Photos from the Cape Lookout Adventure Weekend, Nov 6-8, 2015.

All photos by Rob Greenberg.

Cape Lookout National Seashore & Crystal Coast Adventure Weekend

Aerial view of Cape Lookout - wild and pristine

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 6, 7 & 8

Hi everyone!

We hope you will join us on our adventure weekend!

Our theme for the weekend will be 'how to live in in harmony' with a barrier island. We will see examples of both densely-developed and pristine barrier islands. You will come away knowing just how unique and special the barrier islands of North Carolina are and what we are likely to expect from the rise in sea level associated with climate change.. We are so lucky to have fantastic local experts as our guides on this trip!

Meeting Time: 3:00 pm Friday at Fort Macon State Park or 9:00 am Saturday at Trinity Center, Pine Knoll Shores

Meeting Place (Friday): Fort Macon, Visitor Center

2303 East Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512
(252) 726-3775

Here's a map link to Friday's meeting place: https://www.google.com/maps/place/34%C2%B041'52.6%22N+76%C2%B040'42.0%22W/@34.6979439,-76.6783333,15z

Meeting Place (Saturday): Trinity Center, Point of Arrival (main office) or Dining Hall

618 Salter Path Road
Pine Knoll Shores, NC 28512

(252) 247-5600

Here's a map link to Saturday's meeting place:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/618+Salter+Path+Rd,+Pine+Knoll+Shores,+NC+28512/@34.6915523,-76.8612932,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89a8ed71b016db55:0x5473415444abc448

Cost: Adult (18 and up) = $235; Ages: 5 -17 = $105; Ages: 4 and under = $40

Includes Lodging, all meals, six family programs and roundtrip transportation to Cape Lookout National Seashore. Deposit of $25 holds your spot.

Weekend Schedule: (You may tailor your trip to fit your family's schedule)

Friday's events -

We hope you can join us on Friday afternoon, when we will start your adventure weekend with an outstanding program at Fort Macon and a ranger-guided nature hike on the beach. Fort Macon State Park is rich in history, and has a spectacular natural environment and beach.

The story of the Fort Macon goes back more than 150 years even before the Civil War. Did you know the technology that protects the fort goes back to a young West Point graduate named Robert E Lee?  Fort Macon's strategic location on a dynamically-moving inlet has ensured a constant battle between the erosive power of the sea and man's determination to preserve the fort and, for the time being - it's a battle man has won (at least for now)! 

We will also discover that Ft.Macon is very close to the site of Blackbeard's scuttled flagship - the Queen Anne's Revenge. After the historical program, a ranger-guided nature hike will introduce us to the tough yet fragile, highly-adapted plants and animals of the dune, beach and maritime forest ecosystems.

​
Fort Macon

Fort Macon beach and dunes

After the program, we will check into our comfortable accommodations at the Trinity Center, and get settled.  Join everyone for a lovely meal, and finish the evening on the beach. For those who are star lovers, there will be a Skywatch with telescopes and binoculars on the beach, or you may elect to socialize in the fellowship hall reserved for our group's use.

Trinity Center is an outstanding example of how careful planning can allow us to live in harmony with a natural barrier environment while still enjoying beautiful and comfortable accommodations. The center is run by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and was developed with rare sensitivity to the natural environment. The grounds stretch all the way from the private beach front to the Bogue Sound, preserving the lovely maritime forest and wetland environments.

Private Beach at Trinity Center - Pine Knoll Shores

Saturday's events -

If you are joining us on Saturday morning, breakfast is served at 8:00 am. 

Dining at Trinity Center - Pine Knoll Shores

We will be departing the Trinity Center at 9:30 promptly for our island adventure to Cape Lookout National Seashore. Once we arrive at the National Park's visitor center, you can tour their brand new exhibit hall. Our guide for this adventure will be Steve Neshkoff, from the National Park Service, and Steve will conduct us to Cape Lookout National Seashore, a pristine barrier island - one of our state's greatest treasures. 

