Father and Son Day Hunting for Fossils

The Missus was out running around today at a bridal shower for her dear friend, and the boy, the dog and myself had to find our own entertainment. So I planned a day trip for us to Westmoreland State Park at a place on the Potomac River that has a steep curve and is famous for having fossils lying in the sand. So we grabbed some plastic digging utensils, a pail, and set out on our journey. And we couldn’t resist stopping by George Washington’s birthplace on the way.

Here is the boy at the miniature Washington Monument at Washington’s Birthplace in Northern Neck.

We explored the expansive grounds and found a sign pointing to “Burial Grounds.” I know George Washington is buried at Mount Vernon, and figured the graves were those of George’s extended family. This is the gravesite of George’s grandfather John.

Leaving the burial site, I heard those dreaded words in a plaintive cry that every Dad hates: “Dad! I Gotta Pee!” I had a sheepdog with me and we weren’t allowed inside the visitor’s center. But we were out in the middle of nowhere, 75 yards off the road, with nearby trees and some bushes. Oh, and also the graves of the nation’s founder’s grandparents. No, we didn’t pee on the graves of George Washington’s papaw. We walked down a hill about 30 yards away and peed there. And it scared the daylights out of us too because we saw a big blacksnake slither away right when we were ready to go.

We finally made it to Westmoreland State Park and hiked the mile long trail to the Potomac river shore. There was a tree that had fallen across the roadway.

And we finally got to the beach, probably the cleanest beach along the Potomac. The water was actually warmer than the air and we hunted for fossils for hours.

Even the dog was helping us dig.

After spending most of the afternoon there we headed home and ate Buffalo Wings at a local pub, finally getting back to the house about 8:30 PM. And oh, we got some “fossils” and a couple of them might even be real bone. But most of it is pretty shells, rocks and odd pink stones that the boy dubbed “Flamingo Teeth.”