Adventures of Death Valley National Park

As a child, I unraveled nature’s beauty and existence. Each new experience brought me feelings of excitement and joy, sparkling my imagination and igniting my curiosity. It all seemed so large back then. Oceans appeared endless as they reached towards the horizon. Treetops seemed to make friends with the puffy-looking clouds as they soared to the sky. Over the years however, as I have grown older and life has become more complex, I am beginning to think less and less about the natural world around me. I glimpse sunset stuck in rush-hour traffic trying to return school after debate practices and only listen to the pitter-patter of the rain when there’s a storm outside. Forests and oceans seemed less appealing as they became intertwined with the urban development. In a way, I was becoming more and more distanced from the so-called nature. So, with an overwhelming desire for adventure and to escape the masses, my family and I drove to Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas last summer.

Just east of Slide Mountain, you will come across Matterhorn Canyon. This thirteen-mile hike is very famous because you will not find another canyon in Yosemite that compares to this one. This canyon has a small river flowing in between the walls of Matterhorn Canyon. These “walls” are scattered with rocks and meadows. Its cliffs are made out of smooth granite, which are crystallized igneous rock. Hiking up the trail to the northern boundary of Matterhorn Canyon is Matterhorn Peak. This peak is very spectacular in that you are able to ascend this peak with the right gear and it is one of the highest peaks in the Northern part of the

Mesa Verde National Park on the Colorado Plateau contains many geological aspects of interest, including its sedimentary rock layers, its canyons, its alcoves utilized by ancient people and how these alcoves were formed. Mesa Verde National Park is located in the southwest corner of Colorado, close to the Four Corners area, on top of a high mesa overlooking the Mancos River (Harris et al. 2004). The park, covering 81 square miles, consists of several main sedimentary formations that are characteristic to the park (Encyclopedia Britannica 2015). Canyons are carved into the sedimentary rock, with the cave dwellings found high on their steep walls. These dwellings are an especially unique aspect to the Mesa Verde National Park, and are built out of large alcoves. The alcoves were produced by weathering and erosion of the sedimentary rock type. To better understand how these alcoves formed, we must understand the geology of Mesa Verde National Park and how it has developed over history.

Mesa Verde National Park, located in Montezuma County, Colorado, was established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. This United States landmark was designated for the preservation of several Puebloan archeological sites and the vast geologic history exhibited within the 52,485 acres of land occupied by Mesa Verde. The Ancestral Puebloans, or Mesa Verdeans, associated with the archeological sites of Mesa Verde National Park, lived in the Mesa Verde region from the mid-sixth century to the end of the thirteenth century.[3]

It would be quite ridiculous if I was not to write down my experiences as I go through this trip. You do not see the tallest trees in the world everyday. Although, if I want to get even remotely close to seeing them every day, the least I can do is keep track of my adventures inside of a journal so I can read them later on in my life and remember the time I had on this trip. I went to Redwood National Park and I experienced a true, American national treasure

In regards to the geologic components of Yosemite National Park, it essentially has two main parts. The first part is the deposition and deformation of the metamorphic rocks and the emplacement of the granitic rocks during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods. The second part is the uplift, erosion, and glaciation that took place with the rocks during the Cenozoic period. Yosemite National Park is relatively helpful in regards to observing the display of its geologic changes. When the Cretaceous period was ending which was roughly 65 million years ago, the granitic core of the range started to become

outside of Fairbanks, a truck driver picks up a hitchhiker on the side of the road named Alex. Alex tells the truck driver that he is from South Dakota and he wants a ride to Denali National Park. Alex tells the truck driver Gallien who's an electrician that he wants to "walk deep into the bush and live off the land for a few months". Gallien thought Alex was a "delusional visitor to the Alaskan frontier". During their two-hour drive, Gallien thinks that Alex is intelligent and thoughtful. Gallien notices that Alex doesn't have the equipment to live in the wilderness for several months. Gallien tries his best to try and convince Alex mind, but Alex doesn't listen. Alex plans on following the Stampede Trail, a trail that is an unmarked route

