SSACgnp.G155.JAM1.1
Vacation!
How Long and How Far?
A Geological Circuit of National Parks of the
Colorado Plateau
A trip-planning activity to estimate
travel distance, duration and expense.
Hyperlinks allow you to explore the
geology of each park.
Core Quantitative Issue
Estimation
Supporting Quantitative Issues
Data collection
Unit conversion
Percent increase
Weighted average
Prepared for SSAC by
Judy McIlrath – University of South Florida
© University of South Florida Libraries. All rights reserved. 2009
1
Overview of Module
This module presents data to prepare a budget and time line for an
excursion to some national parks in the Colorado Plateau area.
Slides 3 states the problem.
Slides 4 gives details of the beginning of the trip and spreadsheet set up.
Slides 5 presents a unit conversion problem.
Slides 6-12 provide trip details for planning the budget and photos and links to the geology of the
featured parks.
Slide 13 calculates a weighted average.
Slide 14 provides final trip details and help with budget totals.
Slide 15 consists of some questions that constitute your homework assignment.
Slides 16-18 are endnotes for elaboration and reference.
2
Problem
You are planning a self-guided field trip to visit some of the geology you
learned about in your introductory geology course. You intend to visit 13
national parks and one Navajo park in the Colorado Plateau in Arizona and
Utah. You will fly into Phoenix, AZ, get a car and start the trip on June 1. You
won’t spend much time at any of the parks, but you will see the main geologic
features at each of them. To plan your schedule, you will use odometer
readings from a log written by a friend who made the trip previously.
The Colorado Plateau is a very arid area of the US. Take plenty of water!
Before working through the module, make an educated GUESS of how much a trip like this may
cost and how much vacation time you need. Write your guess down on a piece of paper.
Now, ESTIMATE how much the trip will cost and the amount of vacation time you need. Click
here to look at a map of the area. Then think about how much you would be willing to pay for
camping fees, food, gas, car rental, and airplane tickets.
A guess is a prediction with little or no
information. An estimate is a rough
calculation using simplified methods with
approximations and assumptions.
How close is your estimate to your guess?
3
Background
You have guessed and estimated. Now you will collect data from each of the slides to
calculate the cost and duration of the trip. As you work through the slides, record the
distance driven, the entrance fees, camping fees, and how much time you spend driving and
sightseeing. This is a low-budget trip, so you will be camping, renting a fuel efficient car, and
eating mostly from a cooler. The first odometer reading from your friend’s log is 00020 miles,
at Phoenix airport. (Wow, your friend had a new car!)
The ultimate goal of this exercise is to collect data from the background slides that will be useful
in determining the duration of the trip, the distance traveled, and the money you will spend.
To keep track of your data for the trip, create
the “budget” spreadsheet shown below.
Enter the values you
estimated from the
previous slide here.
Insert new rows
here as needed.
B
2 Estimated duration:
3 Estimated expenses:
4
5
6
From-to
7
Phoenix-Montezuma
8
Montezuma-Sunset
9
Sunset-Wupatki
10
Wupatki-Grand Canyon
11
Grand Canyon-Zion
C
D
E
Distance
(miles)
100
driving
duration
(hrs)
1.67
visit
duration
(hrs)
1
You will also create other spreadsheets to make
calculations along the way.
F
park fee
G
H
camp fee
per night # of nights
$5.00
4
On the way to Montezuma’s Castle NM*
You plan to leave the Phoenix airport at 11:00am and drive north to Montezuma’s Castle. Along
the way you will see many saguaro cacti and wonder how tall they are. Saguaro National Park
is in southern Arizona. Unfortunately, you won’t have time to visit there on this trip.
saguaro cacti
If the geologist in the photo is 62 inches tall, and
the saguaro is ~4.5 times her size, how many
feet, centimeters, and meters tall is the cactus?
= cell with a number in it
= cell with a formula in it
Recreate this spreadsheet.
2
3
4
5
B
C
height
cactus
inches
62
279
12 inches = 1 foot
2.54 cm = 1 inch
100 cm = 1 m
D
in/ft
12
5.17
23.25
E
cm/in
2.54
157.48
708.66
F
cm/m
100
1.57
7.09
Click here for help
with unit
conversions.
5
Photo by M. Harden
* National Monument
Stops 1 &2: Montezuma’s Castle NM and Sunset Crater Volcano NM
The odometer reading at Montezuma's Castle was
00120. The entrance fee is $5.00. It’s a small park,
and you stay only one hour.
