St. Petersburg, Florida
April 11, 2010
I don't know why, but I felt compelled to visit the Florida Holocaust Museum while I was in the Tampa Bay area. I previously visited several times the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Beverly Hills, always captivated by the lectures from survivors of the Holocaust. So on that Sunday morning I drove south from my hotel in Largo to the museum in St. Petersburg. As I approached the cashier and took out my wallet, she told me that admission to the museum today was free because it was Yom HaShoah, the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust.
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Free Fallin' from 13,000 Feet
Eloy, Arizona
March 5, 2010
As part of my discovery of new places on my cross country travels in 2010, I have also had an opportunity to set right those things I have aspired to do in the past but have failed to do so. I've challenged myself in the past to skydive—eager to realize the unknown fears and see if I could confront those fears—but I never stepped up to the challenge. So that's how I found myself at 13,000 feet above the ground in southern Arizona, falling free with a new acquaintance strapped to my back. To my surprise and delight, there was no hesitation on my part on what is frequently used as a joke: jumping out of a perfectly fine working airplane.
March 5, 2010
As part of my discovery of new places on my cross country travels in 2010, I have also had an opportunity to set right those things I have aspired to do in the past but have failed to do so. I've challenged myself in the past to skydive—eager to realize the unknown fears and see if I could confront those fears—but I never stepped up to the challenge. So that's how I found myself at 13,000 feet above the ground in southern Arizona, falling free with a new acquaintance strapped to my back. To my surprise and delight, there was no hesitation on my part on what is frequently used as a joke: jumping out of a perfectly fine working airplane.
Returning to My Childhood Years, Part 2
Victorville, California
February 16, 2010
Guys really do read Playboy and don’t just look at the pictures. Case in point. I still remember the ambitions of July 1982 Playmate of the Month Lynda Wiesmeier, “To revisit all the places I’ve lived in the past.” Although I read that Playmate Data Sheet long ago when I was 21, her ambition has stuck with me as I have imagined many a time returning to my childhood playgrounds – Lincoln, Nebraska; Dayton, Ohio; Victorville, California; and Hahn, Germany. But I have not expended the time or energy to return to those playgrounds except for a quick drive through Victorville several years ago. My life has been the worse for not revisiting those memories.
An opportunity was now in front of me. Victorville was not far away, only a few hours of easy driving on freeways from Carlsbad, and I had all the time I needed to seek and cherish those places waiting for me in Victorville with precious memories of my childhood.
Our first home in the desert when my family transferred to George Air Force Base. I was only six when we moved to Victorville, and I couldn’t spot our exact house on Yucca Avenue. I narrowed it down to a few which were all alike. A typical 1950’s single family subdivision with single-story ranch-style homes, the backyards backing up to the parking lot of Victor Valley High School. I remember the adventure of my brother and me camping out in the backyard, snug in our sleeping bags underneath the stars. The memory is marred, or should I say forever etched, by the hoodlums in the parking lot throwing stones at us and forcing us to skedaddle to the safety of our bedroom.
February 16, 2010
Guys really do read Playboy and don’t just look at the pictures. Case in point. I still remember the ambitions of July 1982 Playmate of the Month Lynda Wiesmeier, “To revisit all the places I’ve lived in the past.” Although I read that Playmate Data Sheet long ago when I was 21, her ambition has stuck with me as I have imagined many a time returning to my childhood playgrounds – Lincoln, Nebraska; Dayton, Ohio; Victorville, California; and Hahn, Germany. But I have not expended the time or energy to return to those playgrounds except for a quick drive through Victorville several years ago. My life has been the worse for not revisiting those memories.
An opportunity was now in front of me. Victorville was not far away, only a few hours of easy driving on freeways from Carlsbad, and I had all the time I needed to seek and cherish those places waiting for me in Victorville with precious memories of my childhood.
