Ajo, Arizona, is on the edge of the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range. It’s common to hear and see planes like the A-10 Thunderbolt (a.k.a. Warthog) doing practice runs.
Occasionally — like this morning — they drop or fire some very heavy stuff. Even though the closest part of the range is five miles away I could feel the shockwave from the explosions. The Rolling Steel Tent shook and, even though I was inside with the door closed, my chest vibrated. The experience taught me shockwaves travel faster than the speed of sound, because I felt the explosions a fraction of a second before I heard them. Also, since sound waves degrade over distance (imagine the racket we’d live with if they didn’t) the huge boom I heard here was much louder at the source. It has been a few hours since the explosions. I hope that was all for today. And tomorrow. And the next day…
“Boom Boom” John Lee Hooker with Big Head Todd and the Monsters
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