After an eight hour drive we finally made it to Yosemite National Park. We were minutes away from starting our camping adventure and none of us could hold in our excitement. As we pulled into the parking lot we instantly noticed that the whole place was completely abandoned. We were puzzled as to why the park was closed. Annabelle was the first one to break the silence. She turned to Wyatt and said, “there is no way in hell that I’m leaving this place without going camping.” The furious look on her face made us realize that she would be impossible to reason with. Wyatt tried explaining to her that it might not be safe to camp at a deserted park but she grabbed her backpack and marched over to the fence. She promptly threw her gear over the fence

In the passage, "Lava Beds National Monument," the author wrote, "They can also take guided tours of the park, hike along scenic trails,climb cinder cones, and learn about the natural volcanoes and high desert in northern California." The students can go on a guided tour, so that no kid gets hurt or lost. Hiking is good exercise for us kids. Some kids don get the exercise they need,s o this will be the perfect chance for the kids. Climbing seems fun right? Well, guess what they have that to. They also have underground lava tubes that the kids can explore. In the passage, "Lava Beds National Monument," the passage states "Tourists can explore underground lava tubes that look almost like rocky water slides." Us 8th graders will have a lot of fun doing this activities. What makes it even better is that it is on the border of Oregon and California. just imagine being in two states at one time! I have always found that pretty

It was the Fourth of July and Rebecca decided that she wanted to go to Six Flags with friends to celebrate. She had planned everything out, but had one problem. She had one extra ticket, but has two other friends that wanted to go. She didn’t know what to do so she just kept it to herself until she felt like she had to tell them.

Chad and five of his best friends decided that they were going to go on a road trip from California back to New York (which is where they live). They took a long time planning their trip because they wanted to make sure it was perfect. While planning Chad said, “I think we should rent R.V.’s from a guy that I know for the trip back. If we get R.V.’s the trip will be a lot more fun, we won't have to make as many stops and we won’t have to pay for hotels.” Chad did most of the planning for the trip because he was the smartest and most clever of his friends.”This is going to be one of the best trips you’ve ever been on I promise,” Chad told his friends.

Every year the trip date always land exactly on Halloween and today’s date just happened to be October 30th. Seth lay in bed that night thinking hard about the trip, he could feel butterflies flapping their wings around in his stomach, however he it wasn’t nervousness that occupied his body but rather excitement. He had waited all year long for this trip and in a couple of hours his wish would be granted. As the clock hands revolved and the sounds of clicking filled the air, Seth’s eyelids grew heavy, and he soon fell asleep, snug in his bed but tonight it wasn’t visions of sugar plums that danced in his head, only visions of his trip to Washington D.C.

The area of Zion National Park is two hundred and twenty-nine square miles located in the Southwestern United States near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature is Zion Canyon which is fifteen miles long and up to eight hundred meters deep, cutting through the Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. The lowest elevation is 3,666 feet at Coal Pits Wash and the highest elevation is 8,726 feet at Horse Ranch Mountain. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Mojave Desert, and Great Basin regions, the park's unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. The four life zones that can be found in Zion National Park are desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. There are two

Blackwood Pines was the must-go destination for the rich and snobby of Whitford, Colorado. The small ski resort had various chalet mansions many of the rich rented around this time. Zoe wasn’t sure what Uriah was doing among them. She was sure he was rich, but he was a nice person. But she was on her way to Blackwood Pines,

Payson's landscape is an ever changing experience of seasons, but my favorite has always been that first snow fall of the year. The way the snow trickles down from the foggy sky and lands on the towering birch trees, is like a scene from a movie. Little chirps eco through the canyon as the birds prepare their homes for a long-awaited winter. We sat and watched as the pine trees quietly gathered the flakes that snuck through the arms of the birch trees. The brisk powder like snow continued to pile up and slowly started to fill in our foot prints, erasing any sign that we were ever there. A few more steps on the trail lead us to one of our most memorable spots. Peering over the edge of the cliff is always a bewildering sight. The vast open valley below was covered in a blanket of milky white snow, and the sweet smelling, cool air was as refreshing as a tall glass of ice water during a smoldering desert summer night. In the distance the sound of the powerful water fall below breaking over the ice sickle reddened boulders is one that is truly breathtaking.