Reflections from Afar

True confession: I am updating this entry on 6 June, 2011. I cannot explain what has happened during the last 11 months, except life. You know what I mean, I hope. The day-to-day chores, appointments, engagements, travel, those activities that we expect to do, and then those unforeseen events that consume time and attention. Whew! That sentence was way too long. Guess you get the picture and will accept my apology for not finishing this wrap-up blog entry in a timely fashion.

Suffice to say that the last days of my field week were bittersweet. Wishing I could stay longer with the hope of finding the prize for the living room display, and relief that I would soon pack everything up and return to the aforementioned day-to-day routines. I was thrilled to see the amazing internal skull bones and frill of a beautifully preserved Triceratops. Jim found it on the last day last year, and returned to jacket it and transport it home to Georgia. His brother came along to help with that task and to collect for himself. They both have a great "sixth sense" for finding fossils.

As luck would have it (for Jim, anyway), one of the days after he was working on unearthing the skull, as he walked back up to the vehicle, his eyes were drawn to something exposed on the ground. Wouldn't you know, it turned out to be another beautifully preserved long bone of a hadrosaur. Gotta admit, I was speechless.

I had decided to spend that last afternoon near his find so I could take photos before he jacketed the skull. Not aware of the additional fossil, it was quite a surprise when I inquired of him who found the nice long bone, and he sheepishly answered that he had. That man is born under a lucky star.

Leaving him to his project, I set out on my own to comb the area. I spent two hours or more going up and down the bluffs and didn't find as much as a fragment of turtle shell. Frustrating does not begin to describe my experience. Not only was the treasure hunting disappointing, the area was thick with tiny gnats. I kept telling myself that if I found a nice fossil, the annoying pests would be much less annoying. No amount of self talk was improving my luck or my ability to ignore the swarming insects.

Since I was hot, and bothered by the insects, I decided to search out another location that was flat and hopefully pest free. I found a wash that had the potential for some micro fossils. I wandered around with my eyes on the ground looking for the shiny telltale sign of a tooth or fossil fragments. I did find a few tiny fish teeth, which were small reward for an otherwise disappointing last day.

Though I had hoped to hitch a ride up the steep hill with Jim and his brother, with both large fossils in the vehicle, there was no room for me. (tried not to take it personally) I climbed up the steep, somewhat difficult bluff to rendezvous with my fellow prospectors. They, for the most part, had little luck finding quality fossils. The day had been unremarkable for most, and so the return trip to the motel was somewhat subdued. I kept telling myself I had found some very nice small treasures (which I always appreciate), and this year I had found a Triceratops horn, (albeit one of poor quality). I always try to remember that finding any fossil that is over 65 million years old is more often than not a blooming miracle! Period.

Here is one more revelation which I hope to rectify soon, but in case I don't, please accept my apology. I cannot find the photos of the amazing skull fragment that Jim found nor the photos of the hadrosaur long bone. Since I want to get this blog entry posted, I will proceed without the photos, and if I can find them, I will post them at a later date.

We returned to the motel and prepared for our final evening in Buffalo before our departures the next day.

One of the highlights of our visit to Buffalo is the chance to reconnect with our friends, Gary and Dana. Dana invited me to dinner during my second week. Laurel was sorry to miss this evening, but Dana had been working out of town our first week and then went on a brief holiday with Gary. I chose Friday as a fitting night to celebrate the end of another fabulous field session.

It was fun to dress in something other than field clothes and I took the bottle of black currant wine we purchased at the Prairie Berry Winery. Dana kindly prepared a vegetarian entree for me which was delicious. How wonderful to have a meal cooked in a real kitchen. Dana and I enjoyed the unique wine and Gary was happy with a few glasses of milk. He liked the baked spinach, pasta and cheese torte, which I suspect he doesn't eat often...like maybe never.

We lingered over dinner and laughed for hours. The stories that emerge from this remote land are plentiful and unique, in so many ways. I am not sure they transport very well outside of their home territory. Perhaps the harshness of the environment makes the tales just more vivid and hysterical, and even poignant. I am honored they share them with me and I long to hear more.

I was also pleased to see that Gary added my artifact to his amazing collection. Dana had a special glass topped table made for their living room that displays Gary's collection of artifacts and small fossils. The large Tyrannosaurus rex claw,(Gary found on his ranch), sits on a low shelf next to the cast of a lower jaw of a T.rex. Very impressive. They hope that someday, one of us prospectors will find a "whole" T. rex on their ranch. I cautioned that they might want to be careful what they wish for since so often these T. rexes end up in the courts for years. There can be a huge price to pay for the potential future riches. That's another story, and better told by other authors. (Peter Larson)

Too soon the night was late and I still had to start packing and organizing for my departure the next morning. Gary was off working on something and Dana walked me to the car. You cannot imagine how dark it is out there. The skies were clear, the moon was absent, and the stars literally filled the heavens. The dome above our heads was glittering. The longer we gazed up the more stars appeared. The Milky Way was painted across the dome as if an ancient artist had dipped a brush in a bucket of luminous paint and stroked it across the sky. I have never seen a sky as magical as that one that night. I can imagine how people become enamored of astronomy just as I have become smitten with paleontology.

I said my thanks and good byes to Dana and invited them to visit us any time they should find themselves in Southern California. It would be great to show them my dad's ranch, and let the two ranchers exchange stories. Dana cautioned me to be careful driving at night because of the deer running out onto the road. I followed her advice and took care returning to the motel.

Though I returned around midnight, I heard voices coming from Carol and Max's room. I quietly knocked on the door. Carol opened the door and we had a chance to catch up on the day's adventures and their travel plans for the duration of the summer. As it happened to Laurel and I four years ago, it happened to Carol and Max this year. They got hooked on fossil hunting and can't wait until next year!

Carol was all packed, since they too were leaving the next day, but she eagerly unwrapped two small paper towel swaddled bundles. Here is a recap of her story. She and Max climbed up a hill on the Miller ranch. At the top, she looked down between two rocks and found a small vertebra, which she picked out. To her surprise there was another one, which she also picked out. Five more vertebra came out of that spot and she had a total of seven vertebra of a Champsosaurus. I have never seen anything like that. What a story. We often find a single Champsosaurus vert and they tend to look very much the same. Because she had so many from the same animal, the shape of the vertebra were different based on the location in the spine. The ones in the tail were narrower and longer. It was breathtaking and I could understand why she was eager to return next year. I should hope so. Keep in mind, there are 12,000 acres on this ranch, countless hills, millions of rocks, and this one person looks down and finds seven 65 million year old vertebra of a single animal. What an extraordinary story and a thrill to see for myself.

All of us prospectors have similar experiences, if not quite as amazing, just as memorable. You walk along, eyes ever watchful for something that alerts you to the unusual. And when you see it, time stops, your heart skips a beat, your breath is caught in your throat and you reach out to touch the distant past. You are the first human being to hold the relic of an animal that lived 65 million years ago. As my friend Mary would say: "What are the chances?" The experience never fails to rock me to my core. It is a "high" that defies explanation. Some people get it (like Laurel, Carol and Jim), and others,(unmoved by the experience), I imagine explore other hobbies. Once you make that first "find" and the chills run down the back of your neck and your bones tingle as you hold it, you're hooked. Drugs are for sissies. Give me the Hell Creek formation and a week to prospect for fossils.

Just as the Cretaceous fossils inspire us to visualize the past and appreciate the wonder of their preservation, the badlands of today present us with an austere beauty that is punctuated by the tiniest flowers, and surprises hiding under a lupine: two perfect blue eggs in a nest. How lucky am I.





As always, I look forward to next season and the potential for finding my large fossil treasure. Until then, I will continue to read about fossils and learn more about dinosaur anatomy. The Triceratops horn requires attention and will provide hours of amusement, and I imagine, a fair amount of frustration. Determining what is fossilized bone versus botanic or even iron siderite may be challenging. I am committed to taking it slowly and carefully. Hopefully, nice quality (chocolate bone) will continue to emerge, and the prepared fossil will be recognizable. As I work on it, I can visualize the world these amazing creatures ruled, and our future fossil hunting adventures.

