diff --git a/src/actions/loadData.js b/src/actions/loadData.js
index 036a08b71..f711be90c 100644
--- a/src/actions/loadData.js
+++ b/src/actions/loadData.js
@@ -2,8 +2,40 @@ import { updateColorScale, updateNodeColors } from "./colors";
 import { dataURLStem } from "../util/globals";
 import * as types from "./types";
 
-/* request metadata */
+const updateDateRange = function () {
+  return function (dispatch, getState) {
+    const { controls, metadata } = getState();
+    /* bail if all required params aren't (yet) available! */
+    if (!(metadata.loadStatus === 2)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    if (metadata.metadata.date_range) {
+      if (metadata.metadata.date_range.date_min) {
+        dispatch({
+          type: types.CHANGE_ABSOLUTE_DATE_MIN,
+          data: metadata.metadata.date_range.date_min
+        });
+        dispatch({
+          type: types.CHANGE_DATE_MIN,
+          data: metadata.metadata.date_range.date_min
+        });
+      }
+      if (metadata.metadata.date_range.date_max) {
+        dispatch({
+          type: types.CHANGE_ABSOLUTE_DATE_MAX,
+          data: metadata.metadata.date_range.date_max
+        });
+        dispatch({
+          type: types.CHANGE_DATE_MAX,
+          data: metadata.metadata.date_range.date_max
+        });
+      }
+    }
 
+  };
+};
+
+/* request metadata */
 const requestMetadata = () => {
   return {
     type: types.REQUEST_METADATA
@@ -42,6 +74,7 @@ const populateMetadataStore = (queryParams) => {
         dispatch(receiveMetadata(json));
         dispatch(updateColorScale());
         dispatch(updateNodeColors());
+        dispatch(updateDateRange());
       },
       (err) => dispatch(metadataFetchError(err))
     );
diff --git a/src/components/controls/date-range-inputs.js b/src/components/controls/date-range-inputs.js
index f5024c8fa..8c730da04 100644
--- a/src/components/controls/date-range-inputs.js
+++ b/src/components/controls/date-range-inputs.js
@@ -150,6 +150,8 @@ class DateRangeInputs extends React.Component {
     const selectedMinNumDate = calendarToNumeric(selectedMin);
     const selectedMaxNumDate = calendarToNumeric(selectedMax);
 
+    const minDistance = (absoluteMaxNumDate - absoluteMinNumDate) / 10.0;
+
     return (
       <div>
         <div style={{width: controlsWidth}}>
@@ -161,7 +163,7 @@ class DateRangeInputs extends React.Component {
           /* debounce the onChange event, but ensure the final one goes through */
           onChange={this.updateFromSlider.bind(this, true)}
           onAfterChange={this.updateFromSlider.bind(this, false)}
-          minDistance={0.5}                           // minDistance is in years
+          minDistance={minDistance}
           pearling
           withBars/>
         </div>
diff --git a/src/util/getColorScale.js b/src/util/getColorScale.js
index 3c8cfc17e..f8214d99c 100644
--- a/src/util/getColorScale.js
+++ b/src/util/getColorScale.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ const genericScale = (cmin, cmax) => {
   const range = cmax - cmin;
   const tmpColorScale = d3.scale.linear()
     .domain(genericDomain.map((d) => offset + d * range))
-    .range(colors[10]);
+    .range(colors[9]);
   return tmpColorScale;
 };