Channel Deposit and Tinker Success, at last

Fossil Dig: 30 June 2011



One of the mounds we worked like a micro site


Ron had spoken of the "channel deposit" last year and the beginning of this week. He has worked it with the owner and found it to be very fun. Meaning...lots of teeth and claws, oh my! As always I tried to temper my expectations, but I tend to be hopeful and optimistic. We met Ron at the cafe around 8am and Laurel drove with him and I followed them in the Subaru. The channel deposit is on a ranch about one hour from Buffalo. The various roads were paved, gravel, and tire tracks on range land. Very typical for this part of the country and the places we need to be to find fossils. Once Ron got us safely to the site and we exchanged phone numbers in case of emergency, he returned to the Tinker site for the day's work.

We had expected to see a band of small fossil material in the wall of the bluff. It turned out that the vein of fossils had been cut away so much that the overburden was getting too heavy and had to be removed. Ted hired a CAT driver to cut away the overburden, which upon inspection it appeared that the wall of the bluff was moved into mounds. Since we did not see any fossils in the exposed wall, we worked the mounds like they were micro sites. We had bought sieves and a trowel on Ron's suggestion for sifting the dirt, but we found that process less efficient.

I must admit, I was in my element. Since we were clearly not going to find large fossils in this location, I could relax and focus on the tiny treasures. (Like I don't have enough). I was concerned Laurel would not find the day appealing, but she never complains and always finds something positive about the experience. By the end of our time there, she was certainly finding assorted small teeth and vertebrae.

It was fun to sit and crawl and lie on the dirt piles and hunt for the small fossil wonders. I was afraid to step from spot to spot before I checked to make sure I was not crushing something special. Having collected on micro sites before, I must say this was a productive site. I did not find any claws (too bad), nor did I find any large teeth (too bad again). That said, I did find 32 Myledaphus bipartitus teeth, 21 crocodile teeth of an amazing size range, 33 Triceratops shed teeth, 50 Gar fish scales, 20 Hadrosaur shed teeth, assorted tiny vertebrae, tiny jaw fragments of fish and reptiles, fragments of other bones, and the prize: a perfect front incisor of a Paranychodon dinosaur. It is 3/4 inch long, has beautiful enamel and an unusual shape, somewhat triangular with vertical grooves on the flat narrow surface. I did not identify it at the time, but Steve knew immediately what it was, and that Rob would love to see it. Maybe I will bring it with me next year.

We took a short break for lunch and enjoyed the scenery. Laurel received a call from one of her daughters in Newport Beach. We both marveled at the wonder of being able to receive cell phone service out in the badlands. Actually better reception than in our motel rooms. We continued to look for more fossils after lunch and then decided we needed a change of scenery. I hated to leave such a great spot, but also knew it would be good to try our luck in the lowlands. At some point you just have to stop looking at the ground and pack away your supplies, and start walking up the hill. Wow! That was fun!





A view of the channel deposit site from the car before we walked down into the exposure.








View of badlands from the car before we climbed down



We hated to leave this ranch without a quick look around below the channel deposit site. We drove to a likely spot where we could climb down safely and access what might be fruitful exposures. We gave ourselves about 90 minutes, which is hardly worthwhile in fossil prospecting terms, but since we were expected for dinner at the ranch manager's house, we couldn't be out too late.

After two unsuccessful attempts, we finally found a relative easy path down into the badlands. We walked around and up and down always keeping an eye open for fossil spills, or any telltale signs of fossils. Laurel found a few scraps of turtle and nearby I found a Triceratops shed tooth. The weather was cool, which was such a relief after the heat of Wednesday, and makes fossil hunting more pleasant.

Since we did not want to be out too long, we decided to return to the car. Though we continued to look for fossils on the way back, the only thing I found were three pieces of broken crocodile scute, and Laurel struck out. Always a beautiful place to be even if your fossil collecting bags are empty. "Tomorrow's another day".





A typical view of what we look at as we walk. Though there may be a fossil in this image (not), there is a tiny blue flower that I thought deserved a photo. Hope you can find it. The flower is about 1/4 inch across.





