Petrified Forest and Painted Desert

This used to be a tree.  I can't even begin to describe how beautiful this place is.  I spent the day roaming through Petrified Forest National Park which also abuts the Painted Desert, which is also stunning.  Most of the trip was spent in a car, but there were a few lovely trails to walk on (I had to skip two because of time constraints...I guess I'll just have to return).  

From what I gathered, these giant trees were felled in a flood.  They were buried in water and silt.  Eventually different minerals replaced the organic material of the trees turning them into stone.  The different colors come from different minerals.  

I was disappointed in the selection of souvenirs from this place.  I would call them "tacky".  If I'm calling them that, then it's pretty bad.  I have a problem with the fact that petrified wood was for sale in the gift shop.  It's not clear if the proceeds from that shop went to the Park or not (which I also disliked).    Regardless of where the money ended up, I didn't like the thought that those for sale were removed from the Park (I don't know if that's the case or not).  

Anyway, another pretty picture!  As one drives from the southern entrance northward into the Painted Desert, one rounds a bend and suddenly all of the peaks are red.  I was absolutely in awe, so much so that I actually verbalized a "Wow!" to my otherwise empty rental car.  If the Grand Canyon weren't also nearby, I'd be headed back to this National Park for more...but the Canyon is, so I must also visit that.  

The Perkins Telescope

After much anticipation, I finally made it to Lowell Observatory (Flagstaff, AZ).  I attended a conference on interferometry (the type of observations I do when I go to Mount Wilson in CA), which was an enjoyable time.  The conference was nice, and my talk seemed to be well-received.

The highlight was finally viewing OWU's former prized possession, the 72-inch Perkins Telescope that was once housed in Delaware, OH.  I had long heard lore of it.  It was still owned by OWU when it was moved to Arizona, but it was eventually sold.  That's a real tragedy because that telescope would be a true asset to the University.

Maybe I'll get to use it some day.  It's owned by a few universities and Lowell Observatory, so I'd likely need to be employed by one of those bodies.  For now, I'll stick with the ridiculous amount of resources Michigan has provided me.

More telescopes.

I went back to Michigan's observatory outside of Tucson.  The data gathered weren't for me, but I was there to train a new observer.  I had a really enjoyable time and took a bunch of pictures of telescopes and sunsets.  There's nothing new there.

Here is a picture that encompasses both of telescopes and sunsets.  The dome in the foreground is the 1.3-m telescope that I have spent a significant amount of time using (and have a few nights coming up in June).  In the background (tiny and right next to the foreground dome) is the 4-m telescope that I will be using for the first time in June (just before the nights on the other telescope).  I'm quite pleased about that.