From time to time blog entries will be added and photos included to document the preparation of the horn and skull fragment.

Until then.

Cheers,

Momasaurus

Face Down in Hell Creek

Fossil Dig 2010


Update 8 July 2010


This year's dig season is winding down. I must admit I am pretty tired. Long days of digging or walkingand long nights cleaning fossils and writing my blog entries. I will rest when I return home. Except, the horn will arrive and I will want to work on that everyday. I guess I really am hooked on this dinosaur hunting business.

I had high hopes before yesterday's field session. I had spoken with prospectors who collected on the Miller ranch, (fish site ranch) last year. The stories ran something like this: the bones are coming out of the ground all over; you don't have to climb up high to find bones; the bones are sticking out of the walls; much better ranch than (fill in the blank of the ranch we were just on).

Let me give you a head's up here. These are like the fish stories that our uncles or grandfathers used to tell us. Yes, there is probably a grain of truth in each statement, but the reality is the same for every day we are out in the field. Yes there are fossils on the ground; yes you don't have to climb up high and yes there are bones sticking out of the walls. Now, if you happen to be in the location where these fossils are in those places, then you have a small chance of finding them. Just because the fossils are where they should be does not mean you will see them!

Then there is the issue of quality. Plenty of fossil material is on these ranches, and most of what I have seen is almost beyond recognition. Time and nature have had their way with the fossils and they have been turned to stone or dust or something in between. In any case, probably not the best quality for collecting and sharing with family and friends. (Though having said that, I am bringing a few of those fossils home, anyway).

Returning to my anticipation for the day. I was very excited to get out there and gather up all this remarkable "bone" that was within easy reach. I rode with
two brothers, one of whom found a Triceratop partial skull and frill last year. He was hoping to be able to excavate the rest of it and jacket it for the return drive to Georgia. His enthusiasm was contagious and my fantasies were multiplying as the minutes past.

We reached the place on the ranch where the vehicles could be parked and we could walk in many directions to different exposures. We had a few hours to collect in the morning and then we would meet at the cars for lunch. Two party members would stay out in the field for lunch because they were digging out ribs they found last year. (always last year)

I was by myself and headed to some buttes off to the right in the distance. We were cautioned to be aware of BLM land. (Bureau of Land Management) Absolutely no collecting on BLM land. I looked around the base of some of the butte and I climbed up in a number of places. I found plenty of bone, but it might have been collectible 50 years ago. I picked up a bit of scrap as I often do when I can't find anything fabulous. Steve found me after awhile and gave me a pep talk. He is very good at that.

Back to the cars for lunch and a bit of sharing. My driving companions had found a little but for the most part people were coming up empty handed. (literaly) Steve offered to lead, those who were interested, to microsites. Since the larger fossils had eluded me, I was more than willing to test myself on a microsite or two. I found my way to what looked like microsite terrain: gentle sloping hillside with lots of material on the ground and places where water has run off. There are often small plants growing and it is a good idea to look around their base for fossils that might be caught.

I found.....turtle shell; and lots of it. Since I remembered last year when I picked up quite a lot of turtle shell and glued 26 pieces together, I picked up all the turtle shell I could find from that one spill. It was as if the turtle's shell had just broken apart and tumnbled down this little wash. Time will tell if I found all the pieces. Seems unlikely, but I am hopeful that I have most of the pieces. It is a nice shade of grey. Often color changes once the fossil is removed from the field. Or maybe it is my perception.

I continued to scout around for more microsite fossils and found a reptile skull fragnment that looks like a fish tail, a fragment of a crocodile skull and dromaeosaur jaw fragment. That was the prize of the day. It was broken in two pieces and very bleached, but you can see clearly where the teeth would have been seated. Somewhere in my travels I also found a nice Ankylosaur skute. That was pretty much it for the day that I had such high hopes for in the morning.

Most people returned earlier to the cars than required. The mosquitoes were feasting on us around the vehicles and yet it was too warm to sit in the car and wait for our driver and his brother. The bug spray came out and everyone took a turn. Our brother arrived each carrying foil wrapped bones, which is a good sign. They found bone worth wrapping for preparation when they return home. In addition, Jim (Triceratops skull finder), found a nice microsite and he scored big there. I looked at his mini fossil treasures later that night. He is amazing. Has an eye like Rob or Ryan. This is his second year prospecting and clearly he is a natural.

The hour drive back was long and I was too tired to write so I spent some time cleaning my few finds and organizing this season's collection. I packed a box with fossils which I will take to the post office tomorrow. If I find something tomorrow that is too large to carry home with me....I should be so lucky, then I will make arrangements with Steve or Dana (friend here in Buffalo) to ship it.


8 July 2010


Another day and more opportunity to find a beautiful quality chocolate bone that will be handsome on our tansu in the living room. I have been visualizing this "find" for some time now. Though the horn from last week has potential, as Steve commented yesterday, it is about a D+. Oh that's harsh; especially after he encouraged me to excavate it. Anyway, I rode out again with the brothers and Jim is going to work on his Triceratops with Steve after he drops the rest of us off at the same place as yesterday.

We park and the group assembles for instructions. We are to come back for lunch at 12:00 because Steve wants to talk to us at that time. I head off to a butte on the left and find only a little scrap and a cow skeleton in a sink hole wash area. I walk around the butte and over to a smaller formation and found a mediocre microsite. I look there for about an hour (found a few things)and then it is time to return to the vehicles for lunch.

Jim and Steve are there briefly. Jim's brother comes back for a quick lunch. He found something on that large butte I had looked at earlier (he was on the other side and high), and wanted to get back to it with shovel and pick. Steve was testifying by telephone on a dinosaur case and had to leave, and Jim returned to his Triceratops site. No one else showed up for lunch at the appointed time so I returned to the field.

I wanted to see the where site Carol and John were excavating the ribs. I had an idea of where they were since I had seen them from a distance yesterday. Well, what I remembered and what is reality are not the same thing here in Hell Creek. I went out to where I thought I was yesterday, except when I got there it did not look familiar. I decided to follow the butte base for a distance, did not see much and then thought I would climb higher. The top of part of it was not out of reach so I set my goal to climb up there and get a look at the area from up high.

The view was amazing and I decided to climb down the other side. This is where I made my mistake. This is why it is called the "badlands". On the other side, everything looks so different. And the floor of the formation is a labyrinth. Though it appears you can walk out easily to the open area that I would recognize, that is not the case. I kept walking following this narrow wash and the deer tracks. I have to admit here that I was growing concerned that this was not the smartest move. That, indeed I should retrace my steps to return to the area I was more familiar with.

Then it happened. I tripped on a rock, fell onto the rocks in the narrow wash (about 12" wide) and caught myself with my hands. It was one of those slow motion accidents as I fell and held my chin just inches from the rocks. I was startled and thankful that I was not injured. I resolved to retrace my steps at least part way and then try to gain elevation to determine where I was. That strategy worked. I walked back about 25 yards and then climbed up the hill following deer (or antelope) tracks. What a relief. I knew where I was and all I needed to do at that point was find a way down the hill.

I followed the tracks and that worked mostly. For one part of the descent I actually took off my backpack and tossed it down before I climbed down a rather steep section. I was still a bit shaken and very much wishing that Laurel was with me this week. I never would have been out there alone if she had been here. Even though I had a radio, I could not have described my location. Better to be safe and having fun, than risking injury, or at the very least, inconveniencing everyone. Lesson learned.

The balance of the afternoon I spent walking around the floor of the formation and hoping that my sore ankle was temporary. I returned to the mediocre microsite and found a few things: two croc teeth, one manta ray tooth, a fish vert and the proximal end of the chevron of a therapod vert. I was satisfied.

I walked back to the vehicles for the return drive. Jim has prepared the Triceratops skull for jacketing tomorrow, and his brother dug up the bone and all the bits from his morning discovery. The other prospectors were pretty subdued so I surmise that the elusive "bones" of the earlier stories were just that.

