10 oct 2004
"She ain't no fun! She fell right over!"--Fireside Theatre, courtesy my Prof.--
Missouri unexpectantly didn't suck as i assume all Southern states are wont to do. Friday we went to a lead/zinc/copper mine, and it was very, very cool. I'd never been below ground like that, and as the 6 of us plus 2 employees crowded into the cross-hatched metal elevator (yes, just like in October Sky, except it was pouring rain and i saw nothing Russian) and dropped 1000 feet i felt very, very afraid. The main area below was really odd, all white-washed and complete with little office buildings, but as soon as we were out of that area, it was pitch black with odd tubes and running water everywhere. We got to pick through an area with the copper vein, and i found a great Galena sample (PbS) that made the whole trip worth it. It's so pretty. Someday i will learn how to take digital pictures and show all you fine people.
Then we saw the processing plant, and i held bubbles of Copper+(probablypoisonous)chemicals in my hands, and saw the giant roller/compressor that they squeeze the water out of solid lead with. We also went to an abondoned Iron Quarry, which was bizarre as it was so big the eye just couldn't quite tell how big it was. I have no depth perception, but i'm sure had i fallen in i wouldn't be writing silly stories to you. I'd be rationalizing all the things i did to Thomas 5 years ago to St. Peter instead. And somebody else would be trying to figure out how best to hoist my abondoned flesh up that cliff.
Okay, i'm printing my 303 homework and i think there's a ghost in this lab. Ah!
Saturday we visited Elephant Rocks State Park & some other... state park... ok, i forgot. Yup. There were Volcanology students from Ohio & Missouri Us there, and i was very thankful that my lenient prof. didn't make us map the damn thing. Instead i got to climb on rocks and just marvel at how cool they really are, but unfortunately we didn't go swimming. [NIK:(or Bekah, please tell Nik) I have found the new BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD for CLIFF JUMPING. BONUS: no currents to drown me 1/2 mile downstream! however, no Cheeto Island either.] We camped at the highest point in the Ozarks, to avoid any drunken climbing accidents, and talked about music and *blarg* politics a lot. I'm the youngest of the intrepid 515 Economic Geology group, but due to Random Archeology Student i'm not the most geologically-naive and in fact get to sound smart once in awhile. It was fun. I also learned how to drill in the mine, so next time i'm broke i have a job a'waitin'.
That printer... i am so out of here.
"You can't hold up a tent with what you burnt last night..." ¶ 18:33
Missouri unexpectantly didn't suck as i assume all Southern states are wont to do. Friday we went to a lead/zinc/copper mine, and it was very, very cool. I'd never been below ground like that, and as the 6 of us plus 2 employees crowded into the cross-hatched metal elevator (yes, just like in October Sky, except it was pouring rain and i saw nothing Russian) and dropped 1000 feet i felt very, very afraid. The main area below was really odd, all white-washed and complete with little office buildings, but as soon as we were out of that area, it was pitch black with odd tubes and running water everywhere. We got to pick through an area with the copper vein, and i found a great Galena sample (PbS) that made the whole trip worth it. It's so pretty. Someday i will learn how to take digital pictures and show all you fine people.
Then we saw the processing plant, and i held bubbles of Copper+(probablypoisonous)chemicals in my hands, and saw the giant roller/compressor that they squeeze the water out of solid lead with. We also went to an abondoned Iron Quarry, which was bizarre as it was so big the eye just couldn't quite tell how big it was. I have no depth perception, but i'm sure had i fallen in i wouldn't be writing silly stories to you. I'd be rationalizing all the things i did to Thomas 5 years ago to St. Peter instead. And somebody else would be trying to figure out how best to hoist my abondoned flesh up that cliff.
Okay, i'm printing my 303 homework and i think there's a ghost in this lab. Ah!
Saturday we visited Elephant Rocks State Park & some other... state park... ok, i forgot. Yup. There were Volcanology students from Ohio & Missouri Us there, and i was very thankful that my lenient prof. didn't make us map the damn thing. Instead i got to climb on rocks and just marvel at how cool they really are, but unfortunately we didn't go swimming. [NIK:(or Bekah, please tell Nik) I have found the new BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD for CLIFF JUMPING. BONUS: no currents to drown me 1/2 mile downstream! however, no Cheeto Island either.] We camped at the highest point in the Ozarks, to avoid any drunken climbing accidents, and talked about music and *blarg* politics a lot. I'm the youngest of the intrepid 515 Economic Geology group, but due to Random Archeology Student i'm not the most geologically-naive and in fact get to sound smart once in awhile. It was fun. I also learned how to drill in the mine, so next time i'm broke i have a job a'waitin'.
That printer... i am so out of here.
"You can't hold up a tent with what you burnt last night..." ¶ 18:33
