The loudest natural sound I have heard.

I walked out of my building today, heading across campus, and thought, it smells like rain. I don't know if it had been raining off and on, but a minute or two later it started to rain and hail. As I was walking under the eaves of another building, admiring the mix of rain and hail, its different patter, the way hail bounces in a way that rain does not, the way the hail continues to flow after hitting the ground, and then the way it melts onto the cement - well - ultimately I stopped walking and just used the eaves for protection. I was standing there admiring it all when the thunder began. It was close, with only a second or two between the lightening flash and the rolling thunder. I stood there for a few minutes in awe of it all, thinking about the sounds of the thunder and how it managed to be big and beautiful without being particularly loud, in the way a deep voice can fill a room but without being too strong. This was a sound heard for miles, but it was a pleasant grumbling, a reminder of the beauty of nature. After another few minutes there was a flash, and even before I counted to one, the thunder struck without preamble, earsplitting except that it was fast and low. I jumped and began to laugh. I wondered if the building to my left had been hit (it does not appear to have been). It was spectacular.

Arches and Canyonlands National Parks - Spring Break 2007

Here are some pictures from the great trip my friends Mark, Melissa, and I took to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks over Spring Break.

Arches and Canyonlands, Spring Break 2007