Travel Talk

Ice Age Fever
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Passport denied!
Gateway to the galaxies
The world’s oldest hotel

Dr. Kirk Johnson, chief curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, puts a protective layer of wet paper towels over a mastodon tusk, the first step in the “jacketing” process. © Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Ice Age Fever
By Shelly Steig

It’s been a mammoth year for Snowmass Village and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Paleontologists and scientists just wrapped up the final excavation of an Ice Age lake near Snowmass. Dubbed the Snowmastodon Project, the cooperative endeavor between the museum, the town, and the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District might turn out to be one of the most important paleontological digs in the world.

The excitement began on Oct. 14, 2010, when bulldozer operator Jesse Steele spotted a large bone, which he suspected was not from a modern animal. He alerted scientists, who began a full-scale excavation that unearthed partial skeletons of eight to 10 American mastodons, and four Columbian mammoths—the first site in Colorado to yield more than one mammoth, and the first to include both mammoths and mastodons. Fragments from a Jefferson’s ground sloth were also discovered, the first ever found in Colorado and the highest elevation example (8,874 feet) anywhere in North America.

Experts uncovered evidence of other ancient animals including Ice Age deer and bison, camel, tiger salamanders, beavers, snails and microscopic crustaceans, as well as plant matter such as wood, seeds, cones and leaves—all contained in an Ice Age lake estimated to be between 45,000 and 150,000 years old.

The wet silt and peat of the ancient lake bed preserved the plant matter, which turned from green to brown when exposed to air. Some fragile fossils were encased in plaster of Paris “jackets” for their trip to Denver. Most of the specimens are currently at the museum undergoing a long preservation procedure where jackets are removed, and all the fossils are cleaned, then slowly dried. The entire process could take up to two years.

Dr. Kirk Johnson, Chief Curator and Vice President for Research and Collections at the museum, has been ecstatic from day one of the project when workers were pulling out important fossils every five minutes. He said, “This is no ordinary discovery. This is something very special.” So special, that in a story line reminiscent of Jurassic Park, scientists say there is a good chance they will recover ancient DNA.

Scientists and educators aren’t the only ones with mammoth fever. Banners declaring “I Dig Snowmass” waved from streetlight poles, while local businesses offered “mammoth” deals. More than 3,000 people turned out for the Mammoth & Mastodon Madness event on Nov. 13.

Families enjoyd activities like toy fossil digs at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s “Mammoth & Mastodon Madness” event in Snowmass Village. © Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

The Snowmastodon Project will spend $1 million ($750,000 in 2011 alone) on scientific research, excavation, preservation, documentation, education, logistics and public relations. The Denver Museum, Snowmass Village, and Snowmass Water and Sanitation District, which combined are known as the Tusk Force, are still in the process of raising the funds.

The dig site is not open to the public. However, Snowmass Village recently unveiled a new 2,000-square foot Ice Age Discovery Center on Snowmass Mall, which is less than one mile from the dig site. The Center will be open daily through Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Snowmass Village’s public relations team is exploring allowing public and private events until Oct. 15.

At the center, visitors can view a wooden half-scale model of the first nearly intact skeleton discovered—a juvenile mammoth nicknamed Snowy, along with photographs and videos documenting the excavation. Children can learn more about paleontology and the dynamic Snowmass creatures during special crafts and education sessions.

The museum’s first priority is to preserve and prepare the delicate fossils, most of which are not currently exhibited. Some tusk fragments from the dig site are available throughout the museum for guests to touch. The museum will also teach about the ecology of an Ice Age ecosystem with a Peat Bog Display in the North American Wildlife Hall, which features real samples from the Snowmastodon Project. In other exhibits, children can handle bone and teeth fragments from specimens similar to those found at Snowmass.

Readers can stay up-to-date with the museum’s analysis of the excavation by logging onto www.dmns.org/snowmastodon-project. For information about Snowmass’s Ice Age-related events and activities go to www.snowmassiceage.com.