Our first home in the desert when my family transferred to George Air Force Base. I was only six when we moved to Victorville, and I couldn’t spot our exact house on Yucca Avenue. I narrowed it down to a few which were all alike. A typical 1950’s single family subdivision with single-story ranch-style homes, the backyards backing up to the parking lot of Victor Valley High School. I remember the adventure of my brother and me camping out in the backyard, snug in our sleeping bags underneath the stars. The memory is marred, or should I say forever etched, by the hoodlums in the parking lot throwing stones at us and forcing us to skedaddle to the safety of our bedroom.
Returning to My Childhood Years, Part 1
Lompoc, California
February 2 to 6, 2010
I returned to Lompoc, the hometown of my teenage years. Some tasks still needed to be done before I set off on my plan-to-be-year-long cross-country travels: placating my mother of my safety as I wandered around, storing items that I did not want sitting in a mini-storage unit in Reno, and completing paperwork so I could travel without worry of those pesky little things like health insurance.
Although I was fortunate in comparison to other Air Force brats as to all of the moving that we did in tow with our dads, I still settled oh so shortly in five places and ten homes by the time I was 15. It was by luck of the United States Air Force that I ended up in Lompoc, California, and I consider our final family resting place as my hometown: Vandenberg Village, a classic 1960's subdivision just northwest of Lompoc.
February 2 to 6, 2010
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| Vandenberg Village as viewed from Harris Grade |
Although I was fortunate in comparison to other Air Force brats as to all of the moving that we did in tow with our dads, I still settled oh so shortly in five places and ten homes by the time I was 15. It was by luck of the United States Air Force that I ended up in Lompoc, California, and I consider our final family resting place as my hometown: Vandenberg Village, a classic 1960's subdivision just northwest of Lompoc.
Take Me Out to the (Spring) Ball Game
Tucson, Arizona
March 4, 2010
It is still the season of winter, an Arizona winter which is like a Lompoc summer. The groundhog Punxsutawney Phil may try to hasten an early spring by not seeing his shadow, but the beginning of Major League Baseball spring training is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner. Looking over my list of things I've wanted to do for a long while, there was #64 - Attend a major league baseball game on the opening day of spring training. Tucson Electric Park was the venue, Section 121 / Row 6 / Seat 15 was my seat, and the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks of the Cactus League were the teams.
For the opening spring game of the local Diamondbacks, I expected a larger crowd but only around half of the 11,500 seats were filled on this warm and sunny day. Being a school day and not yet Spring Break, there were not many families and children in attendance. There was an older tinge to the crowd with lots of retirees including a flock of RV snowbirds from the northern states and Canada as far away as Nova Scotia.
March 4, 2010
It is still the season of winter, an Arizona winter which is like a Lompoc summer. The groundhog Punxsutawney Phil may try to hasten an early spring by not seeing his shadow, but the beginning of Major League Baseball spring training is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner. Looking over my list of things I've wanted to do for a long while, there was #64 - Attend a major league baseball game on the opening day of spring training. Tucson Electric Park was the venue, Section 121 / Row 6 / Seat 15 was my seat, and the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks of the Cactus League were the teams.
For the opening spring game of the local Diamondbacks, I expected a larger crowd but only around half of the 11,500 seats were filled on this warm and sunny day. Being a school day and not yet Spring Break, there were not many families and children in attendance. There was an older tinge to the crowd with lots of retirees including a flock of RV snowbirds from the northern states and Canada as far away as Nova Scotia.
In Search of Huckleberry Pie
Whitefish, Montana
August 20, 2010
For the past few days, my partner-in-crime-for-dessert and I came across quite a few mentions of the huckleberry in our travels. Which was kind of strange since I thought a huckleberry was a made-up fruit so that Mark Twain and cartoon characters would have a name. When I heard the word huckleberry, I pictured in my mind Huckleberry Finn and Huckleberry Hound. I even thought the phrase "I'm your huckleberry" (meaning I'm the right person for the job) couldn't have anything to do with a fruit hanging off a bush.
On our hike to the Grinnel and Salamander glaciers on the east side of Glaciers National Park, Ranger Bob gave us a botany lesson which uncovered the mystery of huckleberries. He pointed out to the panting group of hikers a bush by the side of the trail, a bush blushing with the fruit of the huckleberry. With a park ranger giving us comfort that we would not be poisoned by the huckleberry, the hikers grabbed the berries off the bush and slipped them into our mouths. My partner and I tried to figure out the taste of the huckleberry before we continued hiking. My ruling: like a blueberry, not as juicy and a little bit more tart. Something I could have again although I probably couldn't enjoy many at the same sitting.
