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An Archaeological Find

While visiting my family in southern Maryland for Thanksgiving, I had the privilege of finding something of archaeological significance (to me at least).   My Mom lives along the Chesapeake Bay and we enjoy walking along the beach looking for fossil shark teeth and anything interesting.  I stumbled upon something that looked similar to a shark tooth but the color was more of a tan then the dark color that shark teeth normally have.  I picked it up to inspect it and it turned out to be an arrowhead made of chert.  I emailed a picture to some archaeologists in Maryland and below is their replies . .

Mr. Riddile,
I think you found an authentic arrowhead, or projectile point, made from a stone called chert.  Triangular points like these were used on arrows during the Late Woodland Period, between roughly 900 and 1600 A.D.  Yours is probably one of two types of triangular points, called Levanna and Madison.   The two types overlap somewhat in appearance, and yours falls in that overlap zone.  Levanna points tend to be older than Madison points.  I think your point is authentic because the surface seems to show evidence of weathering or water wear.  If it was a newly-made point, the surface would be fresh, not worn.  Triangular points are pretty common in Calvert County, so it is not surprising that you found one, although yours is in notably good condition, without any fractures.  Also, in Calvert they are more commonly made from quartz, not chert, so yours is a little unusual in that respect also. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  If you are interested in archaeology, you should come help us excavate a site next summer here at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum.  You will find more details about our Public Archaeology Program on our website, www.jefpat.org.  Information about next year’s dig should be posted by the springtime.

Ed Chaney
Deputy Director
Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
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Dear Mr. Riddile,
I’m happy that Ed answered your inquiry.  His answer is excellent, complete, and right on the mark.  I’d add that your artifact was actually manufactured to tip a bow-shot arrow.  The bow and arrow didn’t make an appearance in Maryland until quite late in prehistory (perhaps as early as AD 500, certainly by AD 900).  Before that the only projectile in use was a spear, usually tipped with a much larger and heavier point.  I’d also add that the material from which your arrowhead was made (chert) is an “exotic” to Calvert county.  It occurs naturally in areas underlain with limestone bedrock.  Most likely the chert from which your arrowhead was made was transported to the middle Bay area from far to the north by the ancestral Susquehanna River long ago during the Pleistocene geologic epoch, before the Chesapeake existed.  Alternatively, it may have been transported by an individual who had traveled to the source area either far to the north or west of Calvert County.  Either way, it’s interesting!
Thanks for sharing your artifact with us.

Charles L. Hall, Ph.D.
Maryland State Terrestrial Archeologist

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Pretty Cool!

The Rewards of Living Adventurously

There was a turning point in my life that started one day when I decided to try and talk a friend of mine into joining me on an adventure. We both by that time had been living in suburbs of the District of Columbia for several years, had enjoyed a network of good friends, and were securely employed. But we were both desiring for something different. We had talked before about the boredom we shared in the comfortable circumstances in which we were living. Both of us wanted to do something risky, unconventional, and adventurous. Something that was lasting and wouldn’t conclude with a return to our regular lives in D.C. We were both bachelors and didn’t have family responsibilities that would have made it more difficult to cut loose from our situations. I proposed that we participate in a year long program in Adventure Education. The program was based at HoneyRock camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Fortunately, my friend agreed to join me. We soon quit our jobs and moved to Three Lakes, Wisconsin where our adventure began. It turned out to be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences that I’ve had. But it also involved facing the fears of leaving a more certain, familiar, and secure (feeling) life behind and wandering into the unknown.  Since then, my friend and I have tried to make a tradition out of planning an adventure together every year.

O’Donnell and Belliveau with Marco Polo’s will.

Recently I watched a documentary about an adventure that two men concocted. Inspired by the famous world travels of the explorer, Marco Polo, they decided to trace the journey that he had taken. Along the way, they looked for the descriptions and experiences that Marco Polo had described in his writings about his journey. The video reminded me of the rewards I have gained through my choices to pursue adventure and reflect on how I can continue to do so. The story of these two friends is an extreme example of living adventurously, but I believe that we can approach life adventurously during the course of our routine daily lives.

Another message that I took away from watching the film is the benefit of traveling. These adventurers’ experiences impacted their view of people and the world. “Travel is the enemy of bigotry,” says O’Donnell. “There’s a lot more good people on the planet than bad…Get out there, meet [people], they’re good,” adds Belliveau. (source: film’s website)

The documentary is now being shown on PBS, but it can also be seen on the web (http://www.thirteen.org/marcopolo/). Watch it and be inspired to pursue adventure.

