The Bumbles, our hosts, are on vacation -- a road trip from NY to Canada. Inspired by the promise of fun in their Jeep Cherokee journey, this week's movie theme is "on the road." So many movies are all about getting from Point A to Point B and the humor/drama/horror that occurs along the way. Share on your blog movies that focus on road trips and then link back to The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

With the recent announcement that 2009-2010 will be an official El Niño year, I decided to compile a list of things to know about the El Niño weather system.

1. El Niño events occur when the see-saw effect of the water movement in the western and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean reverse. When this happens, the tradewinds weaken and the surface water temperature in the eastern tropical Pacific rises.

2. The name, El Niño, comes from the Spanish for "the boy." It alludes to the birth of Jesus because the weather pattern is first noticed off the coast of South America in the month of December.

3. There are written records of El Niño’s effects in Peru at least as far back as 1525, and researchers have found geologic evidence of El Niños in Peruvian coastal communities from at least 13,000 years ago.

4. El Niño is known to have had an effect on the Incas. They often sacrificed people during El Niño events based on their belief that the excessive rain from El Niño was a punishment from the gods. To appease the gods and stop the rain, they sacrificed more people.


5. An El Niño event typically occurs every 3 to 5 years and lasts for 1 to 2 years. The most recent El Niño system occurred in 2006, and the worst in recent history occurred in 1997 when abnormally high rainfall triggered flooding and mudslides in the western portion of the United States and Mexico as well as Eastern Europe. While these places were flooding, a severe drought was going on in Australia and Indonesia.

6. El Niños have produced devastating storminess in California and Central and South America and disrupt marine life on the West Coast. In 1997, California experienced some of the heaviest flooding and mudslides that I ever remember. The photo below was taken in Laguna Beach during the 1997 El Niño system.


7. When El Niño is in effect, California receives the most rain from March to May.



8. El Niño reduces the number of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. Just because the number of hurricanes is reduced, though, doesn't mean that the Gulf States are out of the woods because El Niño likes to drop lots of rain there.

9. Hawaii's most powerful hurricanes hit during El Niño years. Another danger is the lack of rainfall during El Niño years.

10. El Niño's effect on weather has a profound impact on health. Heavy rainfall creates puddles that become the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Incidents of malaria, dengue, and Rift Valley fever increase in El Niño years, as do cases of cholera. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) - a lung infection which causes eye pain, haemorrhaging in the lungs and other side effects - first appeared in the USA in 1993 after the 1991/2 El Niño; 14 cases were reported between January and August 1998 which scientists at the University of New Mexico think are linked to the El Niño of 1997/98.


11. The 1997-98 El Niño marked the first time in human history that climate scientists were able to predict abnormal flooding and droughts months in advance, allowing time for threatened populations to prepare.

12. The development of the TAO (tropical atmosphere/ocean) array of 70 moored buoys that span the equatorial Pacific help scientists to predict an El Niño year. Completed in 1994, the TAO buoys are now the world’s premier early-warning system for change in the tropical ocean. They monitor water temperature from the surface down to 1,600 feet [500 meters], as well as winds, air temperature, and relative humidity.

13. El Niño/Southern Oscillation involves only one-fifth of the circumference of the planet, but it transforms weather around the globe.

Mariposa's Tales is hosting a new weekly meme, Tuesday's Tales! Though everyday here in the BLOGosphere is telling tales, Mariposa feels it would be nice to once in awhile sit back, enjoy good memories and enjoy it more by sharing those little love tales. After all happy times are best when shared with people! Tuesday's Tales is good way for us to get to know each other and share happy thoughts while making memories all at the same time.

Here we go. . .

Road trips have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. With a mom from New York, a dad from Colorado, and us in California, is it any wonder that my family is scattered across the country from coast to coast? Some of my best childhood memories involve the annual summer treks down Route 66 with either my parents and sisters or my maternal grandparents. The Amazing Egyptian Dude, Iman, and I took a 10-day road trip through several western states on our way to Yellowstone National Park some 20 years ago. We had such a great time that I have been itching to repeat the experience ever since. It wasn't until last summer that the opportunity to be "on the road again" presented itself.

The Ibrahim girls (me, Iman, and Basma) drove from California to Texas. We took our time, stopping to see sights along the way, take pictures under each WELCOME TO state sign, and just enjoy the change of scenery. Our ultimate destination was Lake Jackson and Vidor, Texas where my aunt and sister live. Whenever I visit my aunt and uncle, we take a day trip to neighboring Louisiana -- one of my favorite places to go. Last summer's trip was no exception, but this time we had Basma along, and Basma had never been to Louisiana.

To give Basma the whole Louisiana experience, we stopped at a little roadside attraction to see some alligators up close. The welcome center for this place was staffed by a very friendly elderly lady who really liked to chit-chat. While we were talking to her, she gave us all kinds of info about gators -- probably more than we would ever need to know. But the best thing she told us was that she had a baby gator that we could actually hold. I remember holding a baby gator in Florida at a place called Gatorland, but that was way back when I was 14. We decided that we were all up to the challenge, all of us, that is, except Aunt Nola.

Fearless Basma was the first to hold the baby gator. Look at how happy she is with it!

Next came Iman; she wasn't afraid, either, and enjoyed cradling the baby in her hands.

Melody, my baby sister, came next. Melody is normally a coward -- I tease her about it all the time -- but when it comes to animals of any kind, she's a S-U-C-K-E-R!

Then it was my turn. I figured that the gator would feel much like a snake and was right. Its skin was unbelievably smooth.

Finally, Aunt Nola figured that if we weren't scared, she wouldn't be either so long as we didn't make any fast moves to freak her out!


If you ever have the chance to take a road trip, take it; there's no better way to travel or make family vacation memories!