11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
Park Avenue Hike - Arches National Park
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Hi all, Dianne here. This will be a short post describing our last hike in the Moab area. There was one last hike we wanted to take in Arches National Park and, once again, it proved to be different from all of the other hikes we've done this trip.
The trail is named for the tall fins that line both sides of the canyon, and it really did give the impression of being in a city of skyscrapers.
The most interesting part of this short hike, for me, was the interesting swirl patterns in the dry creek bed that made up much of the trail surface. Here are a few more interesting patterns:
For the first time in the two months we've been in Utah, we had threatening clouds as we hiked.
The clouds kept the temperature to a comfortable low 80s as we hiked that morning -- perfect!
Here's a photo Roger took of me sitting on a rock with another swirly pattern on the creek bed.
Now, here's a better photo of the rock I was sitting on. Don't you think it looks like a huge smiling frog, or something out of a Star Trek movie?
The trail was pretty easy, except that the first section involved a long staircase down to the bottom. Of course, that meant the return trip involved a long staircase back up to the top! I stopped midway to take a photo up...
And a photo down...
Just enough exercise for a good morning walk! Two miles round trip. We originally intended to stop in Moab on the way back to have lunch. Turns out, we were done with the hike by 9:30. It was spitting rain, so we decided on a second breakfast instead. Our first breakfast that morning was a "breakfast cookie," the recipe for which I learned from Laurie & Odel's blog, Semi-True Tales of our Life on the Road. Here's a direct link to the recipe: Vegan Breakfast Cookie Recipe. I substituted dried cherries for the raisins and used honey instead of Agave syrup. (I also added salt, but don't tell Laurie!) I made a batch of these cookies a couple of weeks ago and froze most of them. They have been very handy to grab and go on these early morning hikes we've taken in Moab.
We decided to try the Peace Tree restaurant to take advantage of their outdoor seating, since it was uncharacteristically pleasant (meaning not like being in a blast furnace). Roger highly recommends their huevos rancheros. We enjoyed sitting outside, sipping coffee, and watching the rain as we ate.
We've decided to pack it up and head out a day early. We're ready for a change of scene. Even though we've already paid for tomorrow night here in Moab, we will justify our move by stopping overnight at a winery outside of Olathe, Colorado. We can park there free of charge through the Harvest Hosts program that we belong to. Stay tuned for that!
The pet photo of the day shows Tequila helping me edit Roger's Potash Road Surprises blog post. Love those eyes!
Hi all, Dianne here. This will be a short post describing our last hike in the Moab area. There was one last hike we wanted to take in Arches National Park and, once again, it proved to be different from all of the other hikes we've done this trip.The trail is named for the tall fins that line both sides of the canyon, and it really did give the impression of being in a city of skyscrapers.The most interesting part of this short hike, for me, was the interesting swirl patterns in the dry creek bed that made up much of the trail surface. Here are a few more interesting patterns:For the first time in the two months we've been in Utah, we had threatening clouds as we hiked. The clouds kept the temperature to a comfortable low 80s as we hiked that morning -- perfect! Here's a photo Roger took of me sitting on a rock with another swirly pattern on the creek bed.Now, here's a better photo of the rock I was sitting on. Don't you think it looks like a huge smiling frog, or something out of a Star Trek movie?The trail was pretty easy, except that the first section involved a long staircase down to the bottom. Of course, that meant the return trip involved a long staircase back up to the top! I stopped midway to take a photo up...And a photo down...
Just enough exercise for a good morning walk! Two miles round trip. We originally intended to stop in Moab on the way back to have lunch. Turns out, we were done with the hike by 9:30. It was spitting rain, so we decided on a second breakfast instead. Our first breakfast that morning was a "breakfast cookie," the recipe for which I learned from Laurie & Odel's blog, Semi-True Tales of our Life on the Road. Here's a direct link to the recipe: Vegan Breakfast Cookie Recipe. I substituted dried cherries for the raisins and used honey instead of Agave syrup. (I also added salt, but don't tell Laurie!) I made a batch of these cookies a couple of weeks ago and froze most of them. They have been very handy to grab and go on these early morning hikes we've taken in Moab.
We decided to try the Peace Tree restaurant to take advantage of their outdoor seating, since it was uncharacteristically pleasant (meaning not like being in a blast furnace). Roger highly recommends their huevos rancheros. We enjoyed sitting outside, sipping coffee, and watching the rain as we ate. We've decided to pack it up and head out a day early. We're ready for a change of scene. Even though we've already paid for tomorrow night here in Moab, we will justify our move by stopping overnight at a winery outside of Olathe, Colorado. We can park there free of charge through the Harvest Hosts program that we belong to. Stay tuned for that!
The pet photo of the day shows Tequila helping me edit Roger's Potash Road Surprises blog post. Love those eyes!
Gigapan # 9: Badlands National Park, SD
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So, I've neglected my blogging once again and got a gentle nudge this evening at the Fine International Gigapan Conference to return to the cause. It only makes sense that my 'return' should be Gigapan related... I have a number of Gigapan images from a trip out west I have stitched but haven't yet uploaded, so here's on the west side of Rt. 240 shortly after the Yellow Mounds overlook turnout. I was a bit disappointed with the original results of stitching from GigaPan Stith so I've re-uploaded and stitched the images together using AutoPano, a really useful and feature rich software package. This panorama offers a fantastic view of the typical Badlands landscape. If you're interested in the specific formations and geologic history of the region, the USGS provides this excellent summary.
Badlands National Park Photosynths
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In addition to taking Gigapan panoramas, I also frequently take a quick sequence of shots to upload as Photosynths because it takes a lot less time but still provides a rough visual of panoramaic views. Occasionally I somehow miss a few shots and they aren't complete panoramas.... The following are a series of images taken while traveling through the badlands over the course of three days:
Three ROCKIN' Scenic Geology Roadways
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This summer I had the great pleasure of driving the Needles Highway (South Dakota Highway 87), the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and the Beartooth All American Road (US Highway 212) for the first time on a trip to Bozeman, MT. I had heard and read great things about these routes and they certainly delivered stunning vistas and fantastic geology (even thought it was raining and incredibly windy in some locations). I've driven across the country a dozen or so times and taken various routes, but I would have to agree that these three highways provide some of the best geology 'watching' in the country!
The Needles Highway was a bit congested since Sturgis was in full swing but luckily the views looking up weren't impeded by the traffic. However, the day was cut short by a hail-producing thunderstorm.
I also stopped at Dead Indian Hill Pass (see my Gigpan of this location here). This stretch of the road is full of switchbacks and quite steep (stay in low gear!):
This is one of my favorite vantage points on the Beartooth - it isn't as 'scenic' as some other photos I took, but I really like the sense of scale, isolation, serenity, and rugged nature of this landscape:
And these are a view other views driving the Beartooth, I think the partly cloudy drizzle really adds a nice effect to this landscape:
The paternoster lake system you can see in the photos from the Beartooth Highway are spectacular, I personally haven't seen such an easily accessible view of this stunning an alpine landscape. I've always enjoyed paternosters, as much for their morphology as the etymology of the word - it roughly translates from Latin as "Lords Prayer" and the fact that they look like a chain of rosary beads. None of the photos or Photosynths do the drives justice, if you like driving and you like geology, then put these on your list of must-do drives in the western United States!
The Needles Highway was a bit congested since Sturgis was in full swing but luckily the views looking up weren't impeded by the traffic. However, the day was cut short by a hail-producing thunderstorm.
I also stopped at Dead Indian Hill Pass (see my Gigpan of this location here). This stretch of the road is full of switchbacks and quite steep (stay in low gear!):
This is one of my favorite vantage points on the Beartooth - it isn't as 'scenic' as some other photos I took, but I really like the sense of scale, isolation, serenity, and rugged nature of this landscape:
And these are a view other views driving the Beartooth, I think the partly cloudy drizzle really adds a nice effect to this landscape:
The paternoster lake system you can see in the photos from the Beartooth Highway are spectacular, I personally haven't seen such an easily accessible view of this stunning an alpine landscape. I've always enjoyed paternosters, as much for their morphology as the etymology of the word - it roughly translates from Latin as "Lords Prayer" and the fact that they look like a chain of rosary beads. None of the photos or Photosynths do the drives justice, if you like driving and you like geology, then put these on your list of must-do drives in the western United States!