Related reading:
How to Discover What You’re Passionate About (blog by Scott H Young)

Mud and Blood

Like my tan lines? They wash right off.

This evening I went for a nice ride around the pond, Pandapas Pond. It was as dry as a camel’s toenail out there. Following my roommate down the trails, I had to peer through the cloud of dust left in his path in order to locate upcoming obstacles. I don’t ride at Pandapas often enough to have the trails there memorized. Creek beds were dry (although the eternal puddles on the jeep trail running along the ridge top of Brush Mountain were still there) and there were some decent sized patches of sand in places.

When my roommate and I arrived back at the parking lot, other riders were returning to their cars as well. It was a nice little social scene, meeting a few other local mountain bike riders. Next to us was parked this stylin’ automobile -

Pimped Volvo with New England and Mountain Bike Theme

Mud and Blood

We got to meet the mountain biking gangsters that drove this vehicle. Turns out they weren’t really gangsters per se, and they own a sign and screen printing business that they’ve located in Christiansburg, VA. They also do vehicle graphics and decals. In their online gallery, there is a mountain bike with a nice mud & blood decal. So if you either need to replace some worn out decals or are interested in pimping-out your ride (auto or bike), these guys may be the ones to call – Integrity Signs.

Downhill Mountain Biking at Snowshoe, WV

Riding the Powerline Trail at Snowshoe

This past weekend I joined a group of mountain bikers, who have been biking on Wednesday evenings for several years now, in Snowshoe, WV for some downhill mountain biking. I wasn’t sure what to expect although I did have an idea that it might be fairly challenging and adrenaline inducing. For the past few years I have been focused on road riding and so my mountain biking skills are latent. The bike shop at Snowshoe rents bikes meant for downhill but I decided to use the bike I own. My bike is designed more for cross country riding but the front fork has almost 5 inches of travel (the Kona Stinkys rented there have almost 7 inches of travel) which is a fair amount so I used it on the downhill courses. We spent Saturday on the downhill runs and freeride park and did some cross country riding on Sunday. It was a fun weekend and I got through practically unscathed. Although my upper body is incredibly sore today. Roadies aren’t used to using their upper body all that much.

Pictures – Downhill Mountain Biking at Snowshoe, August 2008

Ride Report – Paint Bank Loop (8/10/2008)

Route Map: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/va/pembroke/788231994037

Towns along route: Newport VA, Mountain Lake VA, Waiteville WV, Paint Bank VA, Maggie VA.

Mountain Lake, VA -

• Mountain Lake is one of two natural lakes in Virginia
• Water levels of the lake fluctuate due to a fissure at the bottom that provides an outlet for both sediment and water and prevents the lake from otherwise simply becoming a bog
• Mountain Lake Hotel was the site for much of the on-location filming of the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing
• The highest point in Giles County, VA
• Close to the lake is one of Virginia’s few virgin forests, including a rare virgin spruce bog (now being eaten by the woolly adelgid)

Mountain Lake Hotel

Mountain Lake (AKA Salt Pond)

Waiteville, WV – “A 1932 excursion on the Potts Mountain incline marked the last time a train ran on the railroad to the once bustling lumber town of Waiteville, Monroe County, WV. Industrial development and subsequent decline played a major role in the sweeping changes that came to West Virginia in the twentieth century.” – West Virginia History, Vol 54
More history of the valley that Waiteville and Paint Bank are located – http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh54-3.html

Paint Bank, VA – “Settled around 1700, history has it that the Cherokee Indians who lived here used red clay from its banks to make their pottery and war paint. Later, the clay was used by settlers to make paint as well as bricks, and thus the town’s name, Paint Bank.”
“Now, thanks to a couple of philanthropists with a dream, there is hope the town’s economy will once again flourish, but this time its prosperity will be the byproduct of tourism instead of mining. Four historic town structures have either been restored or will be in the near future, according to Mikell Ellison, who is the general manager of the restoration project.”
Source – “Down Home in Paint Bank”, by Gwen Johnson in Cooperative Living

Buffalo near Paint Bank, VA
Inside Swinging Bridge Restaurant	Front of Paint Bank General Store

Ride results according to iBike:

• 97.55 mi (my door-to-door)
• 6:09 ride time (wheels turning)
• 15.8 mph ave
• 9200 ft climbed (anything that went up)
• 3500 cals burnt (I suspect that Bill burnt another 5-10% given his faster times up the hills!)

iBike Results