Interesting formations





The return drive to Buffalo allowed us to view the beautiful scenery in the clear evening light with the suggestion in the western sky of a rain storm coming our way. At one point in the hour ride back, our way was blocked by a herd of cows. They generally walk out of the way as the vehicle approaches. We took the opportunity to take a few up close photos of the moms and calves.




Posing for an impromptu portrait

Once we reached town, we stopped at the Cenex convenience store so I could pick up a cardboard box in which to pack fossils to send home on Friday. We saw Dante, Irina and Jeff (students) who gleefully informed us that significant fossils were finally found on the site. Vertebrae, rib and a Nano tooth were just a few of the goodies. Oh my gosh were they excited, elated and relieved. Such good news for everyone, but especially for Ron.


The generous invitation to dinner at the ranch house on the "Tinker" ranch allowed us some social time with our fellow dinosaur fossil enthusiasts. Fred's wife Karen cooked a wonderful dinner for everyone. Hard working students are eager and appreciative diners. Karen included an invitation to visit and/or ride the horses after dinner.

Laurel and I arrived a little later than most, and the available seats were at the kitchen table with the writer and photographer, and eventually Steve. As could be anticipated by the earlier good news, everyone's spirits were high. The fossil finds on the site were significant enough to bring sufficient confidence that more would be found the next day. We had questions aplenty about the day's progress and loved hearing the details. Expectations are high for Friday's efforts and we hoped to be part of the work team.

With dark approaching, and a storm, we walked outside to see the chickens and horses on the ranch. Karen served deviled eggs at dinner,and the eggs had been freshly collected from her various breeds of chickens earlier in the day. She has a one year old Morgan stallion who has a beautiful face. We lingered in the paddock for a while watching the horses, but as the storm got closer, and we were tired from our long day, we decided to drive back to the Tipperary. We returned to the house to say our thanks and good nights. The men were around the table in the "three seasons room" sharing stories. I'm not sure they even knew we were there. We slipped away during one of the more rowdy guffaws. Spirits were definitely high!

Below are photographs from the evening: Morgan yearling and antique farm equipment in the fenced yard in front of the ranch house.

Hotter than Hell Creek

Fossil Dig 29 June 2011

Today put the heat in Hell Creek. The temperature was predicted to climb to 99 degrees, hotter than we have ever experienced on a fossil dig day in the five years we have been coming to this area. We soaked our cooling vests and bandanas in the morning in preparation, and hoped to cope with the challenge.

The large Budweiser banner was put up to shade an area for work breaks and lunch. The students were busy on the Tinker site, the CAT driver was on his ranch haying and Laurel and I walked over to check on her fossil. Just making sure it hadn't disappeared during the night. Steve recommended that we dig a little deeper around the fossil so the jacket will fit properly. He also suggested that Laurel dig a trench away from the fossil to drain water in case of rain.

Since a Triceratops skull had been found in the area, and Laurel's leg bones found together, Steve speculated there could be more bones nearby. He recommended that we probe every three inches in a 12 foot radius around her fossils, in the hopes there might be more buried treasure. The soil (dried mud), was so hard, the bayonet blades would barely penetrate the surface. We borrowed a probe from Doc, which worked better, but still required strength in hands and upper body.

We made very poor progress due to the difficult nature of the task, and the increasing temperatures. By 11:00 our cooling vests were nearly dry, (historically this did not happen until mid afternoon),and our backs and hands sore from bending over and pushing the probe into the hard betonite. We reluctantly decided that we could not continue this exercise and returned the tool to the Tinker dig site and sat under the banner to cool off a bit.

Not wanting to lose the day, we set off to the micro site with the idea that I could help Laurel find the tiny treasures while we were sitting down eating our lunches. It takes some minutes to get used to looking at the micro site area before you become aware of the "little gems". As it turned out, that small area at the base of a bluff, was more like a solar oven. The reflection on the light surface cooked us from below and the sun cooked us from above.

After eating about half our lunches, and drinking lots of water, we determined the prudent course was to leave the field and return to town to shop at the hardware store for supplies for the next day, and the grocery store for some additional produce. We couldn't stand the heat! What a disappointment: a lost collecting day.

