2002 Modesto Junior College Geology Field Study

Entire Photo Journal

Grand Tetons

The late Sandy Van Way, one of the visionaries for the MJC Community Science Center, in front of Mt Shasta.

This was a trip for the ages. Not only did I get to see some of the best scenery in the nation for $450 but I also met my future wife on the trip! (We rarely talked to each other on the actual trip). I was a recently graduated college student working at the Great Valley Museum under the tutelage of the late, great Sandy Van Way cataloging the museum's rock collection.  I had heard about a two week long camping/geology trip for $450 and I was immediately hooked. 

"Where else can one learn about the outdoors by experiencing them?"  At least, that was the rationale I used to get my parents to pony up the cash for their poor son. 

It worked and I was headed off to have my eyes opened wide. The trip through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California was truly a life-changing experience for me. It broadened my appreciation for geology and inspired me to teach others about the many wonders of our Earth. This was also my first experience as a landscape photographer, the passion that has been growing in my life. The first?  My lovely wife Laura.

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone.