Remembering a power greater than myself which helped me to get sober. One of the pivitol events of my life; 30 years have passed since that warm spring morning on April 25, 1992, when the Mendicino Triple Junction zone delivered a reminder of it's power — a magnitude-7.2 earthquake. It was 11:06 a.m and I was on my hands and knees, enjoying pulling weeds in my garden, when the earth underneath me appeared to pitch and roll in waves....everything seemed to turn to liquid. There was an electricity in the air, a sweet warm smell, accompanied by the strangest, most real feeling I've ever experienced. I can only describe it as a feeling of all physical boundaries dissolving. Windows shattered, powerlines fell and houses around me were knocked off foundations while I lay there on the ground, feeling it all, closer than I ever imagined being to a force and presence I knew nothing about. This first major episode was followed by an eerie silence, then the sirens started. This was not the end..... the next morning came with 2 more reminders ; twin 6.5 and 6.6 "aftershocks"— along with a series of uncountable smaller ones. During this time myself and my Arcata neighbors camped outside of our houses, away from buildings and powerlines. We did this for 3 nights, unable to rely on the earth ever being still again. It was then that I learned; what may seem solid and unshakable is always subject to forces greater than we know. I will never forget April 25, and today respect Tierra Madre's power to move and change us whenever she wishes!
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Wow ....I love that part of the country, especially Mendo/Humboldt.
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Wow! I was stationed at Ft. Ord near Monterey at that time. We felt it, but not to the extent that you did.
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