Geotrippin’ Part the Firste

When you see the number of photos here, and reflect upon the fact they only represent a fragment of the things we saw and did, you’ll not believe me when I say this was the most laid-back geotrip Lockwood and I have ever taken. Nevertheless, it was. We were kicking back in the hotel rooms at a decent hour, we never arrived in a town ten minutes after all of the restaurants closed, and we weren’t even sore at the end of it. I’d say that doesn’t qualify as a real geotrip, but the number of rocks now weighing down my kitchen counter state otherwise.

I’ve begun research, and shall soon be regaling you with in-depth tales of The Things We Saw. But we’ll start with the outtakes, first. Observe your intrepid blogger observing geology (plus some other things).

1. Tsunami Memorial

Portion of Japanese Dock now on display at Hatfield Marine Science Center.
Portion of Japanese Dock now on display at Hatfield Marine Science Center. Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.

On Day One, we zipped over to Newport for a bit and headed over to see the tsunami exhibit. This is pretty much it: a chunk of the dock that washed up on Agate Beach, and a sign. Also, it says you’re a fourteen-minute walk to high ground from there. Also, we don’t quite know why they built a state-of-the-art facility in a tsunami hazard zone when it seems it could have easily been sited on high ground. Sigh.

The exhibit isn’t much yet, but you can step inside the dock. As much as the thing weighed, it was mostly hollow – I think Lockwood said it had been filled with something like Styrofoam.

Moi inside tsunami dock. Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.
Moi inside tsunami dock. Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.

2. Darlingtonia Wayside

Self-portrait with darlingtonia bloom.
Self-portrait with darlingtonia bloom.

No, I’m not very badly sunburned. I’m on my knees, practically upside-down, holding my breath whilst straining to hold the camera several feet from me pointed at the darlingtonia flower. I suffer for my art, people. Do you see what I put myself through in order to get you excellent shots without destroying precious natural areas?

Actually, it mostly wasn’t that hard.

Moi photographing darlingtonia in a more comfortable position. Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.
Moi photographing darlingtonia in a more comfortable position. Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.

Granted, my knees are getting old, and my hair weighed roughly ten thousand pounds (it’s since been hacked off), and it was cold and damp and oh noes somebody call the waaahmbulance!

(Those of you mourning my fallen hair can join me at the boo-hoospital. It’s not that short. And it’ll grow back. This shit’s like kudzu.)

3. Beach rocks at Gold Beach.

Moi with maclargehuge busted-up rock on beach. Image courtesy Lockwood DeWitt.
Moi with maclargehuge busted-up rock on beach. Image courtesy Lockwood DeWitt.

So this is a neat one. If it was in the ocean, it’d be a seastack. And one side looks perfectly solid, then you come round to the other and see this big gash filled with wedged-in blocks. They were stable enough for me to pose with them, but I wouldn’t stand there for any length of time. Certainly wouldn’t want to be there if even a minor earthquake happened nearby.

You can ask me what it’s made of. Go ahead. Ask. And I’ll look at you somberly, and say, “Fuck if I remember.” But it was awesome.

I said big blocks, right? Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.
I said big blocks, right? Image credit Lockwood DeWitt.

By the way, I’m officially 5’6″ without my shoes. So yeah. Mighty big blocks o’ rock. Whatever that rock was.

More soon. For now, the trails are calling my name, and then I really have to get the rocks off the counter so I can stop eating out…

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Geotrippin’ Part the Firste
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10 thoughts on “Geotrippin’ Part the Firste

  1. 1

    That big rock was conglomerate, and a huge block within a melange. I think the unit is called the Otter Point Formation, though I’ve always been uneasy with giving melange formation names- it implies a uniformity of lithology that just ain’t there with such whirly blended rocks. The other reason I wanted to stop here was the serpentinite across the road- but it’s been covered with rip-rap to keep it off the highway.

  2. 2

    Awesome! Can’t wait for more.

    And you think your knees are getting old? Try mine at twice the age (more or less), with the left one held together by screws!

  3. 3

    I’m on my knees, practically upside-down, holding my breath whilst straining to hold the camera several feet from me pointed at the darlingtonia flower. I suffer for my art, people.

    Tripods
    Remote shutter release, or at least a cable release

  4. 5

    No hardware here, but an impressive incision scar and a nasty lump of scar tissue.

    Sheesh, kids these days….

    Hey, get off my lawn!

    Oh, yeah. Very cool pictures. Looking forward to more.

  5. 6

    I’ll see your impressive incision scar and raise you two more. Along with half a dozen little ones. One of the large ones is on the back, however, not the knee. And more screws under it. And to think, when I got to the ER I actually thought they’d put a cast on me and send me home!

  6. 8

    Very well, thank you. I don’t even use my cane any more, unless I feel like parking in the handicapped spot! Already making plans for hurling pumpkins in the fall.

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