20 June 2011

Quarries and discoveries

Evidence of early (ca. 2010) Viking occupation of  Sundance, WY

Everyone thinks that museum work is refined, quiet, clean....just as everyone without cats seems to think that they are dainty, finicky, and aloof. Wrong on both counts, at least for this museum (and for all the cats I've been saddled with). Between the ongoing move to the new building and our ongoing field program, I've dealt with more heavy equipment than I knew existed. That's not saying much, since I'm no heavy equipment expert, but it does mean that I know exactly what my hair looks like after a day of wearing a hard hat. (Answer: even more like Beethoven than usual.) (And not in a good way.)

Last week we took a day to go up to our quarry in Wyoming to watch the good guys of the Wyoming DOT move some boulders from the site so that it can be opened for the summer field season. I've had major home appliances that were smaller than these blocks. Thanks to heavy equipment, we're ready to roll.


Classic Morrison Formation school colors, sombre greens and purples

The evil boulders in place. The blue tarp is over the fossils, buried for the year for protection. 


A modern dinosaur clears the way for working on the older ones


The quarry is ready to go, as long as the rain holds off


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