Day 12: The Quarry

Burney lead Team Archaeology through the quarry located just beyond the cave and agricultural fields.  The quarry is a beautiful area that houses many endangered and invasive species.  There were numerous rock piles reminiscent of other heiaus, as well as blockaded caves that supposedly guard possible grave sites and other archaeological areas.  There were tons of different kinds of rocks that held extinct land-snail fossils and other clues to the ancient land.  The wetlands in the quarry are the strangest habitats that I think I have ever been in.  The ground is covered in white algae that reminds me of a huge crunchy spider web.  I saw the endangered Hawaiian Stilts that only live in the ephemeral ponds where they do not have to compete with fish for food.

We hiked around the base of the quarry until lunch.  Our favorite local lunch spot once again mesmerized me with serene ocean waves and melodious chicken squawks.  We then toured around the upper area of the quarry to gain an overall perspective of the various habitats and terrains of the quarry.  Hopefully with the help of the GRAM Archaeology team, Burney can begin restoration efforts for the quarry.

After we finished hiking the quarry, we joined up with the vegetation team to watch the launch of the Gatewing X100.  The plane successfully launched 2 out of 2 times!  I’m disappointed though, my camera battery died seconds before the launch, so I don’t have any footage or images of the flight.  Check out some other blogs for images/videos though!

After a long day in the field, we came home to a broken house.  Our cable had been out for a while after trying to play an old VCR tape that failed to work.  The microwave was broken, and the porch had been damaged the night before while doing yoga!  And to top it all off, the internet wasn’t working!  Blogging was put on a temporary hold that lasted until the next night.  But the whole house did enjoy a night at home to catch up with each other and chat about life.