August 20, 2010
For the past few days, my partner-in-crime-for-dessert and I came across quite a few mentions of the huckleberry in our travels. Which was kind of strange since I thought a huckleberry was a made-up fruit so that Mark Twain and cartoon characters would have a name. When I heard the word huckleberry, I pictured in my mind Huckleberry Finn and Huckleberry Hound. I even thought the phrase "I'm your huckleberry" (meaning I'm the right person for the job) couldn't have anything to do with a fruit hanging off a bush.
On our hike to the Grinnel and Salamander glaciers on the east side of Glaciers National Park, Ranger Bob gave us a botany lesson which uncovered the mystery of huckleberries. He pointed out to the panting group of hikers a bush by the side of the trail, a bush blushing with the fruit of the huckleberry. With a park ranger giving us comfort that we would not be poisoned by the huckleberry, the hikers grabbed the berries off the bush and slipped them into our mouths. My partner and I tried to figure out the taste of the huckleberry before we continued hiking. My ruling: like a blueberry, not as juicy and a little bit more tart. Something I could have again although I probably couldn't enjoy many at the same sitting.
Exercising the Right Side of the Brain
Sarasota and St. Petersburg, Florida
April 16, 2010
If you were going to test my brain and how it thinks, you would learn that my mode of thinking is definitely on the left side: logical, sequential, rational, analytical, objective, looks at parts rather than the whole. No surprise there, given that my top role models when I was a child were Spock (of Star Trek fame) and Sherlock Holmes. I soon came to realize the right side of my brain needed to be expanded, and I have exercised it as much as I could by the choices I make. Those choices include visiting art museums every once in a while.
The Tampa Bay area offered me several opportunities to exercise the right side of my brain. I first went to Sarasota for a day trip to the Ringling museums. The Ringling compound hosts the historic Asolo Theater, the Ringling Circus Museum, and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art housed in the Ca' d'Zan Mansion. The Asolo Theater took me to 18th century Italy to a classic opera theater, and the Ringling Circus Museum took me to the 19th century when my ancestor Martin Van Buren Bates and his future wife Anna Swann were attractions in the circus. I saw a photograph of Anna but not my great-great-great uncle.
April 16, 2010
If you were going to test my brain and how it thinks, you would learn that my mode of thinking is definitely on the left side: logical, sequential, rational, analytical, objective, looks at parts rather than the whole. No surprise there, given that my top role models when I was a child were Spock (of Star Trek fame) and Sherlock Holmes. I soon came to realize the right side of my brain needed to be expanded, and I have exercised it as much as I could by the choices I make. Those choices include visiting art museums every once in a while.
The Tampa Bay area offered me several opportunities to exercise the right side of my brain. I first went to Sarasota for a day trip to the Ringling museums. The Ringling compound hosts the historic Asolo Theater, the Ringling Circus Museum, and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art housed in the Ca' d'Zan Mansion. The Asolo Theater took me to 18th century Italy to a classic opera theater, and the Ringling Circus Museum took me to the 19th century when my ancestor Martin Van Buren Bates and his future wife Anna Swann were attractions in the circus. I saw a photograph of Anna but not my great-great-great uncle.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Pictures on Rocks, cont.
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Site, Santa Barbara County, California
February 19, 2010
My next check box on this trip was the Chumash Painted Cave north of Santa Barbara. It is on a narrow road in the Santa Ynez Mountains, and although it is a State Historic Park, there is no parking lot. You have to park your car alongside the road and hope your car and yourself do not slide down the road embankment. Also you will not find a park ranger, only a metal gate restricting access to the cave with the pictographs outside your reach but within view.
The pictographs are vibrant, and on this rainy and dreary day of my visit, I imagined a group of Chumash with a warm fire waiting out the storm and drawing on the sandstone wall a story of their dreams. I have dreams too, but with modern conveniences, I did not have to wait out the storm. I soon was back on the road with Lompoc less than an hour away.
