Here are the highlights...

you've been waiting for from last week's field trip across Washington state (click on images to enlarge).

The first day began with a long drive across the Columbia Plateau, composed chiefly of ugly dark rocks (the Columbia River Basalt Group) that often display columnar jointing. But here we paused to examine some interesting pillow-palagonite structures:

On Day 2 we examined the fossil floras contained in the Cretaceous-age Winthrop Sandstone in the Methow Valley, where the dominantly broad-leaf specimens indicate a paleoclimate that was warmer and wetter than the present:

We then proceeded to Hart's Pass, and onto Slate Peak, the highest point one can drive in Washington. Our group had to hike the last bit due to lingering late season snow, but it provided an opportunity to closely examine the sedimentary rocks:

Here, just below the summit and nearly 7,000 ft above sea level, one can find marine gastropods in the Virginian Ridge Formation, interpreted to be a deepwater clastic environment of deposition:

Glacial geomorphology is in evidence no matter what direction you cast your gaze. This is the view north, into the Pasayten Wilderness, of a textbook example of a glacially eroded U-shaped valley:

One can believe they are visiting Switzerland and the Alps from this lofty vantage point. Jack Mountain is hidden in the clouds in the distance, and an old gold mining site lies in the foreground, in this scene to the northwest:

Alpine flowers were blooming in abundance, and this bright phlox caught my eye:

One nearby drainage burned in 2006 and provided an opportunity to examine the impact to the alpine forest ecosystem and to discuss concepts related to secondary succession:

Day 3 started with an examination of the granites associated with the Golden Horn Batholith at the highly scenic Washington Pass:

Quite by chance, I ran into an old caving buddy of mine who I hadn't seen in years. He was kind enough to take this snap of our field class:

This was followed by a short hike to Rainy Lake, a classic tarn set in a classic cirque:

Further along the North Cascades Highway (Route 20) the Skagit Gneiss is encountered, developed during the great Wrangellian crunch:

Day 4 took us to Sauk Mountain where the weather was foggy, but we still enjoyed a day filled with botany. Here's a shot of bleeding heart:

And a red columbine:

At lower elevation, later in the day, we discovered the rare parasitic Indian Pipe:

Day 5 found us ascending a snow-packed trail through the forest, beginning at Schreiber's Meadow, and delivering us at the lateral moraine below the Easton Glacier on the south flank of Mount Baker:

This scrounging Clark's Nutcracker visited us during lunch:

Day 6 provided an opportunity to rendezvous with retired emeritus professor Gene Kiver for a tour of Washington Park near Anacortes. Here we examine tide pools in the exposed mantle rocks (ophiolites):

Each water-flooded pool provided refuge for dozens of different organisms until the rhythmic return of high tide:

We spent the entire Day 7 at Double Bluff beach on South Whidbey Island, examining the interglacial deposits in the bluff and walking the sandy beach during low tide:

The mixed lacustrine and glaciofluvial sediments showed meter-scale flame structures indicative of soft-sediment deformation, likely in response to a pre-historic event on the South Whidbey fault:

And check out these two beautiful and delicate anemones:

The return drive to EWU was made the following day, via Route 2 and Steven's Pass. Great students and terrific colleagues will guarantee another summer field class next year, to a destination as yet unknown.