I'm so sorry for the delay in posting – I've actually been to Antarctica on a two-week trip and was unable to upload photos on the weak internet signal. I'm back to share these images and thoughts on visiting some of the best preserved ancient wonders anywhere on the globe! Here I continue the story of my Around the World trip completed in January. We left the Serengeti in Tanzania and took an interesting route up to Egypt. The flight was about four hours long as Tanzania is located in east-central Africa. For some reason (and unlike other times that I've done this flight) we did not take a st ..read more

Leaving India, we flew right over the Mumbai megapolis and a much large expanse of the Indian Ocean. Many hours later, the east coast of the African continent came into our view. We were on our way to the marvelous Serengeti National Park in Tanzania This is the east coast of Somalia just north of Mogadishu. It is quite arid. It's always fun to walk up and down the aisle of the jet and tell folks what can be seen out the window. Whenever mention "Cuba" "Somalia" or "Iran", they gasp and wonder if it is safe. The top of Mount Kilimanjaro! See my postings of a trek we did in 2014 ..read more

Continuing on our trip around the globe was a one-day stop at the Taj Mahal, the ultimate monument to love and built between 1631 and 1648. We enjoyed a most pleasant visit on this relatively cold day in Agra. India is famous for its gemstone and old rock layers. Before one gets a view of the mausoleum, they pass through other exquisite buildings made from red sandstone and white marble  That is the Taj Mahal frame by the entrance gate A closer view of the same Closer still.... Framed in flowers It was foggy when we landed but it cle ..read more

After flying around the globe and stopping at world-class destinations, I recognized that that the one connecting "fabric" that weaves these varied locations together was stone. Whether it be the chiseled Mesozoic sandstone of Angkor Wat, or the Neoproterozoic marble of the Taj Mahal, the Archean granite popping upon the Serengeti plain, or Eocene limestone at Egypt's temples and tombs, stone is the most elemental material - shaping structures, allowing civilization to advance. Barely anyone came on this exotic trip to learn about stone, yet nearly every stop was in one way or another shaped b ..read more

Grand Canyon National Park helps us celebrate National River Day on February 2 with a podcast about what it's like to take a river trip on the Colorado through Grand Canyon. The podcast is titled: "Wild River with Wayne Ranney" I was interviewed by NPS Ranger Doug Crispin while on the North Rim, last June 2 to facilitate geologic training for interpretive rangers. The podcast was recorded in the back seat of a NPS patrol vehicle - a surprisingly good audio forum. You can access and hear the podcast at this link. A transcript is also available if you prefer - but you'll miss the music. Thanks ..read more

After a hiatus of five-and-half years, I'll be returning to the Explorer 1 jet for a trip Around the World by Private Jet! Exhausting? You bet. But it is comprehensive with our days and nights filled with sightseeing, discovery, culture, and art. I will be giving lectures in the air about the landscapes we will be visiting and flying over. Stops on this adventure include Cusco and Machu Picchu Peru, Easter Island, Chile, Nadi Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland Australia, Angkor Wat Cambodia, Taj Mahal and Jaipur India, Serengeti National Park Tanzania, Giza and Luxor Egypt, and Marrake ..read more

Today is December 12, one of the most important religious and cultural holidays in all of Mexico. The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to an indigenous peasant in 1531, ten years after Hernan de Cortéz rode boldly into the Aztec capital of Tenotchitlan and forever changed the course of history in the America's. The Vatican News has published a nice write-up of the events here. Another, longer version can be found on Wikipedia here. I happened to be in Mexico on December 12, 1977 on the first of what would be many adventures to this colorful ..read more

During the last week of September, I served as a geologic interpreter on a six day river trip through Desolation and Gray canyons on the Green River in Utah. This was a wonderful time of year as the hordes of mosquitoes had already flown south the fall colors were beginning to grace the cottonwood trees and the temperatures were warm in the day and cool at night. This is a fantastic geologic transect through some relatively young rocks. Have a look. The trip began with a scenic flight at sunrise to the river - over the canyon we would float The early morning light was just begi ..read more

Thank you so much for reading this series of blog postings on my trek to the Dolomite Mountains in northeast Italy! This is the last posting for that trip. I have many adventures lined up for next year and I hope you will continue reading about the places I am so fortunate to visit in my work.  View of Torre Venezia, south of Tissi With 2/3rds of the hike complete we began our final push to the end of the trek. A bit of overcast and light drizzle caught up to us Day 7 and we opted for a taxi ride around a difficult description of the route. (In hindsight, I would rethink that d ..read more

Route of hike on Day 5 Now midway through the hike, we had attained our trail legs and felt at ease with the trail conditions and the terrain of the Dolomites. However, Day 5 turned out to be the longest of the whole trip at just under 15 miles. At mile 10, I began to feel hotspots on the soles of my feet and needed to take care of it before they blew-up into full-fledged blisters. And as I sat down to have Helen tend to my feet, my cell phone butt-dialed two friends just waking up at 7 AM in California (my apologies Don and Vincent). All in a days karma. The scenery on these two day ..read more