Add these values to your “budget”
spreadsheet. Be sure to do this for each
of the following slides.
The Sinagua
Indians built this
“high-rise”
apartment building
600 years ago into
a natural limestone
recess. It was
erroneously named
after Montezuma
who was never in
this area.
Photo by J. Harden
Photo by J. Harden
If you average 60 mph from
Phoenix, how long will it take you
to get to Montezuma’s Castle?
Recreate this spreadsheet. You will add to
it and use it throughout the module.
2
3
4
5
B
C
D
E
Odometer Odometer ave. speed distance
start
end
(mph)
(miles)
20
120
60
100.0
120
195
60
75.0
F
duration
(hours)
1.67
1.25
At Sunset Crater Volcano, the odometer
reading was 00195. You should average 60
mph from the previous stop. The entrance fee
is $5.00. Two hours is not much time to hike
the trails, but you do get to see many volcanic
features.
Sunset Crater Volcano is a cinder cone volcano formed
from a series of eruptions between 1040 to 1100AD. The
fire fountain that created it was ~850 feet tall. The flora
within a 5 mile radius was destroyed, and an ash plume
ascended 2.5 miles into the atmosphere.
6
Stops 3 & 4: Wupatki NM and Grand Canyon NP*
At Wupatki, the odometer reading was 00213.
You should average 55 mph from Sunset
Crater. The entrance fee is $5.00 and you
walk through the pueblo for one hour.
At the Grand Canyon, the odometer reading was
00290. You should average 45 mph from
Wupatki. The entrance fee is $25.00. This is a
park where you could spend weeks. Settle for
two nights of camping at $18.00 per night and
plan on being in the park for 36 hours.
Photo by J. Harden
If your car’s thermometer reads 40oC, what is the
temperature in degrees Fahrenheit?
If you heard on the news that the temperature is
95oF, what is the temperature in degrees Celsius?
Recreate this spreadsheet.
2
3
B
C to
40
o
C
F
104
o
D
E
F to
95
o
F
C
35
Photo by J. Harden
Click here for help with
temperature conversions
o
* National Park
7
Stop 5: Zion National Park
AT Zion, the odometer reading was
00544. You should average 55 mph
from the Grand Canyon. This is
another park where you could spend
weeks. You’ll just have to come back
when you have more time!
You pay a $25.00 entrance
fee. You will want to camp
for two nights at $16.00 per
night and stay in the park for
42.5 hours.
The Virgin River has cut a gorge
through a portion of Zion canyon that is
16 miles long, 2000 feet deep, and only
20-30 feet wide in places. Click the link
to the left to see what’s involved on a
hike through this canyon.
Checkerboard Mesa
Zion Narrows
Kolob Canyon
Photos by J. Harden
Visitation in 1920 was 3.6
thousand, and in 1996, it was
2.6 million. So, you see, this is
a very busy park. To ease
traffic congestion and to lower
pollution levels, the park
service provides a shuttle to
the main features of the park.
Recreate this spreadsheet to
calculate the percent increase
in park visitation.
2
3
4
B
Visitors 1920
Visitors 1996
% increase
C
3.60E+03
2.60E+06
72122
Over 72,000 % increase in visitation!
Click here for help with
percent increase.
8
Stops 6 & 7: Cedar Breaks NM and Bryce Canyon NP
At Cedar Breaks the odometer reading was
00616. You should average 50 mph from
Zion. The entrance fee is $4.00, and you stay
for two hours. This park is lesser known than
Bryce Canyon, but it’s a must see!
Photo by J. Harden
Note the similarity of these two parks. Both canyons have
formed due to the erosion of the Claron rock formation,
yielding similar coloration and weathering. The spire-type
pattern of the eroded rocks is better developed in Bryce
Canyon. These features are known as hoodoos!
At Bryce Canyon, the odometer reading was
00679. You should average 40 mph from
Cedar Breaks. The entrance fee is $20.00,
and camping is $10/night. Camp here, and
stay for 24 hours.
Photo by J. Harden
Interested in photography? The picture of Cedar Breaks
was taken in the late afternoon. The colors are vivid and
shadows accentuate the features of the canyon. The
picture at Bryce Canyon was taken mid-day when the
sun was at its brightest. The colors are rather dull. For
really great pictures, timing is everything!
9
Stops 8 & 9: Capitol Reef NP and Canyonlands NP
At Capitol Reef, the odometer reading was
00803, and you should average 40 mph from
Bryce Canyon. The entrance fee including
camping is $5.00. So spend the night & stay
for 17 hrs.
