Stone Searching

[manumuskin]

yes the microclimates created by vegetation,elevation and so forth are remarkably demonstrated by snow.The swamps were still quite deep in frozen snow which guy pretty much walked across and I of course broke through at every step and occasionally went into the mud beneath which for some reason wasn't frozen.Also anywhere there was thick low lying vegetation was also still under considerable amounts of snow.High open ground with little brush cover was almost devoid of snow cover.Perhpas swamps are cold air sinks? and perhaps thick vegetation is actually holding snow off the ground so it can't melt due to radiation fro the sun warmed earth.As always too large trees have a melted ring around their trunks usually larger on the south side but encircling the tree.
I had an idea where the stone we found was but just a general idea,Guy found an old survey line on historical aerials and plotted to the stone from this and was right on.I must bow to the Stonemaster on this one again.A couple hundered feet just will not cut it when stone hunting.
Al

 

[Teegate]

All,

I took off from work today so that Al and I could make another attempt to find the stones we have been looking for along the Oswego. After finding one recently I was able to get a better idea on where the rest may be, and if we could find another today it would pretty much narrow them all down. We first visited a location we looked before but the ground had been covered in snow so we were unsuccessful, and the same was true for today. So as we headed back to the road I stumbled on a Garder Snake which quickly tried to get away. Al made a Herculean attempt to catch it but it was able to find a way deep underground before we could even get to it. No photo's. Al said this was the first time in February he has ever viewed a snake in the wild.

The stone we were looking for is described "basically" as follows. "Stone on the high bank of the river set by A. Bules(SP?) in 1834. Where the river runs close to the Bank".

We searched along the top of the bank and after a while I remarked to Al that it may even be in the road that runs right along the bank. In no time at all Al had found the stone placed there over 175 years ago.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

as you notice by the pics part of the stone we uncovered.there was only a strip of stoneshowing about two inches high by four inches long.at first i thought it to be a piece of root but I bent over and scratched it and it was definitely rock.When Guy said it may have been in the road I remembered finding stones in the shoulders of old roads in the past and while he was working his way to the road that i was already on I started walking looking at the shoulders and went no more then 20 ft and seen it.we had walked by it several times.I had probably poked it's head up to see if we were gone yet when I spied it.
Al

 

[Teegate]

Jessica and I walked 1.5 each way today to look for a stone that was one of the corners to a survey in Medford from May of 1775. There are homes encroaching on this location so I wanted to get there before the stone was gone The state has acquired one corner of this property but unfortunately I was too late. I even dug in the ground hoping it was there but it is not.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Jessica and I walked 1.5 each way today to look for a stone that was one of the corners to a survey in Medford from May of 1775. There are homes encroaching on this location so I wanted to get there before the stone was gone The state has acquired one corner of this property but unfortunately I was too late. I even dug in the ground hoping it was there but it is not.

Guy

Sorry to hear that.I know there is still a stone in Medford we haven't looked for yet.Have you ever went to that location?
Al

 

[Teegate]

Sorry to hear that.I know there is still a stone in Medford we haven't looked for yet.Have you ever went to that location?
Al

No. We will have to go there together one day. I hear we may be able to build a car from the auto parts nearby

Guy

 

[Teegate]

Jessica and I headed out early again this morning to search again for the Rider Wilkinson stones at "Hampton Park." In particular we wanted to find the one I was not able to yesterday using my Oregon. I took a small rake today and after finding the location with my 60CSX I started scraping around the area. You can see it in the following photo. After a short while I found the stone about 6 feet beyond the center tree in this photo along the Skit Branch.

There are over 100 locations I have to visit and we hit about 7 today. Two of them were on the other side of the Batsto and Jessica did not have her boots, so she walked barefoot across the river where the wood is below the water level. The look on her face was priceless. It was really cold, and she had to do it on the way back. Sorry, no photo's.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

that appears to be where the low water bridge used to be but they ripped up the planking a few years back.
How accurate was your new gps?
Al

 

[Teegate]

At one point today my Oregon stayed at 14 feet when I had walked 25. My 60CSX outperformed it easily when it came to having the counter read the feet accurately. It is so much more responsive when it counts. Once I found the stone and set both of the GPS units next to it, the Oregon slowly worked it way down so that it was reading 3 feet. However, that was after the 60csx had taken 500 readings using the "Average" feature and helped me find the stone. When the stone is under the duff it is extremely hard to find.

BTW, I calibrated both of them this morning and the 60CSX still was my unit of choice today.

Guy

 

[Teegate]

On Saturday Jessica and I looked for 10 Rider/Wilkinson stones near Hampton Furnace and came up with two of them. These are very elusive stones as they are all very close to the ground. I was hoping to find more incised with the R&W initials but there apparently are not many of them around.


On the way to our second one Jessica found the remains of a large snapper.

