If I've Told You Once, I've Told You a Thousand Times...oh wait...

I have told you a thousand times. This is my 1000th post here at Geotripper.

What have I been telling you? Mostly I've been talking about the science of geology, and the very real wonders of living on this planet. I'm hoping that even if you can't get out and see the places I have talked about that you can sense some of the awe that I feel when I look at rocks and landscapes, and see the powerful forces that have shaped our planet for 4.5 billion years. I also secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) hope that you might develop an appreciation for our terrestrial home, and find ways to protect it from degradation and disaster.

I know that numbers are arbitrary celebrations the way that surviving one more circuit around the sun is a celebration. But I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who have given my writings and photos a few moments of your precious time. I enjoy the feedback, the comments, and the questions, and I enjoy being part of the geoblogosphere community. I feel like I know so many of you, even though I have only met one or two of you in person (sorry Gaelyn, I PROMISE to come the the North Rim soon!).

I had no idea I would end up sitting on a thousand posts. I figured I would run out of things to say, but there are always new discoveries to talk about. I am especially happy with my blog series. I've always known I didn't have the personal discipline to write a book, but I sort of did just that, only it was fun. If you have never checked them out:

The Other California, an exploration of a lot of unknown but geologically interesting places in our incredible state.

Under the Volcano (and into the Abyss), an exploration of Yosemite Valley, one of my favorite corners of the world.

Time Beyond Imagining, a chronological history of the Colorado Plateau, my other favorite corner of the world.

A Convergence of Wonders, which answers the question of what a subduction zone and 200 million years can accomplish in the Pacific Northwest.

Vagabonding across the 39th Parallel, the chronicle of a journey across the wilds of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, the ultimate unplanned and chaotic trip.

And finally my first series, the Airliner Chronicles, in which I actually finally benefited from bothering the flight attendants by using their planes as a tripod to take pictures of geological features from way up high.

So how shall I celebrate? I think I shall hit the road! Like, early tomorrow morning. I'm working on a field guide for an AAPG field seminar that is taking place in late July, exploring Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks and all the cool places in between. We are doing a reconn of the field trip stops for the next week, so blogging might be sparse for a few days. On the actual seminar we will be looping out of Las Vegas, and unlike my average trip, we will be staying in hotels and using nice new rental SUVs. If this sounds like a good time, come and join us! You can get the basic info by clicking here.

See you all on the other side!