Debbie Ziegelmeyer’s Dig Diary
THURS. SEPT.19, 2002: 8:30PM, I LEFT ST. LOUIS FOR COLORADO SPRINGS TO MEET UP WITH MY BROTHER CHUCK. MY FLIGHT WAS DELAYED BECAUSE THE AIRPORT IN COLORADO SPRINGS WAS EVACUATED AND CLOSED BECAUSE OF A BOMB THREAT. I FINIALLY ARRIVED ABOUT 10:00PM.
FRI. SEPT. 20, 2002: I PICKED-UP THE RENTAL SUV AT THE AIRPORT, MET CHUCK, AND WE LEFT FOR ROSWELL. A MEETING WITH DON SCHMIIT WAS SCHEDUALED AT THE UFO MUSEUM FOR 6:00PM. WE NEW THE PURPOSE, AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG AT THE DEBRIS FIELD MADE FAMOUS BY MAC BRAZEL, BUT VERY LITTLE DETAILS WERE RELEASED TO US AHEAD OF TIME. WE WENT ON BLIND FAITH, AND AT OUR OWN EXPENSE. WE WERE SURPRISED TO SEE THE SCI FI CHANNEL CREW THERE TO DOCUMENT THE EVENT. I WAS RELIEVED TO KNOW THAT ALONG WITH SCI FI THERE WOULD BE A SECURITY TEAM. WE WERE A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SAFETY AT THE SIGHT. THE 1947 ROSWELL INNCIDENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THREATS AGAINST INDIVIDUALS ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS. WE WERE GIVEN A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT WAS TO TAKE PLACE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, A LIST OF WHAT WE WOULD NEED…CLOTHING, SUNSCREEN, KNEE PADS, GLOVES, ETC. AND HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS COURTESY OF SCI FI. I ROOMED WITH A VERY NICE 20 YEAR OLD GIRL NAMED KATE WHO WAS FROM ENGLAND, BUT ATTENDING SCHOOL IN ARIZONA. BY NOW IT WAS 7:30PM AND WE WERE TO MEET FOR DINNER AT 8:30PM, SO CHUCK AND I RACED TO HOME DEPOT AND WALMART FOR OUR SUPPLIES BEFORE THEY CLOSED. THEN, ON TO DINNER, ALSO COURTESY LARRY LANDSMAN OF SCI FI, AND ANOTHER MEETING.
SAT. SEPT. 21, 2002: WE MET IN THE PARKING LOT AT WALMART IN ROSWELL AT 6:30AM, SCI FI, ARCHAEOLOGISTS, DON SCHMITT, AND VOLUNTEERS, AND CARAVANNED TO THE SIGHT. WE ARRIVED AROUND 8:30AM AFTER PASSING THROUGH SECURITY CHECK-POINTS. BILL DOLEMAN THE HEAD ARCHAEOLOGIST OF THE PROJECT, PRESENTED US WITH TROWELS WHICH WE COULD KEEP, AND THEN SPENT THE NEXT 4 HOURS GIVING US VOLUNTEERS A CRASH (NO PUN INTENDED) COURSE IN ARCHAEOLOGY EXCAVATING. AFTER WE BROKE FOR LUNCH, WE FINIALLY GOT TO START DIGGING OUR HOLES. THE WORK WAS HARD, BUT I WAS EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS MONUMENTAL EVENT. AT THE END OF THE WORK DAY WE ALL POSED FOR A GROUP PICTURE. I DON’T EVER REMEMBER BEING SO DUSTY AND DIRTY. BY THE TIME WE GOT BACK TO ROSWELL, WE BARELY HAD TIME TO WIPE DOWN AND CHANGE CLOTHES BEFORE DINNER. THE RESTAURANTS CLOSE IN ROSWELL AT 9:00PM. LARRY LANDMAN WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE ONE OF THEM TO STAY OPEN FOR OUR GROUP EACH NIGHT SO WE COULD HAVE A GOOD HOT MEAL. BUT, WE HAD TO WAIT TO SHOWER. BY THE TIME WE ATE, HAD A MEETING, MADE OUR WAY BACK TO OUR HOTEL AND TOOK TURNS SHOWERING, IT WAS 1:00AM BEFORE WE GOT TO BED.
SUN. SEPT. 22, 2002: THE DAY STARTED AGAIN WITH US MEETING AT WALMART PROMPLY AT 6:30AM. I WAS TIRED. WE ALL HAD A LATE NIGHT. MORNING CAME QUICKLY AND THERE WASN’T TIME FOR BREAKFAST, SO WE GOT A QIUCK COFFEE AND A BOX OF DONUTS TO GO. WE DROVE OUR OWN RENTAL SUV TO THE SIGHT TODAY, WHICH WAS AN EXACT MATCH TO THE SUVS THAT SCI FI HAD RENTED. TODAY THE SCI FI CREW HAD INTERVIEWS TO DO IN TOWN, SO WE HAD A LITTLE MORE TIME TO WORK…NO INTERVIEWS. AFTER A HARD MORNING OF DIGGING, WE BROKE FOR LUNCH AND ANOTHER MEETING. BILL DOLEMAN DISCUSSED THE REASONING BEHIND THE DEPTH, SIZE, AND PLACEMENT OF THE HOLES WE WERE DIGGING, AND WE HAD A DISCUSSION. WE SPENT SOME TIME WALKING THE AREA AND TAKING SOME PICTURES WHILE BILL, BOB, AND LUEY FOUND US NEW DIG SIGHTS. ONES THAT HAD MORE PROSPECTS FOR UFOS OR AT LEAST PIECES OF ONE. AFTER ALL, ISN’T THAT WHAT WE WERE HERE FOR? THEN, BACK TO DIGGING, ANOTHER LONG RIDE BACK TO ROSWELL, A LATENIGHT DINNER, A SHOWER, AND BACK TO BED AT 1:00AM.
