The 30th Annual Kent Is No Longer 29 Celebration

Tomorrow, G-d willing, I’ll be receiving my first shot of the Moderna vaccine. By my birthday, on March 31st, I’ll be about as immune to coronavirus as modern science can make me — which is apparently pretty darn immune. So I am tentatively starting to look to the future again....Read more

Brrrrr

The temperature last night hit -6 Fahrenheit. Subzero temperatures are not extraordinary here, but we don’t see them every winter. And when I got up this morning, this impressed me: No icicles on the eaves. Because it’s too frikkin’ cold for them to form. Our high was 26 Fahrenheit. I...Read more
Anticipating spring

Anticipating spring

Which is still too far away. That’s my back yard this afternoon. The temperature is 15 F. We got about five inches of snow last night, and I obviously won’t be doing any hiking any time soon. But I don’t mean to complain . This is the stuff that helps...Read more
Christmas 2020

Christmas 2020

This will be more or less an odds and ends post. I took the week of Thanksgiving off work, and did a bit of hiking. New ground for me was the lower Water Canyon Trail. As you can see, there was still a little snow on the ground. A nice...Read more

Some recommendations for serious reading

Every now and then I run into a scientific review paper that is exceptionally good. Review papers are unusually important and are unusually comprehensive and well-written, for scientific papers. They are, nonetheless, not light reading. But if you are willing to plunge in and get the gritty scientific details, here...Read more

Thanksgiving

This Thursday will be Thanksgiving in the United States. The things I’m most thankful for, that are closest to my heart, I’ll express thanks for among my family on that day. But a few lighthearted geology thanks seem appropriate here. I’m thankful to live in an area with such beautiful...Read more
Wanderlusting the Ortega Formation

Wanderlusting the Ortega Formation

Wanderlusting the Ortega Formation was not my original intent, or at least, not my sole intent. I was planning on taking another crack at Arroyo Hondo, the location Gary and I never got to a couple of weeks back. This time I was confident I had my directions straight. Alas,...Read more
Wanderlusting to Nowhere

Wanderlusting to Nowhere

I think I would probably have just rested up this weekend, except the beautiful weather continues to hold but is expected to end today with a big winter storm. I hate to waste a good weekend when the season is practically over. So Friday I got a little exercise by...Read more
Coronavirus-Restricted Excellent Adventure, Day 6

Coronavirus-Restricted Excellent Adventure, Day 6

Morning of the last day. We’re looking at the southeast rim of Kilbourne Hole in the Potrillo Volcanic Field of southern New Mexico. Yesterday we explored and found dropstones but no mantle xenoliths, which are one of the most interesting and scientifically important aspects of the area. Kilbourne Hole is...Read more