Garry Hayes
@geotripper.bsky.social
I'm a geology professor in central California, avid birder, traveler, photographer, and environmentalist. I'm pro-democracy, and I stand for the equality for all. Little attention paid to DMs.
Cursed liars. Our precious lands (sacred to many tribes, and to me) are being sold off for short-term profits. I've "recreated" and taught on these lands for years (gift article from The New York Times). www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/c...
Documents Undercut Trump’s Claims About Bears Ears National Monument (Gift Article)
President Trump said recreation in Bears Ears National Monument was virtually impossible. Documents reviewed by The New York Times show officials knew otherwise.
nytimes.com
So incredibly proud to find that my brother has been named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. If you're not familiar with what that means, it's a huge honor.
Last night's sunset and full moon rising over the California prairie.
Nearing the end of our PNW field studies, we traversed a part of NV that doesn't look like people's conception of NV: the Ruby Mtns, which were proposed as a nat'l park, and should have been one. Alpine topography in Lamoille Canyon with exposures of a metamorphic core complex.
Day 14 of our PNW field studies found us driving home across northern Nevada. We stopped for the night at at Angel Creek and Lake in the Eastern Humboldt Range. This Range was considered for national park status in the 1990s. The rocks are part of an ancient metamorphic core complex.
Day 12 of our PNW field study was a near-total loss to the rain, but what a morning on Day 13! The Grand Teton Range is a fault scarp that rises abruptly a mile above Jackson Hole. The crustal rocks are among the oldest rocks in the western US, at 2.7 billion yrs. And there was the wolf pursuit!
Day 11 of our field studies of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. Despite the rain and almost snow, I wanted to explore the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful, as I had few chances to do so over the years. The variety of geysers and hot springs is unique in the world. 1/2
Day 11 of our PNW field trip, the 7th day of summer, and we awoke...to snow. We left to see iconic Old Faithful. My students wouldn't have let me get away with anything less! They had 3 hours to explore in the freezing rain (or drink lattes and earn Jr Ranger Badges). 1/2
Day 10 of our field course in the PNW...Yellowstone NP on a weekend. Despite the rain and snow (!), we had to plan our stops carefully. We managed to find spots at the Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest, most acidic landscape in the park. We walked the Porcelain Basin. Fantastic!
Day 10 of our Pacific Northwest field course, cont. We arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park and found myriad rock formations developing from the calcite-infused hot water. Part 1 of 2.
He’s not even in office anymore and he’s still more presidential than the man who is.
On day 10 of our PNW journey, we awoke to cold, almost freezing rain. But we were in Yellowstone! On a weekend. Our stops were carefully calibrated to avoid the worst crowds. 1st stop was Yellowstone Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This is a young feature, less than 1 million yrs old.
Day 9 of our PNW exploration (my day count is off!). A change of pace: not spectacular in the scenic sense, but rich in history. The Madison Buffalo Jump St Pk preserves a cliff where bison were stampeded to their deaths, providing the hunters with food and clothing and shelter.
I'm stunned, as I've never witnessed anything like this. Wolf pursuing a pronghorn baby while mama tries to distract the predator. We were at Grand Tetons National Park.
Day 10 of our Pacific Northwest Field studies found us exploring one of the few limestone caverns to be found in the Northwest: Lewis and Clark Caverns in MT. Though L&C camped nearby they never found the cave.
Day 8 of our studies in the Pacific Northwest was a 400 mile long journey across Idaho and Montana with few stops. But one was spectacular: the Camas Prairie near Perma reveals gigantic ripple marks as high as 50 feet caused by the Missoula floods traveling at 80 mph
Day 7 of our Pacific Northwest field studies found us in the Grand Coulees, incredible gorges carved in days or weeks by massive floods during the latest part of the ice ages.
Our dinosaur is on display! The Zephyrosaurus that our MJC students discovered in 1996 is at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman Montana! Not quite the grandeur of a T. rex, but there it is! @xenolith.bsky.social @phaneritic.bsky.social
Day 5 of our exploration of the Pacific Northwest...Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park! Perfect weather...
On the mima mounds prairie near Tumwater. No one really knows how these mounds formed
Smith Rock is one of the most wonderful little-known places in Oregon!
Start of day 2 of our Pacific Northwest field studies. Exploring Lava Beds National Monument, including an unexpected thunderstorm.
First day of our geology anthropology field studies class in the Pacific Northwest. A look at Mt. Shasta
Where are Kid Rock & Lee Greenwood when you really need them?
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05... Marvelous news. His name is a stain on our nation's history, and needs to be removed.
Trump Administration Live Updates: Court Orders Trump’s Name Stripped From Kennedy Center
nytimes.com
Three volcanoes from our trip north: Adams, Rainier, and St. Helens. The weather was perfect!
geotripper.blogspot.com/2026/05/geot... Who is your favorite geologist character in the movies? Does your list match well with mine? Can you guess my favorite geologist? We are showing my favorite at the State Theatre in Modesto as a fundraiser for our students on May 20 at 7pm.
Geotripper Rates Hollywood Movie Geologists (AND, see "Tremors" at the State Theatre on May 20!)
One of my earliest blog posts (in 2008) was a list of my favorite depictions of geologists in movies. I've revisited it once or twice. It ca...
geotripper.blogspot.com
