The Valles Caldera National Preserve: New Mexico's Crown Jewel

Geo-Bucket Travels U.S. Hwy. 66 - Revisited (2020 Dreams vs. 2021 Reality)

[Note: This was originally posted on another blog on March 11, 2020 (which I am gradually paring down and planning to delete, due to a change in plans).  On our August 2021 van camping adventure, we didn't travel any significant portion of the U.S. Hwy 66 corridor, except perhaps on our return as we traveled through St. Louis and across the Mississippi River.

Any late-2021 updates to this post will be posted in italics and brackets, so as to compare my 2020 dreams vs. what we accomplished in 2021.  In other words, a look back at a few of our bright spots of 2021.]

Though I don't foresee any travels outside of Georgia in the near future, it doesn't hurt to dream and plan, if circumstances do change. 

[Circumstances do change.  Almost exactly one year after this original post, my wife and I purchased a 1993 Ford Econoline "high-top" conversion van.  After taking out the wheelchair lift, we went on a "shakedown cruise" as far west as Murfreesboro, AR and as far east as Cades Cove, TN and Cherokee, NC before returning to Georgia.]

Figure 1.

Any jaunt along U.S. Hwy. 66 would probably be preceded by a visit to Traverse City, Michigan, my 2nd wife's hometown.  I have been near the Great Lakes during my 1981 - 1983 travels, but I didn't stop and do any rock collecting, photography, or foot-dipping into the water, as I should have.  

[On August 10th, we left on our 2021 Great Northern Adventure to visit Traverse City, visit some of her relatives, and see at least four of the five Great Lakes.  As we entered the area from the southeast, we did not encounter U.S. 66.  Due to afternoon traffic, we missed the Michigan shoreline of Lake Erie, but over the next few days, we did visit Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior.  I photographed each lake and dipped my hand into their waters.]

(Seeing the Northern Lights is also on my Bucket List, too.  I have been told that usually Spring and Fall are the best times.  My few travels to that area have been summertime ones.)

[The Northern Lights thing did not work out.  The nights we were furthest north, including being on the Upper Peninsula, it was cloudy, and it was summertime.]

My sole previous trip to Michigan was to Frankenmuth in 1981 to visit the two local breweries there, the G. Heileman brewery (900,000 bbl/year) and the tiny Geyer Brothers brewery (4,000 bbl/year).

Figure 2.  The Geyer Brothers Brewing Co. in 1981.  

[Now the Geyer Brothers Brewing Company is the Frankenmuth Brewing Co.]  Aside from visiting the two breweries, I also included a lunch stop at the famous Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn, in 1981.

Figure 2.

[Our 2021 visit to Frankenmuth included the Frankenmuth Brewing Co. brewpub (a successor to Geyer Brothers, which closed in 1986, which was then replaced by other successors, and most of the original building was destroyed in a 1996 tornado.)  The present facility opened in 2003.  (I forgot to get any photographs of the brewery this year.)

To continue the "nostalgia tour", we had lunch at the Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn.] 

In front of the brewery, the white Datsun pickup with the camper was my on-the-road vehicle from 1981 - 1983.  I bought the Datsun for cheap travels, slept in the back, stopped at KOAs for warm showers.  Though I was on sort of an informal sabbatical from grad school, I kept my gas-hog (avg. 12 mpg) 4x4 Jeep truck for my field purposes.  I returned to grad school with more purpose in 1985 and graduated in 1990.

After meeting my first wife in April 1983, any travels after the summer of 1983 were in my wife's car (as neither of my two pickups had air conditioning).  After adopting our daughter in late 1986, I needed a compromise between a 4x4 pickup for fieldwork and a station wagon for our growing family.  Thus, I traded in both trucks for a 1987 4x4 Jeep Cherokee.

Back to the present "future", I would like to collect some sand samples and Petoskey Stones from the shores of Lake Michigan, look for native freshwater clamshells, and photograph the sand dunes, at the very least.  And maybe visit a local rock shop, too.

