The Accidental Archaeologist

Beyond Tired

It’s the crack of dawn, I’m already conscious (barely), and sitting in the restaurant across from our hotel wondering how I’m functioning on barely four hours’ sleep. The answer is probably the huge steaming mug of coffee sat next to my computer. It was a LONG trek from the UK yesterday, starting at 08:30 when I got a lift to Bristol airport along with my tutor Mark and the mayor of Bideford Andy. We had a relatively uneventful transatlantic flight, on which I had a great seat (right up front, by the window), but found that the windows were positioned in such a way that it was absolutely impossible to get comfortable enough leaning against them to fall asleep. I wiled away the time instead by watching Avatar (didn’t really follow it very well, though) and reading one of the many books I’ve loaded onto my iPod.

Landing in Newark was quite a relief, but then required us to go through yet another aggravating round of security screenings. I’m not exaggerating when I say that, from the point we entered Bristol airport to the time we stepped off the plane in Norfolk, I was searched, scanned and generally scrutinized no less than four times at security checkpoints. And I hate having to take my shoes off all the time. We were quite a hit at the main security point in Newark, transferring between international arrivals and domestic departures. Mark had them hopping with his carry-on case containing the EDM (computerized surveying equipment). They had to swab it for explosive residue, and the machine actually went off…but luckily, they said that machine had been unreliable lately, and used another one to check, which stayed silent. It didn’t help that Mark sat by making rather audible comments that included references to “explosives,” me shooting warning looks at him the whole time from across the station where I was putting my shoes back on. Andy, meanwhile, was getting slightly more friendly attention from several of the screeners, who were fascinated by the charters he was hand-carrying. The towns of Manteo, NC and Bideford, England are completing their official twinning next weekend, so Andy brought some impressive looking charters with huge wax seals and fancy writing to be signed at the occasion. He was worried about the seals cracking under rough handling, so he was hovering as the screeners checked the carrying case and exclaimed over the fanciness of the documents. It was the first time I’ve EVER seen TSA agents laughing and smiling. They even waved to us and wished us luck as we all left the screening area for our flight to Norfolk.

Getting to Norfolk was where things got interesting. We had three undergrads meeting us there, which meant that Mark & I could check out our two rental cars and one car could load up with Andy and the other three and take off immediately for the Outer Banks. The other driver was going to have to wait around for another four hours for two more flights to get in with our other four students, the last arriving at 9:30pm. Neither Mark nor I wanted to do that late run, and both of us were trying to negotiate why we shouldn’t have to. We finally ended up flipping a coin for it, and I won (to my considerable relief), so I loaded up a gigantic Lincoln towncar with backpacks, mayor, and students and hit the road. We arrived in Buxton a little after 9:00 to find a few early arrivers already setting up tents on the grass across from our hotel rooms. We spent the next few hours excitedly catching up with our American counterparts, feeling like we were participating in a home-coming after just a few months’ away. Unfortunately, Mark phoned later to say that the later flight had been further delayed, so they weren’t leaving Norfolk until 11:00pm.

I’m afraid I shall have to leave the story there, as it’s time for me to head over to the site with Mark and make some decisions about how we’re starting the dig. It’s all very exciting, but I have to force my brain back into professional mode. Time to gulp down the last of this bracing cup of coffee and head back across the street. More later, y’all!