Today was spent on site until we got slammed by weather. The Quill- the dormant volcano on the southern end of the island, stands an impressive 2,000 feet above sea level. Apparently it is the second largest mountain in the Netherlands or its territories/municipalities. Storms often develop over The Quill that can rapidly descend on the rest of the island. This is exactly what happened today:
Storm clouds gathering over The Quill.
Surprise- now run! I'm on the right, completely unaware of what's coming. (Photo by Hayley Mickleburgh)
As the rains came, we covered over any exposed features and stowed whatever gear might blow away. Then we crammed ourselves back into the vehicles hoping that the storm would pass in 20 minutes, as they often do. Picture eight or nine of us sweaty, dirty specimens jammed into a truck with bins full of artifacts. We made the most of it, though- at least those of us in the SECAR truck did :)
Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we had to pack it in an hour or two early. This provided much-needed time for admin work back at the Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute and, for my part, some time to ink my field drawings.