I'm back from my weekend of field work!
It was amazing. We got a lot done. This trip was all about setting up - now that that's done, we can concentrate on collecting data....and beachcombing. ;-)
*WARNING - if you have a super-sensitive stomach, or if you might be offended by pictures of dead things on the beach, stop reading now. If you're fascinated with what Nature leaves lying around, scroll right on down. :-)
Jackie with her clipboard, Matt needed a rest.
We saw some interesting organisms.... beach mushrooms??
And that dolphin was really kind of cool...not as gross as you might expect!
I've got my fingers crossed that as these next few months go by, it'll still be on the beach and we can monitor how quickly it decays - it might be an interesting study to see what organisms show up around it! And... after its all said and done, it might be kind of cool to have a complete dolphin skeleton at the MSC....
Clockwise: Channeled whelk, beach mushrooms (?), Dolphin, Bay anchovy
Saturday afternoon, we were working on the northernmost tip of the island, a good 2-mile hike from where we had parked the car, when the skies suddenly opened up and it started hailing on us. There was absolutely no shelter for miles... ocean to our left (tide coming in ), and brush/scrub to our left with signs posting "Danger, do not enter: high explosives".... apparently NASA has some un-detonated explosives buried at that end of the island. So..... we hiked the 2 miles back to the car, and when we got there, the sky was blue and the people working at that end were like, "Why are you guys so wet??" Ugh.
See how we're leaning way back? That's how hard the wind was blowing at our backs.
Right after those pictures were taken, my baseball cap flew off my head at about 100 mph and went straight into the ocean....I was soooo upset - it was brand new! After we hiked back to the car, and the weather cleared up, we decided to drive on the beach back out to the north end....and on our way, I saw my hat washed up on shore!! It was pretty far north of where I had lost it....I was so excited to get it back! Now its officially "broken in". :-D
What a trip! I can't believe you got your hat back! I guess the ocean felt sorry about it ^_^ I love reading about your beach adventures, it makes me long for the shore line.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!!
well, i would never avert my eyes from your swell place, be rest assured of that pretty lady! loved seeing your "work" day pics, can i please come join you for such a grand expedition next time???! oh man, looks like such fun and interesting times. but good gosh, you guys got pummeled hey. three cheers for the hat that came back! ♥
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