Today Jeanne and I got to spend 2 hours at Great Falls learning from E-an Zen, world renowned geologist, and Keith Tomlinson, Botanist, as they led a group of homeschoolers on a tour of the area. Dr. Zen, in the photo above, is an Octogenarian who is energetic, an enthusiastic teacher, with a wonderful sense of humor and a comprehensive knowledge of the natural and human history of the Great Falls area. He took off down the path as we set out, and soon outpaced everyone in the entire group. He is wonderful teacher and positively brilliant.
As you can see from the high water marks noted over the last century, 1996 was the last year that the flood waters of the Potomac River reached major flood stage. The highest level, 1934, is pretty awesome! Dr. Zen explained that usually major floods occur on the Potomac every 10 years or so, so we are due!
Mr. Tomlinson pointed out several interesting plants and trees along the way. One of the interesting points that he made was that botanists have retrieved seeds from the windswept, stunted trees growing in the rocks along the river gorge. Scientists planted these seeds in optimum conditions to see how the plants would grow, and all of the plants were stunted in their growth, too, indicating that these plants have evolved specifically for growing in harsh conditions, whether they are in harsh conditions or not.
It was a beautiful day!
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