Geobulletin alpha

The Sedona Westerners Raft the Colorado River 

The first of five Grand Canyon river trips that I will make in 2016 took place during the second week of May. The group was composed mostly of hiking enthusiasts and members of the Sedona Westerners, an active hiking club in northern Arizona. Not one of the trips participants had ever before been on a Grand Canyon river trip and this was the first time I think this has ever happened to me. We had a great time with a great group of rafters and hikers!Northern Arizona is on track to experience [...]

Living the Dream, Day 5 – Bright Angel and Beyond 

We are deep within the metamorphic rocks of Granite Gorge, more than a mile below the rim of Grand Canyon. At river mile 88, in the area of Phantom Ranch, we cross beneath two narrow bridges. In 1928, construction of the Kaibab (Black) Bridge changed the dynamics of tourism along the Colorado River. Its purpose was to connect the North Kaibab trail and the South Kaibab trail, making travel safer for both humans and mule traffic. A short distance downstream is the Bright Angel (Silver) Bridge, [...]

Rafting and Hiking in Stillwater and Cataract Canyons in Canyonlands National Park 

I just completed a 7-day rafting adventure through Canyonlands National Park on the Green and Colorado rivers through Stillwater and Cataract canyons. It was fantastic. The strange May weather in the southwest continued but it didn't really dampen our efforts to learn history and geology and hike to some fantastic places.The damp conditions precluded our scenic flight to the put-in so we drove and hiked in on the Mineral Bottom road. These switchbacks were recently rebuilt after a massive slope [...]

Grand Canyon Field Institute 10-Day Colorado River Rafting Trip - Part 2 Phantom Ranch to Diamond Creek 

Part 2 of this 10-day Grand Canyon raft adventure begins downstream from Phantom Ranch.The angular unconformity between the Grand Canyon Supergroup (lower tilted strata) and the Cambrian-age Tapeats Sandstone. Note that the Supergroup rocks are beveled to near horizontal suggesting a long period of erosion to plane them flat.Wider view of the same unconformity, exposed near Stone Creek in Grand Canyon (river mile 132). The lighter colored Supergroup rocks belong to the Bass Limestone and are [...]

2014 10-Day Geology Themed Rafting Trip in Grand Canyon 

My Grand Canyon 10-Day rafting trip this year was extra special. We had 13 excited participants ready to learn a little geology and take some hikes to Grand Canyons' great places. But also, there were two special family member's along, my wife Helen and her dad Joel. This posting features photographs 100% from Helen who is becoming a sensational photographer before our eyes. Enjoy the canyon through Helen's lens!By the way, these are photo's taken with her iPhone. A nicer camera is on its way [...]

Pictures and Stories From My 2013 10-Day Grand Canyon River Trip - Into the Green 

Northern Arizona has experienced a very strong flow of monsoon moisture this summer and my Grand Canyon river trip benefited greatly from the multiple rain events. Canyon hill- slopes were exceedingly green from the recent moisture, known to be the second wettest monsoon since records have been kept. This years trip was run under the auspices of the Grand Canyon Field Institute (GCFI), their first ever offering of a motorized rafting trip. It will now be an annual trip (sorry - the 2014 [...]

An Eight-Day Colorado River Trip Through Grand Canyon - Part 3 

The last part of this narrative involves traversing the Upper and Middle Granite Gorges. Grand Canyon has three inner gorges named Upper, Middle and Lower. These are where some of the best rapids are located as well as some of the best rocks.A view of the Upper Granite Gorge above the Phantom Ranch area.Near river mile 83 on the left is a small body of ultramafic rocks. These are rocks that were originally located in the earth's mantle but found their way to the surface in rare circumstances [...]

An Eight-Day Colorado River Trip Through Grand Canyon - Part 2 

A continuation of the photo's from my recent rafting trip in Grand Canyon with Professional geologists.Morning breakfast to fuel up for a hike in the summer heat.Making lunches for the hike at 6 AM!Approaching the confluence of the Little Colorado River at river mile 62. Cape Solitude towers over the confluence some 4,000 feet above our raft.Dissolved calcium from the Redwall Limestone makes the Little Colorado River a turquoise blue color as light refracts off of the dissolved solutions. The [...]

An River Trip Through Grand Canyon With Geologists - Part 1 

I just returned from an eight-day Colorado River trip in Grand Canyon with other professional geologists. The trip was organized by my friend and colleague Howard Capito who assembled these professionals, friends, and family members. One of the striking facts about this group was the high number of participants who had never before seen Grand Canyon - their first views would be from the bottom up. The trip was successful beyond any measure. And it was fun!Of course, a river trip of such length [...]

"Carving Grand Canyon" Wins Design Award with PubWest 

On June 5, 2013, the 2nd edition of "Carving Grand Canyon" won a Bronze award (third place) with the trade organization PubWest for superior design in the category of Academic/Non-Trade. The awards were announced yesterday and you can view the winners in each category here.Here is a listing of the award winners in the category of Academic/Non-Trade:"Atomic Comics: Cartoonist Confront the Nuclear World"  University of Nevada Press (Gold winner)"The Menial Art of [...]

Images From My 2012 10-Day Geology Rafting Trip 

Wow! I just concluded another great 10-day geology rafting trip in Grand Canyon. The trips just keep getting better and better. I'm off on another Grand Canyon adventure soon, this time on a Rim to Rim hike with the Grand Canyon Field Institute. But I thought I would at least post some of the pictures from the rafting trip. Highlights include seeing some brand new deposits from the intense runoff events that occurred during the summer monsoon. Look at these below!I didn't take any pictures on [...]

My 2011 Grand Canyon 7-Day Rafting Trip 

My rafting trips in the Grand Canyon have become quite popular and this year I added an additional 7-day trip to my regularly scheduled 10-day trip. A shorter trip is preferred by some people and  allows those with work responsibilities to see the entire canyon in one week. We travel 280 miles - the whole length of the canyon. Every trip is different, with different boatmen, hikes, stops and camps. My recent trip was one of the best ever! Have a look.This blog is widely read as a geology [...]