After dinner, I asked Steve to identify some of the fossils. He obliged, and many of them I had guessed correctly. I believe my identification skills are improving. Don't get me wrong, there were many that I definitely had only a general idea of what part of the anatomy, and he provided essential details. That's why he is the expert.

Once again it is midnight, and I had a very challenging day. I learned a lot about myself and my limitations. Not soon forgotten, I hope. I will say good night.

Cheers,

Momasaurus

My Horn in Hell Creek

Fossil Dig 2010

Update 6 July 2010


Starting this entry late Tuesday night and promising myself it will be brief. So here is the short hand recap of the last two days. Monday the temperature dropped about 35 degrees and we were wearing layers of clothing to keep warm. The wind was brisk and the skies were threatening.

Students and "prospectors" met at the Tinker excavation site around 9:00. The original plan allowed prospectors to collect on the ranch and the students to continue excavating the bones discovered last week and dig another two new quadrants to look for more bones. The weather, however, had other plans and everyone was back in their vehicles and drove to the county road to wait out the rain.

Fortunately the rain past quickly and we were back to the site within the hour. The prospectors headed out with Rob and Steve and I waited for Ron to drive me over to the horn site. The students were left to continue the work as described.

Ron and Fred dropped me off at the bluff around 10:30 and said they would return around 1:00 to pick me up. I walked up to the horn and assembled my tools and began the work of excavating the Triceratops horn. Steve, Ron and Rob all agreed that there was good bone on the under side of the horn and that this excavation was appropriate. My job was to work around the perimeter of the fossil, then pedestal it for a plaster jacket. Having only watched this process in Wyoming last summer, I was on a steep learning curve.

I used the locking blade knife I borrowed from Rob since my Swiss Army knife was not suitable for the work and my bayonet blade knife is too large. I continued the work started by Steve, cleaning the matrix away from the edges of the fossil. I cleared matrix from the back of the fossil and removed some of the betonite that was in the hill above it as well. Fortunately the weather stayed cool and I was sheltered from the wind by the hill I was working behind. Really very enjoyable to be out there all by myself focussed on the task. Almost a meditation.

After about two hours I began to doubt once again the wisdom of this excavation. As I worked it appeared that the quality of the fossil was very poor and that the good bone predicted by the experts was not to be seen. I wondered if they were working on this fossil, would they just leave it to nature to continue the process of degradation. At the end of the day I did not want to feel that I had wasted my time.

Rob was hunting the hill next to the one I was working and he called out to me to find out how it was going. I answered that the bone quality was really poor and he acknowleged. That interaction made me really think that my efforts might reap few rewards. Yet the day was lovely and I did not want to give up so easily. I kept at it and at some point remembered a quote from Michelangelo regarding the sculpting process: the sculpture was hidden in the marble, and he was merely revealing it. Now, I am certainly not comparing myself to him but I did try to embrace this approach to my process. Hopefully there was something wonderful to be revealed.

Soon the fossil sort of released itself from the matrix and I was able to almost lift it off the dirt. I worked on the hillside a little more and in so doing uncovered "chocolate" bone. This is bone that is a beautiful chocolate brown color and of good quality. At last I felt the effort was worth it, and perhaps there would be more of this good bone on the underside, as the aforementioned gentlemen had predicted. I checked my watch and it was 2:30! Wow! Time flies. I continued removing matrix and was able to lift the horn and skull/frill off the ground.

Ron and Fred arrived full of apologies for being so late, which I said were unecessary since I had just reached a stopping point, realized a jacket was not required and the fossil could be wrapped in foil. Ron poked around a little more in the surrounding betonite and found a piece of nice bone that had fallen off when I lifted it. He suggested I might want to come back one day this week to look for more of the animal in the hill. Perhaps!? We wrapped it in foil and Ron carried it to the truck for me.

I heard about their adventures and finds. They did pretty well and found some good quality bone: part of a hadrosaur humerus, and a partial long bone. I offered to clean and assemble the broken pieces of the humerus. We drove back to the Tinker site and we waited for the others to return from the field. Eventually, Ron drove me to my car and transferred the fossil to the trunk. I drove back to the motel and carried the horn up to my room.

Since we returned from the field early I had lots of time for fossil work. I cleaned and glued the pieces of humerus and wrapped it up for Fred. I spent the next many hours working on the horn. By the end of the night it looked like a rectangular chip 'n dip tray. The partial horn is lying on what appears to be either skull or frill. Perhaps I am being too harsh, but it is really not the amazing fossil treasure I had imagined. The bone quality is extremely low except for a few places. I will ship it home to work on it myself; hardly worth paying a professional to prep it. I am content to accept it as a good piece on which to practice fossil prep techniques, so when I find the next, and more fabulous fossil, I will have more confidence and better skills.


Tuesday morning, cloudy and rainy. Rob had to return home to Chicago and then fly to Florida because his father is dying. Sad news. Collecting and excavating put on hold until 11:00. The excavating was cancelled for the day as far as I know. The prospectors and Steve drove out to the fish site after an early lunch in the motel garage. I rode with Jim and Gina since I did not want to risk driving the rental car to that site. It is one hour away in North Dakota on the Miller ranch and the roads are not too bad but the "road" on the ranch has lots of places to get stuck, especially after, or in the rain. We prospectors were given general directions of collection areas and Steve stayed behind to continue work on the paddle fish jacket.

We started out into the field around 1:00 and 5:00 was the established return time. I searched low places and high places and all in between. I went up little washes and down washes. I followed bone scrap up hill to find terribly old blown out fossils. In frustration I picked up a few bits just so I was doing something. (In the trash by nightfall) We got rained on for about an hour, but after that it was just a lovely cool afternoon walking around in magical country. Fossils or not, the natural beauty is intoxicating.

Headed back to the fish site in time to see the rancher driving the "bobcat" use the forklift to hoist that jacket completely onto the trailer. Success at last, as Ron drove his yellow truck with the trailer hitched to it, safely off the site. The prospectors returned and everyone headed back to Buffalo.

I spent more hours working on the horn in preparation for shipment. Dana has offered to take it to Spearfish to the UPS store. They are familiar with packing and shipping fossils so I am sure it will be in good hands. She will pick it up tomorrow. This is probably a good thing at this point since I am totally consumed by it and I need to stop work on it so I can get back to blogging and trying to get more than 6 hours of sleep a night. I did not even cook dinner. I need an Intervention!


Update to an earlier blog. I asked Rob to look at a few recent fossil finds and give me his educated opinion. He thinks that one of them is a toe bone from a baby Tyrannosaur rex that would have been the size of a dog. He also said I found a vertebra from a young T. rex. These are very good fossils (esp. toe bone) and much rarer than teeth.

Cheers,

Christine, Momasaurus

Laurel's Last Field Day and More

Fossil Dig 2010

Update 4 July 2010


Happy Fourth of July from Hell Creek!

Yesterday was Laurel's last day for this summer's field session. We were eager to get into the field and do our best to find fossil treasure. I was feeling very satisfied with my Triceratop's horn and other small goodies, and she would be thrilled to add a large fossil to her trophy from last season. Ron invted us to hunt on the "Tinker ranch" again so we drove out and parked the car near the dig site. We discussed possible locations and then we said good bye to Ron, since he was driving up to the fish site to assist in another attempt to load the jacketed paddle fish onto the trailer.

The weather was almost perfect: sunny skies, temperature high 60s and a brisk wind. No need for cooling vests. What a contrast to 24 hours earlier. We were delighted.
We decided to start walking about 100 yards left of the Tinker dig site, toward the bluff we had hunted earlier in the week. Staying close to the top of the formation, we kept our heads down and looked for the telltale "spill" of fossil material. We both found bits here and there but nothing to indicate anything significant.

