Here in Sacramento they mostly come from the west and a little bit south, right off the ocean. Sometimes we get some stuff up from the Gulf of California. Well, Sis mentioned that their storms also come from the southwest, from the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of California.

She also mentioned that being on the west side of the Rockies probably prevented Tucson from getting some of that bitter eastern winter weather. Whoops, off to the Atlas I go, because I was sure Tucson was east of the Rockies. Nope.

So here comes the silliness. I was wondering if you took a steel ball bearing and rolled it off one of the peaks of the Rockies, how much farther would it roll after it hit bottom? I know the prairies aren't as flat as they look in pictures, but would the ball bearing have gained enough momentum, after hitting the bottom of the slope, to keep on rolling across the flatland to maybe Illinois?

If you check a map, you can plainly see that the land continues to slope downward from the foot of the mountains. So would the ball bearing continue to roll or wouldn't it? And how far?

Now, I must tell you that my sister is a very practical person, and she didn't see any purpose to the question, and said she wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Well, somebody else is going to have to take that ball bearing to one of the peaks because I'm SURE not a mountain climber, not even in the interest of solving a scientific question.

Aaaahhh, it would probably roll down one of the canyons and get stuck in a dead end. Well, so much for that experiment.

Shalom