Colorado GEM: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s combination of a narrow opening and sheer walls of crystalline rock create spectacular and intimidating views like no other canyon in North America.

© NPS/Lisa Lynch

Embracing approximately 30,000 acres, the park contains 14 miles of the deepest portion of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Some of Earth’s oldest base rocks have been cut by the river to a depth of 2,722 feet. At the narrowest point along the top of the canyon, the distance between the canyon walls measures about 1,100 feet across, but narrows to only 40 feet near the riverbed below.

The name Black Canyon comes from the many shadows cast on the cliff walls due to the narrowness of the canyon and from the dark-colored schists, granites and other Precambrian rocks. Descent into the canyon is arduous and hazardous; do not attempt it without consulting a ranger.

Summer recreational options include camping, hiking along the canyon rim, picnicking, fishing, rock climbing and extreme kayaking. Winter recreation offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The South Rim Visitor Center at Gunnison Point provides information about current interpretive programs and houses exhibits and a video describing the park's history, geology, flora and fauna. Camping and rangers are available year-round at the South Rim, and in summer at the North Rim.

This is one of the Colorado GEMs listed in the AAA TourBook. GEMs are Great Experiences for Members—top picks for things to do or see in the state. Get the 2011 edition at branch offices or at www.AAA.com/travel. For information on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park call 970-641-2337 or visit www.nps.gov/blca.

Passport denied!

The U.S. Department of State reminds travelers that a damaged passport will not be accepted for international travel. It defines damage as “water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), a hole punch and other injuries.”

Replacing the damaged passport with a new one requires an in-person visit to a passport processing center, along with documentation—a completed Form DS-11, the damaged passport, birth certificate, and other forms listed on the form.

The normal wear that occurs when fanning the pages of a passport book, repeated opening and closing, and the bend that your passport forms in your back pocket, does not constitute damage. In most cases of normal wear, the State Department suggests you renew by mail using Form DS-82.

The State Department counts on the airlines to check passports. Continental Airlines says that passports must be in “good” condition, and the airline “may not accept passengers for international travel and may deny boarding if a passport is damaged beyond normal wear and tear and/or there is evidence of intentional or material alterations or mutilations.”

Continental denies boarding for passengers whose passports display “significant tears, holes, or stains, as well as any changes, obliterations, or alterations, or any other damage which affect the integrity of the passport and/or the identification of the holder, such as the name, date of birth, citizenship and document number.”

For more information about U.S. passports, visit the U.S. Department of State website: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

Gateway to the galaxies
By Dave G. Houser

Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, Tucson, Ariz. © Adam Block

Nightfall in southern Arizona brings welcome relief from daytime heat and a chance to experience something that’s available nowhere else in America—a view of the stars through a wide variety of telescopes, some of them the biggest of their kind in the world.

This arid, inhospitable land is a gateway to the galaxies.

On a recent trip, I looked for everybody’s favorite planet, Saturn, through the 12-foot-long telescope at the University of Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter (520-626-8122).

My guide to the ringed planet, and all the other heavenly bodies in view, is Adam Block, SkyCenter program coordinator and noted astrophotographer.

“Saturn is the hands-down winner” among visitors to SkyCenter, Block says. “The image of it through the Schulman telescope is breathtaking—quite literally. You can actually hear people gasp. I also like to show guests the distant galaxies. They do not necessarily get a ‘wow’ from their visual appeal, but the idea you can see galaxies millions of light years away always seems to engage people’s intellect and sense of cosmic place.”

“It has long been my ambition to bring to the public the most informative, memorable and comfortable skywatching experience possible,” Block said.

Block helps guests capture cosmic images with a digital (CCD) camera as part of a reservation-only, $48 program. The evening begins with a light meal (sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks). Next, either Block or an assistant offers a lesson on star watching with binoculars. You’ll be surprised how many stars and constellations, even passing satellites and meteors, you can see.

Then the 20 or so guests each get a look through the 12-foot-tall telescope, the largest publicly accessible scope in the Southwest.

