Garry Hayes
@geotripper.bsky.social
I'm a geology professor in central California, avid birder, traveler, photographer, and environmentalist. I'm pro-democracy, and I stand for the equality for all. Little attention paid to DMs.
In four days, my rain gage near Modesto has recorded 3.75 inches of rain. I know other regions get prodigious amounts, but for us that's about 30% of an entire water year. Put another way, we're running 300-400% of normal.
November 17, 2025 at 7:04 PM
In four days, my rain gage near Modesto has recorded 3.75 inches of rain. I know other regions get prodigious amounts, but for us that's about 30% of an entire water year. Put another way, we're running 300-400% of normal.
Hey crystallographers: I've been taking students to Black Chasm Caverns in the Sierra Mother Lode for three decades, mainly for the incredible helictites. Yesterday I noticed (for the 1st time) this very long single crystal of what I presume is calcite. Does this happen often? #crystallography
November 16, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Hey crystallographers: I've been taking students to Black Chasm Caverns in the Sierra Mother Lode for three decades, mainly for the incredible helictites. Yesterday I noticed (for the 1st time) this very long single crystal of what I presume is calcite. Does this happen often? #crystallography
From north of Roberts Ferry on the prairie!
November 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM
From north of Roberts Ferry on the prairie!
Not the same detail as people are getting from farther north, but only the third time I've seen the auroras from Central California, in the prairies east of Modesto. There were a few wispy clouds in the mix.
November 12, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Not the same detail as people are getting from farther north, but only the third time I've seen the auroras from Central California, in the prairies east of Modesto. There were a few wispy clouds in the mix.
Went out salmon hunting on the Tuolumne River today! Saw a few, but also a beautiful sunset on the river and five Great Horned Owls!
November 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Went out salmon hunting on the Tuolumne River today! Saw a few, but also a beautiful sunset on the river and five Great Horned Owls!
Foggy morning in California's Great Valley.
October 31, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Foggy morning in California's Great Valley.
Del Puerto Cyn in CA's Coast Ranges is threatened by a useless dam. Here's how it looked yesterday. A precious place. #savedelpuerto
October 26, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Del Puerto Cyn in CA's Coast Ranges is threatened by a useless dam. Here's how it looked yesterday. A precious place. #savedelpuerto
So proud of my hometown Modesto, easily 2,000 people out to protest fascism.
October 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
So proud of my hometown Modesto, easily 2,000 people out to protest fascism.
Mt St Helens was a bit bashful yesterday
August 14, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Mt St Helens was a bit bashful yesterday
Always a thrill to catch Mt. Rainier. We were here a month ago and never got even a glance in the gloomy skies. Today was different, even if it was 95⁰! #Volcano
August 13, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Always a thrill to catch Mt. Rainier. We were here a month ago and never got even a glance in the gloomy skies. Today was different, even if it was 95⁰! #Volcano
One of my most hoped-for bird sightings this year! A Lazuli Bunting at Basso Bridge on the Tuolumne River. They're not totally rare, but I'm lucky to see one or two in a year.
July 27, 2025 at 10:02 PM
One of my most hoped-for bird sightings this year! A Lazuli Bunting at Basso Bridge on the Tuolumne River. They're not totally rare, but I'm lucky to see one or two in a year.
Thrilled to see a native Gray Fox on the Tuolumne River Trail today! #Animalslover
July 17, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Thrilled to see a native Gray Fox on the Tuolumne River Trail today! #Animalslover
Independence Day. I guess the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers were able to free themselves from the world's most powerful king. Have faith that we'll defeat the petty tyrant of our day and his minions.
July 4, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Independence Day. I guess the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers were able to free themselves from the world's most powerful king. Have faith that we'll defeat the petty tyrant of our day and his minions.
This is nauseating. And so very wrong. The fawning over trump is disgusting, in an official letter from the Social Security Administration. I guess Dear Leader must have his name glorified.
July 4, 2025 at 2:10 AM
This is nauseating. And so very wrong. The fawning over trump is disgusting, in an official letter from the Social Security Administration. I guess Dear Leader must have his name glorified.
Leopard lilies in Del Norte Redwoods. One of my favorite flowers.
July 1, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Leopard lilies in Del Norte Redwoods. One of my favorite flowers.
I know my friends and family from the Pacific Northwest see these birds all the time, but it's quite a thrill for us CA folks to see them, as they are far rarer where we live. This one was at Lake Washington near Seattle. #birds
June 28, 2025 at 6:04 AM
I know my friends and family from the Pacific Northwest see these birds all the time, but it's quite a thrill for us CA folks to see them, as they are far rarer where we live. This one was at Lake Washington near Seattle. #birds
Shasta is an incredible volcano. Always a delightful sight on our northward travels #volcanoes
June 26, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Shasta is an incredible volcano. Always a delightful sight on our northward travels #volcanoes
So, you were out in the desert last week. How hot was it? Answer:
June 20, 2025 at 2:42 AM
So, you were out in the desert last week. How hot was it? Answer:
An "interim" day on the Colorado Plateau; laundry, showers, and groceries. Late in the day we looked for dinosaur bone fragments and found a few. The drive to Capitol Reef was distant views of mesas and buttes.
June 13, 2025 at 5:07 AM
An "interim" day on the Colorado Plateau; laundry, showers, and groceries. Late in the day we looked for dinosaur bone fragments and found a few. The drive to Capitol Reef was distant views of mesas and buttes.
The evening view from our campsite in Arches National Park
June 12, 2025 at 8:45 PM
The evening view from our campsite in Arches National Park
Full Moon glow over the La Sal Mtns and Arches National Park
June 12, 2025 at 5:55 AM
Full Moon glow over the La Sal Mtns and Arches National Park
Did you know you can drive to bottom of the Grand Canyon? It's possible in one place, in Diamond Creek. It's a bumpy road in places, but we had the canyon to ourselves!
June 5, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Did you know you can drive to bottom of the Grand Canyon? It's possible in one place, in Diamond Creek. It's a bumpy road in places, but we had the canyon to ourselves!
An unexpected beginning to our exploration of the Colorado Plateau! 1-2" of torrential rain and quarter-sized hail. At the Sweeney Granite Mtns Preserve in the Mojave Desert.
June 4, 2025 at 6:01 AM
An unexpected beginning to our exploration of the Colorado Plateau! 1-2" of torrential rain and quarter-sized hail. At the Sweeney Granite Mtns Preserve in the Mojave Desert.