Fall into... Fall!

When does a four day trip turn into a one day affair? When DCR decides to close down state camping facilities due to a little wind. Ah well - for one long day, some important objectives got covered.

Indian Rock

First up was a site laying in the shadows (almost) of the famed Blue Hills of Norfolk County. This area can hold an interesting mix of 'different' rocks along with the more famous Quincy Granite. An area of scattered erratics has a formation locally known as Indian Rock, which has a slight purplish hue to it. I've also seen greens in this general area during the past (see: Petrology of the Alkali-Granites and Porphyries of Quincy and the Blue Hills, Mass. [1913], U. S. A. : Charles H. Warren). A small rock shelter/lean-to type of formation was also spotted just to the northeast of Indian Rock.

Minister's Rock

A slight hop to the north (and north side of Rt. 93) - and a slight bit of poking around - found me the Hermit's Cave. It is an old lead I've had kicking around for some time, and always understood to be little more than a very small niche under some exposed bedrock.

A short excurions to the southeast brought to the Land of Sachem's Rock (later visited) to check on the status of Minister's Rock. Several years back, the 'evil' development project moved into the area with its backhoes and other construction equipment, and I feared for the rock's safety. Fortunately, it had been recognized, and left unscathed. Well, except for a good scrubbing to clean it up a bit.

Indian grindstone

Most of the remaining afternoon was spent with local resident Marjorie, a woman of some years, who has a sincere interest in rocky formations and other sites of historical interest. Marjorie has a small Indian grindstone located in her back yard. We also got the opportunity to do a bit of hiking on nearby conservation land and look for an old fish weir. Not to be seen due to to high water levels.

Sachem's Rock - circa early 1900s postcard

Finally before leaving the area (and discovering a lack of campsite availability), I made a quick trip to nearby Sachem/Sachem's Rock. One of the more historic rock sites we have in Massachusetts. Where "on March 23, 1649 o. s. Massasoit traded with Myles Standish and others this land called Satucket".

Rockin' On...

Old Patients Rock @ Wallum Lake

Three years after my initial investigation, I returned to Wallum Lake in northwest Rhode Island. The purpose of this trip was to introduce fellow explorer, Mike G., to the lake and its multitude of rocks. We first stopped by Patients Rock, before making out way up the west side into Massachusetts. Then it was on down the east side, back to the put-in. Still missing is a somewhat mysterious postcard showing Hunt Rock on this lake.

Then, together, we made our way about two-thirds of the way south across the State, to visit a more recent discovery: a small cave in the Arcadia Management Area. Afterwards, a relatively insignificant site was looked at as we made our way back up towards the Warwick area. Parting ways at this point, I made my way back across the State line into Massachusetts for the night.

Gilly's Cave

On the second day, two towns in Massachusetts, just to the northeast of the Burnt Swamp Corner in Norfolk County, were investigated. This is an area I spent much time in during the late 1990's and early 2000's, locating significant rocky formations. Several cave and cave-like formations were found, along with large erratics, including a very nice balanced boulder.

The Balanced Boulder...