GeoWalk: Hamilton Pool Preserve

Devin checks out some of the geologic features of Hamilton Pool Preserve near Austin, TX:

Dino Food: Jurassic World Fruit Snacks

Welcome to "Dino Food," our new semi-regular feature (not to be confused with Geology Candy or Geology Kitchen) where we take a look at dinosaur related snack treats.

The next installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World, may still be months away but the barrage of merchandise has already started.  One of the most tried and true promotional tie-ins is the Fruit Snack.  Every great franchise has delved into this high fructose Wonderland and today you can fill your shopping cart and your belly with these suckers: 

Now when it comes to passing judgement on a new fruit snack, taste is not an issue.  They all taste the same.  No, it all comes down to shapes: variety, design, appearance, relevance, etc.  I mean you don't want to open up a box of dinosaur shaped candy and not find anything dinosaur related.  Well, good news:

Let's break them down one by one:

• "T. rex" (orange) - no surprise there.  He's the big man on the dinosaur campus and the star of the first movie.  We got a good full body shot of him here.
• "Pteranodan" (red/cherry) - Flying dinosaurs are always a hit.  It took awhile to get them into the JP franchise and I wouldn't be surprised to see some in the new movie
• "Triceratops" (green/lime) - We just get the head but let's face it, the second most popular dinosaur has a very distinctive head.  Can't blame Kellogg's for that.
• "Roar" (yellow/lemon) - This is clearly just another way to get a T-Rex-like shape into the mix.
• "Raptor Claw" (purple/grape) - When you think "raptor," you think "raptor claw."  But this is a three toed foot which doesn't feature the distinctive curved claw that Alan Grant used to threaten a young boy's genitals in the first movie.  It could be several different types of dinosaur claws.
• "Fossil" (blue/blue raspberry?) - A nice nod to the science behind studying dinosaurs and it definitely fits in with the JP themes.  Although, c'mon, here we go with the T-Rex thing again...

Now occasionally there is a miscommunication with the marketing and promotional people and some spoilers can slip through in the merchandise before the movie comes out.  Unfortunately we didn't get any of that this time.  There has been talk of some new super mutant dinosaur in the new movie but it looks like he didn't make the cut for the fruit snacks.  Maybe he'll be in the cereal.      

Don't forget to sneak a box in to the theater when you see the movie this summer!

Geo-RoadTrip 2014: Scenery

Further down the road we arrived at an interesting geologic wonder known as Fossil Falls.  The name may be a little misleading since there's been no actual running water for a looong time.  But when there was, it helped to create the unique shapes in the basalt:

Our next stop took us to Red Rock Canyon State Park (not to be confused with Red Rock Canyon State Park in Oklahoma) which is the southernmost portion of the Sierra Nevada mountain range that we saw earlier.  Here's a quick look at some of what we saw:

Next up is a very famous fault!

Geo-RoadTrip 2014: Valley of Fire

After leaving the Hoover Dam, we went down the road quite a ways to our next stop, the Valley of Fire State Park.  The park is full of dramatic, almost alien-looking sandstone formations.  Its appearance can be dramatic and its picturesque nature draws travelers and professionals (more on that later).

Notice the holes in the rock surrounding Devin.  Various theories abound involving water flow and mineral deposition, but these too help to add to the park's ambiance.  So much so that, like many places in the area, it has drawn the attention of Hollywood producers.  One of the many productions that have utilization this location include the movie Star Trek: Generations.  The "holes" can be seen behind Captain Picard:

Other than being the dramatic backdrop for Picard's heroics, the area has secured a place in pop culture history as being the "death place" of Captain James T. Kirk (which occurred in the same movie).

It won't be the last Star Trek related stop on our trip, so stay tuned.  Next up is Death Valley!  Also, video is coming soon!

Stuff We Saw in Charlotte Part 1 - The Green

We find ourselves in Charlotte, NC for the time being and we are taking the opportunity to have a look around.  Our fist stop is a park called "The Green."  And if you weren't in the mood to pick up a good book before you visit, you will be after.

Stacks of bronze classics welcome you at the park's entrance and set the literary mood for your park experience.  The theme continues as you walk the trails reminding you of the works of the greats as well as giving you a some geographical trivia.

Signs like these are everywhere:

And on one end stands "Brick Kids - Life is an Open Book" as well as the historic Ratcliffe’s Flowers Sign which was moved here from it's original location:

More Charlotte stuff coming tomorrow!

Geo-RoadTrip 2013: A Walk in the Park

Before we ended our trip and said goodbye to Minnesota we made one final stop to see some old friends.  The city is the birthplace of cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, and to honor him and his work there are character statues populating Rice Park downtown.  Here are some pictures we took on the was to the airport:

Video coming soon!

Ancient Vikings in Oklahoma? (Heavener Runestone)

Did ancient Vikings visit Oklahoma?!? Probably not. But Devin investigated anyway...