In the Sexual Canyonlands

Little Wild Horse Canyon

On the last day of our stay in Hanksville, the crew went on a hike through Little Wild Horse Canyon. This was a beautiful slot canyon located near Goblin Valley State Park. There were the most amazing geologic formations inside the canyon from open spaces with trees and plants growing in it to narrow winding passages. While hiking, Mary Beth and I took the opportunity to pause and do some dance improvisation inside the canyon (video will be up on our channel soon!). It is places like this that really humble me and leave me in awe of how beautiful our world is.

Mary Beth and I in our matching t-shirts

Walking through the canyon

More walking through the canyon

Unique weathering patterns on the canyon walls

Where the Hell is Hanksville?

I am currently finishing up a two-week research trip in the San Rafael Swell in Utah. I'm here in Hanksville, UT with a crew of four other awesome people studying the endolithic microbial communities that live in the rocks out in the desert. We were staying at the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station  for a while, but have since relocated to the lovely Whispering Sands Motel in Hanksville due to a carbon monoxide scare.
Since we've been here, we have seen some pretty amazing geology. We visited Goblin Valley last week and had an amazing time admiring the unique rock formations.

A few of the "goblins" in Goblin Valley

Due to differences in rock hardness the elements have eroded the sandstone into hoodoos that resemble goblins. The stunning thing is that there were so many of them. Once you hike down into the valley, they seem to go on forever.
While we were there, Mary Beth and I did some dance improvisation. In the spirit of trying new things, we decided to start a dance project and challenge ourselves to dance in places outside of an indoor studio. Check out our videos and be sure to subscribe to our channel!

Dance improvisation in the Valley of the Goblins