Living in a Seismic Gap Isn't So Bad... Yet.
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After the magnitude 8.8 (MM) occurred just north of Conception Chile many friends, family, and colleagues were concerned my trip could be canceled. After quelling those fears, many became concerned about the idea that I would be living in 'earthquake and volcano country' with the added threat of possible tsunami activity. So I thought I would create a few maps to hopefully minimize concern while being honest, keeping in mind that anything is possible when you live on an active subduction zone. Subduction in this area occurs between the Nazca and South America Plates, producing dramatic topography, explosive volcanoes and powerful earthquakes.
Source: Allmendinger and González (2010)
Arica is a coastal city with approximately 190,000 residents located at 18° south latitude on the extreme northwestern edge of Chile. While historical earthquakes have indeed occurred within this region, little seismic activity has occurred here since 1877 because Arica resides within a seismic gap. This is generally not settling news since it represents a region where strain is and has been accumulating without release - meaning a considerable earthquake could hypothetically occur and Spence et al. (1999), and Berrocal et al (2004) have suggested that earthquakes in the late 1990s were precursors to a major event in the Arica 'elbow.' This is illustrated below as white ellipses, representing sections along the subduction zone that haven't experienced slip in the last century.
Source: Pritchard and Simmons (2006)
The last major event occurred in 1868 and completely leveled Arica and numerous coastal cities. This earthquake also produced a tsunami that added to both the local devastation and caused damage in New Zealand and Hawaii. This tsunami also left numerous ships stranded on land - similar to the events following the eruption of Krakatoa - such as the U.S. Wateree:
Source: Scribners Monthly
So I created some simple maps illustrating the tsunami inundation zone and historical earthquakes in the Arica region. To accomplish this I downloaded an inundation map produce by the Chilean Navy, exported the PDF as a tiff file and georeferenced it. Then I digitized the approximate boundary of the inundation zone and draped it over the topography (in relation to where I'm living and working) in ArcGIS and ArcScene to produce the following visualizations:
A simple 3D model illustrating how far both work and home are from the predicted inundation zone. The red flag represents the house, which is approximately 2.0 miles inland and the green flag is work and approximately 0.8 miles inland.
I created the earthquake magnitude maps by draping a Landsat image over a 30-m Aster-derived DEM and incorporating historical seismic data obtained from the USGS. This isn't very helpful other than illustrating how few earthquakes have occurred in this region since 1877. The large earthquake depicted in the center of the map represents the 1868 earthquake that caused so much devastation as depicted below:
Source: U.S. Library of Congress
So, while the images are visually jolting there's no real way of predicting when an earthquake will occur so I won't - and hopefully friends and family won't - spend too much time worrying about what might happen. I would be more concerned if I was living in San Francisco given the height of their buildings; it is rare to find buildings over 3 stories in Arica and they are all downtown. I'm also confident that if an earthquake occurs that produces a tsunami, even if I'm within the inundation zone, I will have plenty of warning and time to flee the mile inland necessary to avoid harm. After living in Vermont for the last 7 years, I'm a little excited about living on an active margin and embrace all the possible processes that are at work beneath the city. So, to anyone out there who is worrying, don't!
Source: Allmendinger and González (2010)Arica is a coastal city with approximately 190,000 residents located at 18° south latitude on the extreme northwestern edge of Chile. While historical earthquakes have indeed occurred within this region, little seismic activity has occurred here since 1877 because Arica resides within a seismic gap. This is generally not settling news since it represents a region where strain is and has been accumulating without release - meaning a considerable earthquake could hypothetically occur and Spence et al. (1999), and Berrocal et al (2004) have suggested that earthquakes in the late 1990s were precursors to a major event in the Arica 'elbow.' This is illustrated below as white ellipses, representing sections along the subduction zone that haven't experienced slip in the last century.
Source: Pritchard and Simmons (2006)"as the only segment of the Chile-Peru Subduction Zone not to have ruptured within the last 100 years, the north Chile segment is now considered to be a region at high risk from an earthquake similar to, or larger than, the 1877 Tarapaca or Iquique earthquake (Mw 8.3)" - (Benfield 2010)
The last major event occurred in 1868 and completely leveled Arica and numerous coastal cities. This earthquake also produced a tsunami that added to both the local devastation and caused damage in New Zealand and Hawaii. This tsunami also left numerous ships stranded on land - similar to the events following the eruption of Krakatoa - such as the U.S. Wateree:
Source: Scribners MonthlySo I created some simple maps illustrating the tsunami inundation zone and historical earthquakes in the Arica region. To accomplish this I downloaded an inundation map produce by the Chilean Navy, exported the PDF as a tiff file and georeferenced it. Then I digitized the approximate boundary of the inundation zone and draped it over the topography (in relation to where I'm living and working) in ArcGIS and ArcScene to produce the following visualizations:
A simple 3D model illustrating how far both work and home are from the predicted inundation zone. The red flag represents the house, which is approximately 2.0 miles inland and the green flag is work and approximately 0.8 miles inland.I created the earthquake magnitude maps by draping a Landsat image over a 30-m Aster-derived DEM and incorporating historical seismic data obtained from the USGS. This isn't very helpful other than illustrating how few earthquakes have occurred in this region since 1877. The large earthquake depicted in the center of the map represents the 1868 earthquake that caused so much devastation as depicted below:
Source: U.S. Library of CongressSo, while the images are visually jolting there's no real way of predicting when an earthquake will occur so I won't - and hopefully friends and family won't - spend too much time worrying about what might happen. I would be more concerned if I was living in San Francisco given the height of their buildings; it is rare to find buildings over 3 stories in Arica and they are all downtown. I'm also confident that if an earthquake occurs that produces a tsunami, even if I'm within the inundation zone, I will have plenty of warning and time to flee the mile inland necessary to avoid harm. After living in Vermont for the last 7 years, I'm a little excited about living on an active margin and embrace all the possible processes that are at work beneath the city. So, to anyone out there who is worrying, don't!
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
First Legitimate Post
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Well, I have decided to start up a blog as we head into the next spring and summer season... and that means, CHASING! I've also been trying to get more involved in the photography things again and have decided that a blog where I can discuss some of these items might be a great tool to use and also interact with others, and at the very least, be able to jot my ideas and thoughts down to have something to look back on.
I guess I should start with a little more about myself. I am a 23 year old photographer and storm chaser from Omaha, Nebraska. My interest in the weather started while growing up in the Great Plains in Nebraska. The most specific memory that sparked my interest in severe storms that I can remember, is shortly after I started coming home from school alone at the age of 11-12. I remember it being a fall day, but very humid, and shortly after he arrived home from school... thunderstorms erupted. An isolated supercell thunderstorm quickly went tornado warned one county to the west, and moved slowly towards our house. About 30 minutes later I was witnessing the structure and motion of an incredible mesocyclone moving over... even though I didnt recognize it all the time. I decided I wanted to know more about these storms and haven't stopped learning ever since. I briefly attended the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, and while I had always had an interest in photography, it certainly took off after a few journalism and photography courses in Lincoln. In 2007/ 2008, I started chasing storms locally and continued to learn more about the weather. Then in 2009 I started chasing more long distance events. This past year, in 2010 I chased over 25 times for a total of 15,000 miles. I also ended up in many states... Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Oklahoma, and was close to many others. Nothing will replace the feeling of being under a great storm.
In other news, you can see some of my photography at this link, until I start posting some here, I'll be doing some posts relating to my favorite images, some images that mean alot to me, and other items soon. I'll also be trying to get some forecasts up periodically to provide my insight on chases and other phenomenon we try to photograph here.
Thanks!
