Devil's Tower

After our early morning wake up call (6am) we all had a relatively quick breakfast before breaking camp and leaving by 8am. Then we took a three and a half hour ride southwest to Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

Devil's Tower is a source of contention among geologists. This is due to the arguments about the formation and geologic origins of the structure. There are two widely accepted theories. The first, more widely accepted, states that the tower was created as a result of erosion around cooling magma that was once an ancient volcano's neck.  The second theory, accepted by the National Parks, states that the tower is the result of an igneous intrusion. Where the magma surrounded sediments and cooled protecting the inner core from erosion.

In addition to the geologic explanation, there is a Native American story which attempts to explain the features. In this story children were being chased by a bear and climbed on top of the rock and prayed for their lives. In response the rock rose into the air and the columns formed as the bear scratched the   rising platform.

Once we made a quick lunch we piled back into the van towards the Eagle Butte Mine. There we spoke with Dave Olson and Carol Herman about the geology and processes of the Alpha Coal West mining company.

Having taken a picture with Dave and Carol we headed southwest towards Buffalo, WY where we stayed at Deer Park Camping Ground for the night.

"The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see"-Gilbert K. Chesterton.

The Black Hills at Sunset

From the Badlands we drove back through Rapid City to the Black Hills where we camped at the Stockade   Lake Campground on the bank of the lake. Our first night we pitched camp and collected fire wood for the night. 

During our first full day in the Black Hills we met with Dr. Alvis Lisenbee, a professor at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. For the first part of the day Dr. Lisenbee talked to us about the geologic history of the Black Hills, specifically the monocline structure. This is a geologic feature that is formed by uplift due to inward pressure. As pressure was exerted towards the middle of the Precambrian continent, the land buckled. This created the horizontal, vertical, horizontal feature discussed.

For the second part of the day we took a hike up and along a canyon (created mainly by a stream with occasional flash floods). During this hike we were able to see the transitions between the horizontal and vertical layers of the monocline. 

At the point where Precambrian rocks were exposed we stopped and relaxed. Some of us took naps and others climbed around on the rocks in the stream. Once we were well rested, we headed back and piled into the van to go see Mount Rushmore.

The next day we left to go see Wind Cave where we met Rod Horrock a caver and park ranger. Before lunch we took a surface tour where we learned that Wind Cave responds to barometric pressure. Low outside pressure causes air to blow out of the current natural entrance, while high pressure leads to an inflow of air.

After a lunch of sandwiches and other snacks we prepared for a tour into the cave. Currently Wind cave is the fifth largest system in the world, behind two American systems, Mammoth (in Kentucky) and Jewel (about seventeen miles away from Wind Cave; and two Mexican cave systems.

We spent three hours underground, looking at the box-work, and learning about the history of the discovery and conservation of the caves. Once we surfaced, our guide suggested we visit the Mammoth excavation site. 

There, our tour guide, Siri, yes that's right, Siri, led us through the excavation site. At this location, they have found fifty-eight Colombian Mammoths and three Wholly Mammoths. Instead of removing the bones when they are found they are left in situ, as agreed when the site was sold to the city of Hot Springs. 

In both directions, to and from our campsite we passed many buffalo. In fact they stopped traffic at least twice on the way back.

Our last day at the Black Hills we visited the Homesteak Mine in Lead, SD. Although the mine has been permanently closed since 2002, it is currently a  laboratory where highly isolated experiments are happening 4000+ feet below the surface. 

First we went on a historical tour given by Donny, a local university student. During this tour we were able to see the hoist room that brought the miners, equipment, and ore up (and down) the mine shaft. In addition we saw some of the equipment used below the surface, and many of the buildings that were used during the 176 years of mining. 

Once we had a brief look at the gift shop we met Todd Duex, a mining geologist working in the closure of the Homesteak Mine. With him we discussed the geologic history if the mine, and the process to close the mine with environmental impacts and consequences in mind. 

By the end of this meeting we were ready to eat, so with the suggestion given by Dr. Lisenbee, we made our way down the road to buy some Pasties. These are traditional miner's lunches, dough usually filled with potatoes and meat. 

On the way back to camp we took Needles Highway, and stopped to see the Needle's Eye. Back at the camp we had an early dinner and prepacked for an early morning.