We accomplished our shopping and I was able to finish the first blog entries and post them before we went to dinner with Dana and Gary at their ranch. We arrived at their ranch entrance where the gate was closed. I got out of the car to open the gate, but quickly realized I would not be able to wrangle it successfuly. Just as in the movies, Gary galloped up on his stallion and rescued the California ladies. Quite the sight.

Our evening with them was lovely. We shared old stories and recent news. Sadly, Dana's mom passed away suddenly in January and her father is still recovering from losing his beloved wife. Fortunately he lives nearby. There were plenty of laughs as well, as we ate delicious fish tacos and rhubarb crisp for dessert. We had brought a bottle of "Kick Ass" Rhubarb Wine from the Prairie Berry Winery, so you can see a theme for the meal. We learned later, from Steve, that Gary built a reproduction of an Egyptian chariot which is stored somewhere on the ranch. Perhaps next year we can ask for a ride! If we had only known sooner.

Since they were leaving the next day for a long weekend getaway, and we were leaving early for a new ranch, we made it an early night. Dana gave us all the leftovers for another yummy dinner back at our motel. Oh, thanks so much. Having friends we can visit in Buffalo is one of the many special extras of fossil hunting in this corner of Hell Creek. We are lucky.

Field Season 2011, A Thunderous Start

Field Season: 25 June, 2011


Briefly: Flight out of OC on time. Flight out of Dallas delayed. Dinner at The Corn Exchange in Rapid City, excellent. Best tofu, ever. Wonderful shop next door called The Potted Rabbit, where we purchased yummy treats for our meals at the Tipperary Lodge.

Walmart for supplies. As usual, has all we need, sort of kind of. NOT. What's wrong with carrying some organic fruit? When we entered the store the sky was half clear and half cloudy. While we were being checked out the sound on the roof was like nothing we had ever heard. Hail coming down the size of ping pong balls. We stayed in the store until it subsided to pouring rain. Laurel braved the storm, lots of thunder and lightening, brought the car close to the entrance, and we loaded the groceries into the vehicle while we got soaked to the skin.

Parked the car in the lot while we tried to determine our next move. We were scheduled to drive to Buffalo, but the conditions were not ideal: lightening, thunder, and alerts from the weather service to stay indoors, in interior rooms, do not drive and deadly lightening conditions. We talked to Walt who relayed this warning, until we heard it on a local radio station. Following his advice, we called several motels in town and finally found one that had a room available. Many travelers were caught in the storm.

What a light show. The lightening was awe inspiring. The sky would be illuminated for seconds and often a lightening bolt would strike that was so long and so large you could sense the power from miles away. We moved the car twice in the parking lot so we wouldn't be near something tall, like a light post. We California girls are really not familiar with severe weather. Boy we know about it now. Mother Nature is impressive!








Field Season: 26 June, 2011

After a rough night at the Gold Star Motel; thunder and lightening, drunk neighbors in the house across the street and children running on the second floor walkway above us,we gathered our things and made a trip south to the Black Hills Institute to visit their amazing fossil collection, purchase some fossil prep tools, peruse the books, and just generally get ourselves inspired for the week in the field.

We are never disappointed with our time spent there. People are very friendly and happy to answer questions. Blanche was especially helpful with my tool selections, and with Laurel's purchase of stabilizer and Paleo Bond. (Turns out she really needed the large size she bought). Keep reading to find out the thrilling details.
We had to cut our time there a bit short so that we could beat the next storm to Buffalo.

Next stop: Prairie Berry Winery. We have stopped there on past visits, and this year decided to not only purchase some wine for our friends in Buffalo, but to have lunch before our drive to the Tipperary Lodge. The food was delicious and we tasted some unusual wines. Couldn't honestly compare them to California offerings, but we like to support the local vintners. Lunch complete, wine and gifts purchased and we were on our way again.

The two hour drive was pretty uneventful and we arrived in Buffalo in time for Laurel to meet her daughter, who happened to be on a camping trip across South Dakota. The groceries were stashed in the cooler and refrigerator. The management kindly provided a microwave oven for my room so meal prep will be more convenient and I don't have to run up and down the stairs to the microwave in the lobby. We unpacked and prepped our backpacks for the first field day.