I guess I should start with a little more about myself. I am a 23 year old photographer and storm chaser from Omaha, Nebraska. My interest in the weather started while growing up in the Great Plains in Nebraska. The most specific memory that sparked my interest in severe storms that I can remember, is shortly after I started coming home from school alone at the age of 11-12. I remember it being a fall day, but very humid, and shortly after he arrived home from school... thunderstorms erupted. An isolated supercell thunderstorm quickly went tornado warned one county to the west, and moved slowly towards our house. About 30 minutes later I was witnessing the structure and motion of an incredible mesocyclone moving over... even though I didnt recognize it all the time. I decided I wanted to know more about these storms and haven't stopped learning ever since. I briefly attended the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, and while I had always had an interest in photography, it certainly took off after a few journalism and photography courses in Lincoln. In 2007/ 2008, I started chasing storms locally and continued to learn more about the weather. Then in 2009 I started chasing more long distance events. This past year, in 2010 I chased over 25 times for a total of 15,000 miles. I also ended up in many states... Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Oklahoma, and was close to many others. Nothing will replace the feeling of being under a great storm.
In other news, you can see some of my photography at this link, until I start posting some here, I'll be doing some posts relating to my favorite images, some images that mean alot to me, and other items soon. I'll also be trying to get some forecasts up periodically to provide my insight on chases and other phenomenon we try to photograph here.
Thanks!
Long Week
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Well I figured I would throw up an update about what I've been doing the past week, last week the sun sent out a series of M and even a brief X class solar flare, the first one in over 4 years, and somehow it was Earth directed. This could only mean one thing, a series of all nighters waiting for its impact and the possible Northern Lights that followed. Unfortunately it never happened.... myself, Tyler Burg, Mike Hollingshead, and Evan Ludes spent about 5 nights looking for auroras and hoping for moon lit fog from the hills of Western Iowa. While not a whole lot happened, I did get some interesting images from the few outings that I felt were worthy of sharing.
This scene occured the first night we were out, banded cirrus shared the nighty sky with the stars making for a cool scene with the full moon and bright snow cover.
The tree in the parking lot area casted a cool shadow on the snow pack with the stars glittering above. The distant horizon is the view from the top of the hill... pretty sweet for being in the corn fields and plains of Iowa.
The second night we saw this moon halo poking out amongst the cirrus with the stars shinning through. It was one of the better ones I've seen with the full spectrum of colors visible for a short time before disappearing into thicker clouds. Sorry for the ugly lens flare.
Im honestly fairly certain that I didn't use my camera the 3rd night, clouds screwed up our aurora opportunities and high winds messed up the fog hopes. The next night, a dense fog advisory had been issued, it had us all thinking we wouldnt be able to get above it even on the hills. Earlier in the evening I had gone outside with my dog and noticed I could see stars through the top of the fog. I called Mike and he had the same thing going on. He decided to head out and called saying that there was low dense fog from about Modale up to almost Little Sioux. We both thought it would be spreading north and the brisk southerly winds giving us an awesome sea of fog to shoot from Murray Hill. On my way up the fog was so dense you could see 2-3 highway dashes in front of you, but still see the moon and stars poking out above. It was surreal. I exited the fog on the way to Murray to join Mike. The photo above is Mike shooting the river of fog flowing through the hills to our east. The other insane thing was the wind gusts... almost knocking us over at times at what had to be nearly 50mph.
This is just what I thought was a cool scene, the grass blowing along a fence line as the haze cuts off our view.
We decided to head down into the fog and see what we could get as it wasnt getting any closer to our here. This image is near the Modale cemetary. This wierd verticle bands were streaming overhead as the moonlit fog contrasted with the textured wind whipped snow. One cool thing that was nearly impossible to get on a still image was the fog blowing at highspeed in front of the moon due to the winds. It almost had a tunnel effect.
This final image was as the low ground fog cleared out... a weak warm front lifted over us putting an end to our fog as the air temperature increased enough to not remain saturated. By now it was nearly 4am and I returned home to sleep, only to be out the next night when the CME from the solar flares hit. Ill have a few other images and some various timelapse footage that I shot of these scenes up soon, until then enjoy the images and let me know what you think!
This scene occured the first night we were out, banded cirrus shared the nighty sky with the stars making for a cool scene with the full moon and bright snow cover.
The tree in the parking lot area casted a cool shadow on the snow pack with the stars glittering above. The distant horizon is the view from the top of the hill... pretty sweet for being in the corn fields and plains of Iowa.
The second night we saw this moon halo poking out amongst the cirrus with the stars shinning through. It was one of the better ones I've seen with the full spectrum of colors visible for a short time before disappearing into thicker clouds. Sorry for the ugly lens flare.
Im honestly fairly certain that I didn't use my camera the 3rd night, clouds screwed up our aurora opportunities and high winds messed up the fog hopes. The next night, a dense fog advisory had been issued, it had us all thinking we wouldnt be able to get above it even on the hills. Earlier in the evening I had gone outside with my dog and noticed I could see stars through the top of the fog. I called Mike and he had the same thing going on. He decided to head out and called saying that there was low dense fog from about Modale up to almost Little Sioux. We both thought it would be spreading north and the brisk southerly winds giving us an awesome sea of fog to shoot from Murray Hill. On my way up the fog was so dense you could see 2-3 highway dashes in front of you, but still see the moon and stars poking out above. It was surreal. I exited the fog on the way to Murray to join Mike. The photo above is Mike shooting the river of fog flowing through the hills to our east. The other insane thing was the wind gusts... almost knocking us over at times at what had to be nearly 50mph.
This is just what I thought was a cool scene, the grass blowing along a fence line as the haze cuts off our view.
We decided to head down into the fog and see what we could get as it wasnt getting any closer to our here. This image is near the Modale cemetary. This wierd verticle bands were streaming overhead as the moonlit fog contrasted with the textured wind whipped snow. One cool thing that was nearly impossible to get on a still image was the fog blowing at highspeed in front of the moon due to the winds. It almost had a tunnel effect.
This final image was as the low ground fog cleared out... a weak warm front lifted over us putting an end to our fog as the air temperature increased enough to not remain saturated. By now it was nearly 4am and I returned home to sleep, only to be out the next night when the CME from the solar flares hit. Ill have a few other images and some various timelapse footage that I shot of these scenes up soon, until then enjoy the images and let me know what you think!
Busy Weather='s A Busy Me
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Hey everyone,You may have noticed a lack of updates both here and on my website. Between work and chasing storms I've been pretty darn busy. I chased 3 days in a row last week. The 12th, 13th, and 14th of April. I figured I would make a blog post with a preview of some images so you would know what to expect when I get the actual accounts up on my website. Once that is done I will finally be working on uploading more images to my galleries. Anyway... the first day on the 12th (Thursday) looked good for some storms over Western and Northwest Kansas. There were some concerns about the strength of the cap the further south you went, but also concerns about gulf moisture making it far enough north to create favorable conditions for storms. We started the day in Nebraska and drove to Garden City, Kansas. Making it around 2pm. Soon after a tornado watch was issued for much of Northwestern Kansas and parts of Colorado and Nebraska. We moved slightly north and sat near Tribune watching storm towers rise and fall. It became obvious that the cap was going to hold and we needed to head north... so we went for developing storms near Goodland, Kansas along interstate 70. Once we caught up to the storm the wind shear was so strong it was of the low precipitation variety. Which made the storm visually interesting but not very strong. Here is a preview! 
We stayed in Colby, Kansas for the night and awoke in the morning to a forecast that doubted whether we could get storms to form in Oklahoma before dark. But we decided to chance it. Storms fired very early (around noon) as we were just crossing the Oklahoma border. We finally reached a line of developing storms around 3pm. The cell we had targeted rapidly weakened as we approached near Chickasha, Oklahoma. As new storms developed to the southwest. We headed down interstate 44 towards Lawton, Oklahoma and then west. Reaching a high precipitation supercell near the Snyder, Oklahoma area in the Wichita Mountains area. Here is a quick preview from that storm! 