[On our 2021 journey, we visited the spectacular Sleeping Bear Dunes, northwest of Traverse City.  Here is some info on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, which allows visitors to see some of the diverse ecosystems amongst the 111 square miles of the National Lakeshore Park.  

I did walk part of the shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula away from the park.  I didn't find any Petoskey Stones, the freshwater clam shells were weathered and without any pigmentation, and the local downtown rock shop was closed on that particular Sunday.  Also, Pangea Pizza was closed that day, too.  Drat.]

Returning to the Chicago area, depending on the time of day and the specific location of the U.S. Hwy 66 marker, I might just settle for being close to the eastern terminus.  [My familiar Atlanta traffic is enough of a challenge; I tremble in fear of any urban Chicago traffic.]  

From my current, light-understanding of Northern Illinois surficial glacial geology, some sort of stop in the Mazon Creek area would be a definite "must stop".  If there are not easily accessed local collecting sites, at least another rock shop stop would be in order.  I prefer collecting my own, but I am a realist, "I ain't as young as I used to be."

Preparations would include a thorough reading of "Geology Underfoot in Illinois" by Raymond Wiggers and "Roadside History of Illinois" by Stan Banash.

Once out of the urban/suburban influences of greater Chicago, I would be searching for surface glacial features to photograph, proceeding along U.S. Hwy. 66 to the southwest.  Another U.S. Hwy. 66 in Illinois video is here.
  
[On a 1982 beer sojourn to Wisconsin, I did engage in photographing glacial features, but when I stopped at a rest area to change film, I forgot to reel in the exposed film into the cartridge and upon opening the back of the camera, the entire roll was lost.  All of my geology slides were gone.  In approximately 27 years of 35 mm film photography (prior to digital), I only made that mistake twice.  The first time, I realized my mistake quickly enough and slammed the back of the camera closed, saving part of the roll.)]

[Bottom Line: Though we didn't get to follow any of the old U.S. Hwy. 66 route, our August 2021 journey was generally a success.]

Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

My primary (only?) visit to the Jemez Mountains (especially the Valles Caldera) was in 1978, as a UTEP Geology grad student.  The purpose was for me and three other grad students to be immersed in the concepts and terminologies associated with explosive caldera-type eruptions and their resultant Felsic (and sometimes Intermediate) Pyroclastic deposits before we started our planned Summer fieldwork in the Eagle Mountains in West Texas. 

There is a slim chance that we might have skirted the area a year earlier during the 1977 Summer Field Camp field trip, as the Jemez Mountains are adjacent to the Western margin of the Rio Grande Rift, at the intersection of the RGR and the Jemez Lineament.  After 43 - 44 years, some of the memories are rather dim.

The four following images are from scanned 35 mm slides, taken by me during the 1978 field trip.  The first two images are from west of the river, where the Bandelier Tuff overlies rift-related basalt flows.  Figure 3 is looking downriver (I think), while Figure 4 is looking upriver, though I am not 100% certain of the photo orientation.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

In amongst my thousands of largely-unsorted, unscanned, and unlabeled 35 mm slides, there are probably other Jemez  Mountains photos. 

Just a reminder, I understand about being tired after returning from a strenuous field trip, but after your energy returns, please label your samples and attach some sorts of descriptions to your digital photo files.  (And perhaps print a few of them and store them in an unlit place, perhaps even a file folder.)

It is hard to read 30 to 40 years into the future, you may remember where the photos/samples are from, but you may forget crucial details, i.e., learn from my mistakes.

Figure 5.

This (Figure 5) Valles Caldera tuff sample is one of the few that I collected and managed to hold onto throughout the decades.  (Though I may have donated it to a school after this digital photo was taken.  Records should be kept regarding donations as well, if you wish to "evenly" disperse samples through several schools.)

Sand Dunes Shouldn’t Exist (Here’s Why They Do)

White Sands National Monument (at 3:00 is a brief mention of it in this video) hosts the most consequential dune field in New Mexico.  It is worthy of individual study due to its composition of gypsum, rather than the typical quartz.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

There is the smaller Rio Salado Dune Field in central Nex Mexico, with the seasonally-dry Rio Grande riverbed providing the source of these sands.  Interestingly in this report, the heavy mineral suite is more typical of crystalline rocks (Evans, 1963), perhaps owing to intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks in the Rio Grande watershed.

Other nearby sandhills are found south of New Mexico, near I-20 are the Monahans Sandhills, southwest of Odessa, TX.

North of New Mexico, in Colorado are the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, northeast of Alamosa, Colorado with the stunning Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Sources (More to be added):

George C. Evans, 1963, GEOLOGY AND SEDIMENTATION ALONG THE LOWER RIO SALADO IN NEW MEXICO pp. 209-216 in Socorro Region, Kuellmer, F. J.; [ed.], New Mexico Geological Society 14th Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook.

Geologic History of the Jemez Volcanic Field

The Dinosaurs of Ghost Ranch

Fossils at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

More Ghost Ranch info.  (Well worth spending time reading.)

Another video on Ghost Ranch dinosaur fossils.

Mineral Talks LIVE - Episode 55- Dr Virgil Lueth

Dr. Virgil Lueth was a Geology grad-school classmate at UTEP (University of Texas-El Paso).  Hearing him speak about his experiences and passions is very pleasing.  

Albuquerque to Gallup, NM

Day #6 of the 2015 Arizona Trip #2 began with having breakfast in Albuquerque with some fellow beer can collectors after the previous day's show (two of whom passed away since then).  

The first geology stop of Day #6 was on the western outskirts of Albuquerque, off of I-40, for the quick photos of a portion of the Albuquerque Volcanic Field, in this case, the three southernmost of the volcanoes.  [More geology details about this area will be the subject of a future post.]  The age estimates for the volcanic field range from 170,000 to 70,000 years ago.

Figure 1.

 

Sitting atop the probable fissure-erupted basalt flows (left to right) are JA Volcano, Black Volcano, and Vulcan Volcano. The basal (presumed) fissure-erupted flows overlie river terrace deposits.

As I was trying to save time, I got off at Exit 153, Arroyo Vista Blvd North and worked my way through some neighborhoods to get this view.

Figure 2.  JA Volcano.

Figure 3.  Black Volcano.

Figure 4.  Vulcan Volcano.

As I felt pressed to "get back on the road", I failed to notice that the next exit, Atrisco Vista Blvd. North (Exit 149) would have gotten me much closer to these three volcanoes.  (Going back and getting it right is now on my "Bucket List".)

[Admittedly, after I left the El Paso area in April 1991 and moved back to my native Atlanta, other than reading a few Rio Grande Rift field trip guides, with my mind than on finding work in Georgia and tending to my family, I sort of fell behind on New Mexico rift-related volcanics.]

After returning to I-40 West, a few miles later I again left the Interstate at Rio Puerco (Exit 140) to photograph a dissected (by erosion) volcano south of the freeway, as well as a basalt bluff and exposed terrace deposits near the Rio Puerco (seen below).

Figure 5.

I have yet to discover a name for this dissected (eroded) volcano, just east of the Rio Puerco and south of I-40.

Figure 6.
  

Old Rio Grande terrace deposits adjacent to the Rio Puerco (looking northward).  Not sure if the basalt flows to the right overlie more terrace deposits or not.  

Figure 7.  

A larger "basalt bluff" east of Figure 8 location.  Don't know if these and Figure 8 flows are related to the dissected volcano or not.

 Figure 8.
  

I think this was Exit 126, with its Eastern Colorado Plateau Mesozoic exposures.

Figure 9.

 

Known variously as "Cubero Volcano" or "Flower Mountain"(?), this apparently dissected volcano sits atop presumed Cretaceous sedimentary rocks at Exit 104.  This is a view of the southern escarpment facing the Rio San Jose Valley.

