Earthcache

In trying to encourage people to visit Petersburg National Battlefield I have developed two Earthcaches which are a type of Geocache. People can download the GPS coordinates from the internet, which will lead them to points of geologic interest. So far one of mine has been published, one more is under review, and I'm hoping to possibly write another before I leave at the end of this week.. If you'd like to see the one that has been published click Creek Sharks!

Standing by the Fort

This morning we were expecting a group of 30 children to show up at 9am for a tour of the park's recreated fort and earthworks. I came up with an activity a month ago in which I let the kids pretend to be soldiers and Civil War photographers at the site. They use the fort as a backdrop and come away with some pretty good pictures every once in a while. We put the pictures on CD and send them to the parents. This necessitates taking two huge trunks of soldier's uniforms, ladies dresses, canteens, haversacks, and other accouterments to the site in advance of the group. Our group arrived a bit (1 hour) late today and so I was out at the fort with boxes full of Civil War paraphernalia set out on display for a while. Several groups of people wandered by, looked at everything, asked questions, and before I knew it I was basically explaining the site, the clothing, the topography and answering questions from everyone who walked past. Now I don't mean to make it sound like I was mobbed by people, but there was a steady stream of visitors coming past who I hadn't expected to be there. I explained French military terms to one man, uniform styles to his wife, gave directions to a couple from out of town, and talked about the deforestation caused by the Siege of Petersburg with an older gentleman.

By the time the group of kids got there I had been talking quite a bit and had to launch right back into it again. We talked about the process of making glass-slide negatives, famous Civil War photographers, why uniforms were made of wool, and dozens of other things. It made for a very full morning. I loved every minute of it. Things like this I will miss when I leave here.

Last Week

This is the beginning of my last week at Petersburg. While I am becoming very anxious to get back home I also have recently realized that there is a short list of things I want to see and do before I go. Almost all of the things I put off doing for quite a while because I was thinking that there was always more time. Now some of these things are just trails I want to hike, while others are important sights I want to see. Below is my list.

The Petersburg Siege Museum
Blandford Church
Hike the new Scenic Trail at the Crater
Hike the trails at Five Forks
Write a Five Forks EarthCache
Get a BlackHandshake (Chocolate-Espresso Milkshake) from Demolition Coffee
Find an interesting present for my niece and nephew. (What do you get two-year-olds in a town focused on Civil War history?)


I visited the Siege Museum yesterday and just finished the BlackHandshake it was excellent. The architecture of the Siege Museum impressed me more than the exhibits I found there. The museum is housed in the old commodities exchange building, which dates back to before the Civil War. The building has a large, open, and circular first floor that was used to store local goods for exchange (mostly tobacco, cotton, and corn). The whole space is open up to the second floor balcony, where traders would stand, observe the commodities, and bid on the goods. The whole room is columned in what I think is a Greek-revival style and the old wooden floors creak solidly when stepped on the way only centuries-old oak can.Two exhibits did catch my eye. First, the flag that was flying over the customs house when Union troops finally captured the town. It was taken by some Michigan soldiers back home as a prize and years later returned to the city in excellent condition. Second, a type of multi-shot cannon that looked like a large version of a colt revolver on wheels. The gun was developed and built in Petersburg for the Confederates. Unfortunately the first model exploded when in trials and killed four gunners so the second gun was never fired and the design was abandoned. The impressive looking gun stayed in a warehouse for many years until  it was given to the museum.  

Schoolyard Habitat

Yesterday my supervisor and I went to do a site survey of an area that a local middle school wants to turn into a schoolyard habitat. Evidently there is a grant program from US Fish and Wildlife service that will provide $10,000 to schools that come up with a plan and supporting committee. This school is just starting.

Mostly I took pictures, did a little surveying, and some GPS mapping. The area they have already has a pond full of frogs, cattails, and dragon flies. We started talking to the fish hatchery nearby to see if they'll give some mosquito fish and hopefully we can get the boy scouts involved as well to build a small trail around the pond. I won't get to see the finished product but it's neat to see the beginning of the process.

Shortcut

The other day when I was biking back to quarters along the park tour road it slowly began to rain. Fortunately I was close to a trail head and quickly veered off down a trail to avoid being soaked again. I'd only taken this trail once before and I knew there were several turns off to the right in the direction I had to go. It was later in the afternoon and the trail was deserted and at the beginning very wide and evenly graded. Coming to the first trail intersection I turned right and quickly began going downhill. I remembered that there was a large valley between my present location and quarters so this didn't surprise me. I was only startled when the trail kept getting steeper, going from a gentle pitch on which I could easily brake and switch directions to a near vertical decent that would have turned my bike (and I) into something approximating a lunatic's attempt at modern art had I tried to stop. This was not the trail I'd been on before. At this point the trail had narrowed to about four feet across and I was ducking tree branches and vines the size of thick sausages. Recent rain had washed away much of the gravel surface of the trail and I was bouncing over small gullies and rocks with bone jarring force. I pictured myself hang from a vine that had snared me, while my bike was a mangled heap against a tree. I briefly considered that such an accident was sure to get me an extension on my last internship paper. So there I was hopelessly careening down a hill, dodging vegetation and rocks, and hoping that there was nothing at the bottom that I would need to avoid. I had a vague memory of a stream at the bottom of the valley and was praying there was a bridge with no stairs leading up onto it. Then I hit the valley bottom and the trail leveled quickly. The transition between breakneck decent and dead flat was too sudden for my built up momentum and I rocketed across the valley floor through a long patch of deep mud, which splattered over my shins and back and up the other side of the ravine. I was half way up the opposing hill before I started to slow to any great degree. I had grown unused to pedaling and now had to remind myself of the necessity. At the top of the hill I wondered for a moment where the stream and bridge had gone. I didn't think long about such things since I recognized the next trail intersect.

Shaken, mud splattered, and baring a few red welts from branches that were too much for my reflexes I made it to quarters in record time. My survival justifies the shortcut, but I won't be taking again anytime soon.

It never did really rain.

Man the Barricades

It's nice when the revolutionaries start putting up road signs.

Bits and Pieces

A few days ago I was out driving around and found a few interesting items. The park has lots of small areas that are disconnected from the main park below are a couple of monuments that the park is responsible for but are completely surrounded by private or city land.

The grass is city maintained and only the concrete and granite are park land. 

This sits right in the middle of a busy intersection and next to an elementary school.