You already know the most exciting stuff, right? I collected from some of the nastiest backwaters I can imagine Monday. Tuesday actually wasn't nearly as bad as I got further from the more developed sections of Hamilton. Unfortunately those are my low probability samples...apparently the same things that attracted the Fort Ancient to Hamilton attracted Ohioans to the area as well. It's almost as if there are common human needs or something. Nah. That sounds heretical.
Anyhow, Tuesday I polished off Butler County, and today I moved on up into Montgomery County and got all my inland samples surrounding the Sunwatch site. Tomorrow Ben and I are off on a little adventure to collect samples from the river proper.
I ran across all sorts of enchanting places...from the picturesque to the grotesque. And collected from them all. The clay is showing a surprising amount of variation, at least in its raw form, it will be interesting to see how it compares when I get it into the lab.
So three days down, and I'm doing alright I'd say, probably a "B" so far, but I'm learning as a go, getting better at identifying what's actually clay, where it's likely to be, and how to get at it. So without further ado...photographs.
Apparently I was supposed to collect here. It's not far from a site, it's at a confluence of the Miami and a tributary...but apparently there's been some modern alteration of the landscape. Concrete isn't a natural deposit I'm thinking.
However, just across the canal there was some (relatively) undisturbed bank left from which to gather a sample. (The photo is boring, it's of grass and mud...I won't bore you with that).
This is just a typical looking cut bank. Nothing special for all of you guys, but to me? This is a wonderful wonderful thing. Look at all that exposed clay (the gray stuff, not the yellow, that's sand...oh and the big rock shaped things that are approximately rock sized are in fact, rocks).
I apparently had placed one of my collection points here, the calm, serene, Rosehill memorial. I decided it would probably be frowned upon to go tramping around looking for someplace to dig a hole. Respect for the dead and all that. I instead skirted the property line and did my work outside. Letter of my ethical qualms, if not the spirit, right?
Taking a picture of yourself while hanging from a tree into a river is a lot harder than you might think. Actually, just lowering yourself down to the clay on a sheer bank isn't that bad to collect clay, but I was hoping I could get a picture showing how impressive I was making it look easy. The loss of a hand makes me look totally incompetent. Ah well, these are the lengths I go to in order to impress, err, please, you people.
My picture of the immense cliff didn't turn out well, or I'd post that as well. Rest assured my friends, it was 3 meters if it was an inch. Okay, it was exactly 3.1m. I know this because of my notes. Yay science! Ah well, you get the picture. I grabbed a leaning tree and lowered myself down until I could jump. To get out I carved some hand and foot holds in the clay and loam (yay trusty trowel!) and scrambled up. That I wish I had pictures of...instead, you'll have to use your imaginations.
Tomorrow, the voyage of a lifetime begins!
Oh! P.S!
I almost forgot Touchdown Jesus! Cruising down 75 between Cinci and Dayton if you look off the highway you will see, as I did, this!
Sorry it's just a cell phone out the window...but you get the idea.
Goooooaaaallll!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment