There is always a reason!

 

We have heard this many times -- there's always a reason.  But we haven't heard it  in the context of why this big rock is here and this little one is there, or why there are rapids in a perfectly calm river,  or what makes steam vents and mud pots, and does this stuff blow your mind or what?    What is the relationship between granite and rhyolite, or  basalt and gabbro?  What are volatiles in rocks, what does exolve mean, and why do we care?  So much info packed into 3 days of instruction as part of a Lodge and Learn Course in Yellowstone called the Geology of Ecology, or was it the Ecology of Geology?   Doesn't matter.  As is true for all science, it is about relationships.

We Lodged ....

in some very basic cabins, sharing  communal (but quite nice) bath houses across the way, and a bunk house containing a communal kitchen where we brought our own food and shared meals. Great way to meet our fellow attendees, even met a recent graduate of George Mason.   Here's Bill as we packed to leave, 

The campus was contained within the Lamar Buffalo Ranch, itself contained  within the the boundaries of Yellowstone Park.   The announcement of the day was always, "there are bison on campus".  These pics were all taken through our cabin window.  No way I was going outside to snap these photos.  The bison did leave us questioning if the walls could keep out a charging buffalo, but they really didn't seem to care...

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...and we learned.  Here we are comparing a 6 million year old boulder with zero-year old travertine.

The number of  folks on my "I've never met a geologist I didn't like" list has grown longer.  The instructor, Paul Doss, PhD, from the University of  Southern Indiana led us along this adventure.  I may not know much about geology (and learned how little), but I do know a bit about teaching and this fellow is super.  Totally evidence-based and data-driven, this guy translated all of that to all of us, and spiked it with a sense of awe and mystery.    Great mixture of charisma and discipline.  So if you get a chance to interact with this master teacher, take it!  As a lab science instructor who has to wait for people to die to get real lab specimens, I am now envious of geologists for whom the whole earth is a lab. Look at the places we got to learn!  Its how it should be! Who ever thought science instruction should be split into lectures and labs was nuts -- I always thought so, anyway.

Paul's particular bias was that rocks must be considered as cool as flowers and animals  He convinced us, for sure.    Here's Bill delighted to be holding two pieces of petrified wood he found on a hill covered with arrowleaf balsamroot  Cool rocks and cool flowers.  And coolest traveling-companion.

We both enjoyed an overabundance of beauty and scenery and discovery during this whole adventure. Someday I'll go back to Yellowstone (not sure about Bill) and take a wildflower course, too. Can you imagine getting to learn in a field of flowers?  Better than any classroom I've ever had.

How about this for a cool classroom? 

Our days started when after we learners checked for Bison before heading to the bathrooms, (and if there was one or two, we just ceded the ground and waited), gathered for breakfast in the communal kitchen and then boarded a small bus. We were chauffeured about the park by a volunteer driver named Donna.  She had a streak of kindness about a mile-wide combined with a wicked sense of humor (even about traffic and idiots who stop their car in the middle of a road and then get out of it to see a bear.  Bears can get mad and eat children, but there will be a picture to remember it, I guess). 

Donna, at Paul's direction, took us to  overlooks, Yellowstone Lake, and the river and the falls, thermal features, canyons and cliffs.  Two- shortish hikes each day were involved.   Lunch was self-packed and eaten somewhere where we could learn cool stuff, like next to  Native American obsidian mines or on the hot sandy shores of Yellowstone Lake.  The sand gets hotter as we put our hands deeper into it. Mind blown:  The reason is the Yellowstone hot spot! 

 We were treated to explanations of all the kinds of park features, walked along the caldera rim, and knew we were doing it. And learned how we could die.  Evidently it is not likely that the Yellowstone volcano will erupt any time soon, but there are some things that either have happened in our life-time, or could.  Overhanging Cliffs, and the possibility of their fall, is one example  and any of the thermal features is another.  Those signs about staying out of them aren't kidding.  It is worth noting that one of the Park's main roads runs immediately under those cliffs.

We meditated as we stood around this Native American Rock Circle in the woods not far from a trail that took us to Yellowstone Lake!  Its actual purpose remains unknown.

Our personal favorite stop was a next-to-the-last stop of the second day. A walk  along the canyon of the Yellowstone just downstream from Lower Yellowstone Falls showed us that the  river has cut the face of the canyon wall in such a way that  the Yellowstone's 'plumbing' becomes visible. A series of 'pipes' allows the heat that fuels Yellowstone's features  to reach the surface.  I guess I was sidetracked by the falls themselves for this photo.  They are pretty impressive so I left the picture even though those 'pipes' aren't visible here. I looked on line for better pics, but didn't fine them. I believe this is from Artist's Point. 

The last stop of each day was someplace to buy ice cream! Very popular stop! 

Just to finish this up -- we didn't know anything about this course ahead of time.  But  the Universe delivered along with everything  else having to do with this adventure.    We were invited to go along with our friends Sheryl  and Tom,   and we said 'yes' because we really like to spend time with them. It sadly turned out that, in the end,  they couldn't come, but giving credit where credit is due:

This was a great course.  The only thing that would have made it  better is to have Sheryl and Tom there, and we'll gladly go back with them if they'd go with us, when they are able.  So cheers to them!  Here we are in Delaware in April -- a nice dinner along the Mispillion River.  Love you guys!

Retirement lesson learned:  We have cool friends (but we already knew that)!  The Universe delivers.

Voyaya!