[I had some images of the other side of "Cubero Volcano", where I-40 "swings" behind it, but I can't seem to find them.]

The next 7 images are of young basalt flows along the vicinity of McCartys, New Mexico, on the Northside of I-40, with the best exposures between MM 96 and approximately MM 89 (near McBride Road).  I may have just pulled off at a "good flat spot" on the right (not an actual exit), perhaps 1 mile West of Exit 96.  [Hey, when a Geologist "must" have that photo, we do what we must.] 

Figure 10. 

Figure 11. 

Figure 12.  

In the foreground (above), is a wetland hosted within an apparently collapsed lava tube. 

Figure 13.  Vesicular texture. 

 Figure 14.

Between the basalt flows in the foreground and the flows capping the mesa in the background, are Mesozoic sedimentary rocks.

Figure 15. 

Figure 16.

The McCartys flows are at the extreme northern end of the Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field.  The estimated ages range between 3,200 and 1,250 years old.

Figure 17.  "Tachylite"

Tachylite "texture" on the surface of a McCartys flow. Because of the lack of internal structure (as with obsidian), the glossy surface readily decays upon long-term exposure to water.  It is a sign of a really young lava flow.

South of the I-40 intersection with East Santa Fe Ave. (Exit 85) is the El Malpais National Monument, certainly a worthy photo stop.  I wish I could have stopped and had seen more in the area, but I had a bit of ground to cover that day.  (See the planned upcoming "Route 666" and "Shiprock to Aztec" posts.)  There were still many geological photos to be taken.

It would be a pleasure to spend 2 or 3 days exploring the Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field as well as the Mt. Taylor Volcanic Field.  Several days of "homework" beforehand would yield more satisfying results.

[I had previously observed the geologic sights along I-40 from the Albuquerque Volcanic Field to the McCartys Basalts in 2003, during a family vacation.  I only had a chance to shoot a few photos of the Albuquerque Volcanoes, as we were on our way to the Grand Canyon and then Phoenix.]

Further west on I-40 is more Colorado Plateau strata in the Wingate, NM.  The cliff-forming red sandstone is probably the Jurassic Entrada Sandstone.  (I tended to notice the cliffs to the north of I-40.)

The "last" noteworthy geologic structure before the Gallup exit is variously called the "Gallup Hogback" or the "Nutria Monocline".

Figure 18.

Secondary Hogbacks, east of main Hogback, south of I-40, dipping westward. 

 Figure 19.

Western slope of Gallup Hogback, north of I-40.

Figure 20.

The western slope of Gallup Hogback, south of I-40.

References (more to come)

Chronic, H. (1987) Roadside Geology of New Mexico, Mountain Press Publishing Co.

A Few Thoughts on Posterity (or Geo-Posterity)

 The bad news is:

1.) You ain't gonna live forever; and

2.) You can't take it with you.

Some good news, even if you can't make any significant cash donations to schools, museums, and/or other "centers-of-learning", there are things you can do to further the advancement of science, even if it is on an individual basis.

If you don't at least "write out" some tangible instructions, if you pass suddenly, your immediate survivors will know little or nothing about your wishes or even which specimens are to be specifically bequeathed vs. which ones can be consigned to being "yard rocks".  

You know so many of your specimens by sight, but your survivors don't and the greater the load (quantity), the more likely that they will run short of patience and just send the smaller ones to the trash, to be ignomineously buried forever in a landfill.  

Aside from being donated to schools or museums, some can be given to local mineral clubs, to be used as raffle prizes.  Make sure to label them, the more info associated with each specimen, the greater the scientific value.  

When facing our own mortality, it is tough to admit the truths listed above.  If there are interesting specimens that you collected yourself, before donating them, perhaps photograph them well, to help preserve those memories of the places and perhaps people you were with.  

If you have grandkids or grand-nieces/grandnephews, who are too young to responsibly keep them, hopefully for years, perhaps you can entrust a small "care package" to their parents for when the kids reach a more mature age.  In other words, someday, they may care.

