Zion National Park

Feeling national parky these days, so I'm going to continue on the national park realm.

I had the fantastic opportunity in 2009 to visit several national parks in the southwestern U.S. An opportunity that I will not soon forget and one that I never thought I would have in my existence, and I am forever thankful for the experience! My favorite thing about Zion is that there were so many places and different landforms to explore to and essentially lose yourself.

Overall Zion (and the region) is beautiful, with amazing geology. Zion is located on the western edge of the Colorado Plateau. Where Zion currently is located was once a desert basin. As surrounding mountains eroded, debris was moved downstream in slow moving streams and rivers, which deposited the materials (sedimentation). Uplift of the area began about 13 million years ago, with accompanying erosion. Rivers found that their gradients were increased, that they could carry greater loads, and thus greater downcutting and widening occurred, carving out steel cliffs, terraces, and plateaus. Adding to the interesting geology of the are are large NNE-SSW-striking normal faults. These faults have immense vertical displacement and they are the reason why the Colorado Plateau is divided into several blocks. Zion is within the block that is bounded by the Hurricane and Sevier faults.

This is only a brief snapshot of the vast geology of the region...to discuss all of it would result probably a semester's worth of geology that I myself only know the basics of. Just looking at the area without knowing the geologic history of the area is spectacular. This has and will probably always remain one of my very favorite national parks that I've ever been too!

There are a number of different ways that people interested in seeing Zion can enjoy it, from camping, to bicycling, to climbing, to hiking, to canyoneering (I wanna do that)--and that's to name only a few--you're pretty much limitless!!

Resources: National Parks Website, Great Outdoor Recreation Pages

Washington, DC - Museum of Natural History

Washington, D.C. - the capital of this great nation, and visited by millions of people...and I, a person in my twenties, just visitied for the first time a few years ago. Sad, really. It was also the location of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) conference this year. DC is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area, which is the 9th largest metropolitan area in the country, with a population of 5.3 million. DC is also the central location for all 3 branches of government, houses 174 foreign embassies, and a multitude of other departments and government agencies. Additionally, there are many monuments and museums (like the Smithsonian). A few of the monuments are must-sees, such as the Washington Monument and the like. They're beautiful and full of history!

I am not an urban geographer by design, but this city is truly an amazing feat of Urban Planning. The public transportation here is AMAZING! Get on the metro, get off at your stop, all is well with the world. (Well unless the metro hits a person, like it did while I was there this year---but it didn't affect my line...).

Well, I was in DC on business this year, but I did have a chance to scope out some of the sites, and in years past I was able to check out a few of the museums. My favorite museum of all time has to be the Museum of Natural History! It has so many different exhibits to explore and enjoy from plate tectonics to dinosaur fossils! A geographer's playground! And, the museum is free to the public!!!!!! It opened in 1910, and was actually one of the first Smithsonian buildings built to house the collections.

I'll write again about D.C., but I wanted to detail the awesomeness that is the metro and the Museum of Natural History!

Biscayne National Park

The recent oil spill in the Gulf brought me back to a long past trip I took to Biscayne National Park. Though the NPS maintains that the oil spill is not an "immediate threat" to the parks of South Florida, the staff from Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, De Soto National Memorial, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Everglades National Park are already preparing. The Biscayne National Park website states, "The National Park Service is focused on securing the safety of vistoris and responders, minimizing the impact of the land-bound oil on park resources, and working closely with local and federal partners until the threat is resolved." Gotta love the NPS for always trying to be one step ahead in protecting not only the environment, but its visitors.

Biscayne is a unique national park, in that it has four distinct ecosystems melt into one. It creates and "ecotone," or a rich edge community. The four primary ecosystems include: a narrow fringe of mangrove forests, the southern expanse of Biscayne Bay, the northern Florida Key islands, and the beginning of a coral reef. The existence of these four ecosystems allows for a plethora of species raning from fish found nowhere else in the U.S. to manatees and pelicans.

