We just got back from a dinsosaur dig in Glendive, Montana. We had an interesting time getting there. We fly out of Columbus, Ohio and went to Atlanta. From Atlanta, we were to fly to Billings, Montana. When we arrived on time in Atlanta, there were thunderstorms coming into the area. Well, we were supposed to leave Atlanta at 7:00 pm. The thunderstorms arrived and the air traffic control basically shut the airport down until they left the area. We didn't get on our airplane until 8:30 and then we set on the plane until 10:00. We arrived in Billings around midnight and then had to get our rental car and find our way to the motel. It was about 1:00 in the morning Montana time which is 3:00 am (home time). Needless to say we were very tired!
We got up and drove to Glendive the next day to start the dinosaur dig. Before I get to the dinosaur dig, let me tell you about the location. It was about 4 miles off the main road. It was like going back a cow path. There were cows all around! Most of the road was fairly good but we had a few times when we didn't know if we could make it thru. We had to go over dried streams and up the other side which was an adventure. We did drive to the site but decided we would walk in the last mile the next day. It was too hard on our all wheel vehicle! The other team members were already on site digging away. You just don't start digging. There is a process of taking several tons of dirt away to get down to the layer where the dinosaur bones are. We spent a lot of the morning shoveling dirt to get down to the bones. We used shovels and picks. Then we went to smaller items such as paint brushes and really small picks like screw drivers. There was a hard clay level that you had to go through. At this point, you had to be very careful not to dig into the bones. Buddy found a dinosaur tendon and a raptor tooth. Others found tendons and other bones. When you find something, you take it very slow and careful. The site had produced several bones of Triceratops last year and they were plaster jacketed and removed and were at a lab ready to be carefully removed from the surrounding rock. Sometimes you have to remove the rock surrounding the bone and then remove the bone.
We spent two days excavating dinosaur bones. The rest of the crew would be there for the next two weeks. We are excited about taking some people from AIG with us next year.
We spent our last day touring. We love the Montana countryside! We actually drove into North and South Dakota as well. After a long drive we arrived in Billings on Wednesday night and got up at 4:00 am to make our way to the airport. We arrived home last night at 7:30.
We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back next year.
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