Once on Cape Lookout barrier Island, you may participate in our, ranger-guided programs, climb the Cape Lookout lighthouse for a one of a kind view and have some unstructured time to explore the island on your own. This area is also renowned as an outstanding place for shelling. We will have box lunches and lots of water available on the island. We will rendezvous as a group to ride the ferry back to the mainland.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Saturday evening events - 

After returning to the Trinity Center you can enjoy some free time exploring the private beach, the beautiful grounds at the center or Bogue Banks. Nearby Beaufort and the ghost town of Diamond Head were founded as whaling centers. Dinner at will be followed by a hands-on presentation about the marine mammals of the area. For those who are star lovers, there will be a sky watch with telescopes and binoculars on the beach following the marine mammals program.

Sunday events - 

Breakfast is served buffet style, all you eat, starting at 8:00 am. Afterwards, please check out and get your stuff stowed away in our vehicles. Then we invite you to join us for the very popular behind-the-scenes tour of the Pine Knoll Shores aquarium - just down the road from Trinity Center.

Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium

We hope you will join us on our Crystal Coast getaway weekend. You may be one of the lucky ones bringing home a beautiful shell as a souvenir.

​Scotch Bonnet - North Carolina's State Sea Shell

Easy to moderate walking involved. You may tailor this trip to fit your schedule by joining us on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning and departing at your convenience.

Here are some things to know about the trip.

• Bring water shoes (shoes that can get wet and are comfortable).
• Bring hats, water, sunscreen and bug spray (ticks can be out any time of year).
• If you want to swim at Cape Lookout bring suits and towels.
• Bring a daypack and plastic or cloth bags to take home your shells and beach-combing treasures
• Please be prompt. If you happen to run late or get waylaid, we can be reached at  919-270-0028. Texting is the preferred way to contact us.

We will need an accurate 'head count', please let us know as soon as you can, if you will be attending and how many will be in your party : )

You can pay in two ways:   

1) Send your payment to Paypal - rgreen08@gmail.com.  - or - 

2) Mail a check to

Rob Greenberg

2218 Esther Drive

Chapel Hill, NC 27516

** Although I've created a new email address for geology field trips, my Paypal account is done using my primary email address - rgreen08@gmail.com

We will send out another email to those signed up for this field trip..  In that email we will include a description of the coastal geology and ecology at the sites we will be visiting as well as driving directions.  

Thanks so much for your time and for sharing your enthusiasm for geology with us! 

Please feel free to forward this email to others who you think will be interested.  We would love to grow our list of geology enthusiasts!

Handy Websites:

Fort Macon - http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/foma/main.php

Trinity Center -http://www.trinityctr.com/

Cape Lookout Natl Seashore - http://www.nps.gov/calo/index.htm

Pine Knoll Shore Aquarium - http://www.ncaquariums.com/

Things to do at the Crystal Coast - http://www.visitnc.com/crystal-coast

http://crystalcoast.guide/

Bald Head Island Discovery Weekend: October 2 - 4

Hello Everyone

There are still openings for the Bald Head Island field trip scheduled for October 2nd through 4th.  I've done this trip several times with my students and it has always received great reviews.  Our "home" for Friday evening through Sunday morning will be the Bald Head Island Conservancy (BHIC).  We'll share a large common space (living room and large kitchen) and prepare our own meals.  The conservancy has clean and comfortable dorm-style facilities for sleeping.  

Link for BHIC:

http://www.bhic.org/

While there we'll enjoy programs about the maritime forest, the salt marsh, coastal geology, weather and climate and astronomy.  The staff at BHIC has been working with us on programs, which will be perfect for our expected wide age range.  The facility is very close to the beach, and a short walk to the shoals, an exciting and high energy point on our beautiful coast!

The cost per person (students as well as parents) is $130.00   Not included are the $20 per person roundtrip ferry tickets, which Mary and I will purchase separately.  I believe the cost is $13.00 for children under 12.  This cost includes a shuttle by golf cart to and from the Bald Head Island Conservancy.  You can reimburse us for the ferry tickets upon arrival.

Once we have a final roster of participants, I'll create a separate contact group and we can plan our meals collectively.  The facility has a full kitchen (cooking utensils, plates, silverware, etc) so we need to bring our food items, spices and condiments.  Planning and preparing meals has always gone well in the past - and provides a great time to get to know one another.

Our meeting point will be the Southport Ferry on Friday, October 2nd.  

