Two days ago an agreement was signed allowing scientists to start an archaeological dig at Vero Beach, an excavation that is being dubbed "An Ice Age Dig."
There have already been many significant fossils found in Vero. Many of these were unearthed during the dredging of a canal in 1913, and findings since then have included fossils from mastodons, saber tooth cats, giant sloths, mammoths and humans.
At the time of the original fossil findings a hundred years ago, the thought at the time placed humans as coming to North America no more than 6,000 years ago with theories that they walked here either across an exposed continental shelf between Alaska and Siberia or across a frozen Atlantic via Greenland. The major significance of the Vero Beach findings was that they placed humans in coexistence with mastodons and other extinct species of the Pleistocene Epoch, much longer than 6,000 years ago.
It is now accepted that humans came to North America either by foot or by boat around 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. There remains much controversy, however, surrounding the age of the human remains found in Vero Beach. One of the most important finds, the bones of a human named "Vero Man" (since then found to probably be "Vero Woman"), have been lost or misplaced during the many transits the bones did between the Smithsonian and other various research institutions.
In 2009, a bone with a carving depicting what is believed to be a mastodon or mammoth was found by an amateur fossil collector. This piece has been dated to be at least 13,000 years old and is believed to be "the oldest work of art in the Americas."
Vero Beach definitely holds more clues, stories and works of art buried deep within its beautiful, sandy expanses. A storm water treatment facility is planned to be built over the Vero Beach site. This recent agreement allowing the Ice Age Dig to proceed will hopefully unearth more of our amazing history before it is covered over by tons of cement.
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| "Da Xiang" is our favorite mastadon and has been with us since Phoenix was a few months old. Her message is "I love Phoenix!" Photo by Phoenix. |
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| A mastodon differs from a mammoth in many ways. Mastadons are shorter and more muscular and are believed to have been in existence starting around 27 to 30 million years ago. Mammoths arose maybe 5 million years ago. Both became extinct around 10 to 12,000 years ago. Both have long, curved trunks that were probably used to scrape ice and snow off plants. |
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WHERE WE STARTED: Anchored at Rock Point, Melbourne, Mile 925
WHERE WE ARE: Moored at Vero Beach City Marina, Mile 952
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| Longest dinghy dock we've ever seen. This shows around 1/3 the length of the dock. | |
THERE TO HERE: 27 miles, Jamey at the helm. We stopped at Vero Beach City Marina to get some gas and water. We have been having some trouble with the fresh water pump system, and have had to fill up the tank more often than usual. We originally intended to travel around 50 miles today, but while getting gas were enticed by the cost of a mooring ( $13) and the proximity of the beach. There are free shuttles that run regularly between the marina and the beach and town. We missed the shuttle by just a few minutes, but it was only a little less than a mile to walk to the beach.
AT THE BEACH: Art class. Sand sculptures and a lesson on negative space. Negative space is basically space where there isn't anything. It's one of my favorite art concepts and a way to approach drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. If something looks like it should be there, put it there. If something looks like it doesn't belong there, take it away. Really it's a notion that can apply not just to art, but to how we live our lives.
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| Crab with Accidental Foot over Face |
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| Dancing Dolphin |
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| Happy Mermaid |
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| Mermaid with Fingers |
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| Swirly Mermaid |
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| With credit to the girls' kindergarten and first grade art teacher, Mrs.
Merritt, the girls already had studied and knew all about negative
space. |
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| Very calming. Even more therapeutic was when Sage stomped on all of the balls. "Remember as Junior Rangers we are supposed to take nothing but footprints and leave nothing but memories!" she said. We always take a lot of footprints with us when we leave a beach. |
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| Frisbee on Sandball Held Up by Smurf in Negative Space |
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