Geology 1121/1122 Field Course Itinerary, 2013
Flight Information:
Monday July 15, 2013
Flight info TBA
Saturday July 27, 2013
Flight info TBA
Lodging Information:
Listed below are the location and phone numbers of our lodging accommodations during the July 2013 trip. Dates will be added later. If it is necessary to contact a member of the class, identify the group as the Georgia Highlands College Geology Class; Billy Morris, Group Leader; and ask for the student by name.
Super 8 East
Casper, WY 82602
The Historic Irma Hotel
1192 Sheridan Ave.
Cody, WY 82414
1-800-745-4762
Yellowstone National Park
Canyon Lodge
307-242-3901
Grand Teton National Park
Colter Bay Village
307-543-2811
Textbooks:
Roadside Geology of Wyoming
David Lageson and Darwin Spearing. ISBN # 0-87842-216-1
Mountain Press Publishing Company; PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
1-800-234-5308
Geology, A Self-Teaching Guide
Barbara Murck. ISBN #0-471-38590-5
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Final Payment Schedule:
You may pay in two installments, or pay the total balance anytime before April 1, 2013.
Deposit due immediately upon acceptance- $400
First installment due March 1 - $600
Second installment due April 1 - $600
Tentative Daily Itinerary for 2013 - Note that these activities are subject to change.
Monday, July 15 - Meet me at the Atlanta Airport at XXX am for baggage check and ticketing. You must have a picture ID with you or the airline will not allow you to board. No large metal objects in your carry-on luggage, please.Tour of Red Rocks Amphitheatre geology and Dinosaur Ridge, Morrison, CO
Tuesday, July 16– Independence Rock, Pathfinder Reservoir
Wednesday, July 17 – Alcova Reservoir boat ride, Cottonwood Creek Dinosaur Trail; field mapping
Thursday, July 18 – Travel day to Cody, stopping at Hell’s Half Acre and Thermopolis Hot Springs
Friday, July 19 – Tour the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in the morning; travel to Canyon Village in Yellowstone
Saturday, July 20 - Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs, geothermal study in YNP
Sunday, July 21 – Climb Mt. Washburn, YNP
Monday, July 22 – Old Faithful, upper geyser basin; travel day to Grand Teton National Park
Tuesday, July 23 – hiking in Grand Teton; glacial and stream processes
Wednesday, July 24 - free day; dinner at the Bar J Chuckwagon
Thursday, July 25 – Travel day to Kemmerer, Fossil Butte National Monument
Friday, July 26- Fossil collecting in the Green River Formation, Kemmerer WY; travel to Cheyenne
Saturday, July 27 – Return to Georgia
Packing List:
Because of space limitations and simplicity of movement, you will be limited to one piece of luggage (you must be able to carry/lift this yourself!) and a daypack. The list below is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to serve as a guide in your selection of clothing and gear. I can’t stress enough the importance of packing light. Do not pack your wardrobe – think about the function and importance of each item you pack. You have to carry it, and other people will have to live with you and your stuff for 2 weeks. Plan to share items like hair dryers, etc. Talk to other people you know who travel a lot and listen to what they say about this. Because I wash clothes 3-4 times on the trip, I can pack in a gym bag and daypack easily and have room for souvenirs on the return trip. Having all your clothes available to you is not a priority on this trip!
The weather we’ll encounter is likely to range from the 80's in the daytime while in the Casper area to the 30’s at night in the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area. Late July in Yellowstone should be warm with cool nights, so you'll need to pack carefully in order to be prepared for any type of weather. We’ll never be too far from shelter, but a couple of days will find us several hours from the van, with only foot power to get us back. For those days in particular, a windbreaker/nylon shell/wool sweater would be a handy thing to have in your daypack in case of rain.
Several pairs of shorts and long pants, a few t-shirts (a long sleeved one is not a bad idea), a sweater or pullover, raingear, and assorted socks and underwear should be adequate for you. We are not going anywhere where fancy clothes are required. Remember this is vacation season and everybody else will be dressed like tourists! You will be able to wash clothes in the evening at all of the stops we make.
I am not suggesting that you buy anything special for this trip, but I have found that:
- nylon or synthetic clothing is good because it dries quickly when wet
- a good pair of boots make your feet feel better at the end of the day
- everybody appreciates good deodorant
The following list is essential for your daypack, and you undoubtedly will want to include other personal items that you normally travel with:
1 liter water bottle
sunscreen
bandanna
snug-fitting cap or hat with chinstrap (it’s windy!)
sunglasses
note taking supplies
light raingear
personal copy of ‘Roadside Guide to Wyoming’
Last but not least: Meals and Spending Money
Your trip fee covers these meals:
Breakfast while in Casper and Cheyenne
Chuckwagon dinner and music at the Bar-J Ranch in Wilson, WY
All other meals are at your expense. Some will be cheap fast-food, others will be higher-priced Park concessionaire meals. You will also have the opportunity to shop at the grocery and live off Spam or the like between paid-for meals. If you need 3 square meals per day, I count 31 that are not paid for. At $5 per meal (low estimate!), that means you should count on $155 minimum for meal money. If you eat fruit, snacks, lobster, whatever, for more or less, then plan accordingly. Experience shows that a realistic cost for this trip will be at least $2000 - including trip fee and spending money, but not tuition and fees.
Souvenir money is another matter entirely. I won’t even try to approximate that, for whenever I think I have seen it all, somebody shows me I haven’t! I can say this though – save your souvenir dollars for Cody, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and shopping in Jackson.