I leave for Madison, Wisconsin tomorrow for work, a field trip to Baraboo Hills/Devil’s Lake and Ableman’s Gorge/Van Hise Rock and meeting up with friends. Yay for topography and rocks with some favorite geology professors and old classmates!
A medium-sized concern right now is having to pack two different pairs of shoes in a small roller bag (I refuse to check luggage unless going overseas for weeks). Will this leave enough room for rock samples I want to bring back? My biggest concern? Not being able to take my igneous rock hammer because I don’t want it confiscated by TSA like they did the wonderful Swiss Army Knife that my dad bought me, at a most awesome hunting and sporting goods store in Nebraska, as a gift before I embarked on my first field season of graduate school! Jerks wouldn’t even let me mail it back to myself, like agents at other airports do. I found out later on that they were stealing citizen property to make displays like this one.
Back next week with tales of adventure, lots of pictures and fresh Dairyland CHEESE. Hey, southern Louisiana, do you know what the geological structure below, found in Baraboo quartzite near Wisconsin’s Devil’s Lake, is called? You got it, it’s a cross-section of a boudin!
Have a great trip!
Rather than carry-on or checked luggage, have you thought of FedExing your shoes and hammer to your destination? The new luggage charges by many of the airlines make FedEx an even more attractive option.
And yeah, the TSA also sucks when it comes to rocks themselves. “This could be a bludgeon,” they say. “Um, my laptop could be a bludgeon, too, but you don’t ban those,” I reply. They look at me suspiciously. “Just sayin’, that’s all,” I say quickly, “I’m not planning on anything of the sort. Just seems a little inconsistent.” Then they take the rock away and tell me they could arrest me, but aren’t going to. Thanks a lot, I feel very safe now. Idiots.
Call when you guys get up here, I have some beer that needs drinking.
Kevin, I may have to FedEx my rocks back … and send the bill to someone else.
Bob, I thought about that and you know if I say something like that, it’ll be the next one-way non-stop to Gitmo for me. I’m afraid the new ultra-blue uniforms haven’t helped pick up the collective IQ over there at airport security, either. D doesn’t get into town until Friday night, just so you know, and my field trip is all day Saturday.
Oy vey. Sad to know that the airline/airport personnel anal-retentiveness is NOT limited to the red-eye flights. My husband’s misery is gonna LOVE the company.