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What to do on a Saturday? Let's Go to the Middle of the Earth (via Del Puerto...
The strange and alien landscape in upper Del Puerto Canyon.California has some really strange landscapes. A state that has beaches, mountains, volcanoes, forests, and deserts is going to offer many...
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Darlingtonia: A Horror Story in Sand and Serpentine: Part 2, the Sequel
Those "forked appendages" that look like they're reaching out for hug? Don't fall for it, it's a horrific trap!In horror movies, we all know the monster/murderer is never dead, and that there is always...
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The Great Valley Museum Outdoor Nature Lab Stands De-fence-less!
Something special happened yesterday at Modesto Junior College and the Great Valley Museum. The Outdoor Nature Lab, which has been completely fenced off for most of the last year became "de-fenced"....
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Every Place Has a Story: Prichard, Oregon's Smallest State Park
I've been visiting Florence, Oregon for a number of years, and it is a beautiful place. The Siuslaw River reaches the sea near the town and at the northern edge of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation...
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Our Newest Department Acquisition Has Arrived! Paleontologist Barbie!
21st Century Paleontologist BarbieBe honest. If I suddenly shouted "paleontologist", what picture would occur in your mind before you give it any thought? How would this person look? What would this...
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Burial Mounds of the Kings of the Rohirrim? Got a Better Idea? The Mima...
One of the vivid images in my mind of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was the resting place of the Kings of Rohan. They were buried in mounds, and the mounds were covered by the white flowers called...
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A Mink Mother's Moment This Morning at Lake Washington
We were privileged to watch a mini-drama today while walking along the shore of Lake Washington in Gene Coulon Park. We noticed a small group of Minks (Mustela vison) along a fence and embankment, a...
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Maybe I Need to Change My Spirit Animal...
The Geotripper Blog has been quiet for a few weeks, due to the fact that we have been conducting a field studies course on the geology and anthropology of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest....
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50th Anniversary of the Landing of Humans on the Moon, and the Human Adventure
The full Moon of July 16, 2019Â Today marks the 50th year since humans walked on the moon for the first time. The landing was an important part of my own life, and whenever I am reminded, I am taken...
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Travels in Cascadia: The Southern Sentinel, Mt. Shasta
Long ago in the mists of time, the god Skell, the spirit of the Above-World descended from the heavens and alit on the summit of Mt. Shasta. Eventually Skell waged a fierce battle with the god of the...
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Travels in Cascadia: Gigantic Floods and Tallapus Meet at Willamette Falls
It's not fair, but I don't spend much time in Portland, Oregon. It's not that I don't like Portland, I just don't know it because the logistics of my normal travels rarely allow me to stop there. We...
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Travels in Cascadia: Burial Mounds of the Kings of the Rohirrim? The Mima...
NOTE: If this post seems familiar, it should be. I posted it just a month ago. I'm re-posting (with minor changes) to place it in the proper order of the current blog series. One of the vivid images in...
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Travels in Cascadia: Wanna See a REAL Debate? Talk to an Oregonian about...
I was watching the candidate's debate tonight, and there were some interesting exchanges, and the whole future of American democracy hangs in the balance and all, but then I found what a real debate...
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Anniversary of the Donnell Fire: Nothing in this World is Permanent, Except...
The Dardanelles Crest in 2006On August 1, 2018, a fire started in the Stanislaus National Forest near Donnell Vista on Highway 108. It's not known how the fire started, but lightning was not the cause....
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Travels in Cascadia: Flattery Will Get You Nowhere, Except Really, Really...
Is that a face in the crook of the tree?The trail might well have been designed by gnomes, or maybe even menehune in the rainforest. The slats look uneven and hand-hewn but were sturdy, allowing us to...
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Travels in Cascadia: How Far Can You Spit? Here's one of the Longest Spits,...
I was never a good spitter. We had a hazing ceremony back in the scouting days where we were blindfolded and had a spitting contest. When one of us let loose a big one, everyone started shouting about...
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Travels in Cascadia: Threading the Needle on Hurricane Ridge
Leading a field studies trip is a stress-filled enterprise. There are the big things to worry about: auto accidents, injuries, conflicts with law enforcement, lost reservations, and those sorts of...
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The 35 Year Wait is Over! The Ribbon-cutting for the Great Valley Museum...
Ever since the origin of the Great Valley Museum decades ago, there has been a desire on the part of the faculty of Modesto Junior College and Great Valley Museum staff to have an outdoor education...
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Travels in Cascadia: Traversing the Salish Sea, and Leaving the USA
Morning in Port Angeles, looking across the Salish SeaIt was the third day of our journey through Cascadia, and after our exploration of the Olympic Peninsula, it was now time to leave the United...
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Geotripping! It Could Be You! Geology of the Eastern Sierra Nevada, September...
The east side of the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent Owen's Valley is one of the most dramatic landscapes on planet Earth. The valley that forms the eastern boundary of the range is two miles deep,...
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