Laurel found a very interesting bone that we found out today is probably from a dromaeosaurus. It is hollow (like a bird), and could be a limb bone which is very rare. The proximal end (end closest to the body) is unusual and may be an indication of some abnormality. Rob speculates that it could be the ulna (front lower arm bone). Though incomplete, it is beautiful.

She continued along the perimeter and I ventured down to the floor of the formation. Tricky business navigating the betonite and iron siderite and the occasional small cactus; while still looking for fossils. I was not chewing gum at the same time! I looked around a few places in the maze of the floor. I always checked behind me so I could find my way back up the hill. So easy to get lost down there. Not finding anything, I retraced my steps and climbed up to look for Laurel.

Just as I reached my starting point, she called to me and said she found a spill. I walked to her location and stooped down to take a look. Sure enough she had found a small microsite (one of my favorite places to gather tiny treasures). I took off my pack and settled down to comb the area. She picked up a few pieces and then continued her search of the perimeter. She was trying to locate a large fossil she had seen from our earlier walk with Ron from the top of the area.

Time stood still for me as I slowly scanned the surface for fossils. I found many, and had a most enjoyable and rewarding late morning. I was out of the wind but could hear it blowing in the grasses above me. The skies had become cloudy so the lighting was subdued. The occasional bird darted past, chirping. Insects buzzed and clicked. I was in heaven. We were prospecting for fossils all by ourselves and doing a fine job at that.

Laurel returned announcing that it was time for lunch. Good thing she was paying attention, since I was in a fossil euphoria and completely unaware of the passing hours. We sat there eating our usual lunch: rice tortillas with almond butter, carrot and celery sticks, cherries and maybe a little trail mix. The view was fabulous, the company divine, and though we had experienced a few sprinkles, the clouds were beginning to blow away. We both find this area to be exhilarating and renewing. We chat about all sorts of subjects or simply soak up the experience in contented silence. I know I try to capture the visceral sensations for later use when I am stressed about something or merely want to recall the bliss of the moment.

After lunch we decided to continue our trekking with a few side trips to lower sections, when we felt we could navigate safely. Laurel had moved onto a new area while I took a "break" and when I returned she had found some turtle shell. She is not that keen on keeping turtle shell, but these two (possibly more) pieces were in great condition and a beautiful grey color. Two of the pieces fit together perfectly so they probably broke in the spill over the siderite. (Just a guess)

This particular area was especially unstable for standing and walking due to the sharp edged siderite that littered the surface of betonite and sandstone. Kudos to Laurel for attempting to collect on that. She bagged the turtle somewhat reluctantly, I think, while I moved up and over to the left where we thought we might try an ascent. (We could not continue to the right.) I was reaching my left arm up to steady myself on the ground, while I looked for a secure foothold for my right foot, when my eye caught the sheen of tooth enamel sitting on top of siderite pieces on the crest of this spillway. The sun had just emerged and the light hitting the tooth was like a tiny beacon.

Don't get too excited...it was not a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth, but let me admit that it took my breath away. I had to tell myself to calm down and breathe and pay attention to the precarious position I was in. I was afterall sort of half clinging to the spillway and trying to find a way to sit comfortably while I got out a collecting bottle and grasped that tooth. It is all very complicated when you are trying to do all these motions and not injure yourself in the process. The siderite was digging into my knees but I dard not adjust my position until I had that tooth safely in my fingers and into the canister.

All this time Laurel is cheering my find and congratulating me and I am absolutely speechless. Whew! I don't know what it is about these things, but they have powerful magic. This tooth is particularly beautiful, and I was almost positive it is from a Nanotyrannosaur. The enamel is medium grey,(some enamel is worn off at the base). It has excellent quality serrations on both edges. It is a full inch long and almost one half inch at the base. The color was helpful in spotting it since the background was the reddish iron siderite. Color contrast helps in locating fossils, as does shape of the fossil, ie. vertebra, tooth, claw, toe bone etc. What a successful day so far for me. Many thanks.

Laurel was still hoping to locate the elusive fossil from that morning so we headed up to the top again to retrace our steps and spot it from above. Once on top we decided to unload our backpacks of the heavy fossil scrap we collected for donation and I wrapped the tooth in foil, replaced it in the container, and left it in the car. We grabbed more water bottles and decided to walk toward the bluff we had collected at earlier in the week, but this time try down in the maze of the floor of the formation. We saw some of the golden sand lower down and thought that might be fruitful. This color had been a good indicator of successful hunting for others.

We gave ourselves three hours to collect before we needed to leave and get ready for the dinner at Fred and Karen's ranch house (Tinker site ranch). The day was heating up and in the floor of the formation you lose the bit of breeze that is so refreshing up top. We each took a side of the formation to scout for spill or scrap.
I found a few pieces of scrap but no spill and Laurel found a spill with a little turtle and bone scrap. Our hour plus of walking proved fruitless and we were pretty frustrated. Then we were faced with the up hill climb back to the start. We determined that our workout schedule here in Hell Creek was alternating upper body (digging and lifting dirt) and lower body (walking up and down hills). Have to keep our spirits up.

Though a bit discouraged, we did not want to throw in the towel. We drove up to the excavation site and headed out from there. We chose a similar route to one we had covered before but with a few variations. All the while we were trying to reach the almost impossible to reach golden sandy bands. Attempting different approaches could not get us easily and safely to our goal. We had to admit that we were tired and that it might be prudent to call it a day and head back to the Tipperary Motel for a wonderful hot shower. We congratulated ourselves for our first successful fossil hunt without "adult" supervision. We were safe, and we had a marvelous time. Laurel, though disappointed, had a "perfect day", and I of course concurred.

Dinner at the ranch house was most enjoyable. Our hosts, Fred and Karn are generous friendly people who opened their home and hearts to us for the evening. Karen took all the students who were interested, out to meet the horses and let them have a quick ride. The owner of the ranch also came out for dinner and he was just as warm and welcoming. Laurel and I took the bottle of Red Ass Rhubarb wine and the watermelon to our hosts. Though they do not drink they insisted that we open the bottle. Since it was Laurel's last night and bones had been found on the Tinker site, we felt a mini celebration was in order. A toast to new friends and old bones! Drinking rhubarb wine one minute and then hearing Karen say the she baked a rhubarb crisp for dessert. What are the chances. I love it when that happens.
It was a great way to end a fabulous day.

We returned to the Motel to clean fossils and organize Laurel's stuff for her departure. She is leaving food and other supplies with me so that she can pack all of her fossils and does not have to ship them home. I spent hours cleaning fossils and cleaning up the room and once again did not go to bed until midnight. So tired.


This morning we had breakfast and packed the car for our trip to the Rapid City Airport. We were to meet Ron and Rob and others at the Cafe around nine. We arrived there earlier to find it closed (holiday) and Theresa in the parking lot waiting for Steve. He was to arrive any minute to pick up breakfast fixings and deliver them to the students. Once Steve arrived, Laurel asked if he would look at her fossils, and he obliged. After identifying them for her, they said their farewells and we returned to the motel to glue one of her fossils (Steve's insistence). She has a piece of iron siderite with a Triceratops tooth embedded in it. He said the tooth should be glued and the piece wrapped in foil for transport. Another unique and wonderful work of nature.

Ron called while we were at the motel and really wanted to see Laurel before she left. We agreed to meet him at the cafe parking lot in ten minutes. Good thing we had an early start. Ron arrived with Rob and they looked at Laurel's fossils and then checked out the Nano tooth (they both confirmed my ID), and a few other microsite finds. Out of the four specimens that I thought were teeth, two were bone. I still have so much to learn.

Good byes exchanged and we were finally on our way to Rapid City. By then we were behind schedule and I know Laurel was a bit nervous. Then we hit rain for almost and hour and a half. That slowed us down a little, in addition to the two lane roads with slow traffic and no passing. We stopped in Sturgis for T shirts...a yearly buying ritual for those Harley Davidson enthusiasts (Laurel's husband). We reached the airport 30 minutes before her flight. I helped her with her luggage and parked the car. I ran into the airport to pick up another map and to see if her luggage checked in OK under the weight limit. I caught her just as she was heading up to security. The luggage was good to go and so was she. It was very hard to say good bye to my dear friend and fossil lover. The next week will not be the same without her.