I prepared dinner with Laurel's assistance and then we went over to the Cafe to see Steve and hear the new. Turns out two writers are in the field for a few weeks to get a look at the dinosaur fossil business from many perspectives. Boy have they come to the right place. We chatted with Rob and Steve briefly until the "new girls" arrived, and, being left at the table alone, we returned to the motel.

Sleep does not come easy for me out hear: too much excited anticipation. But I did try to turn out the lights earlier than usual since I knew I would be up early.


As a closing photo, to give you a sense of what we all dream of finding: the awesome Tyrannosaurus rex skull (one of many at the Black Hills Institute).














Field Season Day One, Monday, 27 June, 2011

The excitement was building throughout the morning. On the drive to the Tinker site my heart was about to beat out of my chest. I put the Chakra Chant CD on and focused on my breathing. Laurel and I were practically giddy with anticipation. We arrived on the Tinker site and spent the morning working. I helped sift and trowel. Laurel helped dig and sift. We broke for lunch when the Caterpillar was removing overburden near where we were working.

After lunch Laurel and I had an opportunity to do some personal collecting. She found some spill of fossil scrap earlier in the day and Steve encouraged her to poke around in that location to determine if there was anything buried. Great advice! She found two long leg bones. Wowee! Yippee! You go girl!

I helped her work on digging around it to find the outer limits and reveal as much as possible. After a few hours, thrilling hours, I must say. We both agreed to walk a bit since we were tired of sitting hunched over the fossil. I really wanted to take a look at the micro site Laurel found last year and she was up for heading that way. She is always on the look out for the larger fossil treasure, and I think she believes that one can never have too many. I agree.

The micro site is easy to find and though it initially appeared to be disappointing, once I sat there and let the mind and eyes relax, I began to notice one thing and then another. I moved slowly on hands and knees, sometimes actually lying on one side to more easily see the ground. Tiny fossils revealed themselves and I happily placed them in small collecting containers. Some fossils I could identify on sight, while others I picked up because of the unusual shape. I found a tooth which was unique to me and later Rob identified it as a fully rooted Thescelor tooth. Nice work. I found my first fossilized pine cone and complete Triceratops crown (tooth). Hooray. In addition, I found a tiny lizard jaw fragment with very tiny teeth. Super. Other fossils were very familiar: Manta ray teeth, fish vertebra, salamander vertebra, Triceratops shed teeth, and the usual tiny fragments I just can't resist picking up because of their shape or texture.

Laurel really isn't into the micro site scene, so after a few minutes she continued to walk for a bit and then headed back to check on her fossils. I don't blame her. Sitting and gazing at those amazing bones in the ground is pretty wonderful. I returned to that location, but not finding her there, I went to the Tinker site. She was sitting watching the Cat continue the excavation of the hill. We agreed to call it a day and drive back to the motel, since a hot shower and dinner sounded oh so good.

Dinner was a rush since we wanted to join the group to see the fossil on a nearby ranch. Laurel took time to call Frank to tell him about her big find. We worked together on dinner prep and lamented our aching backs, shoulders, feet and heads. We are a little out of shape for the manual labor involved, and I don't think either of us drank enough water. Though it was cool all day, the air is very dry and, we just weren't being careful. Tomorrow will be better.

The after dinner field trip to a ranch to inspect an "animal coming out of a hill" got a very late start. The sun was setting when we were driving to the ranch house and we were well into twilight as we left the vehicles and walked the remainder of the distance to the hill. There was bone all over, and one larger piece which was determined to be part of the sacrum. Though the rancher was hoping for the "animal" to be identified as a T.rex, alas, it is not. Most likely Triceratops. Rob did find a perfect ungual phalanx, which is the "claw" of a hadrosaur. It is kind of similar to a fingernail or toenail, as it is on the last digit of the toes.

Darkness was coming on and of course we had no flashlights, so we made a pretty direct return walk to the vehicles and took a brief stop to shoot photos of an amazing sunset. They are gorgeous out here. One more thing we really like about our visits to Hell Creek.












Tuesday, 28 June 2011

Happy Anniversary Walt. Thanks for your understanding, love and support.

