Virtual Field Trip Descriptions

Six Stops, Six Ecosystems along the Panoramic Highway in Marin County

Robert Gorcik, Los Angeles City College

On this virtual field trip, a video about a half hour in length, I make six stops, featuring six ecosystems roughly along the Panoramic highway in Marin County. I give you a tour from Bolinas Lagoon through Mt. Tamalpais State Park, ending at Muir Woods.

A Tour of Cycling Infrastructure in Davis, CA

Ryan Miller, UC Davis

On this virtual field trip, I take you on a two-wheeled tour of America's best biking city: Davis, California, focusing on the signature 12-mile Davis Bike Loop. You'll learn a bit about the history of bike planning in Davis and get a look at the infrastructure than enables folks to get around in city with the most bikes and bike commuters per capita of anywhere in the United States.

Hi/Lo Desert Landscape Art

Cindy Nance, Mt. San Jacinto College

Similar to commercial billboards and graffiti, landscape art makes a lasting statement. Join me on a virtual tour of landscape art from the Salton Sea—Salvation Mountain/Slab City/Bombay Beach to Palm Springs Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival/Desert X (geocache) to Joshua Tree/29 Palms—Simi Dadah. Stages of innovation, lost interest, conservation/preservation efforts, relocation, and the impact of changing context, such as Forever Marilyn's return after her world tour and the legal controversy surrounding her statue. Let's discuss the intrigue and aesthetic of "big" art in what may seem to many to be a hot, windy, desolate, and color-challenged landscape (Burning Man). What creative energy drives desert dwellers and visitors to leave their mark on the landscape, no matter how ephemeral?

The Education State: Victoria, Australia

Robert O'Keefe, Santa Monica College

The Education State is one of many nicknames for Victoria, Australia. Voyaging there in early 2020, I became "educated" on the astonishing array of landscapes, climates and cultures this compact state lays claim to. So join me for a guided tour as we explore some of this region's physical and cultural highlights while comparing and contrasting them with similar features found in our very own Golden State.