The List

For fun, I thought it would be great to give you a summary of my trip through a couple of lists. So, here ya go!
Waterfalls: Wahkeena, Shepperd's Dell, Bridal Veil, Latourell, Multonomah, Paulina Creek, Vidae
License Plates: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon (duh), Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming,
Volcanoes (get ready for this one!): Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, Belknap Shield, Three Sisters (North Sister, Middle Sister, South Sister), Broken Top, Mt. Bachelor, Pilot Butte, Lava Butte, Black Butte, Newberry Shield, Mt. Mazama (what's left of it), Mt. Scott, Hole in the Ground, Fort Rock, Table Rock, Mt. Thielson, Wizard Island, Mt. Bailey, Diamond Peak, Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. McLoughlin, and at least 20 other unnamed small volcanoes.
Places I stayed: Portland Marriott Convention Center, Hood River Inn, Yachats Inn, Campbell House B&B, Bean Complex Dorm: University of Oregon, EconoLodge Bend, Diamond Lake Resort. Then, back to the dorm for two nights and then back to the Marriott for one night.
Teachers for our program: Dr. Stephanie Shipp, Dr. Allan Treiman, Dr. Justin, Filiberto, Dr. Juliane Gross
Friends who traveled along: Alice and Elaine
Media captured: 879 pictures, 20 videos
Favorite Waterfall: Multonomah Falls
Favorite Volcano: Mt Bachelor because it looks like Mt. Fuji
Favorite Lake: Crater Lake, hands down. Amazing!
Favorite Roommate: Kate! She's da bomb! We had a great time together, and she was very patient with my late nights as I blogged.
Favorite Saying: Tie between "No small children were harmed..." and ""Stay on THIS side of the wall! Safety third!"
Favorite Smell: rows and rows of lavender growing in the shadow of Mt. Hood
Favorite Sound: the Pika alarm! Sounds like someone stepped on a squeak toy!
Favorite Feeling: the roughness of of pumice on the Big Obsidian Flow
Favorite Sight: our first glimpse of the vast blueness of Crater Lake
Favorite Taste: Marionberry jam Yummy!
Best thing about being home: Chad's hugs and being back in the Land of Diet Coke!

07-20-09 Flight Home

On my flight home, I was able to catch this awesome shot of four volcanoes! From Mt. Hood, in the bottom right corner of the picture, going counter clockwise, you can also see Mt. Adams, Mt. Ranier, and Mt. St. Helens. Only Mt. Hood is in Oregon, the other three volcanoes in this picture are in Washington state.

Portland: The City of Roses

Portland has one of the most beautiful rose gardens. They actually test roses here. As soon as I got out of the shuttle at the top of the hill, I could smell the roses. Intoxicating. I walked around in the gardens for hours, snapping pictures and enjoying the variety of shapes, colors, and sizes of these thorny beauties. It was a bonus to have views of the city below and Mt. Hood in the distance.

CSI Prop

There was a great CSI the Experience exhibit at the OMSI. There were three different crime scenes, with different sets of data to collect and analyze. Then you submit a report to Gil Grissom via computer and it tells you if you solved the crime. I did one scene. My super science skills helped me to solve that crime. Excellent! At the end of the exhibit, there were all the miniatures used in the series, including this one. Remember this episode?

07-19-09 Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

I caught a ride back to Portland from Eugene with Kathy and Lisa. They helped me get checked in to my hotel and then they dropped me off at the OMSI. I was hoping to be able to check out this museum. I've heard lots of good stuff about it. I saw an OmniMax movie (think giant curved screen) and also a planetarium show. There were lots of neat hands-on exhibits that remind me of the Exploratorium's exhibits.

I Gotta Get a Dart Board!

After we had all finished our reporting and post tests, we grabbed some grub at the dining hall (yippee. looking forward to getting home to some real food!) and headed out for a night on the town. Apparently, I have hidden darts skills. While they're not bullseyes, this was a pretty tight cluster! If I get myself a Darts set-up, I can probably go professional in just a few months.

Debriefing

We met one more time as a group to talk about our plans for using all the great information we learned and to take our post test. I am happy to report that it took me much longer to take the test this time than when I took it at the beginning of the field experience. I could write more than just "I don't know".