That being said, there are no guarantees.  I still have a sample of chilled basalt from the 1944 eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, that was given to me by one of my Dad's friends, when I was probably 8 or 9 (1962 - 1963).  

On the other hand, during home renovations about 10 years ago, I managed to lose a tiny nugget of Platinum I collected near Auraria, Georgia, probably about 1969, when I was 15.  I also lost a small Diamond I found in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, in 1973, when I was 19.  Both were lost because of improper labeling and/or storage.  Just damn.

Being a book lover, the same goes for Geology and other Science books.  I donated a couple of heavy boxes of books (as well as rocks and fossils) to my undergrad alma mater, Georgia Southern University, almost four years ago.  

While travelling this last summer, I donated a few rock samples to a Geology teacher at Northwest Michigan College, in Traverse City, Michigan.  I wanted to do the same for North Dakota State University, while we were in Fargo on the same journey, but I ran out of time to retrieve samples from our deep basement to take with us.

In closing, it is human nature to want to be remembered after "we shuffle off this mortal coil" and whether or not your name is associated with the gifts or not, at least you have kept these items from going to the landfill.

So, follow my advice, while avoiding my mistakes and think of how you might help inspire a future scientist or two, whether with a book or a rock or fossil.

Budget Van Conversion | Ford Econoline $3000!

Updated Tour of a Homemade Camper Van "Buster"

This fellow is more mechanically-gifted (or confident) and younger than I am, but as with some other van customizers, he presents some good ideas.  I suggest getting a dedicated legal pad and going through these videos, picking and choosing the ideas you like best.

DIY: Van Life Tour Ford E-150 conversion

Campervan Build

Here we go again with a video of a Chevy van of the same vintage as our Ford (1993).  (The only problem with drinking as much espresso as this guy apparently has would make me have to make bathroom stops every 20 minutes or so.  Just kidding.)

No actually, as I like earth tones, I don't want to entirely gut the interior of our van.  And as much work as it took me to build the sleeping platform, I don't want to hassle with taking it out to make substantial interior changes.  I just wonder how much "wasted space" is between the stylish interior and the steel walls of the van.  And I think there is more space above the "ceiling" of the interior and the "high top".  

After the activities of the holidays, I plan to get back to working on the van, in case we get some travel time around April 2022.  So the clock is ticking.

Best Self-Build DIY Camper Van I've Ever Seen Tour

Some of these vans shown in these videos are way out of our budget, but perhaps a few ideas can be gleaned from the videos.

Other Things (Distractions) This Wild Year

A few musings, as the year draws to a close ...

Within the realm of personal responsibilities, most of my days of the last four years at home include "elder care", i.e., helping my wife take care of her 92-year-old Mom (with mild to moderate dementia).  (I do have a quarterly part-time job and I may have something else early next spring.)  

As we don't have the funds to put her in a quality nursing home, unless something drastic happens, such as a fall resulting in a broken hip, then we may have to make do with what we can (we are not "spring chickens" ourselves).

During the almost four years that we have been married, when my sister-in-law is between West Coast contract jobs, she can take care of their mom, while we get out for varying lengths of time.  During prior years, we made do with our Honda CR-V and motels, as we traveled.  Our last notable outing was June of 2019 when we went to Gettysburg National Battlefield Park (we are both history nerds).

The subject of the "Van Go! Project" (Figures 1 and 2) has been touched upon in other posts.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

A different endeavor ...

In January 2021, at my wife's suggestion out of concerns for my health, I began an outdoor walking program along local sidewalks and streets, for the sake of exercise.  My most recent dedicated walking program was in 2016 doing mall-walking around a one-mile-long "ring-shaped" mall near my hometown (about 30 miles from where I live now).  (That particular mall, Sugarloaf Mills, is popular for mall-walking.)

After beginning my 2016 program with four laps (4 miles), every other day I increased by a mile until I reached 12 miles per session.  (Good progress, but that "ate up" four hours of my day each time, so I switched to outdoor walking to get the benefits of walking up and down hills.)  If I went through my files, I might be able to find monthly records and a 2016 yearly total, but other current endeavors keep me occupied.  