Since finding the remote Mt. Lemmon site is a bit complicated, you might consider splurging on a SkyTour ($125). This expanded program includes round-trip transportation between University of Arizona’s Flandrau Science Center (520-621-3646) in Tucson and the SkyCenter.

Notable for its striking architecture, Flandrau is well worth a visit in itself, abuzz seven days a week with state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, music laser shows and free public viewing through a reflecting telescope, Wednesday-Sunday evenings, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Fifty-six miles southwest of Tucson is Kitt Peak (520-318-8600), home to the world’s largest collection of optical telescopes (24), plus two radio telescopes, representing eight astronomical research institutions. Check out the observatory’s guided tours, all of them less than $10.

The 10 a.m. tour visits McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, the largest of its kind in the world and a striking edifice bearing more resemblance to a giant ski jump than to a typical domed observatory.

At 11:30 a.m., visitors tour one of Kitt Peak’s early workhorses, the 2.1-m telescope, built in 1964.

The 1:30 p.m. tour takes in massive Mayall 4-m telescope, a luminous landmark that reigns as Kitt Peak’s largest optical telescope.

The nighttime program is reservation-only and costs $48. It is suspended during the rainy season, July 15 to Sept. 1.

Another observatory within a short drive of the others is the Smithsonian Institution’s Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (520-670-5707), in the Santa Rita Mountains near Amado, 35 miles south of Tucson.

Whipple anchors a network of Smithsonian astronomy sites from Hawaii to South America, headquartered out of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. Its work in the field of gamma ray astronomy is particularly important to the world of astro-science.

The Visitor Center at the base of Mt. Hopkins is home to Smithsonian-quality exhibits ranging from a three-dimensional model of galaxy distribution in the universe to a touchable topographical map of the Santa Rita Mountains.

Down to earth, in both style and altitude, San Pedro Valley Observatory (888-455-6934), nestles at 3,750 feet near Benson, 45 miles southeast of Tucson. It is Arizona’s only privately owned and operated observatory.

Low-key and informal, the facility includes a research library, a small planetarium, and a pair of domes housing a variety of telescopes. Prices for evening sessions vary. The high-end package focuses on astrophotography.

Boasting such a stellar list of observatories and astro-attractions, there’s no question the sky’s the limit in Arizona.

Prepare
When planning a visit to Arizona’s high-altitude observatories, keep in mind temperatures can drop dramatically in the evenings, especially during the winter, which suggests you bring warm clothes suitable to layering. Persons with cardiac, respiratory or other altitude-related concerns are advised to take proper precautions. Most of the observatories offer at least some wheelchair access. All facilities encourage young visitors but some dictate minimum ages—6-7 in most cases—so families with children should check in advance for any age limits.

The world’s oldest hotel

The Hoshi Ryokan in Awazu, Japan, is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest continually operating hotel. The Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) opened 1,293 years ago (718 A.D.) to take advantage of the local hot springs. It has been owned by the Hoshi family for 46 generations.

Visitors once indulged in 21-day courses of treatment at the hot springs, which was believed to be the optimum time for the waters to act on any physical ailments. Today, the inn has 100 rooms, indoor and outdoor springs for bathing, and both historic and modern gardens. A festival in September each year honors the inn’s founder, Garyo Hoshi, and includes a traditional Noh play on a floating stage lit by bonfires.

Awazu is located on the northwestern coast of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It is approximately one hour from Tokyo by air, or four and a half hours by train. It is opposite the side of the island where the March earthquake and tsunami struck.

Tourism in Japan is rebounding, slowly. Japan’s tourism leaders attended the Eighth World Travel Fair in Shanghai, where they announced 20 percent accommodation discounts for hotels in Tokyo.

“Most of Japan's regions are unaffected by the disaster, and we invite you to see the present condition of Japan for yourselves,” Japan National Tourism Organization spokesman Katsuaki Suzuki told the China Daily newspaper May 16.

Japanese airlines reportedly will offer discounts in August, during three major summer festivals—Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori, Kanto Matsuri in Akita and Tanabata Matsuri in Sendai.

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