Here is a link to the ferry location:  

http://www.baldheadisland.com/island/ferry

You can pay in two ways: 

1) Send your payment to Pay Pal - rgreen08@gmail.com.  - or -

2) Mail a check to
Rob Greenberg
2218 Esther Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Thanks for taking the time to read this trip announcement.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  There is a 30 person limit for this field trip based on accommodations.  Hope to hear from you soon! 

Mineral and Gem Collecting in the Spruce Pine Mining District of the Blue Ridge Mountains

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

Meeting Time: 11:00 am

Meeting Place: Parking lot of the Museum of North Carolina Minerals

79 Parkway Maintenance Rd
Spruce Pine, NC 28777

(828) 765-2761

Here's a map link to the meeting place: https://goo.gl/maps/vVmpI

Cost: $70/student; parents free, sibling discount - any additional child beyond the first will be charged $55. (Please contact rgreengeology@gmail.com if you have questions about discounts.)

We'll start our tour with a look at the hands-on, interactive exhibits that explore the creation of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a wide variety of minerals at the Mineral Museum.

After this orientation, our friend, a leader and career expert with decades of experience in Spruce Pine Mining District, will host us for a full day of collecting at sites, most of which are off-limits to the general public.  The Hoot Owl Mine contains pegmatite deposits from which we can collect classic and unique 'book' specimens of muscovite mica, plus feldspar and quartz pegmatite. Graphic granite can also be found here. 

Muscovite, feldspar and quartz pegmatite

Our next stop will be the dolomitic marble from the renowned Bandana Mine. This sparkly, coarsely-crystalline, pure-white marble resembles glacial ice! Wollastonite and sphene specimens can also be found here.

Wollastonite on white dolomitic marble

We hope to visit the Crabtree Emerald Mine as our third stop. Abundant minerals can be found here including: emeralds, tourmaline, quartz, feldspar and schorl.

Emerald crystal in smokey quartz and mica matrix

After these stops, if you are still hungry for more, join us at Emerald Village. Buckets of gemstones and mineral specimens are available to be panned on their sluice lines. Buckets start at $10 and up. We will be there to help you identify and put a name on your treasures.

You may decide to make a mountain getaway weekend out of it. You may be one of the lucky ones bringing home an emerald from this trip!

Easy to moderate hiking involved. You may tailor this trip to fit your schedule. 

Here are some things to know about the trip.

• Wear sturdy shoes.
• Bring water, sunscreen and bug spray (yes, ticks can be out even in the early spring!)
• Bring plastic or cloth bags to take home your rock and mineral specimens. 
• Bring rock hammers (if you have them), and protective eye cover.  We will supply some for the group.
• Please be prompt. If you happen to run late, we can be reached at  919-270-0028.

We will send out another email to those signed up for this field trip in September.  In that email we will include a description of the geology at the sites as well as driving directions.  

Thanks so much for your time and for sharing your enthusiasm for geology with us! 

Please feel free to forward this email to others who you think will be interested.  We would love to grow our list of geology enthusiasts!

Handy Websites:

http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/museum-of-north-carolina-minerals-mp-331.htm

http://www.emeraldvillage.com/

http://www.mcrocks.com/page10.html

https://gemmountain.com/stay-play/

http://www.mitchell-county.com/festival/spminingdistrict.html

Geology Field Trip - Saturday, March 21st at 10 am.

We will meet at Wake Stone's Triangle Quarry, located at 222 Star Lane, Cary, NC 27513. Take the N. Harrison Avenue exit off of I-40. Turn north (away from SAS).

Here's a link to the quarry: https://goo.gl/maps/oi90o

We will visit an operating 400 foot deep quarry in Wake Co., NC, where we will be looking at the geologic history near the boundary between the Carolina Terrane and the Crabtree Terrane. These rocks record a time in North Carolina's past characterized by mega-earthquakes, catastrophic eruptions of pyroclastic flows and the emplacement of mineralized veins rich in metallic ores and unique minerals.

The Umstead area is bounded on both sides by major fault systems. Just to the east of the quarry, a major plate tectonic boundary formed when ancient Africa collided with ancient North America to create the super-continent called Pangaea. An event very similar to what happened when the Indian subcontinent collided with the Asian continent to push up the modern Himalayas. Just as today we see major earthquakes happening all along that collision zone, in ancient times our area was a setting of cataclysmic earthquakes.