I quickly returned to the car and drove to the Walmart for supplies for my meals and some anti itch cream for the mosquito bites that are annoying me. I spoke to my mom on the phone and shared with her the highlights of the week. She is enjoying reading this blog and that makes me so happy. The ride back to Buffalo was gorgeous. The skies were blue with various cloud formations. I listened to a chanting CD and marveled again at the natural beauty of the Black Hills and the Badlands. How lucky am I. Thank you fossil gods and faries.

Cheers,

Christine, Momasaurus

Still Digging for Some Reward

Fossil Dig 2010

Update 2 July 2010


After a late night of blog writing and insufficient sleep, I approached the day cautiously. Fatigue and heat are not a winning combination. Breakfast was made with my eyes half open and I secretly longed for a cafe latte, (leaded, as my father would say). After yummy hot cereal and a cup of tea, I began to brighten and focused on the day's potential; Steve will confirm the Triceratops brow horn, and the Tinker site will finally reveal its hidden bones.

We saw Steve at the cafe and he asked that we work the site in the morning and collect in the afternoon (or return to the horn). We made a quick stop at the market for additional lunch supplies and dinner veggies. We also bought heavy foil for wrapping fossils and zip lock bags, for food and fossils. We reached the site around 9:30 and the team was hard at work.

Steve changed his mind about our schedule and asked that we collect in the morning and work the site in the afternoon since some of the team would be missing. (more on that later). We gathered our packs and plenty of water and waited for Ron since he offered to drive us to the "horn" site. We wanted to continue hunting on the larger butte next to the smaller one where the Triceratops horn was discovered. Laurel had found some interesting scrap pieces and we wanted to see if there was more in the area.

We reached the site around 11:00 and confirmed with Ron that he would pick us up at 12:30. We headed over to the taller butte we called the "saddle" because of its top. Walking around the base and looking at the ground and the wall, I noticed a familiar shape in the wall. Though the coloration was almost identical to the clay/matrix, it was stuck in, this dromeosaur tail vertebra was calling to me. I carefully pried it out with my knife and marveled at it's near perfection. What a beauty. A fabulous start to the day!

I climbed up to the next level and as I was walking a gust of wind knocked my hat off. This is serious because you do not want to be hat less in this blazing sun. I gingerly walked at a quick pace on that treacherous betonite to chase down my precious hat. Fortunately a tiny bush had stopped it from flying even farther away. I captured it and adjusted the chin strap so that it was practically choking me. As I reoriented myself I looked at the betonite in front of me and found a tiny Gar (fish) scale. First one this season. (They are usually the first thing you learn to spot because many of them are shiny black and therefore easy to see on the various soil surfaces.) Not far from the scale was a somewhat familiar shape that could have been iron siderite, which is often in this same shape, but this time was a Triceratops shed tooth. Now this is fossil hunting!

Laurel and I continued to look around the base and next easiest level of the saddle butte and then moved back to the smaller butte where the horn is located. We were getting hot and tired and Ron was due soon. Laurel found a good spill of decent size bone and we dug into the ground a bit. Some of the bone was so deteriorated it was literally powder. Too bad because some of the fragments were very good. She kept some of them.

We walked over to the horn and she took a picture of me with it. Since the time for our ride had arrived, we climbed down the bluff, which in this case is very easy, and waited in the grass for Ron. We decided to eat lunch because it was after 12:30 and in the event he had been hung up at the site we could use this delay to rest and refresh. (As best we could in the heat and no shade).

Near 1:00 Ron arrived with Steve who had agreed to come out to inspect the discovery. He agreed it is a Triceratops horn; probably brow horn, and after clearing some of the matrix from below the horn he thinks it might be resting on some frill. The bone that he believes is frill is a lovely shade of brown and with any luck the underside of the fossil horn will also be this color and quality. He instructed me on how to proceed on the preparation of it for jacketing. The work will require patience and all the right tools: knife, brush, glue and eventually plaster and fiberglass. My first jacketed fossil. I hope there will be enough time next week to accomplish the task.

I confessed that I was a little nervous about his appraisal of the fossil and its worthiness for removing and restoring. He assured me that if he had found it he would do just what I will be doing. It is definitely worth keeping. Hooray!

Laurel is trying to convince me that I should ship it home and do the preparation myself. I am willing to consider that option after I have a the opportunity to work with it in the field and hopefully get a glimpse of the condition of the bone on the underside. Even if I am overwhelmed by the task once I get home, I could probably find someone locally to work on it. I am excited about the possibility of the project. First things first....get it safely out of the ground and in a jacket.

We returned to the Tinker site and finished lunch.

The Tinker team worked in the morning excavating the two areas that Steve targeted as priorities. Near lunchtime one rib bone was discovered. It is going into the hill opposite of the hill that was lowered by the CAT earlier in the week. There is even more overburden on this hill and I do not know if the CAT will be returning this year or next to help with the excavation process. Since I was not at the site during this time I do not know how the decision was made to continue excavating the quadrant and leave the rib for some later date.

Two students returned home today and Theresa drove them to the airport in Rapid City and then shopped at the WalMart for supplies. Laurel and I were requested to help on the site in the afternoon since four people were missing. As it turned out, because the dig space was reduced and much of the work was now being done with hand trowels and brushes, we felt like fifth wheels.

Standing around looking stupid is not my style. The afternoons really heat up and today was no exception, low 90s again. So we waited until some of the team took a shade break and we picked up shovels and began filling buckets with dirt. We have had plenty of practice at this task during the last four days so we hit an easy rhythm pretty quickly. We successfully lowered the overburden to the level required and then it was time to clean up the site and organize the tools for Monday.

As it turned out we did not work on the site much today, and that is somewhat regrettable since multiple bones were discovered. It would have been nice to be part of that. On the other hand, most of the students have been working together for three weeks this summer and our participation during the most rewarding hours is probably somewhat of an intrusion. I may have a chance next week when the team returns to the site on Monday. I am scheduled to assist on the Tinker site and then work on my Triceratops horn. More to come.

We set out for more personal collecting after everyone was released. Ron decided to join us (he just can't resist the "hunt"), and he drove us to another area to try our luck. We are very cautious about our descent and ascents on these treacherous formations of the "Badlands" so we found a reasonably easy way down to the base of the "hills". The whole area is somewhat deceiving because from a distance you see lots of green grass with the occasional butte or promontory. When you are in the middle of it, it is a maze of washes and elevations of betonite and sandstone. It is easy to get lost if you are not paying attention to some "landmark" from time to time and it is easy to slip on the unstable footing of betonite, iron siderite pieces or sandstone.

We worked our way down while keeping our eyes on the ground and the walls of the formations for the telltale signs of fossil. We really did not find much. I found a little scrap here and there and a broken bone which may be a process from a small vertebra. Laurel found lots of cattle bones and I found a cow skeleton with the spine still articulated and suspended across a narrow crevice created by a sink hole.
That was too eery to photograph, sorry.

We returned to the truck before Ron. He arrived some time later carrying a nice antler and a few bone fragments the size of the palm of your hand. He said he found so much bone he couldn't carry it. (No back pack or zip lock bags). We were happy for him, but oh so disappointed that our efforts had not yielded the same treasures.
It is true that he risked a serious accident when he had to slide all the way down a sharp hill because the descent was so steep. I imagine there was another approach to the area if one was determined to find it.

Overall, knowing that the two "prospectors" from Georgia had a fabulous day finding incredible bones in a 10' by 10' area, we left the field pretty disappointed. I know that Laurel is especially discouraged since tomorrow is her last day and we are not sure of our collecting prospects. Ron is trying to help us in any way he can, and he has been more than generous with his time and support for our collecting time on the ranch. We really appreciate his efforts. We are so happy for him now that bones are being uncovered on the Tinker site. He is justifiably thrilled.

