Regional Geomorphology of the Central Great Plains
May 8th – 15th, 2011 |
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One of my favorite things at MSU is the field trip my Regional Geomorph class takes to the central Great Plains. This trip begins the first weekend after the spring semester ends in odd-numbered years. After leaving Michigan, we make our first stops in Iowa. We subsequently spend a day in Nebraska and then to north-central Kansas for 4 days before we return. It's a great trip! |
Day #1
The first day of the trip is mostly a travel day, with the goal of reaching Des Moines, Iowa in time to set up camp before nightfall. After leaving East Lansing, we angle across southwest Michigan toward Chicago where we pick up Interstate 80 west.
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The first major landmark we see is the Mississippi River where we cross at Rock Island, Illinois. If time permits, we will stop along the river for lunch. |
After we cross the Mississippi, we cruise across the loess covered uplands of eastern Iowa toward our campsite at Saylorville Lake in central Iowa
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Setting up camp at the end of Day #1. As you can see, we travel in style. MSU has nice sprinter vans that are roomy with a lot of space for gear. |
