It’s only the first day of this trip and I am already blown
away by how much I just don’t know.
Within the first few hours I was searching for clues to the geology of
the land—discussing the rolling hills, how hoodoos are formed, areas of tornado
damage, and how different strata (layers) formed. We stopped at a road cut outside Birmingham,
AL to determine what type of rock was there, and why it was important to break
the rock to determine the real color, not just the surface color that might be
stained by minerals as they are weathered. Then, west of Jasper, we learned
about faulting and coal formation. 
It was a busy day that ended in Arkansas with a radio
broadcast chat between the four vans about the sunset and how the pink to
purple to orange light cast on the horizon is caused by scattered light—longer
wave lengths equal more red light
because of the angle he light strikes the earth. We then set up camp in the
dark. It’s a good thing we practiced at home before the trip.
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