We stayed that night in Oklahoma City... and Saturday was supposed to be the big day. A rare 'high risk' of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center and they called for a tornado outbreak. We awoke early and crossed the Kansas border. Reaching the McPherson, Kansas area before heading west towards developing storms flying northeast across the state at 55mph. After being stuck in fog and low clouds on the early storms we elected to head to the south and west and get into clearer and more unstable air as more storms fired near Dodge City, Kansas and rapidly started to rotate. Here is a shot with a funnel cloud on the storm near Greensburg, Kansas! It ended up as a rather frustrating day as we would get in perfect positions on storms and they wouldn't produce. While the ones we had just left to the north had tornadoes on the ground, or another storm to the south would produce. Sometimes thats just the luck of chasing storms.
Finally I'll sneak in one last photo from my trips to Badlands National Park (I'm working on an image account for this as well) Enjoy! Feel free to let me know what you think, and thanks for your patience as I complete all of these updates! 
Thanks again,Chris
We stayed in Colby, Kansas for the night and awoke in the morning to a forecast that doubted whether we could get storms to form in Oklahoma before dark. But we decided to chance it. Storms fired very early (around noon) as we were just crossing the Oklahoma border. We finally reached a line of developing storms around 3pm. The cell we had targeted rapidly weakened as we approached near Chickasha, Oklahoma. As new storms developed to the southwest. We headed down interstate 44 towards Lawton, Oklahoma and then west. Reaching a high precipitation supercell near the Snyder, Oklahoma area in the Wichita Mountains area. Here is a quick preview from that storm! We stayed that night in Oklahoma City... and Saturday was supposed to be the big day. A rare 'high risk' of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center and they called for a tornado outbreak. We awoke early and crossed the Kansas border. Reaching the McPherson, Kansas area before heading west towards developing storms flying northeast across the state at 55mph. After being stuck in fog and low clouds on the early storms we elected to head to the south and west and get into clearer and more unstable air as more storms fired near Dodge City, Kansas and rapidly started to rotate. Here is a shot with a funnel cloud on the storm near Greensburg, Kansas! It ended up as a rather frustrating day as we would get in perfect positions on storms and they wouldn't produce. While the ones we had just left to the north had tornadoes on the ground, or another storm to the south would produce. Sometimes thats just the luck of chasing storms.Finally I'll sneak in one last photo from my trips to Badlands National Park (I'm working on an image account for this as well) Enjoy! Feel free to let me know what you think, and thanks for your patience as I complete all of these updates! Thanks again,Chris
If it's May... you chase!
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Hey everyone... I have so much work to do after the last week. I have been planning to make quite a few website updates but have been chasing storms for the past week. May 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th were all chase days. I also went out locally around sunset to timelapse some distant storms on May 3rd. After all of that time in the car I've been recovering and getting some work done the last few days and am finally getting around to work on things. On May 1st... I chased in Southwestern Minnesota and Northwest Iowa and got a brief tornado warned supercell! 
There was also a decent light show after dark! 
Then on May 2nd, I chased in Southern Nebraska where the cap finally broke just before dark. A supercell tried to wrap up above my head! 
Then I captured the best cloud to ground strike I had ever gotten on the way home! 
On May 3rd... I went out around sunset to timelapse some local convection, I also included a timelapse of the supercell developing near Fullerton the previous day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDiZ1RAS0TIMay 4th was a very frustrating day, where supercells tried to get going and constantly weakened right as we would get to them. Here is a quick shot of some mammatus from a dying storm and then a stack of lightning images after dark near Norfolk.
May 5th was the worst day of the bunch... a strong cap stopped storms from developing and we basically got a tan with 1000 other chasers. That being said it was great to chat with friends and put some facebook faces to names in the real world. Ill keep you updated here as I get these accounts done! Thanks,Chris
There was also a decent light show after dark! Then on May 2nd, I chased in Southern Nebraska where the cap finally broke just before dark. A supercell tried to wrap up above my head! Then I captured the best cloud to ground strike I had ever gotten on the way home! On May 3rd... I went out around sunset to timelapse some local convection, I also included a timelapse of the supercell developing near Fullerton the previous day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDiZ1RAS0TIMay 4th was a very frustrating day, where supercells tried to get going and constantly weakened right as we would get to them. Here is a quick shot of some mammatus from a dying storm and then a stack of lightning images after dark near Norfolk.May 5th was the worst day of the bunch... a strong cap stopped storms from developing and we basically got a tan with 1000 other chasers. That being said it was great to chat with friends and put some facebook faces to names in the real world. Ill keep you updated here as I get these accounts done! Thanks,Chris
Garrett's Log Entry
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Today is the 24th of May, and i had a long day. We started the day by leaving a little earlier then noon to go to the aquarium. An institute that has problems with its mission prerogative. To save animals is important, to enclose and monitor nature is not within that goal. But, it was cool, i saw an octopus! Then we went to Virginia Beach, where the water is suprisingly welcome after getting used to it. Swimming is fun! Sand, clinging to every part of your body, is not. Following that, we had our dinner at a really good pizza place, i had a pitcher of tea! The last activity of my day was a walk along the beach, which was very relaxing, and helped me with my zen, sorta. The moon is behind clouds right now, which makes me a little bit sad, but i am going to bed! Hi mom! This was a blog post by Garrett VanHecke.
7 Temmuz 2012 Cumartesi
Niagara Falls Searchers Find the Wrong Body
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Yesterday, I wrote about the young woman who had fallen over the safety railing and was swept over Niagara Falls to her presumed death. Searchers are still looking for her remains, but during the search, says a report by CBS News, a male body was found in the water below Horseshoe Falls. At present, authorities did not know the identity of this body.
Authorities told CBS that it was rare to have anywone swept over the falls themselves, but that more people are injured in the Niagara Gorge along the river below the falls. Parks Police Sgt. James Riddle says that people commonly ignore safety precautions in order to get a good photo or a better view. Unfortunately, too many of them end up with a much closer view of the bottom of the gorge than they intended.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time discussing tragedies like this, but I will say that where ever you travel, make sure you research the potential hazards and are prepared for them. Follow posted safety instructions and use common sense. I read about far too many hikers being lost, injured or killed in mountains and forests of New Hampshire. Most of those stories contain the words "...tried to take a shortcut..." and "...wasn't prepared for the weather."
Meanwhile, we are just a few days away from leaving for Montana. We've got most of the packing done and are finalizing our lists of things to bring. This afternoon, one of the house-sitters is coming by to get the full instructions package and to go over the responsibilities they'll have while we're gone. I'll also be outfitting the van with new tires and an oil change today. Not only should that help prevent trouble on the way, but it should help maximize gas mileage as well. As it's planned, we expect to spend about 9-10 hours of driving each day. We'll be using the Garmin GPS unit to help find hotels at the end of each day's travel.
We'll be hopping over to Vermont on Thursday night where we'll stay at my mother's house for the night. Bright and early Friday morning we'll all set out for our first destination: Niagara Falls. We expect to reach it in the early afternoon of Friday and we'll spend a few hours there having lunch, enjoying the view, and no doubt learning all about hydro-electric power and the history of Niagara Falls.
I'll post at least one detailed review of our visit to Niagara Falls with tons of photos, probably Friday evening from whatever hotel we reach for the night. We hope to drive well into the evening on the first day to build up a little mileage buffer so we have the option to spend more time somewhere else later on.
Authorities told CBS that it was rare to have anywone swept over the falls themselves, but that more people are injured in the Niagara Gorge along the river below the falls. Parks Police Sgt. James Riddle says that people commonly ignore safety precautions in order to get a good photo or a better view. Unfortunately, too many of them end up with a much closer view of the bottom of the gorge than they intended.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time discussing tragedies like this, but I will say that where ever you travel, make sure you research the potential hazards and are prepared for them. Follow posted safety instructions and use common sense. I read about far too many hikers being lost, injured or killed in mountains and forests of New Hampshire. Most of those stories contain the words "...tried to take a shortcut..." and "...wasn't prepared for the weather."
- Hike Safe New Hampshire has everything you need to know to stay safe while visiting the White Mountains.