"The geologist takes up the history of the earth at the point where the archaeologist leaves it, and carries it further back into remote antiquity"- Bal Gangadhar Tilak

The Badlands National Park

This is the first of the series of Central Rockies blogs I will be writing. 

After flying from New York and meeting the group in Minneapolis, and finally arriving in Rapid City, SD we drove to a hotel to stay before we headed out for the full adventure. 

Our first stop was the Badlands where we stayed at Cedar Pass. Once the clouds cleared we took full advantage of the beautiful day, stopping and wandering around every chance we got. We were able to follow dried river beds and explored parts of caves.

As we drove through, and saw all the mountains we all thought of different descriptions that we could relate to. Some of these included large structures that were shrunken, or large piles of  sand mounds ready to be used for icy roads. While we climbed up and down the mountains the most disconcerting observation was the crumbling sediments that fell after every stop we took. Despite this the group did not stop climbing in and out of the canyons created by the erosion of the Wall.

Our second day we climbed the wall separating the Lower Prairie and Upper Prarrie, on the Saddle Pass and Castle Trail. Seeing the two planes from the top of the wall is unlike anything I've seen before. I know that this is one of many sights I will see for the first time.

Although the night sky was beautiful, being able to see for mile and miles was very strange. I couldn't get over the openness, feeling exposed and extremely small.

"Nothing ever becomes real 'til it is experienced"-John Keats.

Corrymeela Community

After an eye opening tour of Belfast we made our way to the coast of Northern Ireland where we arrived at our home for the rest of the week.

Here we learned about the meaning of conflict, peace and resolution, and what it meant to have any or all of these states of society.

In addition we talked about the questions we had while our leaders, Jonny McEwen, Anna, and Nial did their best to answer them.

The week in Ballycastle was full of intense information and hard topics. Fortunately for us, at Corrymeela the staff have been working with groups from all over the world, and they understand the need to take breaks in order to process the information we were given. 

During these processing times we were given the opportunity to walk along the beach towards  Macroni's Cottage (the location of the first radio transmission) or downtown Ballycastle (which mostly featured the marina).

As mentioned above, one of the main topics of discussion was the idea of reconciliation, and what it means to be reconciled. In order to have a greater understanding we used different activities and models to show the progression of a on conflict.

In addition, we discussed the meaning of peace, and what a completely peaceful society would be like. As a group we were split between wanting to live a life of peace without any conflict and living with some conflict. The differences largely reflected our engram numbers which we learned about in our orientation.

"Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means"-Ronald Reagan.

Peace Wall

The next day we were in for a complete turn in scenery. After having a brief orientation including ice breakers and meeting with our leaders from Corrymeela for the week we were given a tour of the residential areas of Belfast. Out tour guide, Ivan Cross, showed us the murals and messages painted on the sides of all available walls in both Protestant and Catholic communities.

Above is a photograph of one of many extensive peace walls that separate Northern Ireland in every city. These walls are the one thing the Protestants and Catholics agree about. The green metal  panels and the wire fence on top are additions to the concrete wall below. These additions were built to ensure the safety of each side from the other.

On the green section of the wall you can make out the letters KAT. This stands for Kill All Taigs. Taig and Fenian are derogatory names for a Catholics while Huns were for Protestants. In addition we were able to see the graffiti which mostly consisted of well wishers from foreign tourists. This brought forward a question which we considered for the rest of the week, why are other countries encouraging one side of a foreign conflict when their countries have their own problems? It also raised the question, what are our walls internally and inter-personally?

"We build too many walls and not enough bridges"-Isaac Newton.

City Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland

After traveling and/or being in airports from 4 pm (EST) Friday to 1 pm (GMT) Saturday, our group of twelve arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in Belfast. After grabbing a bite to eat at a small cafe down the street from the hotel we went to explore Belfast a bit on our own. Some went to Queens College while others (the group I was in) went to Victoria Square in search of a good exchange rate.

On the way there we couldn't help but stop and take pictures of the beautiful buildings. Like most cities around the world there are good parts and there are bad parts. On this first day, in our slightly jet-lagged minds, only the beautiful Belfast representing the history through its architecture existed. We didn't know what was in store for us the next day.

"You must look within for value, but must look beyond for perspective"-Denis Waitley.