Geologic Odyssey: A Journey Through Earth Science

This book is a story about the life, trials and experiences of Marvin Schroeder, a field geologist during the 20th century. He participated in the last great geologic survey of the American West while working with the U.S. Geological Survey, riding more than 6,000 miles on horseback in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Grand Tetons. During his career, the author briefly worked on the Nevada Test Site and also tramped through Central Alaska on a mission to negate a Russian invasion over the northern polar region. The political ineptness he later experienced led to disillusionment in a federal agency involved in land-use planning. Marvin's stories span the whole gamut of his life and career. Some of his tales - The Blonde from Muscle Beach, A Town that Committed Suicide, The Phantom Wild Horse, A Russian Spy, The Lopsided Deer of Teton County, Sleeping with the Enemy - rank him with the best of story tellers. His narratives transport the reader into the world of Mark Twain in the 21st century. Marvin also reveals how the lack of scientific planning will eventually lead to severe environmental problems. He exposes the tragic justification of the slaughter of wild horses in our current day and chronicles the beginning of a major environmental disaster in northwest Colorado.