Field Camp Part Two- SWINBURN! (central Otago)

When Ponowea finished I thought I would have a day off and then go onto the next portion. It turns out that a day was actually an hour and a half, in which time we had to pack for over a week at Swinburn, so that's why I was in media blackout for so many days, which was kind of wonderful though, it was nice to know that the only thing I had to do was just live in the moment. This camp was much more relaxing because a different professor taught it, Dave Prior. He is English, and thus has a wonderful accent. We stayed in tents on a sheep farm in Central Otago, during that time I think I saw enough sheep to bide me over for a very, very long time. The geology here was quite interesting, well, mainly because we had mountain and geology that I was unfamiliar with, BAA-salt and sandstone, as well as a lot of schist, which I am familiar with. And I actually learned how to read topography a little to infer what geologic formations underlay it, which I a have to admit was pretty nice, I also realized that I love filling in the blank gaps in maps, which actually hurt me, because I had to infer a lot, I will try and post those maps so that you too can enjoy their complexity (one of them earned a comment of "They look like they could be used to illustrate a graphic novel").

The stars there were amazing, we had no pollution, (or ozone), to get in the way. The constellations at flipped, and I have now seen the Southern cross, it was simply gorgeous to be out the and sit and look at the sky.

 Ok, enough of me talking, here are some more pictures.  

Home, sweet Sheep Farm, I stayed in the yellow tent. 

A view of the Western Mountains from the sheep farm, usually their tops where wreathed in cloud that always looked like it was ready to descend the slopes and drown us. 

"The Swamp" Where some of the other people in tents stayed. 

Some of the ducks, who I think hated me, you know its bad when they start hissing. 

My map, in the beginning stages of creation. 

Some of the group as we start the treck towards the schist. 

Sheep, there you have seen them! Happy now? Also, do not "baa" at sheep, some of them will try and charge you until it sees the you are a human and begins to run away. I did not do this but I have a friend who did try it. 

That's Dave to the left. 

After so many days I built up some facial hair, (most I have had since freshmen year "Novembeard" I also managed to get a nice tan and burn my face pretty badly. Where sunscreen! The tan is not worth the pain!