Photos from first week of work

[nerdling]

So I just finished up my first week at work. We spent most of the time getting the office put back together and a massive amount of backlogged work going back to 1992. I also shredded about 10,000 pages of documents lol. But on Thursday we were out in the field for the first time this year. We had to go back to a site that I had worked on in 2010. The site is in a natural drainage and is composed of both prehistoric and historic artifacts. Since there is a timber sale going on we had to go out and determine if it was ok for them to punch a road through the lower section of the site.

Looking up the hill towards the main section of the site. This lower section is mostly just heavily compacted dirt and any artifacts are just washed down here from the runoff

Looking down the hill into the forest. The photo makes it look flat. It's not at all.

This is the section that they want to enlarge for a turnaround for log trucks. It was used for that same purpose before. We had to dig three test pits down to a level of 30cm and screen the dirt. In three holes we found one obsidian flake lol. So we decided it was fine to use it for that purpose. Our only request was to stay away from the cross as it is a marker that directs people up the hill to a metal cross where somebody has scattered ashes from a loved one.

Overall it is shaping up to be an awesome summer. NIce that in one week of work I make more then I do in three weeks of unemployment lol.

 

[moon puppy]

That's soo cool!!!

 

[jknaus]

That would be a super cool job. Awesome
James

 

[moon puppy]

Ryan is this a crash site or just a site of interest.

I've said that if I were smart and had gone to school I'd want to be an archaeologist. When Cindy and I were out in Las Vega$ on the way to the Grand Canyon I kept pointing out the layers of strata in the rocks and mountains...

 

[SA Dave]

Uhm Bob is the layers in the earth not more the job of a geologist? :geek

 

[moon puppy]

See, that's why I needed to go to school!

 

[Gator]

That is very cool!

Pup, you beat me to it! :yipee

 

[SA Dave]

Well I only know because my uncle is a geologist

 

[jknaus]

Thats why I joined the Air Force. Didnt want to go to school anymore otherwise I might have become an archeologist. Of course if I I had gone back to school or summer school for 2 more credits I would have gone pilot. Wouldacouldashoulda :S
James

 

[Paulw]

Nice spot for a dio Ryan. What scale is that?

 

[TomN]

Great pics nerdling!

Moonpup, an archeologist is a guy who makes bows and arrows...

Tom

 

[nerdling]

Bob this is actually a prehistoric site. There is a small historic component in it. But that is only because of the two crosses on the site. Everybody assumes they are just where somebody scattered ashes for a loved one that liked the area. The only problem with this site is the fact that it is on a slope in a drainage so quite a bit of it washes downhill. We do pay attention to the strata as well. But usually only when we are doing a test pit. Here on the west coast we have what is called the Mazama ash layer that is a very good way to date an area.

 

[moon puppy]

Great pics nerdling!

Moonpup, an archeologist is a guy who makes bows and arrows...

Tom

What part of my not going to school did you miss. :Hiay

We do pay attention to the strata as well.

see, I told ya... :pp :pp :pp



Very interesting Ryan, we have many sites around my area that would be great places to dig but either no interest or money from those who do those things. Not just historical, old villages and what not, but precolonial, possibly prehistoric sites around here.

 

[nerdling]

Time for some more photos from work

We were up at right around 6000 feet. This hill is much steeper then it looks. Probably about a 45° slope

Same hill but looking out towards some distant mountains.

These are Pine Butterfly larva. They have been hitting the forest hard for the past 3 years. If they don't die down soon there won't be any forest left.

Something most people will never get to see lol

Somebody has been out looting this site. There was about 10 of these piles around there.

This was a grove of Quaking Aspen. They did have carvings on them dating back to the 1920s. Well they are all dead now.

Finally this is called a Ponderosa Pine cambium peel tree. The Indians would have carved off the outer layer and eaten the soft cambium layer. This was mostly done during winter when food stocks were low. The forest has close to 200 of these on it. This was one that hadn't been recorded until now.

 

[Paulw]

Thats pretty interesting Ryan, was that pile a load of flint or obsidian? It looks as if somebody has been Knapping arrow heads.This also looks great for a good elk hunt.

 

[nerdling]

Thats pretty interesting Ryan, was that pile a load of flint or obsidian? It looks as if somebody has been Knapping arrow heads.This also looks great for a good elk hunt.

Just a pile of obsidian flakes Paul. I guess people will go out and pick everything up and then look through it to see if anything good was in it. Some of these sites have over 100,000 flakes. But when you get that many you just estimate the number lol. Most of what we find here is Obsidian, Basalt or Chert.

 

[jknaus]

Nice pics. Would be a very cool job.
James