Satellite Image of Mt. Pectin

This is a "satellite" image of our gelatinous volcano. You can see the injection sites from a different angle and you can see a little of how they are shaped. From Left to right are injection # 3, #4, #1, and #2. Remember that lave from injections # 4 merged with the vent created with Injection # 3. The caldera is not round on Mt. Pectin, but it is definitely visible.

Yikes! What Kind of Crazy Science is THIS?

While this might look rather scary, it was a really cool simulation of how lava dikes and eruptions occur. Each team was given a large gelatinous mass to serve as our volcano. This is Mt. Pectin. Then, colored water in a Texas-sized syringe was injected from underneath (through the plate) slowly. As the "lava" rose and spread inside the "volcano", it tended to spread along one plane. Looking from this angle, it is the vertical line right in the middle. If you were to turn the volcano, that dike would actually be shaped like a fan. The second injection we made was closer to the edge on the right. It broke through the "rock" and our volcano experienced a flank eruption. The third injection we made was to the left of our first injection. The lava was injected much quicker this time, and a vent to the far side opened to relieve the pressure. Then, a "caldera" formed on the top. Our final injection was between the two central injections, but the lava pretty much just evacuated through the vent on the far side. This was a very fun lab, and I know my students will be excited about seeing it.

07-18-09 Pancakes?

As is tradition in my family, pancakes (or waffles) are what's on the menu for breakfast on Saturdays. Naturally, Food Services was aware of this tradition and we enjoyed (somewhat crunchy) pancakes this morning. However, I had no idea that Venus would also be a part of the theme. In our lessons about volcanic activity on other planetary bodies in our Solar System, Justin teaches us about these interesting formations found on Venus. I wonder if there might be waffle-like volcanic features somewhere.

So What Do We Do Now?

With all this information and new activities, what will we do with it? We broke into groups based on what grade level we teach, and then discussed what we would like to do for our project. From left to right, Lisa A., Lisa S., Jackie, and Rhonda determine which group they would like to work with. My group worked on a scope and sequence for a volcano unit to bring all this information together for our students get an outline for our plan.

Oregon Geology

Justin explained through this diagram why Oregon's geology is the way it is. Any questions?

Chocolate Sprinkle Volcanology

Juliane adds sprinkles in a straight line across the flow so that we can observe how the flow stretches more in the middle and eventually pulls the solid material on top underneath. Barbara creates the slope and Kathy looks on.

Stephanie Prays This Will Work

The group really got into this one. Starting in the center and moving clockwise are Stephanie, Cristina, Rhonda, Shawn, Bill, Alison, Kathy, Juliane, Carla, and Tom.

Stephanie "Conducts" a Simulation

In this simulation, we used runny chocolate cake batter and sticky white cake batter to simulate different types of lava (basalt and rhyolite) and model how they flow. Stephanie is giving us instructions for starting the simulation.

Oh No! The Teacher Look!

While it may appear that Sarah and Shawn are in a heated discussion, it was really just a friendly banter about map boundaries of their volcano. From left to right, are Alison, Sarah, Shawn, Donna (in green), and Kate.

Mt. Destructo's Evil Team

After the Mt. Destructo team (including Tom, Jacqueline, and Peg) annihilated the beautiful Mt. Saltdough, they laughed insidiously and tried to justify their evil science. Our team, however, did not find it necessary to destroy their volcano in order to make an accurate map.

Volcanic History and Mapping

Marc takes a core sample in order to determine the boundaries of separate eruptions of Mt. Destructo. From the few samples and one river cut that we were allowed to make, we had to map where we thought the flows had developed. Then, we compared our map to the map that the group made that actually recorded the eruptions.

Play Dough Volcanoes

Cristina makes a map of our fourth eruption from Mt. Saltdough as Kathy comments on the beauty of our new little volcano.

The Ceiling is Up There!

"I can see the ceiling, and it's right up there, Kala." Kathy is not actually pointing out the obvious. We were trying to figure out which direction the fan should spin in order to have the best airflow since there is no a/c in our classroom. Counterclockwise seemed to be the best air pusher.

Our Dorm Mascot

On the way to breakfast, we noticed all these beautiful circular webs in the courtyard of our dorm. They reflected the light so well, that from an angle, it looked like someone had hung plates from the trees.

07-17-09 No A/C?!?!

