Hollis

LATEST ARTICLES ( 455 )

• Ginkgos and Rhythmites

  

  Our vacation in the flood-ravaged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest came to an end where Interstate Highway 90 crosses Lake Wanapum on the Columbia River. Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2013 OUTDOORS

• Ghosts in the Rocks

  

  See them? (click on photo for a better view)The forecast for the day was hot -- 100º F -- but we didn’t bother with an early start. After all, we were on... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2013 OUTDOORS

• More Vacation Fun: Kolk Lakes & Pothole Swarms

  

  Might this be the way to Wonderland?In my most recent post about Ice Age Mega-floods in the Pacific Northwest, I wrote that there were kolks dancing in the... Read more

  Posted on 28 October 2013 OUTDOORS

• Fun in the Scablands

  

  In the scablands. As their name suggests, these are lands that haven't healed.Try telling friends you went to the scablands of eastern Washington for vacation. Read more

  Posted on 21 October 2013 OUTDOORS

• When a Botanist Must Be a Geologist

  

  Geologic map of Wyoming; Love and Christiansen (1985); click image to view.“A geologic map is a portrait of the surface of the Earth ... This map of Wyoming... Read more

  Posted on 15 October 2013 OUTDOORS

• How the Palouse Was Lost

  

  On the Outlaws Trail by Sharon Bodily. Available at Western Art Association Auction Art.“I tell ya Tom ... there was a time when these hills were all in grass,... Read more

  Posted on 10 October 2013 OUTDOORS

• Blog Like an Artist

  

  Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you can’t quite make a living pursuing your dreams and you get a day job, thereby throwing away valuable hours that could be... Read more

  Posted on 06 October 2013 OUTDOORS

• What Do These Two Specimens Have in Common?

  

  Hint #1:In situ. Proud geo-geek for scale.Hint #2: They have nothing to do with Ice Age Mega-floods.Hint #3:Where on Google Earth? (click on photo for better... Read more

  Posted on 03 October 2013 OUTDOORS

• Lakes and Floods of Unimaginable Proportions

  

  Traveling north on Montana Highway 200 -- 15,000 years ago.Continuing along the trail of Ice Age Mega-floods, we arrived at Sand Point, Idaho, site of the ice... Read more

  Posted on 29 September 2013 OUTDOORS

• Cedars of the Thuja Kind

  

  "the branches appear flattened as if they had been ironed" (Rocky Mt Tree Finder)During our recent tour of Pleistocene flood landscapes we were driving through... Read more

  Posted on 22 September 2013 OUTDOORS

• Of Mosses and Mountains II and AW #60

  

  The Apennines -- home to momentous discoveries in geology.As mentioned earlier, my summer reading included two outstanding books about natural history. Read more

  Posted on 19 September 2013 OUTDOORS

• The “Unusual Currents” of JT Pardee

  

  Looking east-southeast from interpretive sign on Road 382.This is Camas Prairie in northwest Montana, home to some very curious ridges and swales (mid-ground... Read more

  Posted on 17 September 2013 OUTDOORS

• FFF: Glacial Lake Missoula

  

  One of Montana Department of Transportation's great roadside signs.FFF stands for “Five Fact Friday”, a creation of Tim Havenith at Notes of Nature. Read more

  Posted on 06 September 2013 OUTDOORS

• Where Every Natural History Blogger Should Be Situated

  

  From The Guardian.Nobel Laureate and beloved poet Seamus Heaney passed away last week. In reading thoughts and excerpts posted by his friends and followers, I... Read more

  Posted on 03 September 2013 OUTDOORS

• Of Mosses and Mountains, I (recommended Reading)

  

  Moss with sporophytes growing on brick.“Mysterious and little-known organisms live within reach of where you sit. Splendor awaits in minute proportions.” E.O.... Read more

  Posted on 01 September 2013 OUTDOORS

• Recommended Geo-guides ... and More Needed Soon

  

  Road trip gear: the library.This month’s Accretionary Wedge #59 features geologic field guides, a subject near and dear to my heart as I take vacations... Read more

  Posted on 25 August 2013 OUTDOORS

• Botanical Dragnet (a Letter to the Earth)

  

  Joe Friday and his buddy Spike -- just umbel cops, but they always get their man.About the author: Punster Extraordinaire John Baxter grew up in Burns, a very... Read more

  Posted on 16 August 2013 OUTDOORS

• Goodbye, Moderate Botanist

  

  Our colleague and friend Helen McGranahan passed away last weekend ... while gardening. We console ourselves -- “better to go quickly doing what we love, than t... Read more

  Posted on 08 August 2013 OUTDOORS

• Grassland, Forest and an Igneous Intrusion

  

  Devils Tower -- a puzzling igneous intrusion in northeast Wyoming.Recently I spent a day wandering around Devils Tower looking for just the right shot. Read more

  Posted on 31 July 2013 OUTDOORS

• Signs -- Context is Everything

  

  The National Park Service awarded me the highest rating, A1, for my work at Devils Tower National Monument. Congratulations to self!Well, actually ...... it... Read more

  Posted on 28 July 2013 OUTDOORS