I do recall that I did exceed the 100-mile cumulative mark with that indoor project.  This project, however, did come to an end when I met my 2nd wife on the last day of the year (during the day, at a local Dunkin' Donuts for coffee).  Thereafter, it seems that I was distracted during 2017 - 2020.

For 2021, while getting reacclimated to walking (with my doctor's approval), I only covered 13+ miles in January.  I decided to step-it-up to an ambitious 67 miles per month (equal to my age).

Progress:

January - 13.53 miles                                                            February - 74.96 miles                                                              March - 89.53 miles                                                                      April - 72.76 miles                                                                          May - 79.65 miles                                                                          June - 44.92 miles (foot problems helped by Podiatrist visit) July - 99.04 miles                                                                      August - 6.33 miles (Vacation prep and vacation)                  Sept. - 17.39 miles (Post-vacation chores and quarterly job)  October - 77.17 miles                                                          November - 124.48 miles                                                    December (thus far) - 73.78 miles, need 30.96 mi. (+/-) more

Cumulative distance - 773.04, with 2021 Goal of 804 miles.  Including the unfinished December walking, my monthly average is 64.42 miles.  December rain and quarterly job present some challenges, but it is certainly within reach.

My Reading Program ...

I usually read one book per month (I did 14 last year and 12 in 2019), but this year with van-preparation, traveling, and my walking program, I have only finished four books and have two more "in the hopper", though I don't know if I can finish both.

Common threads through these books are: 1.) They all have a "science connection" and 2.) Five of them were unfamiliar to me (I had heard of "A Sand County Almanac").

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

This next book I found in a local bookstore (they apparently do not have a website) after we returned from our 22-day adventure through the Northern Midwest and Great Plains.  (Talk about bad timing.)  (I also found the above two books at the "Corner Book Store" in Winder, GA, as well as "A Sand County Almanac".)

Figure 5.

This next book is a follow-up to "Buffalo for the Broken Heart".  The experiences described in Buffalo for the Broken Heart were the precursors for Wild Idea Buffalo Company.

 

Figure 6.

In reference to the "bad timing remark", from the Wild Idea Buffalo Company website, it looks like their Rapid City, SD office is about 1,000 feet from the Rapid City KOA campground!  

If I had found "Buffalo for the Broken Heart" and then ordered "Wild Idea" from Liberty Books in Lawrenceville, GA two months earlier, we would have dragged our campstove along and purchased a couple of fresh Buffalo steaks and cooked them right there.  (The campsite might have had a grill, I don't remember.  The campstove was one of the things we forgot in the final rush to leave on August 10th.)

I have had Buffalo burgers a couple of times at Ted's Montana Grill, but I am sure they were nothing like a fresh steak.

After reading these two Dan O'Brien books, I have to say that he is my second favorite contemporary American Non-fiction writer, after William Least Heat-Moon.  (They both do fiction, as well.)

"A Sand County Almanac" and "The Floor of Heaven" are the two in-progress books I need to finish in the fading days of the month (and year), along with the quarterly job and walking.

Figure 7.

I found "The Floor of Heaven" in a Goodwill store in greater Dacula, Georgia.

 

Figure 8.

Without addressing any undone tasks for 2021 ... (Perhaps another time.)

The Butterfly/Hummingbird Project ...

For the last two or three summers, my wife and I have talked about putting out some Butterfly/Hummingbird-friendly plants in both our front yard and our backyard.  We finally got something done about it this year.  (Details in another post.)

1993 Chevy conversion Van G20 Van tour inside and out

Again, not us, but more good ideas for a similar-aged van.  Other videos were posted the last two days.

With the trouble I went to in order to remove the bench seat frame and build the sleeping platform, I don't want to disturb that part of the van, i.e., that is one reason I don't want to fully-gut the interior.

1992 Chevy G20 Conversion

Same thoughts as yesterday's van post.  