We prepared ourselves for the heat, as the forecasts predicted temperatures around 87 degrees for today and climbing to 99 degrees tomorrow. We soaked our cooling vests and adjusted our attitudes. Not much else you can do. Just remember to drink lots of water! After Laurel's great find yesterday, we knew our day's work would focus on excavating and stabilizing the leg bones, that have been identified as the tibia and fibula of a Triceratops, or Edmontasaurus. (Two experts, two opinions) Oh what the heck, call it a plant eater. Anyway, we looked forward to the experience since we are such novices at this aspect of fossil prospecting. We historically have never found anything that required so much in ground work and a plaster jacket.

After our traditional breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries and hazelnuts, we made our lunches, packed our backpacks and drove to the Tinker site. We watched the Caterpillar driver continue his work on taking down the hill, to hopefully get the students closer to "pay dirt", ie: T. rex bones. After a few minutes of that and a photograph or two (see below), we walked the short distance to Laurel's fossils.

We happily worked on the bones for a few hours after some discussion with Rob and Clay about the bones and other dinosaur stories. Clay has a ranch that is legendary for dinosaur fossils. Over 10,000 bones have been unearthed on his property! I am speechless. Well, not quite. Anyway, we finally decided we could use an expert's input on our technique and progress. One large section of the tibia had fallen into a heap of tiny bits and other sections had turned to powder. That's what happens after millions of years in the ground.

Steve took a break from the Tinker project and with a large bottle of "Penetrant Stabilizer" in hand, he glued those fossils in places we had not reached yet and re-glued all those we had. This "magic" liquid turns the fossil to something like acrylic. Beware the fumes, (toxic, I'm sure), and getting any on your skin or clothes. It is the first cousin, if not a clone of "super glue". It does not really come off. Peeling it off your skin usually takes a little skin with it. Mountain Dew will remove it (honest), but we did not have any on hand. Since I still have some on my nails and thumb, I may be stopping at the local gas station/convenience store for a can of MD in the morning.

Steve gave us directions for how to continue the excavating and stabilizing, and said if his schedule allowed, we could jacket it in the afternoon. We broke for lunch and then worked for another hour or so. We hoped Ron would be available to show us to a site for fossil collecting. He is very generous that way. We look forward to any opportunity to get into the field and prospect. Even though Laurel has her fabulous treasure, there is always the thrill of finding something more, and I still have that wonderful space on the tansu at home to display a major find.










Two days of work on the Tinker site has yielded some small bone fragments (very small), T.rex teeth fragments, and this rib. The man/woman hours and the "Cat" and driver, are making those finds pretty expensive. This fossil finding, excavating,
prepping, business is not for the faint of heart. Ron must have nerves of steel, deep pockets and a sympathetic and supportive wife and family. He is onsite every day, all day. He runs to the store for supplies, he consults with Steve, he encourages all of us who work on the site, and he is always kind and generous. Each day I hope his dreams will come true and the T.rex femurs will reveal themselves.


Until then,here is a photograph of the rib as it "stands" at the end of today. It has been stabilized with a superglue like product and it is still within the matrix.







Ron was kind enough to take us to an exposure on the ranch that has not been collected for years. We followed he and Cliff to the location, and sure enough there was bone scrap littered over the ground. Within 60 seconds of our arrival, Cliff found a small jaw fragment that was in terrific condition. You could see where the teeth set in each socket. (Later identified as a hadrosaur jaw) After the ooohs and aaahs subsided, he managed to find another jaw fragment that, as luck would have it, fit perfectly with the original find. Some people are blessed with a certain knack for this work. Or as his wife states it: "you have to let the fossil find you". I will try to keep that in mind from now on.

Cliff and Ron returned to the Tinker site and left us to collect this area and explore the property as we worked our way back to the car. There was lots of larger bone scrap, and I did find one small vertebra which I thought might be a tail vert. (Steve later identified it as a sacral vertebra from a Thescelosaur.) I picked up some of the pieces to donate to the Waldorf School since they were larger than what I have collected in past years. Since we were under the impression these exposures ran along for some distance, we decided to pack up and try our luck further on.

Though our walk was enjoyable as we observed the beautiful flowers, and avoided the muddy patches and sink holes, we found zero fossils beyond that initial location. Experiences like that only reinforce our amazement when we do find something fabulous. The temperature was climbing, as it does in the afternoon, and we knew we had work to do on Laurel's fossils. The breeze would help keep us cooler, as did our cooling vests, but we were tired from the long walk carrying packs of fossil scrap.