At Canyonlands, the odometer reading was
00952, and you should average 50 mph
from Capitol Reef. The entrance fee is
$10.00, and you stay for 7 hours.
Photos by J. Harden
Photo by J. Harden
Canyonlands has two roads into the park. The
northern entrance allows you to drive on top of
the plateau and the southern road allows you
to drive through the formations within the
canyon. Take time to drive both roads.
Monitor & Merrimack Mesas
10
Stops 10 & 11: Arches NP and Natural Bridges NM
At Arches, the odometer reading was 00961. You
should average 35 mph from Canyonlands. The
entrance fee is $10. Camp for two nights at
$15/night and stay for 36.5 hours.
Delicate Arch
At Natural Bridges, the odometer reading
was 01088. You should average 55 mph
from Arches. The entrance fee is $6. Plan
to stay just one hour.
Photos by J. Harden
Click here to learn about the
similarities and differences of natural
arches and natural bridges.
11
Stops 12, 13 & 14: Monument Valley, Painted Dessert, and Petrified Forest NP
At Monument Valley, the odometer
reading was 01149. You should average
40 mph from Natural Bridges. This is
actually a Navajo Tribal park and not a
national park. It is really worth driving
through this area and stopping for 15
minutes to take a few pictures.
At Painted Desert, the
odometer reading was
01334. You should
average 50 mph from
Monument Valley. The
entrance fee is $10.
Stay for 1.5 hours.
At Petrified Forest, the odometer reading was 01337. You
should average 35 mph Painted Desert. The entrance fee
is included in the fee you paid for the Painted Desert. Stay
for 2 hours. There is no camping here, so you will need to
stay in a private campground nearby ($20/night) for 10 hrs.
(Use a duration of 12 hours for this park.)
Photos by J. Harden
Click here to learn about
how logs are petrified.
12
Distance and duration
Begin your drive back to Phoenix at 6:00 am. The final
odometer reading in your friends log was 01603 at the Phoenix
airport. You should average 65 mph from the petrified forest.
Now that your distance and duration spreadsheet is
complete, what was your average speed for the trip?
You might be tempted to
sum the “ave. speed”
column and then divide by
the number of entries (15).
This method would give an
incorrect answer of 49 mph.
The correct answer is a
weighted average and
depends on the travel
time (duration) at each
average speed.
B
C
D
E
2 Odometer Odometer ave. speed distance
3
start
end
(mph)
(miles)
4
20
120
60
100.0
5
120
195
60
75.0
6
195
213
55
18.0
7
213
290
45
77.0
8
290
544
55
254.0
9
544
616
50
72.0
10
616
679
40
63.0
11
679
803
40
124.0
12
803
952
50
149.0
13
952
961
35
9.0
14
961
1088
55
127.0
15
1088
1149
40
61.0
16
1149
1334
50
185.0
17
1334
1337
35
3.0
18
1337
1603
65
266.0
19 Total distance & duration:
1583.00
20 Average speed :
51.7
F
duration
(hours)
1.67
1.25
0.33
1.71
4.62
1.44
1.58
3.10
2.98
0.26
2.31
1.53
3.70
0.09
4.09
30.64
Click here for help
with weighted
averages.
Use the “sumproduct”
function in this cell to
calculate the correct
average speed .
13
Budget
If your airfare is $365, your economy car
(35mpg) rental is $34/day, gas prices are
$2.49/gal, and you spend $20/day on food,
what is the total price of your trip?
Be sure that your “budget” spreadsheet is
filled out correctly. It’s time to total!
You can save some
money if you buy a
National Park Pass for
$50. It is good for a
full year and for all
family members!