February 19, 2010
My next check box on this trip was the Chumash Painted Cave north of Santa Barbara. It is on a narrow road in the Santa Ynez Mountains, and although it is a State Historic Park, there is no parking lot. You have to park your car alongside the road and hope your car and yourself do not slide down the road embankment. Also you will not find a park ranger, only a metal gate restricting access to the cave with the pictographs outside your reach but within view.
The pictographs are vibrant, and on this rainy and dreary day of my visit, I imagined a group of Chumash with a warm fire waiting out the storm and drawing on the sandstone wall a story of their dreams. I have dreams too, but with modern conveniences, I did not have to wait out the storm. I soon was back on the road with Lompoc less than an hour away.
From the Colorado to the Pacific
Blythe, California to Carlsbad, California
February 14, 2010
This is the last part of California I have yet to explore, and I would transect this southernmost part of California from east to west, from the Colorado River to the Pacific Ocean. I knew I would have a full day of driving and sightseeing, and I got on the road just as the sun was rising. And before the sun set that day ...
February 14, 2010
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| A part of the Algodones Dune Field |
- I sat on top of a sand dune. State Route 78 goes over the middle of the Algodones dune field with a parking area at the top. The parking area is not for the driving tourist but rather the dune driving recreational enthusiasts. Lots of dirt motorbikes and ATV's on these dunes.
- I stood underneath what was once (maybe) the world's tallest flagpole in Calipatria.
- I drove south through the middle of the Imperial Valley. The Imperial Valley is as flat as the San Joaquin Valley but it is mostly below sea level.
- I had an early lunch in Calexico within eye-shot of the international border with Mexico. I headed westwards on State Route 98 and hugged the border for twenty miles or so. Once I left the agricultural fields and headed into the desert, reminders of my proximity to the border started to sprout. There were the Border Patrol vehicles, but more interesting were the unmanned mobile surveillance devices with remote control cameras. Like a scene out of Star Wars, these devices were looking out onto the desert towards the border. Several times I was probably scrutinized by the remote control operator who was somewhere many miles away in an air-conditioned office.
- My curiosity was peaked by signs pointing towards the De Anza Overlook and warning that four-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance are recommended. It felt good to get off the highway and put the truck into Hi 4-WD. The overlook of the Yuha Basin showed a desolate wilderness which has not changed much in the 235 years since De Anza and his party crossed it on their way to the coast of California.
- I stopped at a few spots in the southern part of Anza-Borrego State Park including the Carrizo Badlands Overlook and Box Canyon near Blair Valley which still has the roadbed of the old trail and stagecoach road that went through this area.
- I visited San Pasqual Battlefield State Park. California does not have much military history compared to other parts of the country (well, at least when it comes to battles), but San Pasqual is one of the more important reminders of California's past. The visitor center overlooks the San Pasqual Valley and the 1846 battlefield which is privately-owned and planted with crops. With the exhibits in the visitor center, I was able to trace with my finger in the air along the route that General Kearny and his troops took coming down the mountains to find General Pico and his Californios camped in the valley.
With the sun setting below the Pacific Ocean, I finally made it to Carlsbad. After checking into the motel, I headed out to complete one last thing for the day - planting my feet in some ocean sand.
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| The Yuha Basin View to the northeast from the overlook |
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| Calipatria Flagpole The base of the pole is 184 feet below sea level The top of the pole is at sea level |
A Day of Travels
Mississippi and Tennessee
March 17, 2010
I wanted to title this post as "A Typical Day of Duane's Travels." But nowadays there really isn't a typical day for me, and that's the thrill of traveling without an agenda. Today was a day that did have many of the elements I go through as I travel across the country, and I wanted to share a full day of travels with you.