We walked back to the vehicle, and after some pretty hilarious maneuvers to climb over a very sophisticated barbed wire fence, we drove to the Tinker site and resumed the excavating of Laurel's leg bones. We made very good progress cleaning matrix away from the base and enlarging the area so the plaster jacketing will be easier, tomorrow. Ron reiterated his offer to deliver the fossils to a preparator who does good work for a good price. She will confer with him to determine what will be the best way to present it. Perhaps a wall mount with the two bones side by side as they were found. It will be an unusual and dramatic object she will be proud to display; and a wonderful reminder of our amazing first days in Hell Creek.

Final Preparations for Field Season 2011

24 June 2011

We are less than 24 hours from departure for this summer's fossil prospecting. Laurel and I are staying one week in Buffalo, South Dakota, to help on the Tyrannosaurus rex site and collect for ourselves. We have been somewhat apprehensive about the weather, since reports of rain and flooding in the mid-west have dominated the news. So far those disasters are not effecting the part of the state we will be visiting. Current forecasts from our friends Dana and Gary, are for increasing temperatures and slight chance of rain. I am leaving the long underwear home. Rain coat packed.

We take most of our own food, and this year since I did not plan ahead and send the supplies to the motel,(my mistake),the luggage is reaching the weight limit because of the oatmeal, rice, trail mix, vitamins, tea and dishes and cutlery. Then there is the bayonet blade and two knives for fossil digging, Optivisor for close up viewing of the many tiny fossils (teeth and claws) I hope to find, gloves, hat, cooling vest, hiking shoes, etc.

The computer and two phones, food for travel day, book, noise cancelling headphones, CDs for drive to Buffalo, sunglasses, reading glasses, and notebook are crammed into the backpack. I will look like a Sherpa walking through the airport. Not the first time Laurel and I have attracted some attention. We just look out of place somehow when we board the tiny plane for Rapid City from whatever layover city we find ourselves in.

I have spent many hours this year scraping and picking away at the Triceratops horn that I found last season. Though it is in terrible shape due to the exposure to the elements, it has provided some practice in fossil cleaning. My tools are limited which has certainly slowed my progress. Photos are included to give you the big picture and some detailed shots of the better quality bone (chocolate bone).

I had hoped to have it completed by this year's field season, but other distractions took advantage of my time. One of those projects was the removal of the last of our lawn, a small section in the back yard. My goal is to continue converting our landscape to native plants. In fact, I may take it a step further and plant Orange County native plants. It would be wonderful to provide a habitat for our native butterflies and birds.

So one of the tasks concerning lawn removal, was to take out all the rocks in this section. Days and days, for weeks, found me on my knees or bent over, or digging, rocks and pebbles of varying size. I kept assuring myself this was good practice for the fossil digging season ahead. It was shocking to find out later from a native plant expert, that the rocks should be left in place! OMG. Suffice to say, I did not replace the 10 or 12 large buckets of rocks that I had dug up, and paid to have removed. Another lesson learned, the hard way.

In this entry I am also including photos of a beautiful baby T.rex toe bone and a Nanotyrannus tooth. Since I figured out how to take photos with a digital micro setting, they appear much larger than reality. The toe bone is about 5/8" square, and the tooth is 7/8'long. Small and fabulous. Hope to find such marvelous treasures this year.

You will also see a photo of the parts of Triceratops frill that Laurel found. It has been fun and exasperating trying to assemble the pieces. Sometimes they click right together and other pieces, like any challenging puzzle, just don't quite fit. For now, some of the pieces are just balanced on each other until I determine that is the best fit and the pieces do not go somewhere else. No guidebook and no guarantees. But then who is here to say I did it wrong.

Hope you enjoy the adventures this year, as I will do my best to write often and with as much detail and enthusiasm as ever. It is fun for me to describe the sites, sounds, joys and frustrations of fossil prospecting. Perhaps some day you will join me in the Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota, and you will discover for yourself the beauty of the country and the wonder of discovery.

Cheers,

Christine aka Momasaurus