The end of the semester is nigh - scratch that - over!

When I originally drafted this post, it was still the semester... now that it's been over for a couple of weeks and I'm going to start teaching a summer course in another couple of weeks, I thought I'd better post these Grand Canyon photos sooner rather than later!!!


By sheer luck I was invited onto a private trip down Grand Canyon, there was a spot, and I snagged it. It was an excellent opportunity for me to take photos of the Canyon for my Android mobile game on Geologic Time that I built this semester. Yes, you did read that correctly. Soon I will figure out how to make it available for you, should you want it, and should you have an Android device to play it on. iOS is a long way off. Take your issues up with Apple.

So anyway, there I was minding my own business when suddenly I was surrounded by the most amazing opportunity that I didn't have the time or money for but absolutely couldn't possibly turn down. The following are a few of my fave photos from the trip.

 

There was a random petting zoo at a gas station in Scipio, UT. It had an ostrich.

 

It turned out that we were only taking one raft down the canyon, the rest of the boats were... DORIES!!! It was pretty epic. I got to row a dory for a little while, that was also pretty epic. Hi! I'm rowing a hand-built dory down Grand Canyon right now! Yup, that's right.

There was no point at which the views were tiresome.

This was the toilet system - also known as the "groover"...

We hiked up North Canyon, a slot canyon, which had outstanding rock formation walls. Hooray for lithified dunes having been carved by running water!

I did mention earlier that we never tired of the views...

...didn't I?

Mississippian-aged straight-shelled nautiloid fossils (in Nautiloid Canyon)

My "office" for a week.

I think I might have said something about the views before.

We hiked up to the Anasazi granaries above Nankoweap

 

They were high up there. Those Anasazi had some mad skills.

 

Finally, as is customary for whenever I am at Grand Canyon, it snowed. I have never been there in winter, and I have never been there when it didn't snow...