I am thankful for my beautiful horn and the additional fossils I found this morning. This next week will provide some exciting "firsts" for me as I work on the horn in preparation for jacketing. WOW! Lucky me. Hooray!

Congratulations to all of the team for their hard work on the Tinker site. What an incredible job!


Cheers,

Christine , Momasaurus

Diggin Disappointment and a Thrill

Fossil Dig 2010

Update 1 July 2010


This morning was slightly cooler after the thunderstorm, though the humidity was significant. After breakfast we headed to the cafe for the morning briefing but stopped to talk to the students who were at the motel garage loading supplies. They let us know that the team was meeting at the cafe at 8:30 and we would know at that time if work at the site would resume. The rain might have delayed our schedule, and Ron was going to let Steve know the status.

We arrived at the cafe and everyone was loading into the vehicles to drive to the Tinker site. We actually got a head start and arrived at the site before the rest. It was interesting to see the area without a crowd of people, and the amount of work that has occurred over the last three days.

Today was much the same as yesterday... pick, dig, drink, rest, lunch, pick, dig, drink, rest, screen. The temperature rose pretty quickly and I must say that without our cooling vests, Laurel and I would be sitting under the canopy all day. They are a life saver. After lunch we soak them again in the water at the bottom of the cooler, and that revives us for the afternoon shift and the later collection time. Most of the team wears t shirts, tank tops, and shorts. They are sunburned and fatigued, and I am convinced that effects their ability to work into the afternoon. Laurel and I want to "mother" all of them, but it really is not our job, and we resist the temptation as best we can.

There was one accident. A male student cut his thumb in such a place that the bleeding could not be stopped so Mitch drove him to the medical clinic in town for stitches and a tetanus shot.

More visitors to the site today: Mark and Jody, friends of Ron; the ranch foremnan and his wife, Karen; and two new "prospectors'. They all pitched in and helped with the overburden removal. Our little group got into a nice groove of two guys picking (swinging pick axe), then two of us (Laurel and I) shoveling the dirt into buckets, and one of the guys emptying the buckets. Repeat from the beginning over and over. I could work for about 15-20 minutes and then had to drink water. The high humidity made us feel the heat more. We worked this way until lunch at 12:00.

Lunch under the canopy (Bud Light Banner), was a relief after a few hours in that heat. Steve decided to abandon our quadrant for now and focused the effort in the opposite direction and across to the base of the opposite wall. I must admit to being somewhat frustrated with his decision because it would mean that our work to date, was at some level, for nothing. However, I am not the captain of this ship (pirate or otherwise) and I keep my mouth shut, mostly.

Since the digging space shrunk after lunch, Laurel and I decided to rest a bit and watch the early afternoon unfold. As people on the team tired, and retired to the shade, we decided to take their place and dig a bit more. The temperature in the mid afternoon rises until late evening so the work after lunch is effected accordingly. I walked over to the screen table to see what Ron and Steve were discovering and I was invited to join them. Buckets from different levels in the site were being screened for small fossils, bone and botanical. I had beginner's luck and within about a minute I found a very small bone fragment. Only a few had been found all day... hardly what everyone was expecting. Visions of leg bones had been motivating us for hours.

Steve called quitting time around 3:30 and most of the team returned to town. Some went collecting for the hour allotted. Ron generously offered to guide us to a couple of buttes that he said had been productive in the past. We followed his truck in our car and parked near the ranch road. He drove us to one butte and got out to show us the site more closely. As I was clasping the waist strap on my back pack Laurel spotted spill and just as quickly found bone peeking out of the wall. Damn, that girl is good! Ron was as excited as the two of us and helped her remove the bone from the matrix (rib fragment of a hadrosaur).

She continued walking around the butte to the right and I went left. Perched on a mud spill about 4 feet high was a strange triangular shaped object. At first I thought it was fossil bone and when I picked it up it looked like sandstone on the bottom. A bit confounded I just replaced it. I found a small spill and followed it up a ways but nothing revealed itself except a small vertebra fragment. It is similar to one I have at home, but I cannot remember what it is. That is why we ask the experts, which I will do tomorrow.

I retraced my steps to see the progress on the fossil removal. Since Laurel's supplies were there but neither she nor Ron, I kept walking in that direction. I soon found Ron up ahead and I looked at a small run off area where I found some strange bone pieces. I called to Ron who confirmed my thinking that the unusual fossil material was Tyrannosaurs rex bone. Very small pieces but interesting, and I will be happy to donate them to a school.

Ron and I returned to the rib site and then continued around to find Laurel. When we met her she asked me if I had seen the strange "thing" on the mud. I confirmed that I had but was uncertain about it being bone material. I located it again and showed Ron, who determined it was bone. Laurel generously allowed me to keep it.
(She is a darling)

As we headed back to the rib, Ron asked us if we wanted to continue and he would drive us to another butte. Tired though we were, our enthusiasm for collecting rose to the occasion and we happily agreed to go.

We drove to the new butte and the three of us split up: Ron walked to the right, I headed up and to the left and Laurel stayed low and left. I found nothing as I walked around the perimeter of the not very tall butte. It wasn't too scary or slippery, and since it was getting late and we were more tired than we wanted to admit, being safe was essential. I continued around to the right and just a few feet before the end of the butte I spotted IT. Now at last I found something larger than the palm of my hand.

It is extremely weathered and fragile. I put my knife next to it and took a photo. After a few minutes I looked up to see Ron coming from the same direction I had walked. I called to him saying that I found something but it is terribly weathered. He walked over and exclaimed that yes indeed I had found something. He admitted that he had spotted it earlier but was hoping one of us would see it. How kind of him. Not everyone is so generous with fossil finds, trust me.

He thought we should try to remove some of the matrix, in this case the betonite it is resting in. We worked carefully for about 20 minutes. Laurel found us and is so excited that I finally have a big treasure. It is even more fun to share the thrill with a friend. Laurel walked over to the larger butte adjacent to the one we were on and Ron and I continued to pick the mud away from the fossil.

We are cautiously optimistic that what I have found is a horn from a Triceratops. There maybe some skull attached but we did not want to attempt to excavate it so late in the day. I am hoping that Steve will be able to look at it in the morning, identify it and give me some tips for safe removal. I really wish he had the time to help me with the task, but I know his priority lies with Tinker.

Needless to say, though I am tired and sore, I am ecstatic. I can hardly wait for tomorrow and discovering more about this find. I am trying to moderate my emotions, but I really want to scream and jump for joy. All in good time...I hope.

Laurel returned and shared her finds. She has a very unusually shaped bone fragment and additonal pieces. Perhaps it is from a pelvis. Steve will no doubt know what bone it is and the species of animal. She thinks there is more of it higher and wants to return tomorrow. Ron is thrilled for both of us and though he is disappointed about the results at the Tinker site, he is always the optimist and believes tomorrow will be the day that more Tinker bones will be uncovered. I hope his years of sacrifice and determination are rewarded with a nice femur.

More fun tonight when I recounted the tales of the day to Walt. He shares my excitement, since this year I will be shipping home a box with a fossil treasure instead of carrying it in a gem box in my back pack. There is still plenty of time to find a nice tooth or claw! And I do appreciate all my fossils.

Thank you fossil gods and fairies. It was an extraordinary day.

Cheers,

Christine, Momasaurus

Diggin in Hell Creek

Fossil Dig 2010


Update 30 June 2010


We had a thunderstorm last night after a searing hot day in the field at the Tinker site. I did not write the blog entry because of the power fluctuations. I was afraid I might lose my work, so that is my excuse. The following is a brief re-cap of the day.

Dig. Dig. Pick. Dig. Dig. Pick. Dig. Drink water. Dig. Pick. Dig. Dig. Eat lunch. Dig. Pick. Dig. Drink water. Pick. Dig. Drink water. Rest in the shade. The team spent the day on the site doing variations on this theme. Some spent more time in the shade than others. Some chatted while leaning on shovels or sitting on the dirt. Some worked all day. I think you get the picture.