Building the Ultimate Campervan for Just $7,000!

Not us, but our 1993 Ford Econoline 150 has a similar history, i.e., it had a wheelchair lift and was owned by a couple of different families with family members that needed transportation to and from hospitals, doctors, etc. 

We had the wheelchair lift removed ($600+, ouch!  It was too heavy for me to deal with removing) and I took out the bench seats and built a sleeping platform with storage underneath.  Lots of good ideas here, hope to utilize a few of them.  I also like the earth tones of our van interior and I don't want to gut the interior, though I may make some improvements to gain a little more storage space.  

I wish we had room to reinstall one of the swivel bucket seats in the "living room", but that may not work, for a couple of different reasons.

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A Reminder About What Geology is...

A common misconception about Geology is that it is solely about the study of rocks and to a lesser extent fossils.  Of course, it is, but it is more, much more.

Over the years, I have spoken with numerous people that confessed having had an interest in Geology, but were discouraged by family members or by their own doubts as to "What will I do with it after college?"  (Perhaps thinking that it is "only about rocks".)  In a bit, I will get to the diverse employment pathways that Geology can provide. 

Geology is the study of the Earth, its processes, the results of those processes, and its history.  The word "Geology" is derived from "Gaia", the Greek word for Earth and "Logos", the Greek term for Science Knowledge. 

"Earth Science", despite being a longer term - in my opinion - is an apt and appropriate substitute for "Geology".  In fact, "Earth Science" seems a bit more encompassing.

For academic purposes, the two primary branches first presented to students are Physical Geology and Historical Geology. 

Physical Geology is about Earth processes and the results of those processes and is usually taken first when both classes are to be taken.  As for processes, these include the Rock Cycle; Igneous and Metamorphic Processes; Weathering; Erosion; Deposition; Coastal Processes; basic Mineral and Rock Identification; Plate Tectonics;...

Historical Geology is about the History of Geology; the people involved in the conceptualization of Modern Geology, over the course of the last 300 years, i.e., the Founders of Modern Geology; the Geologic Time Scale and its development; Sedimentary Processes; basic Sedimentary Rock Identification; the History of Life; and of course, Fossils.

To start your academic journey (but not to scare you), there are important "subsidiary" classes that can be of help, subject to college and academic advisory opinions.  In my case, my undergrad requirements included: Geography, Biology, three Chemistry courses, three Physics courses, Trigonometry, and two Calculus courses (gasp!).  (Because of my struggles with Math, the Physics courses and Math courses "put a real hurt" on my undergrad GPA.)  I had classmates that downgraded from a Bachelor of Science to a Bachelor of Arts to avoid the worst of the Math requirements.  

Suggested Elective Courses that helped were Land Surveying, Scientific Photography, and Technical Drafting.  The Surveying class helped with later Geologic Mapping classwork and the Technical Drafting helped with the actual sketching and drafting of maps.  Now, CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) has supplanted the drafting by hand, but being able to sketch your own basic map, at least over a Topographic map, is still a vital skill that Field Geologists need.

Not to swamp you with "...ologies", but pertinent branches of Geology (or closely related disciplines), for those suited to the pursuit of this science, include (in no particular order):

Paleontology - the study of Fossils

Palynology - the study of Fossil Pollens

Geomorphology - the study of Landforms

Glaciology - the study of Glaciers

Petrology - the study of the history of a particular rock type

Petrography - close analysis of the minerals within a rock

Oceanography - the study of Oceans

Stratigraphy - the study of Layered Rocks

Structural Geology - the study of Deformed Rocks

Hydrology - the study of Water

Economic Geology

Petroleum Geology

Physical Geography

Cartography - the making and study of maps

Geophysics

Geochemistry...

If in a situation where a double major is possible, pairing Geology with Biology, Geography, Forestry, Engineering, Meteorology, or Law could provide a number future options.

Future posts will explore how Geology affects Ecology, the Environment, Climate and Weather, Soils, and other things.