Earthly Musings - My Travel and Geology Blog

It seems that just about everyone is going to Portugal these days. Part of the attraction is the generous process for obtaining citizenship there (see this link to learn about the Golden Visa program). And as the USA drifts ever closely toward authoritarianism, a sunny beach-rich and laid back environment looks quite attractive. For me, the attraction was hiking with my wife Helen and two other c…

I was honored to have a feature article in the September issue of Arizona Highways Magazine! I had pitched the idea to the Editor, Robert Stieve, as part of the 100th anniversary of the magazine. In the 1200 issues, they had never really highlighted the Colorado Plateau as a prominent landscape feature within the state. In the course of my research, I discovered that about 43% of Arizona's landma…

This volcano is is amazing! Episode 34 began overnight. This is a screen shot of sunrise this morning - beautiful. You can watch the live web cam here .

Episode 19 of the ongoing Kilauea event began last night in Hawai'i. The image is from this morning (note the time stamp in the upper left (local HST). This is the same time as 7:20 AZ time. You can always view the Kilauea live web cam at this link . Bookmark it!

Screen capture from about 1:30 PM Hawaiian local time on April 1, 2025 If you have not been watching the live WebCam from the Kilauea volcano, check it out here . Spectacular fountaining going on. HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY STATUS REPORT U.S. Geological Survey Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 11:22 AM HST (Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 21:22 UTC) KILAUEA (VNUM #332010) 19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevati…

With the Antarctic Peninsula 600 miles to our stern, the Seven Seas Splendor approached and docked in Ushuaia Argentina on February 5, 2025. This former penal colony (which now houses a fantastic museum ), is commonly known as our globe's southernmost city. It is located along the shores of the Beagle Channel on the island of Tierra del Fuego. I've walked the streets and hills of Ushuaia many tim…

From sweltering Rio de Janeiro and its 92°days to a frosty 34° in Antarctic days and "nights", this voyage has had its variety! We have been lucky with the weather and seeing exceptional views. The crossing from the Falklands to the Peninsula was rather smooth and Seven Seas Splendor takes any motion quite well. Suddenly, the frozen landscape began to appear. We approached Antarctica by way of th…

Rio de Janeiro RDJ - it seems to me now - is a place that I used to know. Back in the 1990s, I came here a lot and stayed a month or two at a time. That seems like a different life and I am a certainly a different person now. But the memories of this unique combination of a giant megapolis situated within and upon a stunning landscape still holds enchantment for me. That is, if you can ignore the…

For the next 42 days, this will be my home, the Regent's Seven Sea's Splendor. One of my old Antarctic colleagues has asked me to serve as lecturer and Expedition Leader on two cruises. Splendor can carry up to 750 passengers, definitely the biggest ship I have ever boarded and sailed on. Cruise #1 began in Rio de Janeiro (where the photo of Splendor at dock was taken), visiting three other ports…

Dust cloud coming from the eastern rim of Grand Canyon near Carbon Creek Canyon. Temple Butte is the high-standing pyramid left of the dust cloud and Carbon Creek Canyon is hidden in front of it. On November 21, 2024 the National Park Service at Grand Canyon National Park reported a large rock fall that occurred on Tuesday, November 12 just downstream from the confluence from the Little Colorado …

" Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau " was first published in 2008 and is now available in a fully revised and completely updated 2nd Edition! Published by the Grand Canyon Conservancy, it is being featured as a special Holiday offering here . The book will make a fantastic gift for your Earth-minded friends and family! (I recommend buying directly from the Conservancy as proceeds go dire…

Next stop on this trip was the Shetland Islands - the northernmost part of Scotland. We anchored off of the largest city, Lerwick. It has a population of about 7,000 but I did not experience it as I selected a trip that moved south along the east shore of the North Sea to an archaeological site called Jarlshof. Near there, we hiked a short distance to Sumburgh Head, a spectacular sheer cliff with…

After leaving the Isle of Skye, Le Champlain rounded the northern tip of the Scottish mainland and came to anchor on the western side of the Orkney Islands. I had landed here previously in 1991 and held fond memories of the history and Bronze Age archaeological sites we visited on these windswept islands. I did not have as good of an impression from that visit of the Shetland Islands but that may…

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has issued a report on the hydrothermal blast in the Biscuit Basin area of the Park on July 23. I have copied their news release in its entirety here. It was NOT a volcanic eruption, but rather water turning to steam at shallow depths. Damaged boardwalk near the steam blast (Creative Commons courtesy of Yellowstone NP) YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATIO…

Recently, I was fortunate to represent the Smithsonian Institution's travel program, Smithsonian Journeys , as a geologic lecturer for 145 guests. We sailed from Glasgow Scotland to Bergen Norway, stopping at six delightful and very scenic destinations. What an honor it is to represent the Smithsonian in this way and to further a wider understanding of earth history and modern-day earth processes…

Are you staying in Flagstaff and headed to the Grand Canyon's South Rim? If so, this field trip guide may interest you and provide you with a more enjoyable and educational journey! Ten years ago in 2014, I served as a co-leader on a field trip sponsored by the Association of Engineering Geologists and the Arizona Geological Survey. As part of the field trip, I helped write a mile-by mile road lo…

It may sound tongue-in-cheek, but after my 24-day journey Around the World on a private jet, a mere 13-day trip to Antarctica meant a lot less packing and unpacking and staying in the same cabin and bed every night. Yes, I flew all the way to Tierra del Fuego and back to Flagstaff without ever having to unpack in a single hotel room - my flight connections were that tight. This trip marked my 31s…

I'm so sorry for the delay in posting – I've actually been to Antarctica on a two-week trip and was unable to upload photos on the weak internet signal. I'm back to share these images and thoughts on visiting some of the best preserved ancient wonders anywhere on the globe! Here I continue the story of my Around the World trip completed in January. We left the Serengeti in Tanzania and took an in…

Leaving India, we flew right over the Mumbai megapolis and a much large expanse of the Indian Ocean. Many hours later, the east coast of the African continent came into our view. We were on our way to the marvelous Serengeti National Park in Tanzania This is the east coast of Somalia just north of Mogadishu. It is quite arid. It's always fun to walk up and down the aisle of the jet and tell folks…

Continuing on our trip around the globe was a one-day stop at the Taj Mahal, the ultimate monument to love and built between 1631 and 1648. We enjoyed a most pleasant visit on this relatively cold day in Agra. India is famous for its gemstone and old rock layers. Before one gets a view of the mausoleum, they pass through other exquisite buildings made from red sandstone and white marble That is t…