Picketwire Canyonlands, southeast Colorado
June 2002
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before embarking on a three day dig. They were joined by PIT volunteers and volunteers from Sternberg Museum. |
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The Rourke Ranch served as base camp. We pitched tents anywhere around the ranch. We were blessed to have restrooms and showers. |
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We were delayed a couple of hours from entering the canyon due to some fires. Once things were under control we were allowed to go on in. We put our tent inside this wall thinking that it might offer some protection from wind. We really didn't have anything to worry about except maybe snakes. |
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This is the site. A team surveyed this land last summer and came upon quite a bit of float. Float is a term that refers to bone that has been weathered out of the hill. We walked over the site carefully, placing red flags where we'd find float. Some of us flagged rocks! Sometimes it was very hard to tell the difference between bones and rock. The tarp overhead was a relief from the scorching heat. There is evidence (a phrase we heard quite often!) of a saurapod - possibly a diplodocus. The ischium was found last summer just below the surface. |
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EF 19/20 That's our infamous square. The site was divided into 2 meter squares. Tanya Gray of Brewster, KS and I were partners in this square. We were on the side of a hill so our first task was to try to make the back of our square level with the front of our square. We had to put the dirt in buckets and take them up the hill (so we wouldn't step in someone else's square) and then carry them on down the hill. We always emptied our buckets in the same place. That way if something was found in our dirt they would know where it came from. Most of our digging was in the Morrison Formation which consisted of shale. |
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Tanya and I found great pleasure in watching our dirt pile grow. That meant less dirt in EF 19/20! Probably the hardest part of the dig was carrying the dirt away in buckets, especially as our square got deeper and deeper. The step up the hill became higher and higher. |
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A dinosaur dig out in the middle of a big canyon is no place to get squeamish. This stock tank was very refreshing after working a couple of hours. Cami and I are screening from some of the dirt piles. Notice she is really observing her screen. Do you think she's had more experience? |
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Eureka! Jerry, a volunteer from Sternberg Museum, found the first bone of the day. That's all it took for must of us to keep digging. Jerry's square was to the right of our square and down one row. Aha, that's close! Keep digging! |
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Lynette from St. Francis, KS and Doug (the one lying on the carpet with the Wilson umbrella overhead!) are hard at work. All that digging paid off for them as one of the largest bones found happened to be in their square! |
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Dr. Bruce Schumacher, paleontologist with the National Forest Service, was a very popular man at the dig. He identified many rocks that first day! Eventually he was able to say, "Now, that's what we're looking for!" When observing the work in EF 19/20 he simply said, "Keep digging!" |
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