I didn't get to spend as much time as I would've liked at Biscayne National Park, but I did go in the off-season. They do have many things to do from snorkeling to canoeing to walking. Since it was the off-season, all I did was walk along the 1/4-mile jetty trail to Convoy Point. It's a beautiful area, and I would love to return sometime in the near future to see how it has changed over the years....

Hanging Rock State Park, NC

Sticking with the North Carolina State Parks theme, Hanging Rock State Park is another great location in the Triad for a quick hike. It is located only about an hour from Greensboro, NC, making it the ideal location for a bored city-dweller to go for a nice, refreshing hike or swim on a beautiful day. Located near Pilot Mountain State Park, it is also part of the Sauratown Mountains, which are known as "the mountains away from the mountains" (since they are separated by Blue Ridge Mountains). Millions of years of erosion wore down the mountains, leaving only resistant outcrops of quartizite, such as Moore's Knob, Wolf Rock, and, of course, Hanging Rock.

Besides hiking, Hanging Rock State Park offers a pleathora of other servies, such as swimming and camping to name a few. Of course, my favorite trail is the Hanging Rock Trail, stretching 1.3 miles-one way, with a massive amount of stairs to climb to the summit. But, it's totally worth it! The outcrop is amazing, with many places to sit and have a nice lunch! Many people are too afraid to venture off towards the very edge of Hanging Rock, but it's one of my favorite places--you can just look out for miles on clear day--cleansing for the soul! It's a great place to bring friends and just sit and chat for hours before making the 1.3-mile descent back to the parking lot.

Pilot Mountain, NC - various times

Taking a break from around the world adventures, and bringing out an entry from a little closer to home. Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, is located about 25 miles northwest of Winston Salem, NC.

Pilot Mountain, with an elevation of 2,420 feet, is a remnant of the Sauratown Mountains, and after millions of years of weathering and erosion, now is a quartzite monadnock. The Saura Indians first called Pilot Mountain "Jomeokee," or "Great Guide/Pilot;" hence its name today.

Interestingly, the mountain was first mapped in 1751 by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, who was Thomas Jefferson's father. It became a North Carolina State Park in 1968 to protect it from further commercial development. Currently, the park contains over 3,000 acres of protected land.

For residents of central North Carolina, the park is a very close sanctuary, to rest, relax, and hike to your heart's content. It has various trails (about 13), and of course, anybody who goes to Pilot Mountain should do the 0.8-mile hike (Jomeokee Trail) around the quartzite monadnock to truly understand the weather and erosion that this feature was and still continues to endure. My favorite trail is the Ledge Springs Trail (~2.o miles - strenuous...and they're not kidding :) ). It has such amazing views, and the most amazing set of stairs at the end!

Source: http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/pimo/history.php

Prague, Czech Republic - June 2008

During the summer of 2008, I had the opportunity of traveling to Europe in a summer field school. The field school consisted of spending one month in Europe, the vast majority of it spent in Berlin, Germany. The group of us also traveled to several different cities all around Europe. My next few entries will discuss the cities and the time is spent with my colleagues in the various cities.

First on the list is PRAGUE! Our group to a train from Berlin to Prague, or Praha (as it is called there), and it was the most beautiful train ride. We had to exchange some money from Euros to the Czech currency and then we were on our way to explore this beautiful city, full of history!

The castle district is probably what Prague is most famous for, and rightfully so. The stairs leading to the district are quite the work-out, but the rewards are much greater than the strain. Besides, the view of the city from those stairs is breath-taking!

But, the most interesting part of the city, in my opinion, is the work of David Černý (http://www.davidcerny.cz/), which is displayed throughout the city. "Nothing is sacred in Prague," is what we were told. This artist's work emulates this statement, told to us by the random tour guide that our professor found for us. From babies crawling up the T.V. tower to a statue of St. Wenceslas riding a dead horse, really, nothing is scared. Though, my personal favorite of the works that we were able to see, is the sculture depicting two naked males peeing (oh wait, let's be P.C.--urinating) in the a pool that is in the shape of the Czech Republic. Talk about making fun of your own country....