MON. SEPT. 23, 2002: TODAY WE MET AS USUAL, 6:30AM AT WALMART. THE DAY STARTED OUT COLD, BUT SOON GOT BLISTERING HOT AGAIN. BY NOW WE HAD ALL HAD LITTLE SLEEP OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS, OUR MUSCLES WERE SORE AND OUR NECKS AND ARMS WERE SUNBURNED. CHUCK AND I WERE WONDERING IF WE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE A DAY EARLY BECAUSE OUR DAD WAS IN THE HOSPITAL, SO WE WORKED THROUGH LUNCH. THERE WAS A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER AND TIME WAS RUNNING OUT. TODAY DON SCHMITT AND THE SCI FI CREW WERE IN A HELICOPTER FOR AERIAL SURVEILLANCE AND OVERHEAD SHOTS. BY THE END OF THE WORK DAY WE WERE SO TIRED WE GOT A LITTLE PUNCHY. WHILE THE HELICOPTER WAS FLYING OVERHEAD, CHUCK, MYSELF, NANCY, AND JOHN, (HUSBAND AND WIFE) LAY ON THE GROUND AND FORMED A HUMAN FRAME FOR OUR LARGE SQUARE HOLE. I KNOW AS THE HELICOPTER CREW FLEW OVER THEY MUST HAVE THOUGHT WE LOST OUR MINDS….MAYBE JUST A LITTLE. THEN, WE TOOK TURNS STANDING IN OUR HOLES, WHICH WERE KNEE DEEP, AND TOOK PICTURES OF EACH OTHER AS WE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ACTORS SCI FI WOULD REPLACE US WITH IF THIS BECAME A MOVIE. THE GROUP DECIDED THAT CHUCK AND I WOULD BE PLAYED BY DONNY AND MARIE OSMOND, AND DON WOULD BE PLAYED BY SILVESTER STALONE. THE DAYS WORK WAS A PRODUCTIVE ONE THOUGH, CHUCK AND I FOUND OUR FIRST HMUO (PRONOUNCED HA-MOO-O). THIS IS AN OBJECT FOUND WHILE SIFTING THE SOIL, THAT LOOKS OUT OF PLACE. IT WAS BAGGED, LABELED, AND HANDED OVER TO LUEY FOR SAFE KEEPING IN THE ARMORED TRUCK. THEN, BACK TO ROSWELL WE WENT FOR ANOTHER LATE DINNER AND AN EVEN LATER DISCUSSION BETWEEN BILL, CHUCK AND ME…WELL, MOSTLY CHUCK AND BILL.
TUES. SEPT. 24, 2002 TODAY IS MY DAUGHTER’S 27TH BIRTHDAY. I AM IN NEW MEXICO, AND SHE IS IN MISSOURI. DAD IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, SO CHUCK AND I DECIDED TO CHANGE OUR TRAVEL PLANS AND STAY. WE ARRIVED AT THE SIGHT ABOUT 8:00AM AND WITH BILL, BOB, AND LUEY’S HELP STAKED OUT A NEW WORK SIGHT. BILL DOLEMAN AND CHUCK LOOKED AT THE RIDGE, SOME CHARTS, AND THE WATER FLOW, SO TODAY WE USED A DIFFERENT APPROACH FOR OUR SEARCH FOR HMUOS. THIS BEING OUR LAST DAY, CHUCK AND I DECIDED TO WORK THROUGH LUNCH AGAIN TO MAXIMIZE OUR EFFORTS. TODAY’S EXCAVATION VOLUNTEERS WERE CHUCK AND ME…END OF LIST. AROUND NOON KATE AND ANOTHER LADY HEPLED ME WITH SIFTING, BUT POOR CHUCK WAS STILL ON HIS OWN WITH ALOT OF GROUND TO COVER AND ARMED ONLY WITH A SHOVEL. DON SCHMITT SHOWED UP ON THE SCENE, GRABBED A SHOVEL AND GAVE CHUCK A HAND FOR A WHILE. DON WAS DRESSED NICELY AND SCHEDUALED FOR AN INTERVIEW ON THE SIGHT AND SOME AFTERNOON MEETINGS, BUT HE ROLLED UP HIS SLEEVES AND STARTED DIGGING. WE REALLY APPRECIATED THE RESPECT HE SHOWED FOR OUR EFFORTS BY DOING THIS. BY THE END OF THE WORK DAY, WE HAD AGAIN BAGGED SOME VERY INTERESTING HMUOS, ONE IN PARTICULAR, AND WERE PLEASED WITH OUR DAYS EFFORTS. WE FOUND IT HARD TO LEAVE WITH STILL SO MUCH GROUND TO COVER, AND EVEN HARDER TO LEAVE OUR NEW FRIENDS, BUT WE SAID OUR GOOD-BYES AND LEFT. WE DIDN’T HAVE A HOTEL TO GO BACK TO FOR A SHOWER, SO WE LEFT TIRED, DIRTY, AND HUNGRY. WE HAD TO MAKE OUR WAY BACK TO COLORADO SPRINGS, ABOUT A SEVEN HOUR DRIVE. CHUCK HAD TO GO TO WORK FIRST THING WEDNESDAY MORNING, AND I HAD A 9:00AM FLIGHT BACK TO ST. LOUIS.
Category: Roswell, Roswell Dig
