May 21 2013

Geotrippin’ Parte the Seconde

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science

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Where were we before the craziness that was this weekend happened? Oh. Right. Oregon!

Forgot to mention our stop by the Prehistoric Gardens on Day the Seconde, didn’t I? Allow me to rectify that with this nifty picture of a T-Rex, me, and a Stellar’s Jay.

Moi at Prehistoric Gardens. Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.

Moi at Prehistoric Gardens. Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.

We didn’t have time to go fool around inside, but we got a brochure for Evelyn, because we’re going to drag her there when she visits. Absolutely!

At the beginning of Day the Thirde, we dipped into California for a very brief time. I haven’t got any pictures of the knockers there, but I will have someday, because sea stacks stranded inland? Hells to the yes! They look awesome.

We were, however, burning to get to the Josephine Ophiolite, and we zipped along the Smith River, and suddenly… Read the rest of this entry »

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May 20 2013

Apologies for Neglecting You, My Darlings. I’ll Make Up For It – With Geology! And Zombies!

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adventures, science

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I know I’ve been kind of (ha) erratic over the past few weeks. There was the trip to the Josephine, and when I got home, I was too damned restless to stay in one place. I haven’t been able to stay confined in the house long enough to get anything useful done. Let me esplain, or at least sum up, and apologize with some pretty pictures. There’s even a zombie.

I headed up Highway 2 into the Cascades the Saturday afternoon following my return. I ended up past Gold Bar, and saw lovely snowy peaks. Read the rest of this entry »

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May 17 2013

Where Volcanoes Snow

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science

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A probe sweeps through space. Roughly 4.2 million kilometers (2.6 million miles) away, you sit and watch images of another world appear. You notice a mottled surface, and on its horizon, jetting an incredible 260km (162mi) above its surface, a plume.

This photo was taken by Voyager 1 looking back 2.6 million miles (4.5 million km) at Io, three days after its historic encounter. This is the same image in which Linda A. Morabito, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer, discovered the first extraterrestrial volcanic eruption (the bright curved volcanic cloud on the limb). Image courtesy NASA/JPL.

This is the first volcano ever seen erupting outside your planet. Read the rest of this entry »

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May 15 2013

Geotrippin’ Part the Firste

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adventures, science

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When you see the number of photos here, and reflect upon the fact they only represent a fragment of the things we saw and did, you’ll not believe me when I say this was the most laid-back geotrip Lockwood and I have ever taken. Nevertheless, it was. We were kicking back in the hotel rooms at a decent hour, we never arrived in a town ten minutes after all of the restaurants closed, and we weren’t even sore at the end of it. I’d say that doesn’t qualify as a real geotrip, but the number of rocks now weighing down my kitchen counter state otherwise.

I’ve begun research, and shall soon be regaling you with in-depth tales of The Things We Saw. But we’ll start with the outtakes, first. Observe your intrepid blogger observing geology (plus some other things). Read the rest of this entry »

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May 15 2013

A Geology Motivational Poster Suitable for Framing

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bit o' fun, science

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Forget all that happy-crappy positive thinking crap. Hang this up instead:

geo rocks motivational

Right?!

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May 14 2013

One Man’s Paranoia is Another Woman’s Sensible Security

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women

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One of my coworkers made the mistake of saying he wouldn’t mind helping me wash rocks last night, so I dragged him home and shoved a toothbrush in his hand. Fortunately for him, he doesn’t mind scrubbing dirt off of hand samples while blabbering on about various and sundry, or it might have gone very badly for him. I now have many sparkling clean rocks suitable for shoving under people’s noses and saying, “Look! LOOK! Look at how awesome this is!”

This is all to the good, but it’s an incidental detail having nothing to do with geology that I wish to discuss here.

People new to the apartment have a variety of reactions. Many are surprised by the number of rocks and books strewn throughout, and get lost wandering through libraries of stone and paper. Others are a bit overwhelmed by the art, especially when they poke their heads into the bedroom and realize that, yes, I am that much of a LOTR fan. Some get enchanted by the kitty, and have difficulties understanding they shouldn’t touch. No, especially if she’s being friendly and cute. That’s her “Oooo helpless naive victim!” routine, and there will be pain. Some have a combination of all reactions, in varying degrees.

And some are intrigued by the door. Read the rest of this entry »

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May 13 2013

There’s a Light…house

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bit o' fun

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Right. Some of you asked for lighthouses. You asked after Lockwood and I left the coast. There were lighthouses aplenty, but I’d basically blown them off in favor of the geology. Bugger.

Still. Got a couple for ye. Well, one of them’s a fragment of a lighthouse, but it’s veritably a lighthouse.

Umpqua Lighthouse

Umpqua River Lighthouse

So that’s the light on the Umpqua River Lighthouse. See? A light! I stood there I don’t know how long trying to catch the little flashy light as it cycled past.
Read the rest of this entry »

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May 11 2013

The Geo/Pun/Holmes Trifecta

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bit o' fun, science

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Okay, granted, this takes off on the teevee/movie Holmes, not the book Holmes, but it’s still fun.

geo holmes

I’d love to talk forensic geology with Sherlock Holmes. If I get to kick around in an alternate universe, and can’t get to the one with The Doctor, that’s the universe I want to be in. Can some mad scientist somewhere please oh please make it so?

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May 10 2013

Flowing Water, Fantastic Forms

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science

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Two photos that will have you screaming for me to write up the full posts:

1. Oregon Caves National Monument

Cave formations at Oregon Caves.

Cave formations at Oregon Caves.

Oh, yeah, they allow flash photography. It was my first time shooting a cave, so a lot didn’t turn out quite right, but I got just enough to illustrate some important features of caves and make you drool.

2. Grayback Creek

Water flowing over an algae-covered rock in Grayback Creek.

Water flowing over an algae-covered rock in Grayback Creek.

By chance, we stopped at the confluence of Cave and Grayback Creeks. There are shots of the rapids to die for.

In addition to this, I have cryptopod sex, the world’s most obliging butterfly, a nickel mine, and I don’t even know what else. I’ll be back home tomorrow night, and after a brief coma, shall regale you with tales of our adventures and many photos. There’s even a lighthouse or two in there, although we didn’t tour any. Also, UFDs. I got a little of everything for everyone. Because I love you.

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May 09 2013

New at Rosetta Stones: Sneak Peeks

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science

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We’re halfway through our trip, and I’ve got some enticing photos for you, my darlings. Soon, we’ll have a series of posts exploring several aspects of Oregon geology in detail, and you will love them. I promise! So many stories to share with you when I return, not to mention about six trillion photos.

Enjoy!

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