Missing the lights

I enjoy the lack of infrastructure here--mostly bare rock, sand, scrub. But this time of year it is strange not to have the world lit up a bit more. Few Christmas lights, few houses and no downtown drenched in white lights. Not so much hustle and bustle and sensory overload. Maybe the stars and the Milky Way are the west's equivalent of lights...

Tuba City

An interesting day in Tuba City, AZ. Dinosaur tracks (fun, and lovely weather in the 50s), a nice espresso shop/internet cafe (surprising) and abandoned buildings. The abandoned buildings were made out of pretty local stone, but with the bare trees and boarded up windows, it was spooky. Large complexes for the medical center and schools here. Culture shock in the grocery store/local hang out. Good to get out of town and shake things up a bit!

Glow

This weekend is the Balloon Regatta in Page, and the highlight is the evening glow of balloons along one of the main streets. Today was the liveliest I've seen town, complete with craft fairs, street fairs (and fair food), art exhibitions, etc. A beautifully sunny 70 degree day, very pleasant for a bike ride as well.

Science and Engineering!

Another fun weekend trip took me to Washington D.C. to visit with friends and take in the excitement that was the USA Science and Engineering Festival! This first time event was held on the Mall and the booths were mobbed with kids, their parents, and people of all ages. I got to see the booth I worked on the early stages of for the Academy of Sciences. It was certainly a beautiful day and a great thing to be celebrating! Yay science!

Trail of Time

On National Fossil Day (Oct. 13) I was at Grand Canyon NP for the dedication of the Trail of Time. The project was 15 years in the making, including intensive sociology studies throughout to evaluate how people responded to the Trail. I think it turned out very well--you can participate as much or as little as you'd like, while taking in the awesome sight of Grand Canyon itself. It is a concept they would like to see spread to other parks, so stay tuned...

Sadness

I have been very lucky in my life not be faced with much loss or real heartache. Now I know what it feels like and am impressed with all the people that function this way everyday. I take comfort in the stars--the universe is bigger, God is bigger than all that is happening down here. We just have to keep moving.

National Fossil Day!

Well its a week until National Fossil Day, and I am listening to the official song on a loop right now. I know this makes me a dorky scientist, but I'm okay with it. "If you find a fossil, you should celebrate..."

http://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/photos_multimedia.cfm

Washed Clean

Crazy weather has descended on Arizona--serious thunderstorms, whole days of rain and tornadoes. Its like being back in Michigan! =) It leaves this dusty desert feeling very clean. Water rushing down bare rock, dramatic dark clouds and the smell of sage and juniper rising up. This tropical weather pattern has suddenly brought fall.

Geologist reunion in the middle of nowhere

Appropriately, we had a small geologist's reunion at a Cambrian outcrop in west-central Utah this weekend. It was great to hang out with other paleo people, and exchange news. The drive there was a bit interesting, since my directions for the meeting place involved the rock unit they would be in, and the name of the remote canyon. I made my share of U-turns along the way, but finally turned the corner and saw their car--just where they said it would be. I spent the afternoon learning about their project and helping a little here and there.

While driving out, I saw the sunset on the pink cliffs of Bryce Canyon. (Note the yellow leaves of the cottonwood trees, which is about as much fall as comes here.) Sunday morning, I watched the sunrise over that peaceful region of pine trees, small towns and horses.


It was a long drive, but totally worth it. So nice to catch up with friends, and remember the fun we had on other field excursions.

Peaceful oblivion and the gentle roll of the lake

I have just returned from a five day field excursion on the lake full of quiet sunrises, lunchtime swim breaks, moonlit evenings...and of course a lot of hard work. I still feel like I'm on the boat right now, the gentle rise and fall with the waves.

It was such a nice break from everything--phone, email, computer, planning for the future, writing up paperwork etc. Just get up and head for the rocks! This is why I like being a geologist. =)

Arizona wildlife

There was a tarantula on our driveway tonight! Yes I know, they are not poisonous like scorpions are, but still. So weird to see one in the wild. I would not want to run into that in the middle of the night without my glasses on...yikes!