The team was divided into quadrants to work down the overburden. At some point Steve designated a small section as a test site and they lowered it further than the others to try to determine if there was fossil material in it. By mid afternoon the temperature was hovering around 95 and the humidity was building with very little breeze. The team was hot and tired and the work pace had slowed measurably. Wisely, Steve called quitting time around 3:30.

The site had more visitors including another of Ron's lawyers (Jane) and two of her sons. As we were getting our gear together to prospect for an hour (Steve gave us permission), Ron called us over to an unfamiliar truck to meet Cliff and Sandy Linster. They are famous for many dinosaur discoveries including Bambiraptor and Maiasaurus. Cliff stepped out of the truck to speak with us and he is vibrant and enthusiastic about fossil collecting and dinosaurs. He showed us fabulous photos of the dinosaurs he has discovered and how they have been mounted for display at the Childrens Museum of Indianapolis and the American Museum of Natural History. It was truly a thrill to get to meet them.

We decided to drive closer to the formation we collected the day before and gather the Triceratops frill we had seen. I located the frill and gathered and wrapped the pieces in foil for cleaning after I get home. It is going to be a challenging puzzle. There are a few pieces the size of the palm of a hand, but the majority are much smaller. In addition, I found one small fragment of ossified tendon. In some species this was part of the anatomy that helped support the tail. I am not sure if it had the same purpose in the Ceratopsians. Will do some research on that.

Since we were hot and tired and sore, we headed back to the car and drove to the market for dinner supplies. Back at the motel we had very welcome hot showers and a quick dinner. The thunderstorm was dramatic...lots of lightening and thunder and rain. (Some concern for the site since nothing was tarped) I had a wonderful long talk with Walt and then did some stretches before retiring. Tomorrow promised to be more of the same, with the hope that the bone layer would be revealed. The novelty is beginning to wear thin, for some.


Cheers,

Christine, Momasaurus

The Dig Begins

Fossil Dig 2010


Update 29 June 2010


This entry will be brief and to the point. We signed up for a dig and we were not disappointed. I remember when I was working in my garden last year (lots of intense digging and excavation of rocks), and jokingly thought it was good conditioning for the T.rex excavation. Hah! No joke. This was one tough day.

We woke to sunny skies and a stiff breeze. Knowing the temperatures are supposed to rise during the week, we welcomed the wind. After breakfast in my room and a short overview of the field day at the cafe, we packed the car and drove to the Tinker site by ourselves. We overshot the turnoff by 1/2 mile, but caught our mistake and quickly righted ourselves.

We reached the site to find the students hanging around as the CAT driver continued to work. I, for one, was happy to see him back on the job. The more overburden the machinery could remove, the easier our job would be. The driver would periodically stop and confer with Steve and Ron to determine how far down to scrape. If an area looked to be revealing something of interest, Ron, Steve and sometimes a few students would look closely to determine if the scraping had gone far enough.

Some time passed and a number of new visitors arrived on the site. My understanding is that they are investors in the site and have come to Buffalo to see for themselves what is going on in Hell Creek. One of the visitors is the lawyer who helped Ron win his cases in the custody battle over Tinker. All are welcome and I an sure they will return tomorrow to continue to watch the progress.

We finally received our working orders and as the introduction suggests, we dug. That is not to say that everyone grabbed a shovel and dug holes until lunch break. Our instructions were very specific as to how deep to dig the first layer for removal. Buckets of soil were hauled to the edge of the plateau and dumped over the side. Eventually a second wheel barrow arrived, along with more shovels, and the earth hauling process was made somewhat easier. The entire team was working on the site. The majority were digging and hauling dirt, someone wielded the pick to loosten the really hard material, a few people were measuring and gridding the site to create a map, and Steve oversaw the work with Ron as his co-commander.

This beehive of activity went on until Steve called for lunch break. What a relief. Laurel and I found a decent place to sit on a dirt mound and eat our lunch and share a few moments with Steve. We always enjoy hearing about his various projects beyond those that involve 65 million year old dinosaur fossils. Being the boss, he was quickly called away to address some aspect of the dig. We lingered for some time after the others returned to work. Since we are of an age that most of the team will not see for 4 decades, we gave ourselves permission to enjoy an extended "lunch hour".

Soon enough we each picked up a shovel and went back to the digging. Steve had high hopes of removing one layer off the plateau by 4:30. By 2:00 the team began to lag behind schedule. Water breaks were more frequent and longer and in some cases people just stood around or leaned against the truck or on their shovels. Actions speak louder than words and in this case it was the absence of action. People were hot and tired and I for one, wished that the CAT had been working on this area longer since no fossil mnaterial was found at this level. I did not question the commander on this point.

The digging continued until about 3:30, the site was organised for tomorrow and the troops were released. We were given the option of collecting, and though tired and sore, Laurel and I put on our backpacks and headed to an area we were told had raptor (actually now referred to as dromeosaur) teeth and bone. The walk was easy and beautiful and since the wind had been with us all day the temperature even in the later afternoon was bearable. Lucky for us.

Ron's friend, Mitch went with us but with the wind blowing so hard it was impossible to carry on a conversation. We walked various parts of the formation, and once again Laurel found a Triceratops frill spill. There are some nice size fragments, and though weathered, they are beautiful. We left them there and may go back with glue and foil to stabilize and wrap them. She may not want them, but I would like to try to put them together.

I was up higher on some of the crusty betonite when I spotted a familiar shape: a Champsosaurus vertebra It is the largest I have found to date (golf ball size) and in relatively good condition. I also found a partial crocodile scute, a fragment of ossified tendon and a possible fossilized seed pod or insect larvae. Hope to get that identified tomorrow. Alas, no teeth or claws. Still, a beautiful hour or so spent in gorgeous country doing what I love. A great day.

We got a lift back to the cars from Ron and then headed back to town. Brief stop at the market and then onto the Tipperary for a most welcome shower and dinner. Promised myself to write a brief entry and try to get to sleep before midnight! Tomorrow will be another day of digging, digging and more digging. This back needs some rest.

Cheers,

Christine, Momasaurus


*I do want to add a note to yesterday's entry. Gary came by the motel and found us as we were leaving for the site. I ran upstairs to collect the potential artifact I found on his ranch last summer. He allows prospectors to keep fossil material, but he collects artifacts and has a beautiful and impressive collection. I showed him what I found and he said that yeah it was a scraper. So that was it. He has a new addition and I have the satisfaction of knowing that my beautiful scraper (white and translucent) is important enough to be included. We hope to get together with he and his wife Dana before Laurel leaves on Sunday.

Tinker Site Introduction

Fossil Dig 2010


28 June 2010 (My Wedding Anniversary #28!)

This day finally arrived. The day we have been anticipating for two years. Laurel and I had a restless night and attributed that to our excitement. We had breakfast and packed our lunches, soaked our cooling vests and met the team around 8:30. We followed Jim (the photographer) and Gina (his daughter) out to the site about 20 minutes from town.

The site is on land much like many other ranches we have prospected the past three years. There is lots of grass and cactus, lupine and sage. The betonite is very hard when dry and sharp if you fall on it just right. There are areas that have many pieces of iron siderite littered over the hard betonite and sandstone. These create a very unstable footing, especially when the area you are walking is an incline. Walking requires your full attention, which to be honest is not where you want your focus. Remember, we are trying to find fossils. It is important not to slip and break something, so I find myself in constant conflict...safety or treasure.

We arrived about the time the Caterpillar driver was positioning his equipment to begin removing the hill near the site and part of the overburden. Since we looked pretty silly standing around watching him, Steve gave all of us permission to look for fossils for one hour. The troops scattered over the formation to try our luck. I found the usual scrap fossil pieces and this year have decided not to bring home every piece I find. I did find one partial vertebra of some very small creature; perhaps a salamander. Returned to the Tinker site to see the progress. I don't believe anyone struck gold (so to say), at least no one was sharing.

