Bright Summer Yellow

It is already well over 100 degrees here in the desert. I loved these bright yellow Fishhook Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni) that are growing in our front yard in Mesa, Arizona. These cactus bloom several times during the year, unlike most of the other cactus in the surrounding desert. A very old barrel cactus can be 8 to 10 feet high, but you hardly ever see one that large. A few years ago, I wrote several blog posts about the myth that you could get enough water to survive in the desert from cutting open a barrel cactus and drinking the contents. This myth is totally false. The pulp inside is very bitter and could cause you to throw up and lose even more liquid. Only the Ferocactus wislizeni is edible, the rest of the barrel-like cactus are toxic. In addition, all cactus in Arizona are protected by law. So don't try this out or you may incur a sizable fine.

The Moon

This is a handheld shot of the moon taken with a point-and-shoot camera. I have reconsidered the need to always carry around 45 pounds of camera equipment and decided to try one of the newer cameras. In this case, the camera is a Nikon Coolpix L830. The camera has an effective optical zoom level of 34x, making its lens the equivalent of a lens with a focal length of from 22.5 mm to 765 mm. With digital zooming added, the camera lens becomes the equivalent of over a 1700 mm lens. Now, the challenge is keeping the camera steady enough to take a photograph at such extremes. I do notice a small amount of lens aberration at this point in a ring of red around the image of the moon. All in all, this opens up some interesting issues about the future of digital cameras and expensive lenses. I am not ready to trade in my Canon D5 Mark II yet however.

The Jungle on Oahu, Hawaii

Reality is seldom as romantic as the advertisements. This particular view of Oahu's dense jungle shows the mountain ridge that runs down the island. If you would like to read a detailed account of the geology of the island, see Stearns, Harold T. Geologic Map and Guide of the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, with a Chapter on Mineral Resources, by Harold T. Stearns ... Prepared in Cooperation with the Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior. Honolulu, Hawaii: Printed by Advertiser Pub. Co, 1939. A full copy of the book is available at http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.32106006443052

Walking through this jungle turned out to be a water-soaked slog through mud and streams. We were not especially prepared for such a difficult hike and most of our group quit after just a few minutes of the slippery mud trail.

A Burst of Spring Color

Spring comes early to the Desert. These Hedgehog Cactus, Echinocereus engelmannii, are a regular indication that Summer is practically here and temperatures will start soaring. Although they are quite common in the Arizona-Sonora Desert, they are usually quite inconspicuous. It is only when the burst into bright purple blossoms that you can see them clearly on the rocky hillsides.

A jumbled landscape

Southern Utah and Northern Arizona share common landforms. The free standing formations are usually referred to as hoodoos. One of the most interesting landforms in this area are the so-called "toadstools." If you click on the image, you can see one at the top of the buff colored cliff in the background just left of the center of the photo. The dark brown formation is Dakota Sandstone, most of which has long since weathered away. The Dakota Sandstone is younger and harder than the exposed Entrada Sandstone. The large cliff is composed of Navajo Sandstone. The layers from oldest to most recent are as follows:

• Permian formations
• Moenkopi formation
• Chinle formation
• Moenave formation
• Kayenta formation
• Navajo Sandstone
• Carmel-Page formations
• Entrada Sandstones
• Morrison formation
• Dakota & Cedar Mountain formations
• Tropic Shale
• Straight Cliffs formation
• Wahweap formation
• Kaiparowits fomation
• Pine Hollow formation
• Grand Castle formation
• Canaan Peak formation
• Claron formation

In any given area, some of these layers may or may not be present. This particular photograph was taken in an area just east of Kanab, Utah and about half-way to Page, Arizona along Highway 89. This area is now in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. For more information, see the Geology of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, by Hellmut H. Doelling, Robert E. Blackett, Alden H. Hamblin, J. Douglas Powell, and Gayle L. Pollock, Geology of Utah’s Parks and Monuments, 2000 Utah Geological Association Publication 28, D.A. Sprinkel, T.C. Chidsey, Jr., and P.B. Anderson, editors

Torpedo Tubes

The reality of crawling around on a World War II submarine is far different than depicted in the movies. It was interesting to see that the sailors sleeping cots were hung in and around the torpedoes. This is a photo of the torpedo tubes and loading racks on the USS Bowfin in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. There did not seem to be a great deal of concern for the safety of the crew or for the ergonomics loading the huge torpedoes. The USS Bowfin went on nine complete tours in the Pacific during the War and was one of the few submarines to survive all its tours. The submarine also served during the Korean War. These are 21 inch torpedo tubes and the ship had ten tubes, six facing forward and four facing the stern. For more information on the submarine, see USS Bowfin (SS-287) Attack Submarine (1943).

Leaking Oil from the USS Arizona

When the USS Arizona was sunk in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the ship had 500,000 gallons of thick, bunker C fuel oil that was trapped in its tanks. As you visit the USS Arizona Memorial out in the harbor, you can still see the trapped oil bubbling its way to the surface. It is a very visually remembrance of the catastrophe of that day more than 70 years ago when the Japanese fleet executed a planned air attack on the ships in the harbor. During the attack, a 1,700 pound Japanese bomb detonated the ammunition stored on the ship and ignited the 4,000 tons of fuel stored on the ship. Much of that oil did not burn and continues to work its way upward as the hull and compartments of the ship deteriorate. This is an image of the oil slick on the ocean water above the sunken ship.