Airfare can vary greatly
depending on the city of
origin. With planning
well in advance, this
same ticket could have
been purchased for
$200.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
B
Estimated duration:
Estimated expenses:
C
Distance
From-to
(miles)
Phoenix-Montezuma
100
Montezuma-Sunset
75
Sunset-Wupatki
18
Wupatki-Grand Canyon
77
Grand Canyon-Zion
254
Zion-Cedar Breaks
72
Cedar Breaks-Bryce
63
Bryce-Capitol Reef
124
Capitol Reef-Canyonlands
149
Canyonlands-Arches
9
Arches-Natural Bridges
127
Natural Bridges-Monument Valley
61
Monument Valley-Painted Desert
185
Painted Desert-Petrified Forest
3
Petrified Forest-Phoenix
266
Subtotals
1583
Total number of days (not hours):
8.93
Airfare:
$365.00
Car Rental:
$303.75
Food:
$178.68
Gas:
$112.62
Camping:
$128.00
Park fees:
$130.00
TRIP TOTAL:
$1,218.04
D
E
driving
duration
(hrs)
1.67
1.25
0.33
1.71
4.62
1.44
1.58
3.10
2.98
0.26
2.31
1.53
3.70
0.09
4.09
30.66
visit
duration
(hrs)
1
2
1
36
42.5
2
24
17
7
36.5
1
0.25
1.5
12
183.75
F
park fee
$5.00
$5.00
$5.00
$25.00
$25.00
$4.00
$20.00
$5.00
$10.00
$10.00
$6.00
$0.00
$10.00
$0.00
$130.00
G
H
camp fee
per night # of nights
$18.00
$16.00
2
2
$10.00
$0.00
1
1
$15.00
2
$20.00
1
$79.00
9
Use the
“sumproduct”
function in this
cell.
14
End of Module Assignment
1.
What is the total estimated cost of your trip?
2.
What is the earliest possible date and time to schedule your return flight?
3.
How many days would it take simply to drive a circuit that connects the 14 parks? (Allow 10 hrs per
day, and no stopping at the parks – in other words, what is the driving time, in days)?
4.
Sunset Crater Volcano is 984 ft high. How tall is that in meters? In units of 5’2” geologists?
5.
If the temperature outside is 18oF, what is the temperature in degrees Celsius?
6.
If your average speed for the first three legs and the last leg of the trip increased to 75 mph, what
would your average speed for the trip be?
7.
If you found an airfare for the trip on-line for $210 but didn’t buy it, and you later purchased the ticket at
$365, what is the percent increase in the higher ticket price?
8.
You convince your sibling to take the trip with you and share the cost. You also decide to buy the
national park pass (valid for all family members). How much will your share of the trip cost? (Note,
some costs will be doubled, and others will not.)
9.
Click the link for Sunset Crater Volcano National Park on Slide 6 to go on the virtual field trip. Describe
how sunset crater formed and why it is so colorful.
10. Click the link for Grand Canyon on Slide 7 and read through the information. How much geologic time
is recorded in the rock layers of the Grand Canyon? How much time is missing? (unconformities)
15
Distance estimation
You will be flying into
Phoenix and driving north.
The parks you will visit are
marked with red stars. Use
the scale bar at the bottom
of the map to estimate the
distance you will travel.
Knowing the approximate
distance you will travel
should enable you to
estimate the amount of
time you will need.
16
Back
Understanding Unit Conversions
Below are examples to help you understand how to convert units.
To convert 32 inches to km, set up the equation in this manner making
sure the units cancel so that you end with the units you need:
 2.54cm  1m  1km 


 8.13E  4 km
32inches
 1inch  100cm  1000m 
To convert 95oF to Celsius:
95
o
5
F  32 o    35 o C
9
Type the formula for temperature into your spreadsheet as follows: =(A2-32)*(5/9) Now remove
the first set of parentheses and see how your answer changes. Order of operations!
Correct use of parentheses:
2
3
B
F to
95
o
C
C
35
o
Missing parentheses:
Back
2
3
F
F to
95
o
G
C
77
o
WRONG! 17
Understanding Weighted Averages
Your GPA is a weighted average of the grades you have earned
for the total credit hours that you have taken. An A in a 4 credit
course carries more importance (weight) than an A in a one credit
course. The following values are given to letter grades: A=4,
B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.
The information below is from
the Microsoft Excel help link
regarding “weighted average”.
Recreate the spreadsheet below.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
B
Course
Geology of National Parks
Intro. To Physical Geology
Physiclal Geology Lab
Chemistry
Chemistry Lab
French 1
French 2
Early American History
GPA
C
letter grade
A
A
A
B
C
A
C
F
2.86
D
grade value
4
4
4
3
2
4
2
0
E
credit hours
3
3
1
3
1
4
4
3
To calculate your GPA on a calculator, you would need to input the following:
=((4*3)+(4*3)+(4*1)+(3*3)+(2*1)+(4*4)+(2*4)+(0*3))/(3+3+1+3+1+4+4+3)
The great thing about earning straight A’s is that you never have to
calculate your GPA. It is 4.0. But if you have earned less than an
A in some of your classes, you can use this spreadsheet to
calculate your GPA.
Back
18