So I have many geology-themed Hawai'i posts in the works, plus lots of warm, tropical photos to regale you with. I took about 2,500 photos over 14 days. That's nearly 179 per day. It's no small task to sort through 14 gigabytes of holiday snaps, but I'll be sure to share some of my favorites. Here's one:
It's a 5-photo stitched panoramic view of Haleakala "crater." The crater is actually two wide erosional canyons that have joined together near the summit. There are numerous cinder and spatter cones along the crater floor, which makes for an other-worldly hike through this landscape.
I figure before I get too far involved in a self-indulgent Hawai'i geology fest, I'd wrap-up the biggest geology places/events that I experienced this year. I expect that I'll post the list now, and then spend a few posts going into detail.
So here's the list, ranked somewhat by personal importance:
10. San Raphael Swell: Coyote Gulch
9. Panther Tongue
8. Western Wisconsin Trilobites
7. Porcupine Mountains, MI
6. San Raphael Swell: The Wedge
5. San Raphel Swell: Wild Horse Canyon
4. Airplane Flights over the US
3. Grand Teton NP
2. Mt. Saint Helens/GSA
1. Hawai'i
And of course, I give pride of place to the fact that I finished my PhD this year. It's such a relief to be done. I do feel some measure of pride. However, when I see the work being done by people like Dr. Steve Austin (backstory), I realize that - in the end - it's just a piece of paper. Any schmuck can get one if they stick with things long enough. It doesn't convey me some magical power, or make my ideas any better than the next person's. But it does show that I am stubborn enough to see something through to the end, and outlast my peers. So I guess that's something.