Opposite of our problem our first night, our rooms were a bit toasty overnight. Without fans, and needing to keep the window closed in the room so that we weren't eaten by mosquitoes, we didn't have many options for staying cool. So we didn't.

Mahogany Obsidian Flow

This was our last stop at Crater Lake. The obsidian flow here was full of the maroon-colored obsidian unlike anything I have ever even heard of. The group was out among the rocks examining the crystals and making hypotheses as to its composition and history.

Want to Hike Down?

You can actually hike down a one-mile trail (700 feet in elevation) to the lake to catch a boat that takes you on a two hour tour of the lake. In order to get tickets, you may either buy them for just $20 the night before at their office, or show up the morning of and hope they still have some, but they don't take reservations. I am sure the boat trip is awesome, but keep in mind that you will have to hike back up the steep trail when the ride is over!

Phantom Ship

Phantom Ship, closer up. This is the oldest rock in Crater Lake. The left side of the picture shows half of a U-Shaped Valley, cut by glaciers before Mt. Mazama's big eruption.

Vastness, Part 2

The lake is 6 miles in diameter. Wizard island is now on the right side of the lake. It didn't move, obviously, but we did. On the left, you will see the small Phantom Ship in the water. Apparently someone with naming rights thought it looked like a ship. OK. Whatever.

The Pinnacles

What a great (and odd) volcanic formation! This area is called The Pinnacles. Here, two distinct layers of volcanic material was deposited. The white is dacite, topped by the grayish andesite. When superheated gases began to find its way through these rocks, they melted them, welding them into solid rock. This material was harder than the surrounding rock. When a river eroded the area, the welded rock remained, and these pinnacles were exposed.

Volcano Rich Land

Looking down the slopes of what was once Mt. Mazama, you can see the peaks of at least 9 other volcanoes in this shot alone.

Vidae Falls

We stopped at the picnic area near these falls to enjoy our lunch. The mosquitoes and ants were there to lunch on us as well. Deep Woods Off! did its job, though, even as I hiked through the forest to capture this shot of the lovely falls. These falls make the 7th named falls for me on this trip. Gravity makes pretty stuff, huh!

Little Poser

This is Bob the ground squirrel. He came to visit us as we had a lesson. He fancied an apple Donna had started munching on, but left in front of her on the wall where she was sitting. He decided to help himself to the apple, and pulled it off the wall to the ground. Note, the apple was larger than Bob. After biting off a piece and running away to chew it up, then returning to bite off another piece, etc, he eventually decided we weren't going to hurt him, so he finished his lunch at the apple at Donna's feet. Then, he hopped up onto her lap to thank her, and scampered off. The locals here are so friendly.

Devil's Backbone

This is a lava dike, which is formed when magma is forced up into cracks and crystallizes. These areas are harder than the surrounding rock, so when they weather, they create structures that look like walls.

Taking It All In

I could have sat there all day and just looked out onto the lake and watched the wind tease the lake surface and the birds glide through the air.

Blue Beauty

No words. Just beautiful views...

Vastness

The blue waters of this vast lake are breathtaking. It is hard to wrap my mind around all the factors creating such beauty. I am thankful. I am small. I am in awe.

I Love National Parks

Guess which company got the contract for National Parks? Yea for Diet Coke!!!!!

Pink Snow?

As we traveled around the crater rim, we noticed pink streaks in the snow. This is caused by an algae (Chlorophyta) that not only has chlorophyll, but also reddish pigment. It is rumored that consuming this "watermelon snow" will make you sick. My thought is, "Don't consume ANY color of snow - especially pink or yellow!"

Snow Posing

So much fun to pose in the snow in JULY! The small trees in this shot are completely covered by the winter snows, and are bent over through what's left of those snows.

Wizard Island

Wizard Island is a basaltic cinder cone within Crater lake. This volcano erupted enough to come through the lake and build a cone. It doesn't look so big from way up here!

Lessons...

Justin gives a refresher course on subduction zones and how they create volcanic ranges like the Cascades. I SAT on the wall, but my legs were on the other side, prompting a mild scolding from Dr. Justin. I guess it's OK to STAND on the wall, though?!?!

Checking Out the Scenery

The group has unloaded for our lesson and about a million pictures. Hey! Get back on this side of the wall!

