CLEVELAND TO LAS VEGAS–The Wooster Geology Department has started a week-long Spring Break field trip to the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada and California. Our Desert Geology course has been so far eight weeks of preparation for this expedition, which includes all four faculty members, ten students, and Jesse Wiles (intrepid son of Greg Wiles). We will post images and comments throughout the week when we get internet access. You can read about our itinerary posted on Week #8 of our online course syllabus.
We left snow-bound Wooster early this morning under clear and cold (21°F) skies. Perfect weather to take a few photos of the changing landscape beneath us as we flew from Cleveland to Las Vegas.
Snowy Ohio farmland southwest of Cleveland.
The Rockies somewhere in Colorado.
An entrenched meandering river on the Colorado Plateau of southern Utah.
Beautiful structures in southern Nevada. The red rocks in the lower left are Mesozoic sandstones exposed in a tectonic window through the folded gray Paleozoic rocks thrust above them.
We landed safely in the very crowded Las Vegas airport, rented three vans, and then headed northwest to visit the Red Rocks National Conservation Area at the base of the Spring Mountains.
I’ve seen lots of beautiful sights out the window while flying west, but never anything like that last shot. Way to capture the moment.
I did see things actually growing and blooming (down in Maryland) and a lot of sunshine over the past few days. What a refreshing change from the February Ohio scenery. What does your traveling troupe think about the psychological impacts, I wonder?
I shall ask the students how this desert experience has changed their perspectives. I am impressed with how much they enjoy searching for rocks and minerals and then climbing as high as they can in the allotted time. Thanks for the compliment on the photos. The secret comes from my Dad: take lots of pictures and only show the best!