Montana, I’m Here!!!
July 30, 2009
The experience of a life time! I found fossils at the clinker site. I went to the micro-fossil site and “prospected” for fossils. At this point, I wasn’t a great prospector. Other people felt sorry for me, giving me their fossils, but I stubbornly refused because I wanted to find my own! Stephanie came over and told me to look in a certain area because she knew there were turtle pieces there. I searched for 20 minutes before I finally saw what she did! Oh well…some people have an eye for it and some don’t. At Hell Creek, I halped to prepare a triceratops frill that was sticking out of the ground vertically. I found this experience to be relaxing, therapeutic, tedious, and socially rewarding. I learned how to make field notes for my finds. At the Pierre Shale Formation, I found sedimentary rocks with bivalves, gastropods, and ammonites! Way cool! They were easy to find but I also hammered my thumb! At another Hell Creek site, I helped to remove a triceratops femur head and claw. I “jacketed” the side sticking out of the ground with wet paper towels, then plaster soaked burlap! Before lunch, I washed my plaster-covered hands in dirt. Again, omg fun! See some of our pics on flickr.
I loved sitting on the back porch of the rance. It was a little chilly but the scenery and sounds were amazing! Cows make more sounds than “moo”, they also make a grunting/moaning sound. There are no buildings in sight. I can see rock formations for miles. I hear birds, with an occassional morning dove. It’s my morning WOW pick-me-up, instead of coffee.
