Environmental Science students rock spring break trip to SW Texas

Follow along with the students on the spring break trip to Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas. This week-long trip is the primary component for their class Regional Field Geology, taught by Dr. Amy Berger. While there, they explored ancient volcanoes, deep canyons, dunes, and fossils. Follow the students’ experiences in this blog written by sophomore Environmental Science major Maddie Brillhart.

March 2 & 3

We started Sunday morning in El Paso a little rocky by having to trade in our rental for a new one due to a flat tire. Thankfully, that didn’t slow us down too much and we were able to get on the road to the Salt Dunes near the Guadalupe Mountains National Park (the dunes are actually gypsum rather than table salt). The dunes were hard to climb but definitely worth it for the gorgeous view. After this, we took a long drive to Big Bend National Park in remote southwest Texas.

Monday morning started early at 6 a.m. After getting ready, we rode to the park to start our day of hiking. First, we saw some dinosaur footprints and fossils from marine creatures dating back to the Cretaceous period. Then, we went to the Boquillas Canyon where we were able to see the border between the U.S. and Mexico at the Rio Grande. The walls of the canyon were enormous and we quickly learned that we could send echoes down them.

After some ice cream, we turned down the unpaved Old Ore Road which was VERY bumpy. Thankfully, the Subaru was able to pull through and we made it to the Ernst Tinaja Trail. This area had rocks in shades of pink, orange, and red that were smashed into thin layers. There was also a large tinaja (pool) in the middle that was full of green algae-filled water. The water doesn't evaporate because this canyon is mostly shaded.

Once we trekked back, we ate some lunch and then went to see the Chisos Basin in the middle of the Chisos Mountains. It was much cooler here thanks to the higher altitudes. The formations here were amazing to see and we got pictures in front of the “window.” Overall, today “rocked”! 

March 7 & 8

Friday morning, we went to breakfast at La Posada Milagro. We ate authentic breakfast burritos at an open-air cafe, and I had a caramel latte. It was all very tasty. We even got to see a roadrunner hop up the rocks by the cafe. We then packed up our things from the trailer we were staying at and started on the road. We had plenty of time so we stopped briefly at an interesting road cut before going to Fort Davis, which was an old military post. We got to see the old barracks and open-air hospital. After a quick lunch on the road, we went to the McDonald Observatory. Here, we attended a presentation which looked at the surface of the sun through one of their telescopes. It was very interesting to learn about solar flares, sun spots, and more. After the presentation, we went on a guided tour of two of their telescopes. They were much bigger than I could've ever imagined. The second telescope we saw was the second largest telescope in the world. The intricate technology that goes into making each telescope was very interesting to learn. After the tour, we drove to Horizon City for our last night. On our way there, we got caught in a huge dust storm, but thankfully made it safely.

Saturday was filled with travelling by plane. We first flew to Dallas, then to St. Louis, and finally Cleveland. A 2-hour drive took us back to Heidelberg University. Overall, this trip was amazing. I learned so much about the Western side of the United States that I would have otherwise never known.