KIWI SINK Trip and Progress Report--Erin Brown, Gill Ediger, Ernie Garza, Amy Jasek, Jim Jasek, Mimi Jasek, Chris Perez, Will Quast, Ron Rutherford. 22 July 2012, Rolling Oaks SubDivision, Hays County, Texas. Today's dig started out badly yesterday when Terry Raines reported that the 12-volt electric winch we use to hoist the mud and rock filled barrels out of the pit had burned up and given out. Navy Commander Robert S Hemperly, DDS drove in from NS San Diego with a brand new winch with the same mounting hole pattern as the derelict one. It took but a few minutes for him to make the swap, take a look at the sinkhole, and head out on his way to 2 years of Naval dentistry in ancient Italy, but not without providing everyone with a 3 liter sample of some olive oil he'd brought from California to hand out in Italy. Sort of a carrying coals to New Castle sorta thing. A large tarp had been erected over the pit to keep the diggers cool and to protect from solar radiation as much as possible. The winch was ready just as 5 barrels were completed filling by Ernie Garza, Jim & Mimi Jasek, They were removed along with one biggish rock. Meanwhile Chris Perez, Will Quast, and Erin Brown spent a lot of time and effort digging mud and gravel filled belly crawls down in the cooler portions of the cave, trending mostly southward. Before the day was over 5-1/2 more barrels had been filled, by the same digging crew reinforced by Amy Jasek, Ron Rutherford, and me, Gill Ediger, but were not dumped due to the remaining contingent being tired and the sun being miserably hot. The main effort was directed at excavating northward, the supposed direction of the Main Drain for rain water in the system. Additional Notes: Terry Raines wasn't directly involved today due to final packing for a Belize trip he and his family left on about 2 in the afternoon but his jin-pole truck was put to good use with the hoisting business. This was Erin Brown's first caving trip; she got muddy. Dr Hemperly saved the day with his winch delivery. Kiwi supervised. The neighbor walked by with a very curious look on his face but tarried not. --Gill Ediger
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