After some discussion of how best to use the team for the day, we were included in the screening process. Since the excavation is being conducted much like an archaeological dig, there are many aspects that require lots of data collection and documentation. On one particular small plateau, four holes were dug each 12 inches deep. The holes are numbered and the contents of one bucket of soil from each hole is screened for fossil material. If anything is found it is noted on a corresponding numbered zip lock bag and then the holes are filled in again. If fossils had been discovered in the sifting process, then extensive grading would not proceed there. We did not find any fossils at that depth so I believe that plateau will be scraped by the CAT.

Note that the plateau we worked on is sited above the wash where Tinker was discovered. Part of the work today was to determine if there is more T.rex material in the higher parts of the general site. Some very weathered and small T.rex pieces were found at an even higher level where the CAT was scraping. Steve and Ron (Tinker's owner) decided that this material was probably not from Tinker and the two juvenile T. rex. However, those pieces were bagged and labeled.

Some of the students were in the main wash (dig site) removing plant material, and others carried tools down from the vehicles. A few students were sent back to the fish site to continue working on the paddle fish jacket. Others were sent to town for supplies and a new wheelbarrow tire. Lunch at noon, was earlier than our usual 1:30, since we were on the same schedule as the CAT driver.


The screens were moved down to the main dig site and we sifted many more buckets to collect any additional fossil material. Both sifting groups found some small fossil bone scrap and some botanicals. Again each bucket of soil was numbered and if fossils were found from that bucketful, the zip lock bag was numbered to match. It was great to be assisting in this effort and it is clear that many hands are required to accomplish this large project. Thank goodness for the CAT driver. He literally moved "hills".

That effort ended our first day on the job. The CAT driver continued working and Steve allowed us to collect for another hour. Even though we were hot and tired, the lure of 65 million year old treasure is hard to resist. We grabbed extra water bottles and headed out again. I found the usual spills of weathered fossil scrap. However in one little rivulet I found a very unusual small complete bone that looked like a metacarpal (hand bone) or metatarsal (foot bone). I initially thought it might be a vertebra but it had small indentations that made me think of a hand or foot bone. It is also strangely colored and lighter than many fossils so I was afraid it might be a modern bone in masquerade. Just inches away from that was another tiny fossil (size of a pea). It looked like a vertebra to me. Into my film canister they went for safe keeping until I could show Steve.

I continued my quest and knew it was getting close to time to return to the cars. I got a call on the radio from Laurel who had found a "spill" of something. I found her just around the corner from me and helped her pick up some Triceratops frill, and as we found out later, skull. She has some very nice pieces which will be beautiful when washed. We checked out a couple of ant hills...no goodies.

We returned to the cars to find Steve and Ron watching the CAT driver continue removing the overburden. The more he can remove the easier it will be for the students wielding shovels. The cost of the CAT is around $1,000 a day. Money well spent but I don't know how many days are in the overall budget. Guess we will find out tomorrow.

I asked Steve to take a look at my tiny treasures and he was impressed with both little finds. He thinks the one is indeed from a therapod (meat eating dinosaur)and is either a metacarpal or metatarsal. Ron agreed but I note a bit of hesitation in both of their voices. Perhaps Rob can weigh in with his opinion next week. They are of one opinion concerning the vertebra; infant hadrosaur tail vertebra. Once again I am the queen of little "stuff". I am very pleased with them and as I write this they are in their bath getting ready for display in their individual gem cases. My beautiful 65 million year old tiny treasures. Thank you Fossil gods.

The field day was finished for us and after a brief stop at the local market, we headed back to the Tipperary Lodge Motel for a welcome hot shower and dinner. Early call tomorrow with an 8:00 briefing for the days goals in the field, requires an earlier bedtime...no more midnight blogging for me.

Extra note tonight: Happy Anniversary Walt. I love you and thank you for supporting my crazy passion for really old stuff.

Cheers,

Christine, Momasaurus

First Days in Hell Creek

Fossil Dig 2010

Update 27 June 2010

Laurel and I arrived on schedule in Rapid City yesterday early afternoon. I barely made the flight from the Santa Ana, John Wayne Airport due to the infinite security lines. A very stressful launch to the trip. Anyway, we picked up our rental car and drove south to Hill City and the Black Hills Institute and Museum. We were impressed with the "makeover" that the collection has experienced since our visit last year. All the displays were cleaned and rearranged to make room for more fossil skeletons.

The Tyrranosaur rex skeletons and skulls are magnificent. It is wonderful to be able to see the variations in the skulls since they are lined up on a shelf. I can't imagine another museum that allows you to be so close to their collections. It is awe inspiring. We love starting our field season at the Institue and we hope someday to have an opportunity to go behind the scene and view the lab,
preparation area. I don't know if they allow public access, but I think I will enquire for the next time.

We spent a little time and money in the adjacent store: Everything Prehistoric. I found one book on dinosaurs of Alberta, Canada, but it was so large and heavy that I postponed that purchase. I look forward to ordering it upon my return home.

We had a quick bite in Hill City at a small restaurant and then drove out of town to the Prairie Berry Winery. They make wine from berries and rhubarb!
We bought a bottle of rhubarb wine and one made from black currants. Hopefully, we will be toasting a terrific fossil discovery while we are here. We purchased some salads, bread and cheese for a late dinner once we arrive in Buffalo later that night.

Next stop was the Walmart in Rapid City. We stocked up on fresh produce, spices, water and other essentials for our meal preparations in our rooms. We call it "dorm camping", and we get pretty creative with the microwave located in the motel lobby.I suspect my wonderful kitchen at home is going to look even better after two weeks of microwave tofu and canned sardines. Sigh.

The drive to Buffalo was under two hours, which was a blessing, since we were both weary travelers. Door to door was a long 13+ hours. Adventures await us and a good night sleep was essential.


Sunday morning brought a surprise. Steve, Rob and some of the students arrived at the motel to collect equipment before driving out to the fish site they worked on last year. We raced downstairs to meet them and since we looked ever so eager...Steve invited us to join them on the site. (Rob initiated the suggestion)
We were thrilled and accepted immediately, begging for 10 minutes to change into proper boots and hats, etc.

Once we had ourselves put together; at least well enough for the field, I drove the car with Cregar (student) as our co-pilot. The site is a full hour drive from Buffalo on a variety of roads and no road conditions. It was essential to have someone guiding us so as to avoid water hazards and other threats to the rental car.

We spent the next 6+ hours at the fish site. We watched the team attempt to extract the incredibly large plaster jacket of three paddlefish. Estimates of the weight ran from 1,000 to 3,000 pounds! It had to be lifted out of the hole it was in and then somehow placed in the trailer and then driven out. This was no easy feat and at the end of the day, the efforts fell short of the goal. The fossil got lifted up out of the original site and is partially onto the trailer. Since time ran out and the team must be at the "Tinker" (Tyrranosaur rex) site tomorrow, a tarp was placed over the jacket and the work will resume next weekend. Whew! What a lot of work by so many people.

Laurel and I did a little prospecting on our own while the others were digging and plastering and tying and wrangling the monstrous fossil package. I found some fossil
scrap and one tail vertebra, I think. Laurel found turtle shell pieces which she did not collect and some nice amber. The scenery was gorgeous: grass green hills, blue skies, puffy white clouds and flowers scattered here and there. The only snake I ran into today was a perfect skin. Maybe that is the perfect snake! We also had a lucky weather day...high 70's and breezy. Great weather for fossil hunting. Predictions for the next few days are daunting: 99 and 101 with thunderstorms. Eeegads.


We arrived back at the motel tired and really hungry since we had not taken the time to pack a lunch. Trailmix and an apple had been our afternoon snack. Eager to create culinary magic, we each gathered the produce from our motel room refrigerators to make a rice, tofu veggie medly and a cuccumber spinach salad.
But no, the vegetables and fruit had frozen. We adapted the menu as best we could and since we were both famished, the results were delicious.

We look forward to tomorrow and the first visit to the Tinker site. I hope we are not disappointed after waiting two years for this opportunity...our expectations are very high.