My day started in Columbus, Mississippi, a town at the junction of highways where I ended up when it got dark and I got tired the evening before. I only had one goal at the beginning of the day: to find Elvis Presley at the start and the end of his life. At 7:00 a.m. I headed north and in an hour I was in Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis. I was early though and thought I would notch another national park site on my travel resume. The Tupelo National Battlefield is a small remnant of the battlefield of 1864. It encompasses only one acre and resembles a neighborhood park more than a national park. The only facilities are a couple of historic monuments typically seen in Civil War battlefields and two informational boards explaining the battle. It is definitely on the bottom of the list of national park sites to visit.
March 17, 2010
I wanted to title this post as "A Typical Day of Duane's Travels." But nowadays there really isn't a typical day for me, and that's the thrill of traveling without an agenda. Today was a day that did have many of the elements I go through as I travel across the country, and I wanted to share a full day of travels with you.
My day started in Columbus, Mississippi, a town at the junction of highways where I ended up when it got dark and I got tired the evening before. I only had one goal at the beginning of the day: to find Elvis Presley at the start and the end of his life. At 7:00 a.m. I headed north and in an hour I was in Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis. I was early though and thought I would notch another national park site on my travel resume. The Tupelo National Battlefield is a small remnant of the battlefield of 1864. It encompasses only one acre and resembles a neighborhood park more than a national park. The only facilities are a couple of historic monuments typically seen in Civil War battlefields and two informational boards explaining the battle. It is definitely on the bottom of the list of national park sites to visit.
Monday, December 25, 2017
Sliding Rock and the Kid in Me
Pisgah National Forest, Transylvania County, North Carolina
April 30, 2010
I was driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway and encountered one of those pesky detours. A portion of the parkway was closed because of some winter landslides, and I was diverted onto a North Carolina highway. On my cross-country drive a detour is not a problem but rather an opportunity, and this opportunity took me to Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. It is a natural 60-foot water slide that drops you into a cool pool of water.
As I gazed at this spectacular natural rock formation, the kid in me said "DO ... don't just look".
April 30, 2010
I was driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway and encountered one of those pesky detours. A portion of the parkway was closed because of some winter landslides, and I was diverted onto a North Carolina highway. On my cross-country drive a detour is not a problem but rather an opportunity, and this opportunity took me to Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. It is a natural 60-foot water slide that drops you into a cool pool of water.
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| Sliding Rock |
As I gazed at this spectacular natural rock formation, the kid in me said "DO ... don't just look".
Cabrillo Namesakes
Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma, California
February 15, 2010
Being an attendee of Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, I naturally became curious as to who is Cabrillo and what kind of mascot is a Conquistador. Well, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a conquistador – soldier, explorer, adventurer for the Spanish realm in the New World. In 1542 he and his expedition were the first Europeans to see the sights of the coast of California and set foot on the future Golden State. His expedition planted the seed for California's settlement by the Spanish two centuries later.
My alma mater is one of a small number of namesakes for Cabrillo. I've always been interested in visiting other Cabrillo namesakes, and once again, an opportunity was now staring at me just down the road. Mr. Cabrillo has his own national monument at Point Loma, and I guess this is the definitive namesake for him. The monument commemorates the landing of Cabrillo at San Diego Bay, and offers films and exhibits on his voyage and expedition. The monument also has a statue of Cabrillo overlooking the bay, although I suspect most visitors come to the monument not for Cabrillo but for the spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, San Diego Bay, and the surrounding lands.
February 15, 2010
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| Statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo |
My alma mater is one of a small number of namesakes for Cabrillo. I've always been interested in visiting other Cabrillo namesakes, and once again, an opportunity was now staring at me just down the road. Mr. Cabrillo has his own national monument at Point Loma, and I guess this is the definitive namesake for him. The monument commemorates the landing of Cabrillo at San Diego Bay, and offers films and exhibits on his voyage and expedition. The monument also has a statue of Cabrillo overlooking the bay, although I suspect most visitors come to the monument not for Cabrillo but for the spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, San Diego Bay, and the surrounding lands.
To the Volcano
Amboy, California
February 13, 2010
At the interstate, I had another direction decision to make. East on Interstate 40 would take me to Needles and then to Blythe where I wanted to end up for the night. Continuing south on Kelbaker Road would take me to Amboy, a wide spot on an old highway which was left to whither when the interstate passed far to the north of it. However, Amboy has a namesake which has stood its ground for many a year: Amboy Crater.