Meanwhile, we are just a few days away from leaving for Montana. We've got most of the packing done and are finalizing our lists of things to bring. This afternoon, one of the house-sitters is coming by to get the full instructions package and to go over the responsibilities they'll have while we're gone. I'll also be outfitting the van with new tires and an oil change today. Not only should that help prevent trouble on the way, but it should help maximize gas mileage as well. As it's planned, we expect to spend about 9-10 hours of driving each day. We'll be using the Garmin GPS unit to help find hotels at the end of each day's travel.
We'll be hopping over to Vermont on Thursday night where we'll stay at my mother's house for the night. Bright and early Friday morning we'll all set out for our first destination: Niagara Falls. We expect to reach it in the early afternoon of Friday and we'll spend a few hours there having lunch, enjoying the view, and no doubt learning all about hydro-electric power and the history of Niagara Falls.
I'll post at least one detailed review of our visit to Niagara Falls with tons of photos, probably Friday evening from whatever hotel we reach for the night. We hope to drive well into the evening on the first day to build up a little mileage buffer so we have the option to spend more time somewhere else later on.
The Ice Beds at White Rocks National Recreation Area
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We are off on our cross country trip. We packed the van, handed the house-keys to the sitters and headed west yesterday afternoon. Our first stop is my mother's house in Vermont where we will spend the night, pick up one more travelling companion and head out first thing in the morning. My mother happens to live almost in the shadow of a place called White Rocks National Recreation Area, which is a must see attraction in its own right.
I've written a complete review and description of the place here.
Essentially, the granite mountainside was torn off by a glacier leaving a fall of boulders that stretches from valley floor to mountain peak. All winter long, snow and ice packs into the crevices between these boulders so that by spring there is a deep ice pack insulated by tons of chilled rock. As a result, air flowing over the rocks is cooled and follows the ice beds down into the valley. As you enter the valley, through July at least. You feel the air temperature drop by ten degrees or more as this chilled air settles there.
There is a steam that issues from the base of the ice beds as well which is ice cold all year round. It's probably a good idea to use a micro-filter or other purification system before drinking from it, but we never did as kids. This is theonly place in Vermont where it is possible to have a snowball fight in early July (depending upon snowpack and summer temps.)
So we'll hit the road at 7:00 am, headed for Niagara Falls.
I've written a complete review and description of the place here.
Essentially, the granite mountainside was torn off by a glacier leaving a fall of boulders that stretches from valley floor to mountain peak. All winter long, snow and ice packs into the crevices between these boulders so that by spring there is a deep ice pack insulated by tons of chilled rock. As a result, air flowing over the rocks is cooled and follows the ice beds down into the valley. As you enter the valley, through July at least. You feel the air temperature drop by ten degrees or more as this chilled air settles there.
There is a steam that issues from the base of the ice beds as well which is ice cold all year round. It's probably a good idea to use a micro-filter or other purification system before drinking from it, but we never did as kids. This is theonly place in Vermont where it is possible to have a snowball fight in early July (depending upon snowpack and summer temps.)
So we'll hit the road at 7:00 am, headed for Niagara Falls.
- Vacationing with the In-laws
Road Trip-1st Day
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We planned to be on the road by 7:00 am, but, of course, it was 7:20 when we pulled out of the drive-way. Still, that's pretty close, so we were off to a good start. We headed down Route 7 in Vermont which runs past the Bennington Monument. The Bennington Monument is a Revolutionary War monument that looks just like the Washington Monument, a hollow obelisk with open window holes at the top level so those inside can look out. I haven't visited the historic place despite being so close. As of today, it is on my list of places to visit.
Then we drove on through New York uneventfully. Interstate 90 runs nearly in a straight line the entire distance that we need to travel and we'll drive just about 2000 miles each way on this road alone. In New York, this important commercial route parallels an earlier commercial route, the Erie Canal. There are markers alongside the highway announcing that you are entering the Erie Canal Heritage Corridor.
For many miles in New York, I-90 runs alongside rivers and canals that made up part of the Erie canal and even today there are working locks visible from the highway. The water is held level above and below the lock and boats are routed through narrow waterways where the water level is raised and lowered to lift or lower the boat. This keeps the canal flowing smoothly and makes it passable for barges that would otherwise be unable to travel here.
In western New York, the area along both sides of I-90 is vineyards. There are miles and miles of grapes in well-manicured rows. Given the relatively short harvesting period for grapes, it is hard to imagine that these vineyards could be harvested without migrant workers. It seems as though it will take hundreds of people to pick all these grapes when they ripen,but that those jobs would last only a week or two.
We arrived in Niagara Falls at about 2:30 in the afternoon, parked our car for $5 and walked across the bridge to Goat Island. As we looked down at the river below us, it is broad and relatively shallow, which means it runs very fast. A person in that torrent would have no chance to swim to safety before being carried over the falls.
We walked along the paths of Niagara Falls State Park which has no admission fee. There is a trolley that will take you around the park to view the sights for $2 for adults and $1 for children. We preferred to walk after spending all morning in the car. We took pictures from the pathways that run alongside the river and the falls.
We also went out on the observation tower which provides a view of the face of the falls. The base is completely obscured by mist at all times and walking anywhere near the bottom of the falls (on the roped walkways, of course) will get you thoroughly soaked unless you are wearing a poncho or other rain gear. The same is true for those who ride the boats that run tourists to the base of the falls: The Maids of the Mists.
Niagara Falls is an impressive display of the power of nature and of water. I have to say though, I expected it to be a bit bigger. The gift shop, in addition to the usual assortment of shot glasses, T-Shirts, and other touristy logo-gear, has historic facts about the falls, including a photo of a young boy who was rescued after being swept over the falls in 1960. It's hard to imagine that this boy could have survived the plunge. He was spotted swimming for dear life in a whirlpool at the base of the falls and was rescued by one of the Maids of the Mist boats, according to the signage.
Niagara Falls is a must-see attraction for anyone passing through this part of the country. You can spend $13 or $14 for the boat ride and $11 for the Cave of the Winds Tour, or you can spend absolutely nothing. The park admission is free and the trails provide a good view. For $1 per person, you can get access to the observation tower and the elevator to the bottom of the gorge to view the falls from downstream.
We spent between 90 minutes and two hours at Niagara Falls. It's not something I would travel four or five hours to see, but it's definitely worth a detour of a couple hours if you're passing by. It's one of the great natural attractions in the United States that you hear so much about, so just to get the chance to experience it for yourself is worth it, especially for those on a budget.
I should also mention that there are a number of luxury hotels surrounding the falls and at least two casinos (one on the American side). If you're combining those activities with a visit to the falls then it might be worth driving further.
When I have more time, I'll put up a more extensive slide show of the photos I took of Niagara Falls, perhaps when we get to Montana or, at worst, when we get back home to New Hampshire in September.
Then we drove on through New York uneventfully. Interstate 90 runs nearly in a straight line the entire distance that we need to travel and we'll drive just about 2000 miles each way on this road alone. In New York, this important commercial route parallels an earlier commercial route, the Erie Canal. There are markers alongside the highway announcing that you are entering the Erie Canal Heritage Corridor.
For many miles in New York, I-90 runs alongside rivers and canals that made up part of the Erie canal and even today there are working locks visible from the highway. The water is held level above and below the lock and boats are routed through narrow waterways where the water level is raised and lowered to lift or lower the boat. This keeps the canal flowing smoothly and makes it passable for barges that would otherwise be unable to travel here.
In western New York, the area along both sides of I-90 is vineyards. There are miles and miles of grapes in well-manicured rows. Given the relatively short harvesting period for grapes, it is hard to imagine that these vineyards could be harvested without migrant workers. It seems as though it will take hundreds of people to pick all these grapes when they ripen,but that those jobs would last only a week or two.
We arrived in Niagara Falls at about 2:30 in the afternoon, parked our car for $5 and walked across the bridge to Goat Island. As we looked down at the river below us, it is broad and relatively shallow, which means it runs very fast. A person in that torrent would have no chance to swim to safety before being carried over the falls.