Our first find.

The next one was right in the middle of a deer trail.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Great! did you check out 79?
what numbers are the two you just found?
Gotta be another inscribed one in there somewhere.
Al

 

[Teegate]

No. I was going to write you last night but I had so little time to do everything I wanted to do this weekend I forgot. I searched from 62 to 73. We found 73 and we believe 65. I say "we believe" because we forgot to photograph the GPS. But I am pretty confident it was 65. I left marks on the trees there to help you out which you can see in at least one photo. I know there has to be stones at some of the other places we were but I just could not find them. Towards the end I was getting tired from carrying the rake and raking and just gave quick looks. We worked out way backwards from 73 to 62. That is a nice area there.

My GPS cord got stuck on a tree, and I yanked it so hard the branch broke and hit Jessica in the face. She was hurting for a while but recovered quick.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

No. I was going to write you last night but I had so little time to do everything I wanted to do this weekend I forgot. I searched from 62 to 73. We found 73 and we believe 65. I say "we believe" because we forgot to photograph the GPS. But I am pretty confident it was 65. I left marks on the trees there to help you out which you can see in at least one photo. I know there has to be stones at some of the other places we were but I just could not find them. Towards the end I was getting tired from carrying the rake and raking and just gave quick looks. We worked out way backwards from 73 to 62. That is a nice area there.

My GPS cord got stuck on a tree, and I yanked it so hard the branch broke and hit Jessica in the face. She was hurting for a while but recovered quick.

Guy

I was just right next to them last week.I was thinking of looking for them while I was there but thought you had already covered these.Yes I could see from carranza road the woods through there are quite pretty.I walked the road because I was checking out islands on the other side not far from the road.When I check those out I'll give the others a look since you were wore out yopu might have missed them.I'm guilty of the quick fly by when I'm tuckered out myself.
Sorry to hear about Jess's eye.I'm usually in front and have given a few nasty whacks to those behind me but I've also stabbed my own self in the eye a few times too.I remember that day you hurt yours so bad I thought you wouldn't be able to drive home out by Marhta it was.
Al

 

[Teegate]

Yes, please that report on Friendship Bogs. It is a fascinating area to scout out. Thanks!

Not sure what you are referring to. Can you tell us the post number?

Guy

 

[Teegate]

All,

Jess and I again headed out early, and after checking on a few spungs for someone we headed to Chatsworth to look for a stone on the Parker Preserve and Ocean Spray border. We entered at Chatsworth Lake and took the relatively new trail they made to the tracks, and then followed the tracks across bridge 74 which washed out during the Blue Comet incident. In no time at all we had found the stone.

Jessica disappeared, and after looking for her for a little while I found her sitting at the Chatsworth Train Station waiting for a ride out of town. I guess the going was too tough for her or something like that.

Then to Bulltown where we found this atone hidden in the briers. It actually is quite large.

At our next stop when we got out of the car there was a really sound sound coming out of the woods close by, so I did a little investigating and here is a video of the peepers we found. Turn up your volume but not too high, your speakers may be damaged


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=6LxltfoM_9c

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Guy
They sound like New Jersey Chrous Frogs to me.They come out as early as Peepers along with Wood Frogs and leopard frogs,all hit the water about the same time.They sound like running your finger across a stiff comb.
Al

 

[Teegate]

They may be. I am not a frog expert and thought they were peepers.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

But I'm sure if i needed the history of any specific frog family in the barrens all I'd have to do is throw you the Anurans surname and it'd be a race to see if you or Paul come up with their historical background first
Al

 

[Teegate]

Jessica was feeling fine today, so we headed out to stone search in the Parker Preserve. There actually are quite a few tracts of the Parker Preserve that does not get the attention of the major ones, and today we visited a few of them. BTW, there actually is a PP tract one mile from Leektown on the Ives Branch, and one along Stevenson Road near the old Nature Conservancy House. Anyway, we were closer to Chatsworth and upon entering the woods we found the cellar hole of an old building. It is now full of trash.

I was a bit confused when I got to the area of the stone since I found a concrete monument about 90 feet from were I thought it should be. So we continued on to where I felt the stone was and could not find it. I went back to the car for my probe and after deciding where it should be i made a few stabs at the ground.

You can still see the paint from the 2004 survey of PP.

Then off of Panama Road, along a freshly sprayed Blueberry Field with multiple carcasses of dead dear along the fence and attached to it to out next stone. Somewhat unremarkable.

Then along Sooy Road where I will have to be much more stealthier on another visit. It looks challenging to get to what appears to be landlocked PP property

Guy

 

[woodjin]

I'm glad to here that Jess is feeling better. That first photo of the cellar hole with the garbage in it....I think I know where that is. Is it on the north side of 532, west of the lake? Kind of near the blue water sand pit?

Jeff