Cabrillo College Archaeology Field School 2012 - Day 1, Written By Paul B.



Last night, despite my best efforts, I did not get to bed as early as I should have. When the sultry sounds of KZSC jolted me awake at 5:00 am, I packed my bags feverishly- I know I should have done it on Sunday, but procrastination got the best of me.  Before my caffeine-deprived mind could catch up with my panicking body, I was in the staff parking lot above the 400 building, loading my gear into one of the vans.  I was expecting to drive a carpool, but ended up catching a ride.  I had never been to Big Sur before, so I was stoked to finally experience the coastline described in sensual detail by Kerouac and Steinbeck; the hidden coves populated by flocks of naked hippies, the expanding embrace of mammoth Monterey cypress: perhaps a rebellious zebra on the lam from Hearst Castle.  Despite the breathtaking views, the curves made me rather carsick.  Matt, Phil, Daniel and I trailed the vans through Pfeiffer, until we saw them pull over.  Plumes of acrid rubber smoke were pouring from one of the vehicles.  Fearing the worst, we followed suit and pulled to the side to offer assistance.  To our relief, the smoke was emanating from a blown, shredded tire.  Dusty appeared to be shaken by the sight of the smoldering, shredded tire, but took charge of the situation, not unlike Captain Picard.  We helped load the contents of the trailer into the larger van, removed the damaged tire from the trailer and kept truckin’ on.  We disembarked at Sand Dollar Beach before we checked into our campsites.  I wandered down to the shore and took in the view, the dark stone beach and clear blue water reminding me of Lake Tahoe, near my hometown, Truckee.  Dusty returned, announcing that our reservation was ready.  After settling in, we tucked into lunch, which renewed the enthusiasm of our famished party.  With our camp set and spirits running high, Dusty led us on a hike to several archaeological sites, dating to the pre-contact eras.  We were accompanied by two indigenous monitors of the Salinan people, Fred and his son Garrett.  We explored several sites near our survey area, primarily middens containing subsistence artifacts denoted by anthropogenic soils. 



Crew Chief Tim S. showing
 students how to clear brush



By brushing aside the brush and grasses covering these deposits, many members of our group found subsistence remains consisting of abalone, mussel, limpet, barnacle and chiton shells.  We also observed Monterey  chert artifacts and debitage and I found an Olivella shell bead.  I also found

a sunburn, located on my shoulders, which I hypothesize originated in my decision to wear a sleeveless shirt.  When we returned to camp, Dusty gave us a tutorial on finding bearings with a compass and sighting mirror and how to construct basic site maps using our pace and compass.  As I write, steak and chicken is sizzling on the grill, authentically constructed from half of a steel drum and burritos are on my mind.  I am stoked for our first day of survey tomorrow- so far my first experience of Big Sur and Cabrillo Field School has been epic.  After all, as a wise person once said, archaeology is still the most fun you can have with your pants on.