We walked along the paths of Niagara Falls State Park which has no admission fee. There is a trolley that will take you around the park to view the sights for $2 for adults and $1 for children. We preferred to walk after spending all morning in the car. We took pictures from the pathways that run alongside the river and the falls.
 |
| Niagara Falls from the American side Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2011. Do not copy |
We also went out on the observation tower which provides a view of the face of the falls. The base is completely obscured by mist at all times and walking anywhere near the bottom of the falls (on the roped walkways, of course) will get you thoroughly soaked unless you are wearing a poncho or other rain gear. The same is true for those who ride the boats that run tourists to the base of the falls: The Maids of the Mists.
Niagara Falls is an impressive display of the power of nature and of water. I have to say though, I expected it to be a bit bigger. The gift shop, in addition to the usual assortment of shot glasses, T-Shirts, and other touristy logo-gear, has historic facts about the falls, including a photo of a young boy who was rescued after being swept over the falls in 1960. It's hard to imagine that this boy could have survived the plunge. He was spotted swimming for dear life in a whirlpool at the base of the falls and was rescued by one of the Maids of the Mist boats, according to the signage.
Niagara Falls is a must-see attraction for anyone passing through this part of the country. You can spend $13 or $14 for the boat ride and $11 for the Cave of the Winds Tour, or you can spend absolutely nothing. The park admission is free and the trails provide a good view. For $1 per person, you can get access to the observation tower and the elevator to the bottom of the gorge to view the falls from downstream.
We spent between 90 minutes and two hours at Niagara Falls. It's not something I would travel four or five hours to see, but it's definitely worth a detour of a couple hours if you're passing by. It's one of the great natural attractions in the United States that you hear so much about, so just to get the chance to experience it for yourself is worth it, especially for those on a budget.
I should also mention that there are a number of luxury hotels surrounding the falls and at least two casinos (one on the American side). If you're combining those activities with a visit to the falls then it might be worth driving further.
When I have more time, I'll put up a more extensive slide show of the photos I took of Niagara Falls, perhaps when we get to Montana or, at worst, when we get back home to New Hampshire in September.
Road Trip Day 4: Badlands National Park
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The fourth day of our road trip across the country was really the first day where we didn't need to worry about putting lots of miles behind us. This was a planned day of "rest" sightseeing at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Badlands is a big place and I'm going to break it up into several parts. One of the things we hoped to do when we came out west was to see wildlife that simply isn't present back east.
One of the smaller of these is the prairie dog. Although small, prairie dogs serve a vital role in the prairie eco-system as a food source for a variety of mid-sized predators, like foxes, badgers, raptors, bobcats, and the endangered black-footed ferret. They also help churn and aerate the soil with their prolific burrowing. But, this is a blog about sightseeing and not about wildlife management, so I'll skip the details about prairie dogs (which, in Badlands National Park, by the way, are of the black-tailed variety, specifically of the species Cynomys ludovicianus).
Store and share your vacation photos with a free Flickr account.
Prairie dogs are visible in several spots around the Badlands Loop Road, but the best place to view them is near the Pinnacles Entrance along the Sage Creek Rim Road. Shortly after entering the park, there will be a right hand turn-off marked Sage Creek Rim Road. It's a dirt road, but it is well-groomed and easily passable by any car during the dry season at least. There are several scenic overlooks in the first few miles along this road, and you should definitely take the time to stop and look out over the landscape here. At the five mile mark, however, is Roberts Prairie Dog Town.
Here, on flat level ground, far enough away from any ledges to let the kids walk around without worrying, there is a parking area and a little walkway into the prairie dog town. The town consists of many, many prairie dog burrows. You'll see prairie dogs sitting as sentinels near one of the two entrances to each burrow around the field and others grazing on the grasses seemingly without a care in the world.
At this location within Badlands National Park, the prairie dogs seem accustomed to people and didn't startle as easily as those in other locations I visited. Even so, never feed wild animals even when they seem tame. Prairie dogs don't drink water at all, so they need to get the right mixture of water and food through the grasses they eat. Adding dry crackers or other artificial foods to their diets can throw off their balance, especially if they contain salt. Additionally, once they start to expect food from humans they seek out people and may spend more time in and around the road near the parking area exposing them to additional risk.
Feel free to wander into the prairie dog town, watch them go about their activities, and take all the pictures you want, just watch out for the holes in the ground and the occasional wandering bison. While we were there, one lone bull bison was grazing a couple hundred yards away from the parking area. We kept a wary eye on his position lest it approached closer than the 100 yard minimum distance recommended by the park rangers. It never did.
Money-saving Tip
If anyone in your group is 62 years of age or older, they can buy a lifetime senior pass for just $10. This pass let's them and anyone else in the car into any National Park for FREE-- just another reason to travel with the in-laws. At some national monuments and other sites, it offers a discount on admission as well. (Mount Rushmore is the exception - no discount for senior passes there.) Otherwise, Badlands National Park admission is $15 per car load, but that admission is good for seven days.
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| View from an overlook along the Sage Creek Rim Road in Badlands National Park, South Dakota |
One of the smaller of these is the prairie dog. Although small, prairie dogs serve a vital role in the prairie eco-system as a food source for a variety of mid-sized predators, like foxes, badgers, raptors, bobcats, and the endangered black-footed ferret. They also help churn and aerate the soil with their prolific burrowing. But, this is a blog about sightseeing and not about wildlife management, so I'll skip the details about prairie dogs (which, in Badlands National Park, by the way, are of the black-tailed variety, specifically of the species Cynomys ludovicianus).
- See my prairie dog pictures here
Store and share your vacation photos with a free Flickr account.
Prairie dogs are visible in several spots around the Badlands Loop Road, but the best place to view them is near the Pinnacles Entrance along the Sage Creek Rim Road. Shortly after entering the park, there will be a right hand turn-off marked Sage Creek Rim Road. It's a dirt road, but it is well-groomed and easily passable by any car during the dry season at least. There are several scenic overlooks in the first few miles along this road, and you should definitely take the time to stop and look out over the landscape here. At the five mile mark, however, is Roberts Prairie Dog Town.
Here, on flat level ground, far enough away from any ledges to let the kids walk around without worrying, there is a parking area and a little walkway into the prairie dog town. The town consists of many, many prairie dog burrows. You'll see prairie dogs sitting as sentinels near one of the two entrances to each burrow around the field and others grazing on the grasses seemingly without a care in the world.
At this location within Badlands National Park, the prairie dogs seem accustomed to people and didn't startle as easily as those in other locations I visited. Even so, never feed wild animals even when they seem tame. Prairie dogs don't drink water at all, so they need to get the right mixture of water and food through the grasses they eat. Adding dry crackers or other artificial foods to their diets can throw off their balance, especially if they contain salt. Additionally, once they start to expect food from humans they seek out people and may spend more time in and around the road near the parking area exposing them to additional risk.
 |
| A Prairie Dog crouching in the entrance to its burrow at Roberts Prairie Dog Town in Badlands National Park, SD |
Money-saving Tip
If anyone in your group is 62 years of age or older, they can buy a lifetime senior pass for just $10. This pass let's them and anyone else in the car into any National Park for FREE-- just another reason to travel with the in-laws. At some national monuments and other sites, it offers a discount on admission as well. (Mount Rushmore is the exception - no discount for senior passes there.) Otherwise, Badlands National Park admission is $15 per car load, but that admission is good for seven days.
Badlands National Park
To contact us Click HERE
While it is interesting to see the wildlife of Badlands National Park, the real star here is the geology. The soils that can be seen in the exposed cliffs were laid down for tens of millions of years or more. Both the colors and shapes of the badlands are evidence of the geological history of this part of South Dakota.
At the bottom of the deep ravines, a dark grey material is the oldest of the visible strata. This rock, says signs in the park, is known as Pierre Shale (described by the U.S. Geological Survey as "dark-gray clay shale with calcareous and ferruginous concretions and sandy members") and is the result of sedimentary mud that once lay at the bottom of a sea that covered what is now Badlands National Park. Because of its origin, this layer contains fossils of sea life such as ammonites, early clams, and baculites.