The rocks at the quarry tell us this history by their texture and we will see examples on our trip. Textures of the rocks also reveal that a transform boundary (strike-slip fault system) similar to the San Andreas fault also existed in this area hundreds of millions of years ago. So Raleigh, tectonically quiet now was once a mountainous area rocked by massive, high-magnitude earthquakes!

On the trip we will enjoy a special opportunity for rock and mineral collection and learn about the economic importance of these rocks.  Rock and mineral specimens we can expect to see include: orthoclase, plagioclase, calcite epidote, and titanite.We may see some blue quartz. The intrusive igneous rocks, dacites, are similar in composition to the Sierra Nevada and have a similar geologic history.

Following the quarry visit, we will hike and explore the geology of nearby Umstead Park. This will be a chance to burn off some steam. Bring a lunch to enjoy! We will provide a few snacks and drinks for the group.

Sunset at Umstead Park - Umstead Coalition

The cost of the Geology Field Trip is $25.00 per student.  There is no charge to parents/drivers.  Contact us if you would like details about a multiple sibling or scout group discount.

Because, the quarry will need an accurate 'head count', please let us know as soon as you can, if you will be attending and how many will be in your party : )

You can pay in two ways:

1) Send your payment to Pay Pal - rgreen08@gmail.com.  - or -

2) Mail a check to

Rob Greenberg

2218 Esther Drive

Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Here are some things to know about visiting a quarry.

• Wear sturdy shoes (for safety sake open-toed foot wear is not allowed in a quarry) 

• Bring water, sunscreen and bug spray (yes, ticks can be out even in the winter and early spring!)

• Bring plastic or cloth bags to take home your rock and mineral specimens. 

• Bring rock hammers (if you have them), and protective eye cover.  We will supply some for the group.

Please be prompt, the chief geologist is running a special tour for our group. If you happen to run late, we can be reached at  919-270-0028.

The quarry will supply hard hats, if needed. Please be prepared to follow any safety guidelines that the chief geologist requests of you. Footwear is required in the quarry as a safety measure; sturdy shoes are always a wise precaution when 'geologizing'.

We encourage participants to carpool together to the quarry if you can! Within the quarry, we will ask participants to carpool in order to minimize the amount of cars inside the quarry.  Be prepared when asked to do that.

Please feel free to forward this email to others who you think will be interested.  We would love to grow our list of geology enthusiasts!

We look forward to seeing everyone!


Mary Watson & Rob Greenberg

The Crystal Coast: Trinity Center, SciREN and Cape Lookout

February 12 & 13, 2015

Beach view at the Trinity Center's private beach by Rob Greenberg

If you've never been to the shoreline in February, you are missing out (big time!). My colleague and I traveled down east to Salter Path on a bright sunny Thursday. Our goals were two-fold. First to scout out a place to host a trip in November and secondly, to network with a gathering of local, ocean-going educators. Luckily, the weather cooperated and we arrived to find a lovely afternoon for a stroll on a private beach. Here is the story of our excursion ...

The Trinity Center

is synonymous with going easy on the island. Our destination for Thursday, we came to walk the shoreline and enjoy one of the most exclusive, sandy beaches on the "Crystal Coast.

Our purpose was to scout out Trinity Center as a destination for a November trip we are planning. We have stayed here numerous times both as participants and presenters involved with science workshops. We consider this spot one of the truly special things about the area.

This beautiful, family-friendly, facility is part of the Episcopal diocese, which early on, determined to develop the 62 acres in a maritime forest in balance with nature. Trinity Center is one of the best examples we know of how to live in harmony with a natural barrier island system. 

Decisions made planning the Trinity Center site helped preserve the natural setting of the Center. Great care was taken to save the large, live oak trees and preserve the maritime forest intact. The camp and conference center was further designed to prevent coastal erosion by preserving the natural ecosystems at the sound and beach.

Maritime forest preserve at the Trinity Center - Rob Greenberg

Trinity Center offers a variety of modern facilities and comfortable accommodations to meet the needs and desires of groups and programs. The unique property stretches from the estuary to the beach front, Trinity Center is a ideal setting for groups interested in nature programs.

