Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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Hurricanes
Been 3 years since hurricanes Ignacio and Marty dropped some rain on us. Here's a little piece about lack of rain.
The Long Dry
Drought in a desert is almost an oxymarooon but most deserts have seasons and the same variations of weather as non-deserts. Only those who live in
the desert see and feel a drought; tourists can only judge things as they appear in the snapshots they take home. Satellites can show us anomalies
but you?ve got to get nearer to be a good reporter. Low lying clouds and high-flying birds can see the pea-green patches around well ranches, seep
corrals in the canyons ? they can judge the drought from the stark contrast between these tiny oases and the burned-out look of whole mountain ranges.
Airplane passengers might remember those tiny slivers of quicksilver, ponds and streams, are not where they were seen on the last flight several years
ago.
Most weather systems in the western part of Mexico stay on the mainland so the southern tip of this long peninsula is like an offshore island and is
affected only by tropical storms or hurricanes that drift up from the mainland west and north stretching westward toward Hawaii. Most tropical storms
begin off the western shores of southern Mexico and Central America. As many as 15 to 20 each year march west where they dwindle and die far out in
the Pacific, thousands of miles from our parched and tortured mountains. So a drought here is a condition caused by a long period of time when none
of the storms drift far enough north to give us rain.
.
As hand-dug or uncased wells dry up or cave in the roaming browsers die. The vultures have a time of plenty. Wild birds and animals are drawn to
ranches and villages. Where there are people there will be water. Villagers can sense the drought. They begin to see the coyotes and snakes, skunks
and badgers, hawks and rabbits in their yards at night. The civet cat, the babisuri, spreads his awful musk, marking new territory in small pueblos
like his Ice Age progeny did when they made their homes in the rocky scarps of North America; where they survived among saber-tooth tigers, lions and
sloth bears.
In the mountains and plains the deadly desiccation is insidious. One cannot watch little things die; like watching a small clock tick away the
hours, the days. Droughts are silent, unseen killers, hard to mark and remember. They weaken, ruin and kill like earthquakes and Tsunamis but
without the horror of sudden death and destruction. Life-forms begin to slowly slip away while waiting for the impossibly faint promise of salvation,
droplets from a cloudless sky. It is horror in slow motion.
When botonists say desert plants and animals are hardy they do not mean they can live forever without water. Plants can store water, most animals
cannot. Many desert animals do not drink water. They get all the water for their entire lives from their food. When the food-water is gone they stop
having babies, then, those that can, aestivate to conserve calories. They wait. Every thing waits for water. Uncountable living things die while
waiting. It would be unkind parsing to say they starved to death ? food or water deprivation ends the same way.
Everything ends. Even droughts. Since we have not received rain from Pacific hurricanes in over three years I suppose if they miss us for three or
four more we can say ?we are in a drought.? Then, perhaps, an errant storm may veer north, wobble toward us like a ship with a broken tiller, deliver
the package of salvation. It will give us life, water from the ocean as rain. A few days after the blessed deluge I will once again marvel at the
wonder of the rebirth. I?ll be filled with awe and respect for the strength, the resiliency of the survivors. If this is Mother Nature?s schoolhouse,
if these terrible times are nothing more than tests I would suggest to her I just heard the bell ring, her children are as strong and smart as they
are going to get.
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djh
Senior Nomad
Posts: 936
Registered: 1-2-2005
Location: Earth mostly. Loreto, N. ID, Big Island
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Mood: Mellow fellow, plays a yellow cello...
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Nice writing, Osprey!
Thx
djh
Its all just stuff and some numbers.
A day spent sailing isn\'t deducted from one\'s life.
Peace, Love, and Music
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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Osprey
You say it so well and so true.
We could definitely use some rain. Perhaps Emilia will bring us some, perhaps not. It seems that in previous years storms that have followed her
path do not.
I used to do rain dances, until I danced a 2 week without road, power, water...etc storm up a few years back. Now I let things fall as they may.
Thanks again, sea hawk.
Oh with so little rain the ciruelas(wild plums) are loaded with fruit. They do not like rain...go figure.
[Edited on 7-23-2006 by bajajudy]
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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great wordsmithing osprey.
emilia might be the one. she's pretty spread out and the outer bands aren't so far off now. pray for rain!
http://www.ocs.orst.edu/pub/weather/data/gifs/ir/goes_west/c...
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: Just dancing through life
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Osprey
Wonderfully done, as usual!!
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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Typical Osprey!! Your typically superb way with words! You are in tune with nature; there isn't much that slips past your quiet observations! Your
words could make a vision-impaired person SEE the Baja!
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Skeet/Loreto
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4709
Registered: 9-2-2003
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Osprey:
Excellent!!!
Would you please do something on the effect of Heat and long periods thereof in relationship to the occurances of Hurricanes??
The Weather and Heat patterns are very close to what occurred with Hurricane Lisa.
The Ranchers of Baja Sur Hired a Company to "Seed the Clouds" prior to "Lisa" there had been a long time of Heat and no Rain. Most of the goats were
shipped out, cattle were dying in the Hundreds, but when the Rain came, it came in Great Volumes from the Mountains!
Keep up the good reports and Thank You!
Skeet/Loreto
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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How often do you see some one write about something as boring as the weather with perfect technical info and writing so good you can stop reading it.
thanks and keep it up Osprey
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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bajaden
Nomad
Posts: 496
Registered: 4-7-2005
Location: Ensenada
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Mood: vicarious
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Hey Bruce! Check your U2U's.
At a feast of egos, everyone leave\'s hungry...
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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Osprey, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Sounds to me like it's time for some rain down your way.
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Cincodemayo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 725
Registered: 3-7-2005
Location: Pacific NW
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Another culinary masterpiece for the brain. Encore, encore.......Thanks for the much needed shot of brilliance Osprey.
Don\'t get mad...
Get EVEN.
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Mood: mellow
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Hawk,
Like I told you before, I wish I could put my thoughts into words like you.
Thanks again. And keep it up. You don't write nearly enough.
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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Bring on the Hurricanes we need it and we want it.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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