Malta - Day 3
7/29
We walked out two coulees today. In some areas we found fragments of bone weathering out, some quite large, but we could not see any more bone or parts, just lots of "float" bone. All the bone belongs to hadrosaurs, or "duckies", the duckbilled dinosaurs that were so plentiful around here that they have earned the name "cows of the Cretaceous". As soon as I heard that, I determined never to study them. I mean, cows are BORING, but even for hadrosaurs, there is something absolutely amazing about being the first human ever to touch the bones of something so old and once alive.
It was windy all day, and not a cloud in the sky. The wind was great, because it kept the hordes of man-eating mosquitoes from doing as much damage as they could have without it, and kept the horse and deer flies to a minimum. The latter are not remotely affected by bug spray, and, to be honest, neither are the mosquitoes. At all. I think that if a chemical company wanted to test the efficacy of their sprays, there would be no better place than the Milk River in the height of summer. And, it seems that *I* am that piece of fly paper that one hangs from the roof to draw all the flies, so others aren't bothered. Except, I draw mosquitoes. Sigh. I guess someone has to.
!http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/malta_5.jpg!
Lunch break. HOT. No shade. Predatory cows eyeing our sandwiches.
When we had no luck at the first coulee, we split into groups and walked all the draws draining into Horse Camp Coulee. Some of us more reclusive types went alone, and we covered a lot of ground--so much that I feel confident saying there are NO dinosaurs at that level at all. But, Walt had the best experience of us all. He walked to the end of the draw, and came upon a stand of small bushes. He heard some rustling, and looked up in time to see a cougar dart out and up the hill away from him. He said that this was the biggest cat he ever saw, on a par with some of the African lions, and was within 30 feet--fortunately, going the right direction--away! Suddenly all of those fresh scattered cow and deer bones I had been seeing took on new meaning.
We ended the day with a trip to better exposures, on BLM land. We wanted to get an idea of how the strata were inter-related, and that was where we could see the whole section, from the base Claggett Shales to the top capstones. The Judith looks completely different there, and the cut-aways are spectacular. The land goes on forever, split only by the sharp green lining the meandering Milk River, highlighted against the parched yellow grasses. Bob found a petrified log, complete with knots in the surface, that I will pass on to a colleague who studies fossil woods. Maybe this find will eventually get her out here!
Then, at the end of another hot, dusty, dry, and not so fruitful day, we headed back to the cabin. The dogs were tired, and grateful for the chance to just sleep in the shade. We started to get dinner, and I decided to take advantage of a few minutes of down time to walk the 1/8 mile to the outhouse on the property. I was reliving the day, and not paying much attention to my surroundings. I struggled to get the spike out of the lock on the door, and wandered in rather absentmindedly, my mind on other things entirely, when I heard a rustle in the outhouse and a sound similar to crackling parchment, only LOUD. I looked up to see a 5 foot snake crawling up the wall right by the seat! Ok, so I AM a girl, I screamed. "There's a rattlesnake in the outhouse!". I was really glad that Bob and Lee had decided to pitch camp outside our cabin. They both came running. Bob, who is always prepared for anything, brought his pistol. By then, I had quit shaking, and hollered "let me get my camera!" and raced off after them. They gingerly opened the squeaky door, and sure enough, there was the snake, down from the wall now, and wrapped around the seat and sidewall. Ugh.
!http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/malta_6.jpg!
I DON?T need to go, after all!
But, Bob and Lee started laughing, sympathetic as usual--"it's only a bull snake, what are you so upset about?" Hmmm. I don't CARE that it wasn't a rattler. I don't think I will be able to go to the bathroom for a month! A 5 foot snake of ANY race and gender is not going to be my friend in the outhouse.
Ah yes,THIS is the glamour of paleontology.
The sun is just setting over the horizon, the dishes are done, and we are once more enjoying the peace and cool of the evening on the porch. What a life!. When I was young, I used to pray that I would not have an ordinary life. That prayer has surely been answered, though not in the way I expected. But life is good. And you sure never know what waits around the bend. I am blessed. And I am grateful.
Posted at 03:22PM Aug 10, 2006 by tppeake in General | Comments[0]