Malta - Day 4
7/30/06
It is Sunday, but the routine is the same here. Wake with the first hint of a lighter sky, throw off the blanket with its covering of mosquitoes. Walk outside in the grey dawn to use the bathroom (still not brave enough for the outhouse again), dry grass crunching underneath bare feet.
Back to the cabin to clean up and get ready for the day--I make lunches, Lonnie makes coffee (MUCH more important at the moment than breakfast or lunch). Watch the sun come up over the badland exposures, and the sky turn from night dark to light grey to brilliant red, then the burned light of full sun. Pack the packs, fill the water bottles, check for specimen bags, and we are off.
Today we are walking out two new coulees we haven't seen before, and then will come back and explore the ridge across from the cabin. We hope to end a bit early today, head to town for showers, then one of the local landowners has invited us to a barbecue. It is a good chance to meet more of the folks around here, something I really enjoy.
It was a great day. Hot, and the morning was kind of disappointing, we didn't find much of anything. I was tired, and didn't walk at the pace I did yesterday, but took some breaks to just look around and enjoy the view. Then, walking back to the vehicles, I ran into Paul, who said Andi had found what appeared to be more bone, but she wasn't sure so could I come look.
!http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/malta_7.jpg!
Vince, excavating Andi's second great find! Arrow shows femur shaft.
Well, what a great find--two in a row from the newbie! The bone was absolutely pristine in preservation, coming out from the wall of a sandstone channel, and it had all the hallmarks of being theropod (meat eater). It was in a channel lag, mixed in with other bone and some wood. So, Vince decided to work it back, and the rest of us looked over the rest of the face. Soon, another was spotted. I scrambled up on a ledge, took one look, and it made my day! A beautiful Albertosaur tooth, shining in the sand wall, serrations obvious in the sun.
!http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/malta_8.jpg!
At last! A theropod tooth!
Then, another bone, found by Andi's dad Paul, and then, Vince said "there's more bone behind this one." So two mini quarries revealed a lot of bone, all very well preserved. Full inventory and identification awaits, but it was a good day.
!http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/malta_9.jpg!
Vince and Paul, with part of jacketed limb! The Millers outdid the old hands!
Some of the local folks had a barbecue for us at the end of the day, out at the reservoir. It was quite a production! They grilled some of their own free-range beef, on an amazing contraption that was part railroad car, part covered seating, part oven, and part massive grill, all on wheels. Barb and Gary really went all out, cooking an amazing spread for not only us, but some other orphan geologists they picked up from Greece and other faroff places, as well as a host of "locals."
The discussion was quite---lively--and we got a lot of insight into various political opinions. I was busy trying to change subjects a lot. And, I was busy trying to avoid mosquitos. I made the mistake of walking down to the shoreline to wade, and they were lying in wait, hordes and hordes. They followed me back to the barbecue in a large grey cloud. Everyone gasped and ran for cover, leaving me standing outside. However, Barb, our host, provided the best remedy yet for my welted legs and arms--pure apple cider vinegar, applied directly to the bites! I was surprised, it really did work. I wonder if it works as a repellent as effectively? It is annoying to walk the badlands smelling like a pickle for no reason. But then again, pickle scent is better than what we USUALLY smell like by the end of the day. All things even out.
I will be back in the Judith River one more time before returning to Raleigh. My last of field work until next summer. Hopefully that will be another productive, yet shorter trip. And, hopefully I will have more finds to report.
Posted at 02:24PM Aug 14, 2006 by tppeake in General | Comments[0]