South to the volcano was my decision. Amboy back in its heyday wasn't much, a meal, lodging and gas stop on Route 66. Now it is even less with only a hardly used gas station and cafe, the closed-but-not-yet-forgotten Roy's Motel, and a few homes. A few miles to the west lies Amboy Crater and Lava Field, an extinct but relatively young (6,000 years young) volcanic cinder cone. With daylight burning, the crater was too far from the parking lot for my liking so I nixed the hike to the crater. Instead I headed out onto the basalt lava field to jump from one rock to another. Something I always do when I see lava.
February 13, 2010
At the interstate, I had another direction decision to make. East on Interstate 40 would take me to Needles and then to Blythe where I wanted to end up for the night. Continuing south on Kelbaker Road would take me to Amboy, a wide spot on an old highway which was left to whither when the interstate passed far to the north of it. However, Amboy has a namesake which has stood its ground for many a year: Amboy Crater.
South to the volcano was my decision. Amboy back in its heyday wasn't much, a meal, lodging and gas stop on Route 66. Now it is even less with only a hardly used gas station and cafe, the closed-but-not-yet-forgotten Roy's Motel, and a few homes. A few miles to the west lies Amboy Crater and Lava Field, an extinct but relatively young (6,000 years young) volcanic cinder cone. With daylight burning, the crater was too far from the parking lot for my liking so I nixed the hike to the crater. Instead I headed out onto the basalt lava field to jump from one rock to another. Something I always do when I see lava.
A Slice of the Mojave
Mojave National Preserve, California
February 13, 2010
Interstates have a tendency to straighten our focus on the freeway and put us into a stupor as to what may be awaiting us if we just get off. That happened to me a number of times when I drove Interstate 15 for Las Vegas or Interstate 40 to get to or from Arizona. I was stupefied into a rush to get somewhere else that I never took a detour into the wonders of the Mojave Desert between I-15 and I-40. Even Congress was not able to get me to detour when it declared this area as a National Preserve in 1994.
Here was my chance as I drove away from Las Vegas on I-15: Exit 272 Cima Road. Although I was not ready to get intimate with the desert, I thought it at least
deserved a drive through as my introduction to this part of the Mojave Desert. My drive along Cima Road and Kelbaker Road provided a 59-mile scenic tour of the National Preserve between I-15 and I-40. The highlights included Cima Dome, the town of Kelso, and the Kelso Dunes. Places that I had previously read about, but now I was able to put sights to the words I read. A couple of hours after starting my detour, I was back on the interstate.
February 13, 2010
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| South Entrance |
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| Kelso Depot |
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| Kelso Dunes |
Where's the Mountain?
August 31, 2010
I'm not having much luck seeing the great mountains of Washington. Two years ago I traveled to southwest Washington to see Mount St. Helens and its exploded top. I got to see the bottom of the mountain, but the top of the mountain was engulfed by clouds. The clouds opened up for only a couple of minutes as I was driving away, the Washington rainy weather spoiling my view and the trip.
So it was no surprise to me when the Washington rainy weather spoiled my trip to Mount Rainier National Park. Yep, I ran into the rain and clouds which obscured the mountain, even up close. Below is a photo of where Mount Rainier should be. I took the photo from the parking lot of the Paradise Visitor Center around midway up the mountain. There should be around 6,000 feet of mountain and 25 glaciers right in front of me, but all I saw was clouds. I will have to take the word of Washingtonians that there is a majestic mountain here at Mount Rainier National Park.
I did get to see lots and lots of trees in the park. I took a short hike to the Grove of the Patriarchs, a small ancient forest of Western Red Cedars and Douglas Firs that are nearly a thousand years old.
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| Mount Rainier in the clouds |
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| The Grove of the Patriarchs |
What I Learned Today
Ochoco National Forest and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
September 9, 2010
My travels from Redmond to La Grande took me through the volcanic lands of central and eastern Oregon. I saw many remnants of ancient volcanic activity in the Ochoco National Forest and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. And of course, there were many pieces of information left by the Forest Service and the National Park Service to tell us about these geological landmarks. Before the day was done, I read many a sign interpreting the landscape around me. And when the day was done, I was a little bit smarter on the subject of geology.