Evidence of Glaciers

Near the rim of the crater, there are boulders showing evidence that glaciers once topped this mountain. Small rocks on the underside of a glacier (or glaciers) cut the parallel grooves into these rocks as gravity pulled these massive blocks of ice down the slope.

07-16-09 First View of Crater Lake

As our bus ascended the remains of Mt. Mazama, we had lovely views outside the bus. As we came onto the rim of the crater, the entire busload sighed audibly as our eyes fell on this scene. Such beauty. Here's the short and simple history of this volcano. Mt. Mazama was a composite volcano that formed on top of an older shield volcano. About 7700 years ago, Mt. Mazama erupted with great force, ejecting material miles away. It erupted for such a length of time that the magma chamber emptied. The cone above the chamber was so heavy, that the ceiling of the magma chamber collapsed, essentially swallowing the top of the volcano as it fell into its own chamber. This chamber was so large, that even with all the mountainous material now filling the chamber, the crater was still able to fill with water to be a lake almost 2000 feet deep.

What's the Deal?

I have decided that Pepsi must own Oregon. Why is it that almost all the places I have been to in Oregon (the airport, hotels, restaurants, little stores) carry only Pepsi products (or primarily Pepsi products)? Maybe the creator of the Pepsi formula lives here. Maybe the primary stockholders live here. I don't know. I miss my Diet Coke!

Diamond Lake Resort

This is the lodge in the resort where we stayed. There was a wide range of accommodations from RV camping to cabins to motel-types of rooms. The area is stunning.

Mt Bailey Across Diamond Lake

Our stay at the Diamond Lake Resort was also an experiment. The place was so beautiful! This is a view of Mt. Bailey from the docks at Diamond Lake as the sun was setting.

Mt. Mazama Pumice Collection

Mt. Mazama was a MASSIVE volcano whose largest (and last) eruption spewed pumice for miles. We're all having fun collecting pumice samples here to take home. These rocks will be easy to lug home because they don't weigh hardly anything!

Welded Ash Collection

At this stop, we had the opportunity to collect rock samples of hot ash that flowed and then welded together eventually hardening into rock. There are bits of pumice and other materials that were caught in the flow and captured into the rock. When we broke them open, we were able to see some of these other rock pieces.

Table Rock

During our unscheduled stop, we took advantage of the time to talk about Table Rock. Table Rock is also a Tuff ring, but its crater filled with basalt, making a a lava pool that hardened and formed a flat top.

Bus Evacuation

While this may look like just another scheduled stop along the way, we actually had to evacuate the bus. We were still in Summer Lake (desert now) when we noticed a burning electrical smell in the back of the bus, followed by some smoke. We pulled off the road and then evacuated. Note: If a suspected fire is in the back of the bus, then the people in the back should exit the bus FIRST. We did not do this correctly, so it was a little panicky in the back. Apparently the brakes were getting a bit toasty, and that is what we smelled. I'm glad there wasn't any real issue, because all our stuff was on the bus, and we were in the middle of a desert! Not a great place to have an issue!

Secret Obsidian Spot

While we were driving around in the area, we went to an area talked about in a guide book as a place where obsidian can be found. When we were at the Big Obsidian Flow, we were not allowed to collect any samples because we were in a state park. We were scouting this area to see if it would be worth adding it to the regular schedule for future trips. After some of the beautiful obsidian samples we found (including the more rare mahogany obsidian), we determined that this stop should definitely be added to future expeditions. So worth the trip! We loved being the guinea pigs!

Silly Sarah and Shawn

We found a little arch created by wave action that was fun to play in. Sarah, on the left, has her head in one side of the hole, while Shawn takes her picture from the other side of the hole.

Pamoramic View of Fort Rock Crater and Summer Lake

Standing in the crater, I made the movie to give you an idea of the immenseness of not only the crater, but Summer Lake (now desert-like) that once extended all the way to the hills in the distance. Bonus info: the red, rusty color of the rocks is due to the high iron content in the rocks. Specifically, hematite.

Collapsed Donut

The massive lake would have wind-driven waves that would crash onto the tuff ring, eroding the rocks. This created a wave-cut platform. You can see the two folks from our group on that platform. The holes in the rock are from wave erosion as well. Eventually, the waves weakened the rocks on this side of the ring, and the walls collapsed.