Room+21A

=Lianna Bush and Marissa Moore=



__South Rim of the Grand Canyon __

**Thursday, April 21 **- We started our trip off at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where we hiked on the South Kaibab Trail. From the rim, it offered a spectacular panoramic view of the Canyon. Looking across this extravagant land, it seemed as if it was a never-ending chasm. On the trail, we learned what the word Deposition means (process by which sediment settles from wind or water). We even saw a real life example of it when we were shown some limestone. As we walked down the steep trail, we saw rocks and plants of all shapes and sizes. We noticed that the wind was very strong at the top of the canyon; however, as we walked farther down into the Canyon it became warmer and less windy. As we hiked back up the trail, we all began to understand our tour guide’s rule to let people going up pass us because it was very hot, steep, and dusty. When we got back up we waited for everyone else’s groups and visited the mules. It was nice for everyone to relax and watch an interesting Grand Canyon movie, which was very informative. We spent the rest of the day on the bus driving to our hotel. Some things we learned was how there are oceanic fossils in the rock. This means that the Grand Canyon was once under water! Native Americans were one of the first people to live in this area. It is so incredible how they lived off the land using few tools and plants for food. We had an amazing time on the hike and hope to come back to this beautiful creation.



__River Trip on the Colorado River __

**Friday, April 22- ** We woke up the next morning at about 6:30 and got ready to go see more wonders of the Grand Canyon. This time our destination was not the top of the canyon but the bottom. It was time to go on our smooth water float trip down the Colorado River. We took a shuttle bus down the two mile long Glen Canyon access tunnel, which was pitch black almost the whole way down; except for holes in the side that let little light in. The holes were made by miners to push rocks out as they used dynamite to make the tunnel. When we got out of the tunnel we were at the river. We got into the rafts and began our three hour long journey. The float trip is about 15.5 miles long. The pontoon raft departed from the Glen Canyon Dam. The weather was a little strange because even though the sun was almost uncomfortably hot, the water in the sun felt like it was freezing. It was also very chilly in the shade of the canyon. The river was calm and peaceful as we floated along mesmerized by the sandstone sheer cliffs and crystal blue-green water. In some places, the water made tiny tornadoes, while in others it was fast moving. As the raft moved through the water, the captain of the boat told us some amazing information about the Colorado River. She told us how the remains of dinosaur bones were found at the bottom of the river. She also pointed out the ancient Petroglyphs on the canyon walls and cave dwellings. We also learned how the Colorado River once had had a flood which left water line marks. We both agreed that this river was a beautiful place and the rafting tour was very educational and exciting.



__Wupatki National Monument __

**Friday, April 22 **- Our next destination was the Wupatki National Monument. It is located about 30 miles north of Flagstaff, AZ, at an elevation of about 7,000 ft. When we first arrived it seemed as if there was nothing to see, just desert. However, as we began walking we were proven wrong. There were multiple mud brick pueblos surrounding the sight. People lived in Wupatki in the 1100s. It is a 100 room Pueblo with a Community Room, Ballcourt, and Amphitheater. These native Americans were given the name "singagua Indians" which means without water. Approximately 100 meters from the pueblos was Wupatki Spring which at one time had 500 gallons of water per day. They also collected and stored rain water. They were agricultural people because the thin layer of ash on the ground from the volcano helped retain moisture and improve farming. We soon made our way into the Amphitheater where a tour guide talked to us about the history of Wupatki National Monument. We learned that the Amphitheater has amazing acoustics and had been used for gatherings. Though the original structure is not completely there, it still has the same effect. The most interesting thing we learned was that the Wupatki Indians left most of their belongings. Archeologists continue to wonder why they left most of their things. Some believe it was because of war, drought, possible shortage of food, and maybe even erupting volcanoes. When the tour guide finished speaking we headed off to see the Blowhole. There was cool air coming out of the Blowhole. The cool air coming out of the hole occurs because the hole is connected to an underground passage. This hole is called an earthcrack and the size and depth is unknown. If the outside air pressure is lower than the air in the earthcrack, the air is blown out. When the outside pressure is higher, the air is driven in. Our teacher, Mrs. Wilkening, demonstrated how the air is blowing out by pouring water into the hole. These Blowholes are located throughout the Wupatki National Park. We think the rust color in the rocks are beautiful and add effect to the wonders of the land. It was really interesting because there were mountains of rocks spread out through the area. Also, pale green bushes covered the land. It seems amazing that people could have lived in that harsh weather without any air conditioning.



__Sunset Crater National Monument __

**Friday, April 22 **- Our final destination on the Grand Canyon Field Trip was Sunset Crater National Monument. Sunset Crater is not a crater but a shield volcano. It was created in a series of eruptions between 1040 and 1100. The explosions affected the lives of the local people and changed the landscape and ecology. It destroyed all plants within a 5-mile radius and its' flames rose 850 feet high. The falling ash covered approximately 64,000 acres. It was a little scary being so close to one, but luckily this one hadn't exploded for a long time. We knew that it hadn’t erupted for a while, even before our tour guide told us, because there were hundreds of live pine trees that smelled like vanilla all over the volcano. The volcano itself was all different shades of gray to black with gigantic igneous rock boulders in some places and in other places, igneous rock that had been eroded into fine sand. We followed the Lava Flow Trail through an amazing volcanic landscape, up to a bunch of large rocks and learned about an ice cave there. This cave is still sacred to the Hopi Native Americans for when a boy becomes a man. We each got to go up to it and feel the icy air coming from the inside. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to go in because it wasn’t safe, but it would’ve been awesome. At the end of the trail, there was a really cool lava tunnel going away from Sunset Crater. We thought Sunset Crater was amazing and kind of spooky but peaceful at the same time. It’s incredible how something so deadly can be so interesting and beautiful in its own way.  <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">