Everywhere but Wyoming - and the benefits of paper maps

These last few weeks have been travel-packed. Washington, Colorado, Kansas, Texas. But like I said, driving around doesn't take a lot of planning, even with kids. Make sure you have plenty of water, a full tank of gas, good tires, and a map of the area your headed to.

A paper map is essential. Wyoming is a VERY large state that does not always have reliable cell phone reception. Using your smartphone's GPS is not always an option. Mapquest.com is a good resource, as well as AAA.

Friends are also great resources! If you're new to an area, talk to a friend that's been there before going, or bring them along for the ride. The trip is always more fun with people to share it with.

I went to Peru!

I do want to talk about our travels to other places. Hope that's Ok. :)

Our travels mix geology and anthropology so seamlessly, it's hard to talk about them separately. But to shorten each post, I'll give it a whirl:

Peru is smack in the middle of the Andes. Because of this geography, one side is Amazon Rainforest, and the western side is mostly desert (Google "rainshadow"). I was on the western side for my recent trip, so the similarities between where I visited and southwest Wyoming were striking.

The rocks of Peru are amazing. Andesite, one of the fundamental types of igneous rocks (made from magma and lava), was first understood by studying the rocks of the Andes. The geological of the Andes is similar to the Cascades in Washington State, but different because of the availability of different elements and minerals in the crust there.

Here are a few photos of both landscape and rocks I found during my time in Lima, Cusco, and at Machu Pichu. I took LOTS of pictures, more than I can possibly share.

And yes, I love taking pictures of rocks.

PS - The food is AMAZING. The original home of the potato!