The Pierre Shale was deposited over the Upper Cretaceous period, also known as the Late Cretaceous period which lasted from about 98 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. At the end of that time, the vast sea that covered this part of North America receded mainly due to the rising elevation of the area caused by tectonic activity (the shifting of the Earth's plates). The sea floor mud formed fertile ground and not long after the waters retreated, geologically speaking, it was covered by a thick jungle.
Yellow Mounds Paleosol and Interior Paleosol
Decaying plant material mixed with the top layers of the Pierre Shale over the next 28 million years or so, resulting in a layer of yellowish soil. This layer is called the Yellow Mounds Paleosol. At some point around 37 million years ago, the jungle was covered by new sediments carried from the west. The minerals contained in this layer of soil were different than those of the Pierre Shale, so when the jungle grew up again in this new layer, the action of the plants and the organic material they mixed with it resulted in a soil with a strong reddish tint. This layer is called the Interior Paleosol.
Both the Yellow Mounds and Interior Paleosols were later covered again, becoming packed and fossilized by the weight of later sediments. Their distinctive coloration, however, can be seen in the cliff-sides exposed by erosion over the millenia.
Popcorn Rock or Bentonite Clay
More hints about the geologic history of Badlands National Park can be found in the make-up of much of the top layers of soil within the park. Although the area gets little rainfall for most of the year, the soil through much of the roughest areas of the park looks like dried mud. Indeed, it is, but mud of a very interesting nature.
It is a clay called Bentonite by geologists, but known as ball clay or popcorn rock in the local vernacular because of its unique properties. When it does rain in this arid part of South Dakota, The South Dakota Badlands Bentonite, because it contains sodium instead of calcium as it does in some other regions, says John P. Bluemle, absorbs the water and expands to many times its original size. The repeated expansion and contraction as it dries again causes it to break up so instead of a smooth surface, you end up with rough balls of hard packed clay that are an inch or two in diameter.
These clay balls will often break away from the hillside and roll down the into the ravine when they get wet. When this happens, their soft outer surface will often pick up pebbles as it rolls. If you look carefully at the bottoms of the gullies, you might find some of these clay balls that look like someone took hours to stud them with a variety of small rocks.
Bentonite is formed from the breakdown of volcanic rock and ash. With the super-sized volcanic caldera of Yellowstone National Park lying not too far to the northwest of Badlands National Park, it's pretty easy to determine the origin of the badlands bentonite.
Clastic Dikes
Another interesting geologic feature helps to give the badlands its rugged appearance. Clastic dikes are vertical wall-like structures of harder rock that erodes more slowly than the surrounding bentonite and paleosols. The result is that it often looks like the spine of the mountains, sticking up with vertical sides from the surrounding rock and soil. Clastic dikes are interesting formations that also tell us something about the history of this land.
According to Harman D. Maher Jr. of the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Department of Geology and Geography, it is believed that clastic dikes are formed when tectonic activity causes the ground to move in such as way as to open up deep crevices. These open crevices are quickly filled in either from above or possibly from liquefied material being forced up from below. This filling material solidifies almost like cement leaving a vertical wall of harder rock encased in softer surrounding soils.
Because of the way it is formed, the material of the clastic dikes may be of a different geological age than much of the material surrounding it. Furthermore, sometimes these crevices open and fill more than once. So if a clastic dike already existed and the same crevice opens again, but wider, the original clastic dike may be encased in a another layer of material, showing several vertical layers of different types of rock when the clastic dike is eventually exposed by erosion.
Source note: Much of the geologic history of the Badlands is told by signage within the park itself or was related to me by park rangers, and it is these that serve as the primary resource for the geological history that I relate here. Where other sources are used, they are referenced within the text.
At the bottom of the deep ravines, a dark grey material is the oldest of the visible strata. This rock, says signs in the park, is known as Pierre Shale (described by the U.S. Geological Survey as "dark-gray clay shale with calcareous and ferruginous concretions and sandy members") and is the result of sedimentary mud that once lay at the bottom of a sea that covered what is now Badlands National Park. Because of its origin, this layer contains fossils of sea life such as ammonites, early clams, and baculites.
The Pierre Shale was deposited over the Upper Cretaceous period, also known as the Late Cretaceous period which lasted from about 98 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. At the end of that time, the vast sea that covered this part of North America receded mainly due to the rising elevation of the area caused by tectonic activity (the shifting of the Earth's plates). The sea floor mud formed fertile ground and not long after the waters retreated, geologically speaking, it was covered by a thick jungle.
Yellow Mounds Paleosol and Interior Paleosol
Decaying plant material mixed with the top layers of the Pierre Shale over the next 28 million years or so, resulting in a layer of yellowish soil. This layer is called the Yellow Mounds Paleosol. At some point around 37 million years ago, the jungle was covered by new sediments carried from the west. The minerals contained in this layer of soil were different than those of the Pierre Shale, so when the jungle grew up again in this new layer, the action of the plants and the organic material they mixed with it resulted in a soil with a strong reddish tint. This layer is called the Interior Paleosol.
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| The Colors of the Yellow Mounds Paleosol and the reddish purple Interior Paleosol are visible on the steep sides of deep ravines in Badlands National Park. Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2011, all rights reserved. |
Both the Yellow Mounds and Interior Paleosols were later covered again, becoming packed and fossilized by the weight of later sediments. Their distinctive coloration, however, can be seen in the cliff-sides exposed by erosion over the millenia.
Popcorn Rock or Bentonite Clay
More hints about the geologic history of Badlands National Park can be found in the make-up of much of the top layers of soil within the park. Although the area gets little rainfall for most of the year, the soil through much of the roughest areas of the park looks like dried mud. Indeed, it is, but mud of a very interesting nature.
It is a clay called Bentonite by geologists, but known as ball clay or popcorn rock in the local vernacular because of its unique properties. When it does rain in this arid part of South Dakota, The South Dakota Badlands Bentonite, because it contains sodium instead of calcium as it does in some other regions, says John P. Bluemle, absorbs the water and expands to many times its original size. The repeated expansion and contraction as it dries again causes it to break up so instead of a smooth surface, you end up with rough balls of hard packed clay that are an inch or two in diameter.
 |
| Bentonite or Popcorn Rock covers many of the steep hillsides in Badlands National Park. Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2011. Do not copy. |
Bentonite is formed from the breakdown of volcanic rock and ash. With the super-sized volcanic caldera of Yellowstone National Park lying not too far to the northwest of Badlands National Park, it's pretty easy to determine the origin of the badlands bentonite.
Clastic Dikes
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| Clastic dikes run down the center of many of the clay hills of Badlands National Park. Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2011. Do not copy. |
According to Harman D. Maher Jr. of the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Department of Geology and Geography, it is believed that clastic dikes are formed when tectonic activity causes the ground to move in such as way as to open up deep crevices. These open crevices are quickly filled in either from above or possibly from liquefied material being forced up from below. This filling material solidifies almost like cement leaving a vertical wall of harder rock encased in softer surrounding soils.
Because of the way it is formed, the material of the clastic dikes may be of a different geological age than much of the material surrounding it. Furthermore, sometimes these crevices open and fill more than once. So if a clastic dike already existed and the same crevice opens again, but wider, the original clastic dike may be encased in a another layer of material, showing several vertical layers of different types of rock when the clastic dike is eventually exposed by erosion.
Source note: Much of the geologic history of the Badlands is told by signage within the park itself or was related to me by park rangers, and it is these that serve as the primary resource for the geological history that I relate here. Where other sources are used, they are referenced within the text.
5 Temmuz 2012 Perşembe
Kayenta + Emerald Pools Trails and Kolob Terrace Drive
To contact us Click HERE
Hi all, Dianne here. We usually write these blogs inside, but today it is SO gorgeous (79 degrees and 12% humidity) that I'm sitting outside under our shade tree,
listening to the river in the background, and trying to stay focused on the task at hand. There is a cooling breeze, and it's darn near perfect here right now. 
I apologize in advance for yet another trail blog; but then again, this is what we like to do, and we use our blog as a virtual scrapbook for ourselves, so I guess I won't apologize for that. As for the number of photos, we both feel that Utah is the most beautiful state in the U.S., so there will be lots of photos!
