Up into the Cascades

Today Jim and I went for a hike up Twin Falls Trail along the South Branch of the Snoqualmie River. The falls we encountered is a result of glacial activity. The South Branch was a smaller glacier flowing into a much larger glacier in the Middle Branch. When the ice melted, it left a hangining valley at the confluence resulting in the water falls. Since the end of the ice ages, erosion has caused the falls to retreat up the valley of the South Branch about 1.5 miles.

Along the way there was evidence of soil creep (trees with curved trunks) and a nice debris flow comng down the side of th valley.

Tomorrow I head for Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands.

Yesterday I passed through the Columbia Plateau/Channeled Scablands area, then headed south to come back north through Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park. Along the way I stopped at Gingko Petrified Forest State Park, but the Information Center was closed on Tue.-Wed. due to budget constraints, but I did get some photos of some very nice specimens of petrified wood. You can see growth rings in some of them.

Rt. 12 from Yakima to Mt Rainier was spectacular along Clear Creek and i ran into some bicyclists who were kind enough to take my photo at the falls.

Mt. Rainier was kind of disappointing because the mountain was mostly wrapped in clouds and hard to photograph. after leaving the park I headed to Oorting to see the town direclty in the path of a lahar that froms as a result of the next eruption of Mt. Rainier.

Later I met up with Jim and spent the night at his home with his family.

Travel Again

Today was a day of travel from Yellowstone to Spokane, WA. I stopped in Butte for lunch and made a side trip to see the Berkeley Pit, the remains of the copper mine that marks the former location of the "richest hill on Earth."

Tomorrow I head to Mt. Rainier and the Seattle area.

Here comes the sun

The weather broke some today for the trip to the Grand Tetons. It was cloudy for most of the trip through Yellowstone, but as I came down the slope towards Jackson Lake, the clouds began to break a little and the first sight of the Tetons was magnificent. This is what movie directors refer to as a scenic climax. On a scale of 1 to 10 the Tetons rate a 50.

The Teton topography illustrates the forces that formed them, with the flat valley of Jackson Hole meeting the mountains right at the slope break where the fault is that caused the uplift of the mountains and down-dropping of the basin. The imprint of the glaciers that carved the Tetons is unmistakable, from the cirques to the U-shaped valleys to the moraines the glaciers left behind.

All in all, today was a very good day!

Hot springs, canyons and bison...oh my!

The weather was not very cooperative today either. Cold, cloudy, periods of rain and occasional snow. Because of the weather, it was easier to get an appreciation of the amount of geothermal activity. Lots of very small hot springs that I might have missed were visible because of the steam vapors.

I saw many geysers and hot springs today, but Norris Geyser Basin was definitely the most impressive. I wanted to see Obsidian Cliffs up close but the trail was covered with very deep snow.

Yellowstone Canyon was truly impressive, but photographs do not adequately show just how steep the terrain really is.

Wildlife was in abundance today, particularly the bison. I saw hundreds today (or the same ones hundreds of times). I’m beginning to be of the opinion that if you’ve seen one bison, you’ve seen them all.

Yellowstone at last!

Today’s travel was lengthened by last night’s snow which closed Powder River Pass, thus forcing a re-routing through Montana. It wasn’t a total waste though, as I was able to see the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.

In my short trip throughYellowstone I saw bison and elk, rhyolite, hot springs and geysers. Old Faithful put on a good show, and right on time! The scenery is spectacular!!!

Tomorrow I plan on heading to the north side of the park to see Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs. Sunday I will be going to Grand Teton for the day.

Finally, some relief (topographic, that is)

Today I finished crossing the flatlands of South Dakota. The weather was overcast most of the day with occasional downpours, but the rain lifted when I came to the Badlands. The outcrops make a remarkable illustration of Steno's Laws. However, I left without accomplishing my goal of finding the sign.

Devil's Tower was very impressive, but the rains returned with a vengeance and it looks like Buffalo will wash away before tonight.

Tomorrow I am on the road to Yellowstone. It's good to be back in the Rockies!

The Flatlands

Today was spent crossing some of the flattest terrain I've ever seen. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota...

There was one interesting note: At two locations, one in northern Iowa, the other in southern Minnesota, I noticed very large boulders (approximately the size of a VW Beetle) sitting in farmers' fields. They did not seem to be made of local rock, so the only conclusion I can come to is that they are glacial erratics.

Another interesting sight are the occasional wind farms...collections of 2,3,5... 20 windmills in farmers' fields.

The weather for the weekend in and around Yellowstone is calling for rain...and snow!

The Great Adventure Begins

Today I took leave from my family (some might say my senses) to begin my trek across country. I have crossed the Appalachian mobile belt, left the rain behind and landed upon the firm foundation of the North American craton. Boy, is it flat here! Gas is not getting any cheaper either!

Tomorrow I plan to cross the mighty Mississippi and head across the Great Plains to Sioux Falls, SD. With any luck I will be in Yellowstone by Friday as they open all the roads for the first time since last fall.