Just writing the words “decomposed granite” has me thinking. DG, we called it in the landscaping business. The word “decomposed” does not begin to do justice to the time it took for this material to be reduced to the beautiful rich red crumbles that homeowners put on their driveways and use to blanket their flower beds.

Jim and I hike the Dassie Trail out of our campsite at Augrabies. We take about four hours and spend all of it walking on rock that is so old it is difficult to comprehend. And it is stunning. In every size and shape, huge to tiny, dark black to sparkling pink, smooth and rough, it goes on and on. Good thing we are traveling light or the prettiest rocks would have come back with me, just like when I was a kid. In fact a small collection of minerals and stones has been gathering on the dashboard of the truck. It has occurred to me that these pretty rocks will turn into murderous projectiles if and when (more likely when) we slam on the breaks. I suggested Jim glue the rocks down to the dash to avoid that – I was half serious.

Granite was the light material that rose to the top of the magma to form the landmasses we live on. So yes, it is common. That doesn’t make it any less amazing. Robert Hazen’s “The Story of Earth” is a wonderfully readable book that explains how the forces of the big bang and the stardust it created came together to eventually form the beginning of life on our globe. Four billion years later, we are walking on that very material and picking up pretty pieces. It will never go away.

The many books we’ve read on animals, geology, history, paleontology and anthropology, and other fascinating subjects were mostly found at the free Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho. One of the reasons we found ourselves moving to Ketchum (30+ years ago) was for the Library. What we learned there is making our adventure so much more fulfilling. Along with books, the Library hosts brilliant speakers; we heard Dr. Donald Johanson talk about finding the famous Lucy fossil, and Greg Carr speak of how the restoration of Gorongosa Park in Mozambique is coming along. Gregory Curtis, author of “The Cave Painters”, brought to life the famous paintings of Cro-Magnon man and what has been discovered about them. If you’re ever in Ketchum, check out the ComLib. There’s always something interesting to read.