July 14 - Last Day
Well, today we are actually driving to the outcrop I tried to walk to yesterday. It is amazing how much easier it is to get to this morning! It is the best exposure so far up here. The sediments are Judith River, about 80 million years before present. Four of us set out for the high wall, and the rest of the crew spread out amongst the other exposures. We walked and walked, and I was afraid that this too would turn out to have nothing. Then I heard Brandon call out "I have something over here!" Liz was closer, and soon I hear her yell "YOU HAVE BONE!! Way to go!" Sure enough, our undergrad, on his first field experience ever, stumbled on the only recognizable bone to date. !http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/july14-1.jpg!I was really excited for him--that is all it takes to get the bug.There were two rib fragments and a toe bone exposed at first, but a little digging revealed three toes in close association, and what looked like maybe a metatarsal (foot bone), in addition to the ribs.!http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/july14-2.jpg!
Other isolated bone indicated that there might be more to this dinosaur still in the hill. We did find a few more bone fragments, but it will be Vince's decision as to whether to work this site or keep looking for more complete bones. It is a great quarry site tho, in the shade for a good portion of the day, and with great views. However, there are the occasional uninvited guests, as Liz found while following a bone trail in the cliff. !http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/july14-3.jpg!It is always important to be vigilant out here--you can sure get stung if you aren't!
Well, at this point I figured putting 20 additional miles on my injured knee was probably NOT a good idea, and Liz and I packed up to head back, her to the Jordan site and me to Bozeman. So, I say goodbye again to the badlands, tho I hope I get back out here soon, once more before returning to city life.
One can forget that there are places in this country where people can still travel by rail, and to stand on a high bluff overlooking the river below, and see the contrasts of this land. !http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/resources/schweitzer/july14-4.jpg!I love this life, this land, and our country. What a privilege to live here! So for now, goodbye from the badlands, and Montana.
Posted at 10:44AM Aug 01, 2007 by tppeake in General | Comments[243]