Cooking Contentment

Today has been peaceful. Church, errands and cooking. After months of box meals and sandwiches for dinner, it was lovely to spend all afternoon measuring, chopping, preparing. I made soup and cookies and they are delicious! Right now I am reading the Washington Post online as I eat and feeling very contented with the world at large...

Small town life

Getting used to the pace of small town life is definitely an adjustment from Washington D.C. Page doesn't really have places to have bakery cafes to hang out in, a farmer's market or a diverse newsstand. As much as I miss those things, there are a lot of things to like. I run into people I know almost everywhere I go--at the grocery store, at the ATM, in the post office. So over my lunch hour when I realize the post office doesn't sell tape and debate whether I have time to run the store and back, I run into a friend from work who has a roll of tape in her car. I coach a middle school running program and run into people I know from church. On my first big trip to the grocery store, people kept asking me if I needed help finding things.

In this town, most stores are closed on Sunday and people place importance on family. Sometimes I like escaping the endless political debates that seem to go nowhere and 24-hour repetitive news cycle. Most people who live here would never live in D.C.

I like both places. I like the city, and public transportation and evening events and millions of choices. I also like this place--stark and beautiful, peaceful. I love that it truly gets dark at night, I worry less about locking my doors, it feels friendly, running into people around town. And I think there is a value in understanding both places and how they work.

Feeling part of the resources team

This week I went from on edge at work, to being part of the team. I took responsibility for my program by talking about it with the resources staff and leading a meeting of the paleo advisory committee. I also spent the earlier part of the week out in the field with the park's archaeology team. Both of us found new sites, and I started to get a feel for some of the rock units. It was hiking over scree slopes and through river channels full of tamarisk coupled with swimming breaks in the lake and quiet evenings. Feeling the horror of fresh graffiti over rock art thousands of years old. Solving mysteries reported by the rangers. Learning how to tie proper knots, which side of the buoy we should be on and recognizing more landmarks on the lake.

Sunday afternoon adventures

I escaped Page today and discovered several new favorite places. I drove through a mountain pass and then through a broad valley to Marble Canyon, where the Colorado River cuts through white limestone. This is also the site of a famous bridge.

I continued along the Vermillion Cliffs, stopping to look at roadside stands with jewelry for sale and admiring the balanced rocks. The rain that morning left everything feeling fresh, but also curtailed my original plan of going hiking.

I drove on, up into the Kaibab National Forest and was in awe of the trees and lovely wildflowers. Such a change from my new red rock home. I stopped in at the lodge, discovered that this was a squirrel wilderness area (awesome) and bought fresh bread and cookies (!!) and a non-Arizona newspaper. It was like a cool drink after emerging from a day in the desert.

As the sun set, I continued on through the forest, getting my first glimpses of the Grand Staircase as the fading light painted the scene. This was one of those goofy geologist moments--when all of the maps and textbooks become alarmingly clear. All in all, a very successful evening drive!

Settling In

Park service housing is always in beautiful settings, but the housing itself usually needs a bit of work. It needs to be reclaimed--either from dust, pests and neglect, or the previous occupant. It needs to be re-outfitted with bedding and paper supplies. Then you scavenge any unoccupied rooms for the best of the blinds, chairs, etc. This weekend I finished reclaiming my master bedroom (large separate closet and bathroom). It feels good to be fully unpacked.

I've taken a couple of walks/bike rides the past few days and I am struck by the similarities and differences. Like in Michigan, bats soar overhead at dusk, snapping up insects. Unlike Michigan or DC, good-size lizards also scuttle out of my way. Dusk is a peaceful time of day here. The fading light highlights the rocks in shades of red, pink, and golden yellow. The campground is quiet, and most boats are anchored for the night. It is a contented time of night.


