Surprises at the End of the Dig

July 3,2009

I started the day with a visualization of a large fossil which could be displayed in our living room on the wedding bentos or the tansu. I liked the idea of something long and substantial like a Triceratops or hadrasaur radius or ulna (arm bones) or perhaps a Triceratops brow horn. Ever since I found a baby Triceratops toe bone and some baby frill, I have had a certain affection for them. I, like other prospectors, tend to find lots of their teeth because they shed so many during their lives. I packed by back pack and headed out the door to overcast skies and cool temperatures.

I had packed my rain parka just in case, but because it was so chilly compared to earlier in the week, I actually put it on before we even got into the vehicles. I think the high for the day was 63 degrees. I rode with Rob and Ryan out to the ranch that had been chosen for the morning session. The hope was, that we could reach some sandy areas that would be easier to collect on if the weather turned wet. Three other vehicles were in the caravan and we did a fair amount of slipping on the muddy sections of the ranch. There had been a thunderstorm yesterday that cut our day short, and we were apparently in the area that had received the downpour.

We drove as far as most of the vehicles could safely go and be assured of a safe return if the rain returned. The group split up and I continued with Rob and Ryan, and Alex joined us for the next drive down and farther out to get closer to our desired site. Once we were parked, we gathered our gear and started walking carefully down the hill. Turns out that the bentonite that makes up much of the soil, is really slippery when it is wet. This is the stuff that dries really hard and kind of crumbles under your feet on warm/hot days. I had never experienced it under these conditions.

Slippery doesn't really do it justice. You slip and slide down the hill or up the hill, and then assuming you are still upright, your shoes/boots are caked in the stuff so now your feet feel like they weigh ten pounds each. I commented that I thought it was great resistance training and Alex said some of his track teammates put weights on their ankles as a training device. We laughed at each other and our efforts to keep ourselves upright and not face plant as we tried to get up the hills. At one point I did start to slip down the hill and had to put my hand down. So then I had a handful of mud in addition to the muddy leaden shoes. Are we having fun yet? You bet. Never done this before, and I might not get to again.

We checked out a couple of areas on our way to the targeted site, but didn't find anything. Higher up we were able to find some sandy places and grassy sections that provided surer footing and even cleaned most of the mud from our shoes. The desired area was reached and we each took our places on the microsite.

I wish I could share a photo, but alas I have none. There I was lying on my belly on the damp, rocky soil trying to avoid the ever present cow patties, searching for tiny treasures. When I say this work is like a meditation, I am not kidding. No one hardly speaks, and the focus is so intense you don't even think about how ridiculous you look. You are literally looking at each tiny rock, stalk of plant and lump of mud in hopes of spotting a shape or color that lets you know it's different and requires close scrutiny. Alas, today was a day for turtle... so much turtle shell that I think I could assemble a whole shell. I picked up lots of it, in part, because other more exotic fare was not to be seen by me, and I just have to put something in a bag.


Though the rarest of rare fossils eluded me, I had a blast inching my way over the rocky wet soil in the mist. Certainly a unique way to spend a few hours with friends. There was a brief conversation about Paris, and the sights to see in and around the city. Perhaps Rob hopes to visit there soon. He is an artist and I know he would appreciate so much that the city has to offer. I got so caught up in the "hunt and peck" I completely forgot to ask if he had travel plans.

I finally got up from my prone searching position and walked over a small hump to get to another collecting area. Ryan had been working there and said there were some things worth taking. He has high standards so I wanted to check it out. Once more that turtle shell caught my eye and found its way into my bag. I also found a broken croc tooth and a tiny toe bone and a few big Gar scales. All too soon it was time to return to the vehicles. More slipping and sliding down and up the hills.

The rest of the group had a mixed experience in their areas. The unifying element was the mud and rather chilly temperature. The wind picked up and most of us had cold, wet feet inside our very mudcaked shoes. (Same shoes are outside the house front door waiting to be cleaned). The Evans family decided to call it a day and headed back to the Tipperary. Our group had a quick lunch and thought we would give another site a look see .

We drove out of this location and returned to the fabulous microsite of a few days ago. We parked the three vehicles under ever threatening skies. Just as we were preparing to put on our back packs for a walk down into the valley, the rain began. Rob and I opted to stay in the vehicle to sit it out. Ryan and Alex braved the rain and the slippery slopes of the microsite after words or caution from Rob. Slippery mud on a steep slope could spell disaster. Michael and his son Adam set out for the valley and after a few steps returned to their vehicle. David, dressed for a Northwest gale, made it half way up the microsite before turning back. The rain was coming down heavy and Rob was just about to get out to retrieve Ryan and Alex when Ryan called in on the radio and said they were returning.

The dinosaur gods were not smiling today and we drove back to Buffalo in a downpour. My vision of the large fossil for our living room remains just that. I will work on it for the next year and hopefully have it realized next season. Coming back early allowed me to clean some micro fossils, have a cup of tea with Jennifer and enjoy the yummy chocolate which she graciously shared with me.

Rob came over before dinner for a glass of wine and generously identified about a hundred tiny fossils that I had spread out over the kitchen island. I don't know how he is able to identify the various parts of dinosaurs, reptiles, birds, crocs, turtles, fish and more, with often just the tiniest remnants of fossil bits. He is like a living "wikipedia" of fossil info. Thanks so much to Mr. Sula.
Also thanks to Ryan who has been a willing ID professional when Rob has been overwhelmed. They are both expert guides with eyes like lasers and fossil magnates imbedded in their DNA. No fossil is too remote or too small to escape their gaze. It is amazing. Perhaps it is years of practice, or perhaps it is a gift. I'm certainly willing to practice.

So, within the boxes and foil wrapped bits of fossils, it turns out there were a few surprises. I am not even sure when I found one of them, but indeed, I have a Nanotyrannosaurus tooth! I found a really nice one my first season and now I have a second. It shows more signs of wear, but it is 65 million years old, and perhaps served its owner well. Another surprise is a bird tooth! And still another is a bird vertebra! I can't wait to do some research on this. I bought a book on microfossils and environments at the Black Hills Institute, and hopefully it will provide useful info. It was wonderful to have these little treasures identified and as I study all my finds over the next year I hope to have a better eye for the field work and fewer items for Rob or Ryan to vet at the end of the day. Perhaps they will appreciate that I've done my homework.

So here I am at the end of my two weeks in Hell Creek. I am in the midst of packing and saying goodbye to my fellow prospectors. My housemate, Karen is here for the last week and will continue on the fish site. It seems likely that the work there will take at least one more season if not more. Today they turned over one of the jacketed sections and found more fish fossils on the remaining pedestal. There could be layers of fish many feet into the hill. With the many rain storms and muddy inaccessible roads, it has been slow going this week. One of the students is staying on another week and I think Steve will try to engage some of the prospecting participants to assist with the fish. It does provide a truly unique opportunity to work on a world class paleontology site.

That's it for this season. I will attempt to upload a few photos from this week. If you don't see them on this entry (it is very late here), then I will post them upon my return. Unfortunately I do not have a camera that can photograph my tiny treasures, so next time you visit I will be more than happy to share them and I will provide a loupe.

Cheers.