Here are the interpretive signs that taught me some geology in Oregon ...
Steins Pillar
Ochoco National Forest
Stein's Pillar, 350 feet high and 120 feet wide, is a modern clue to this area's ancient past.
Around 44 million years ago, avalanches of hot ash, pumice and volcanic dust flowing from local volcanic centers filled this ancient valley. A long period of erosion followed.
These flows are still visible in the layers of Stein's Pillar. Finally, Mother Nature patiently sculpted the landscape you see today. Rain, wind, and frost slowly chiseled along cracks in the rocks forming the valley and leaving Stein's Pillar as a beacon to travelers.
Major Enoch Steen explored the area in the 1860's. His name was misspelled so often that the incorrect version being official. The pillar has aided travelers and enticed geologists for many years.
September 9, 2010
My travels from Redmond to La Grande took me through the volcanic lands of central and eastern Oregon. I saw many remnants of ancient volcanic activity in the Ochoco National Forest and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. And of course, there were many pieces of information left by the Forest Service and the National Park Service to tell us about these geological landmarks. Before the day was done, I read many a sign interpreting the landscape around me. And when the day was done, I was a little bit smarter on the subject of geology.
Here are the interpretive signs that taught me some geology in Oregon ...
Steins Pillar
Ochoco National Forest
Clues to a Volcanic Past
Around 44 million years ago, avalanches of hot ash, pumice and volcanic dust flowing from local volcanic centers filled this ancient valley. A long period of erosion followed.
These flows are still visible in the layers of Stein's Pillar. Finally, Mother Nature patiently sculpted the landscape you see today. Rain, wind, and frost slowly chiseled along cracks in the rocks forming the valley and leaving Stein's Pillar as a beacon to travelers.
Major Enoch Steen explored the area in the 1860's. His name was misspelled so often that the incorrect version being official. The pillar has aided travelers and enticed geologists for many years.
The Great Goosenecks of the San Juan River
Goosenecks State Park, San Juan County, Utah
October 11, 2010
From an interpretive sign near the Goosenecks Overlook:
geology: Approximately 1,000 feet beneath the spot where you now stand winds the San Juan River. Originating in Colorado, this river eventually joins Lake Powell.
The silt-laden San Juan has been instrumental in cutting the deep bending chasm directly below. This section is called the Great Goosenecks of the San Juan River.
Geologists consider this part of the river to be one of the finest examples of "entrenched meanders" anywhere in the world.
The meandering pattern originated several million years ago when the river was flowing on a relatively flat plain, much as the present-day Mississippi River.
The San Juan became entrenched when the entire Colorado Plateau was slowly uplifted. Cutting downward, the river followed its initial pattern and thus created the canyon you now view.
The process continues to this day as the San Juan River cuts ever deeper into prehistoric geological formations.
October 11, 2010
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| View to south from east to west |
geology: Approximately 1,000 feet beneath the spot where you now stand winds the San Juan River. Originating in Colorado, this river eventually joins Lake Powell.
The silt-laden San Juan has been instrumental in cutting the deep bending chasm directly below. This section is called the Great Goosenecks of the San Juan River.
Geologists consider this part of the river to be one of the finest examples of "entrenched meanders" anywhere in the world.
The meandering pattern originated several million years ago when the river was flowing on a relatively flat plain, much as the present-day Mississippi River.
The San Juan became entrenched when the entire Colorado Plateau was slowly uplifted. Cutting downward, the river followed its initial pattern and thus created the canyon you now view.
The process continues to this day as the San Juan River cuts ever deeper into prehistoric geological formations.
Dozens of Pages of a Grand Book
South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
March 2, 2010
In 1862 the Russian author Ivan Turgenev wrote, "A picture shows me at a glance what it takes dozens of pages of a book to expound." The pictures of the Grand Canyon are worthy of dozens and dozens of pages. Depending on what the viewer may be thinking at the time they inhale the immense atmosphere of the Grand Canyon, the subject of these pages can be almost anything and their depth can vary from a simple poem to a treatise on sedimentary geology.