Photo by Rob Greenberg

The center contains conference and meeting spaces, guestrooms, dining facilities, dormitories, swimming pools, indoor and outdoor chapels, ocean beach frontage, sound-side docks and numerous walking trails and quiet spaces. 

To offer very affordable overnight rates, we will reserve a dormitory for our group. Each dorm is sub-divided into 2 large sleeping quarters and includes a bathroom, screened porch and private center room for counselors or chaperones. The Centrum pavilion, big enough for large group activities, is a great place for family groups to meet and will be reserved for our exclusive use.

Photo by Rob Greenberg

Photo by Rob Greenberg

The rates for our trip are all-inclusive and include lodging as well as all-you-can-eat buffet-style meals (with boxed lunches for our island trip). Any dietary needs of the participants (vegetarians, food allergies) can be accommodated. Please let us know this in advance

Dining buffet at Trinity Center by Rob Greenberg

After checking in and our beach hike, it was time to go to...

SciREN

is an informal way for all educational stakeholders at the coast (and beyond) to exchange ideas, contacts and requests in a inspirational setting - Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium. 

Can you beat this as a back drop for a meet and greet?

SciREN, February 13, 2015 at Pine Knoll Shore Aquarium

The SciREN 2015 networking event was an evening of relaxed conversations between educators and researchers. It was a FREE event and snacks were served for us. At SciREN, researchers provided educators with  classroom-ready lesson plans, which are based on their current research and adhere to state and national educational standards. Additionally, SciREN provided researchers and educators opportunities to arrange classroom visits and to collaborate on curriculum development.

We left with a raft of classroom ready materials, new, ready-to-help contacts and a high opinion of the next generation of coastal educators and researchers. We came away with tons of ideas for programs to share. Thankfully, our precious, unique shoreline is in good hands!

Cape Lookout as lagniappe!

Friday started clear and cold, but beautiful! Rob braved the freezing temps and wind to photograph the sunrise on the beach at Trinity Center.

Sunrise, Trinity Center, Salter Path, NC by Rob Greenberg

After a delicious, leisurely breakfast, we met with the representatives of the Trinity Center to finalize the details for the November trip and arrange to offer this very special event at an affordable price.

On a whim, because we met the new educational ranger the night before at the SciREN get-together, we headed to Harker's Island and the visitor's center for Cape Lookout National Seashore to arranging our boat trip in November.

Photo by Rob Greenberg

For our November trip we are pleased to offer a boat adventure to Cape Lookout that will feature an exploration of the natural ecosystem of an undeveloped barrier island combined with a focus on the human activity of the area.

A boat ride three miles off-shore brings you to the barrier islands of Cape Lookout National Seashore. Horse watching, shelling, fishing, birding, camping, lighthouse climbing, and touring historic villages--there’s something for everyone at Cape Lookout.

The famed Outer Banks of North Carolina are a slim and moving line of sand in the open Atlantic. South of Ocracoke Inlet there rises a luminous bar of sand 60 miles in extent, with no roads, no bridges, no hotels: the wild beaches of Cape Lookout, one of the few remaining natural barrier islands in the world. 

The video "Ribbon of Sand" examines this seascape and the transitory islands doomed to one day disappear as sea level rises.

http://video.pbs.org/program/ribbon-of-sand/

Although Cape Lookout National Seashore is well known for its fishing, unspoiled beaches, and as a home for wild horses and shore birds, the area also boasts a rich and colorful human history. These islands have been home to fishermen, whalers and soldiers, troops and have borne witness to shipwrecks and daring rescues. As well as recognizing the unique natural features of Cape Lookout National Seashore, we will also discover the impact of the Civil war on the southern Outer Banks.Our November trip will cover topics ranging from the natural ecosystems to human history on the banks.

One last stop

Kings BBQ Restaurant in Kinston, NC still stands in the same spot where the King family founded the original one 75 years ago. The site of my first ever job as a waitress, luckily, Kings survived the experience and thrives still. Did you know that Kinston now boasts a microbrewery?

We thank those who educated, sustained, sheltered, inspired and challenged us on our trip.

Mary Watson is a geologist, instructor, tour leader and freelance writer. When not in the classroom or leading a tour, she enjoys swimming, kayaking and perfecting her shrimp etouffee recipe. But not all at the same time. She lives (for now) at Jordan Lake in central North Carolina.