot above sea level Rocky Mountain pass in the hope of making Idaho Falls by 7 p.m. for the movie!)

Good luck!

The Lake was called Humongous Lake Missoula. It was filled (and emptied) dozens of times during the ice age as the glaciers would first block the water, then collapse and flood what is now Spokane and eastern Washington state. This factoid is courtesy of Mountain Press, Missoula, Mt. and points west.