Wednesday we packed a lunch, dropped the dogs off at Doggie Dude Ranch, then got an early start in Zion National Park. After hopping the shuttle, we got off at the trailhead for the one-mile Kayenta trail and started off, using this small connector trail as a less-traveled hookup to the three popular Emerald Pools trails.
This trail afforded some scenic views down into the valley as we headed up the trail. As usual, I couldn't resist taking a few flower photos along the way.
And I finally was able to get a photo of one of the ubiquitous western whiptail lizards that populate this area. These large lizards are everywhere, including our campsite.
They are fast, though, and up to now I've been unable to get a photo. I Googled them, and found out they can run 18 miles per hour -- no wonder I've had trouble getting a photo!
Tequila has discovered that she can position herself at the side window behind the sofa and watch the lizards outside. She has been on constant alert ever since.
Now back to the hike....
The Kayenta trail ended near the Middle Emerald Pools. The trail was pretty crowded so we took a quick look at the small waterfalls and pool and moved on.
The trail to the Upper Emerald Pool was a hot and sandy quarter mile, with stretches of rock scrambling and steep steps. Not difficult, but patience was required in juggling for position with faster or slower hikers.
At the Upper Emerald Pool we found a shady boulder and ate our lunch.
We were entertained by the largest butterfly I have ever seen, as it landed here and there in the moist sand.
From the Upper Emerald Pool we retraced our steps back to the Middle Emerald Pool,
then veered off through a crevass to reach the Lower Emerald Pool area.
The Lower Emerald Pool is the most popular of the three areas. We arrived at it a little differently by using the Kayenta trail (to avoid some of the crowds), but the popular route is a short half-mile paved trail from the Zion Lodge.
That paved trail is suitable for strollers, wheelchairs, and -- as we discovered -- school groups. The trail makes its way along a tall alcove under two tall waterfalls and the pools below. Even with the crowd, it was still awe-inspiring and 
the cool spray of the water sure felt good as the wind blew it onto the trail from the waterfalls above. Here are two more photos of the Lower Emerald Pool area:
And here's a view from the alcove looking out through one of the waterfalls:
From there, we followed the paved trail the short hike to the Zion Lodge and caught the shuttle there. Even this short, paved stretch of the trail had some beautiful views:
Since we knew how much fun the dogs were having at Doggie Dude Ranch, we decided to leave them there for a while longer and take the Kolob Terrace scenic drive.
The opening photo is also from this drive. I was too busy with my hands in a large bag of kettle corn to take many photos, but we enjoyed the pretty drive. The road climbed elevation enough that the temperature on the car thermometer went down from 89 degrees at the start, to 65 degrees at the top.
At the upper elevation we passed large stands of aspen trees. Two interesting factoids about quaking aspens:
They form individual clumps, comprised of numerous stems,each with its own trunk, branches, leaves, and a shared root system. That means the "trees" in the above photo are all the same plant!
Also, the beautiful white bark is alive and carries out photosynthesis, unlike any other North American tree. The drive followed along the top of the mesa, where the hilltops were a lush green.
We headed back down to the lower elevation, rolling up the car windows, shutting the sun roof, and turning the AC back on as we descended back into the heat.
Then a quick stop at Doggie Dude Ranch to pick up our very tired doggies, and home for wine-thirty.
Did I mention our "kids" love Doggie Dude Ranch? It is a great resource that we are happy to make use of while we're here. I posted a link to their web site and Facebook page a few blog entries back, if you will be in this area and want more info.
The link below leads to their Facebook page photo album for the second part of May. If you look at the photos, you might recognize a couple of familiar faces (and legs and tails) mixed with the others!
Dog fun at the Dude Ranch
The pet photo of the day shows a key benefit of using the Doggie Dude Ranch while we're gone all day. We come home tired and sore, and we can count on them being just as tired -- in fact, wiped out for the rest of the day!
Hi all, Dianne here. We usually write these blogs inside, but today it is SO gorgeous (79 degrees and 12% humidity) that I'm sitting outside under our shade tree, listening to the river in the background, and trying to stay focused on the task at hand. There is a cooling breeze, and it's darn near perfect here right now. I apologize in advance for yet another trail blog; but then again, this is what we like to do, and we use our blog as a virtual scrapbook for ourselves, so I guess I won't apologize for that. As for the number of photos, we both feel that Utah is the most beautiful state in the U.S., so there will be lots of photos! Wednesday we packed a lunch, dropped the dogs off at Doggie Dude Ranch, then got an early start in Zion National Park. After hopping the shuttle, we got off at the trailhead for the one-mile Kayenta trail and started off, using this small connector trail as a less-traveled hookup to the three popular Emerald Pools trails. This trail afforded some scenic views down into the valley as we headed up the trail. As usual, I couldn't resist taking a few flower photos along the way.And I finally was able to get a photo of one of the ubiquitous western whiptail lizards that populate this area. These large lizards are everywhere, including our campsite.
They are fast, though, and up to now I've been unable to get a photo. I Googled them, and found out they can run 18 miles per hour -- no wonder I've had trouble getting a photo!Tequila has discovered that she can position herself at the side window behind the sofa and watch the lizards outside. She has been on constant alert ever since.Now back to the hike....
The Kayenta trail ended near the Middle Emerald Pools. The trail was pretty crowded so we took a quick look at the small waterfalls and pool and moved on.
The trail to the Upper Emerald Pool was a hot and sandy quarter mile, with stretches of rock scrambling and steep steps. Not difficult, but patience was required in juggling for position with faster or slower hikers. At the Upper Emerald Pool we found a shady boulder and ate our lunch. We were entertained by the largest butterfly I have ever seen, as it landed here and there in the moist sand.From the Upper Emerald Pool we retraced our steps back to the Middle Emerald Pool,
then veered off through a crevass to reach the Lower Emerald Pool area.The Lower Emerald Pool is the most popular of the three areas. We arrived at it a little differently by using the Kayenta trail (to avoid some of the crowds), but the popular route is a short half-mile paved trail from the Zion Lodge.
That paved trail is suitable for strollers, wheelchairs, and -- as we discovered -- school groups. The trail makes its way along a tall alcove under two tall waterfalls and the pools below. Even with the crowd, it was still awe-inspiring and the cool spray of the water sure felt good as the wind blew it onto the trail from the waterfalls above. Here are two more photos of the Lower Emerald Pool area:And here's a view from the alcove looking out through one of the waterfalls:From there, we followed the paved trail the short hike to the Zion Lodge and caught the shuttle there. Even this short, paved stretch of the trail had some beautiful views:
Since we knew how much fun the dogs were having at Doggie Dude Ranch, we decided to leave them there for a while longer and take the Kolob Terrace scenic drive.
The opening photo is also from this drive. I was too busy with my hands in a large bag of kettle corn to take many photos, but we enjoyed the pretty drive. The road climbed elevation enough that the temperature on the car thermometer went down from 89 degrees at the start, to 65 degrees at the top. At the upper elevation we passed large stands of aspen trees. Two interesting factoids about quaking aspens:They form individual clumps, comprised of numerous stems,each with its own trunk, branches, leaves, and a shared root system. That means the "trees" in the above photo are all the same plant!
Also, the beautiful white bark is alive and carries out photosynthesis, unlike any other North American tree. The drive followed along the top of the mesa, where the hilltops were a lush green.
We headed back down to the lower elevation, rolling up the car windows, shutting the sun roof, and turning the AC back on as we descended back into the heat.
Then a quick stop at Doggie Dude Ranch to pick up our very tired doggies, and home for wine-thirty.Did I mention our "kids" love Doggie Dude Ranch? It is a great resource that we are happy to make use of while we're here. I posted a link to their web site and Facebook page a few blog entries back, if you will be in this area and want more info.
The link below leads to their Facebook page photo album for the second part of May. If you look at the photos, you might recognize a couple of familiar faces (and legs and tails) mixed with the others!
Dog fun at the Dude Ranch
The pet photo of the day shows a key benefit of using the Doggie Dude Ranch while we're gone all day. We come home tired and sore, and we can count on them being just as tired -- in fact, wiped out for the rest of the day!
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