Field trips are a lot less fun to plan and run than they are to attend I am finding out! It's also harder to find the opportunity to take photos when you are doing all the talking at the stops. Nevertheless this was a good trip, a three-day tour de force through textbook-classic geomorphology of the Owens and Saline valleys. The amount of diverse geomorphology one can see in a short distance is unparalleled in California in my opinion. The geology is so in your face, it seemed easy to get students excited about what they were seeing and ask questions to stimulate discussions. Inevitably this involved about 5 hrs a day of driving, which the students weathered well. We had stunning campsites both nights (Alabama Hills, Saline Valley springs) with a little time to explore after dinner both nights. The wind proved to be quite annoying but fortunately temperatures were never too hot or rainy. Highlights for me were a drive up through the snow in Bishop Creek, visiting the Saline Dunes, and stopping at the Saline salt lake, all three places I had not been before. It's hard not to enjoy a nice relaxing soak in the hot springs as well, which fortunately were not too overcrowded. There is no question field trips take a lot of time to organize (itinerary, food, picking up vehicles, cleaning gear on return, getting a new tire from the tire store...but I had several students rave it was the best field trip they had been on and that they learned a lot- I'm not sure what else I could ask for. I'll leave a few photos below to tell the rest!
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