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!