Donna Weber lectures group during recent Death Valley
field trip.
Death Valley days
By Donna Weber
For The Print
Twenty-two fearless Oregonians armed with suntan
lotion left the College March 16 to find the sun in Death
Valley.
Led by College science instructor John Snively, the'
group spent spring vacation camping and learning about
the desert environment. On the way to Death Valley,
they passed through Malhuer Field Station and spotted
13 eagles.
They heard on location lectures from geologists and
naturalists, and students also discussed topics they had
researched before leaving for the spring vacation trip.
Highlights of the journey included a visit to Badwater
(282 feet below sea level), viewing the salt pan at Devil’s
Gold Course, climbing canyons, and visiting a ghost town
where the travelers had a chance to explore an old gold
mine.
The artistically inclined spent time sketching the
desert scenery, and the sun worwhippers found them
selves back in familiar rain during part of the journey. A
windstorm sent tents and sleeping bags blowing up
hillsides, and one downpour shifted a picnic linch into the
vans.
Instructor, John Snively, confers with group members
Clackamas Community College members examine “Bad
water.
Photos by Eric Holl
desert downpour
inches
HI1 1
rr
1
D50 Illuminant, 2 degree observer
Density
-0.40
-0.60
t13 I 0.23 I
I
r-