Also, my hair is loving the lack of humidity here. It is like it has never heard of frizz. =) Below is a picture of our normal late afternoon / early evening Arizona monsoon storms. Dark clouds, bright light highlighting the tan or red rocks, sheets of rain (often not reaching the ground), bright rainbows. Very dramatic.


P.S. This may not be the best blog post ever, but it did take the longest, for whatever that's worth...

Made it to Page

We had a busy last day of the trip--slept in, ran errands, bought some delicious Colorado peaches and apricots. We stopped at Mesa Verde National Park long enough to figure out that you really need to spend a weekend there. Then we drove the remaining miles through desert in the Four Corners region.
The last hour driving into Page was really neat--broad shelves of rock gently dipping, hoo doos and other interesting rock formations. It is mostly red rocks here, and mostly sandstones. The rock units are very thick (20-200m). Lake Powell is quite a contrast, with pretty blue-green water and lots of boats. At night it gets very dark. You could use a flashlight walking to the recycle bin near my new trailer home (where I have my own bedroom and share a kitchen, living room, laundry, etc.). At night you could be in any other area of the country, rather than surrounded by jaw-dropping red rock, interesting from every angle.

Page has a Safeway, Walmart, library, and other shops. All the restaurants we've eaten at so far have been great--Mexican, Italian, Japanese with fresh veggies etc. That's my first impressions anyway, more later.

One state, 400 miles

We traveled diagonally through Colorado, through a lot of pretty mountains and small towns. It is so strange to see so much rock again. At first I feel like I should stop at each outcrop and examine it. Then I remember that I can be choosy again, skipping over the faulted and deformed sections. I visited my first fossil park--imagine all the displays about fossils and geology, all of the talks about fossils, all of the research and monitoring of fossils going on. It was pretty cool. =) The car worked hard today, too, climbing through mountain passes over 10,000 feet. And eventually as twilight fell we pulled into bustling Durango, CO.

Two days, Two states, 900 miles

Our shortest day of the trip so far was a five hour jaunt to Omaha, NE. My parents met in Omaha, so I got to see where they used to live and work and met one of their old friends. There was a crazy thunderstorm while we were there that toppled trees onto houses and turned the sky yellow-green. It also created a very impressive rainbow.

Thursday we got up early and took off across Nebraska for Denver. I liked being in Nebraska again, it reminded me of my trip in high school to many interesting sites in the northern part of the state. We stopped at Boot Hill Cemetery in Ogallala, where bandits, paupers and those who cheated at cards were buried. We arrived early in Denver, and toasted our successful day with frosty mugs of root beer at A & W.

Family

My current grand tour of the country may not be the most expedient way west, but it is fun to be able to stop by and see family. I am currently in Iowa visiting with my dad's side of the family. In this small town my dad grew up in, I can walk downtown in five minutes. In Ann Arbor I can drive downtown in 15 minutes. In DC, its a little different. And soon I will be in the west, where "neighbors" live a few hours away. An endlessly interesting country, this one. =)

Three states, 700 miles

With a beautiful sunrise in Michigan, I was on my way again. A heron flew over the highway, and I noticed hawks and red-winged blackbirds. In Illinois and Iowa, the shoulder and median were full of wildflowers--lots of Queen Anne's lace, a few sunflowers and other bright spots of color I couldn't identify. As the landscape flattened out, the sky became more dramatic--a blue sky filled with evenly-spaced puffy white clouds.

I had lunch in Ottawa, IL, site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate when they were campaigning for the Senate in 1858.

Stationary

Today I spent less than an hour in the car. =) I ate blueberries and fresh green beans out of the garden. I took my parents' dog for a walk. I had lunch with a friend. All in all, a very nice day!

Seven states, 700 miles

The great journey out west began yesterday in Alexandria, VA about 6pm. Tonight, six states and 700 miles later I am in Michigan. Today's highlights included two Amish buggies on their way to church, the blimp sighting over the LPGA tournament, and the Mail Pouch Tobacco barns. I soaked in the green--rolling hills covered with vegetation with occasional glimpses of the underlying rocks. Soon my vistas will look very different.