I did not want to over-think the Grand Canyon like a geographer would do. I would rather just take in and enjoy the landscapes as I traveled along the South Rim. I would like you to do the same. Enjoy these landscape visuals from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, west to east.
March 2, 2010
In 1862 the Russian author Ivan Turgenev wrote, "A picture shows me at a glance what it takes dozens of pages of a book to expound." The pictures of the Grand Canyon are worthy of dozens and dozens of pages. Depending on what the viewer may be thinking at the time they inhale the immense atmosphere of the Grand Canyon, the subject of these pages can be almost anything and their depth can vary from a simple poem to a treatise on sedimentary geology.
I did not want to over-think the Grand Canyon like a geographer would do. I would rather just take in and enjoy the landscapes as I traveled along the South Rim. I would like you to do the same. Enjoy these landscape visuals from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, west to east.
Blast Off !
Scottsmoor, Florida
April 5, 2010
One of my most vivid memories is watching the launch of the Skylab 3 manned mission on July 28, 1973 at 7:11 a.m. I can still see the Saturn rocket scream through the southeast skies with a rumble and smoke following its trail. It was a sight that this young boy had not even come close to seeing in his 12 years. How was I to know I would see many, many more launches of spacecraft in my subsequent eight years at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The space shuttle program is coming to a close by the end of the year, and there will only be four more launches. Opportunity presented itself, and I continued eastwards to the Space Coast of Florida to see the second-to-last launch of the shuttle Discovery. I also continued eastwards to relive a memory.
The launch of the Discovery was scheduled for 6:21 a.m. the next morning, around a half hour before sunrise. I wanted to get a closer look at the launch and was planning to see it from the waterfront of Titusville. After a short night of sleep in Daytona Beach, I headed south down the coast to Titusville. However, as I approached Titusville, I noticed that a lot of people had the same idea, especially those coming from Orlando. Gridlock on the roads was already in place, and I turned my truck around and drove north for Plan B.
April 5, 2010
One of my most vivid memories is watching the launch of the Skylab 3 manned mission on July 28, 1973 at 7:11 a.m. I can still see the Saturn rocket scream through the southeast skies with a rumble and smoke following its trail. It was a sight that this young boy had not even come close to seeing in his 12 years. How was I to know I would see many, many more launches of spacecraft in my subsequent eight years at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The space shuttle program is coming to a close by the end of the year, and there will only be four more launches. Opportunity presented itself, and I continued eastwards to the Space Coast of Florida to see the second-to-last launch of the shuttle Discovery. I also continued eastwards to relive a memory.
The launch of the Discovery was scheduled for 6:21 a.m. the next morning, around a half hour before sunrise. I wanted to get a closer look at the launch and was planning to see it from the waterfront of Titusville. After a short night of sleep in Daytona Beach, I headed south down the coast to Titusville. However, as I approached Titusville, I noticed that a lot of people had the same idea, especially those coming from Orlando. Gridlock on the roads was already in place, and I turned my truck around and drove north for Plan B.
A Ghost Portrait
Carrollton, Alabama
March 25, 2010
Do you see a faint outline of a face in the lower right pane of the window? Click on the photo to get a closer view. Do you see it yet? If you have a laptop, move the screen up and down and around. Can you see it?
I went many miles into the countryside to reach a small town in Alabama to bring you this story of the lightning portrait of Henry Wells. On a top floor window of the Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton, it is said that a face of a jailed man was etched into the window by a stroke of lightning in 1878. Check out the Roadside America website for more about this eerie story.
March 25, 2010
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| Click on the image to enlarge and to see the lightning portrait |
I went many miles into the countryside to reach a small town in Alabama to bring you this story of the lightning portrait of Henry Wells. On a top floor window of the Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton, it is said that a face of a jailed man was etched into the window by a stroke of lightning in 1878. Check out the Roadside America website for more about this eerie story.
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