In January, 1973, a particular member of the field trip group flipped his lid when we sighted a perfect example of a diabase dike exposed along the roadside. His interest in geology caused us to pull off of the road in the first available off-road space and walk back to the rock exposure.
This dike, cutting through a large mass of porphyritic granite, was far more impressive than any textbook illustration. Of course, I had to photograph the structure. However, I cannot recall its exact location except that it was along the Virginia's Blue Ridge Parkway several miles north of the James River crossing (which is near milepost 63).
Copyright © 2006 William T. Hathaway.