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1st Road Trip - Last Minute Tips?


abctriplets

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We're just about to take the kids on a big road trip for their 10th birthday, and one of the main focuses will be on fossil hunting (their new interest).

We'll be stopping at:

 

1) St. Leon, Indiana - (1 hour?) Roadside cut

2) Kemmerer, WY - (full day) Fish dig (http://www.fishdig.com/)

3) Glendive, MT - (4-8 hours?) Dino dig (www.dailydinosaurdigs.com)

4) Belle Fourche, SD - (full day) Dino dig (www.paleoadventures.com)

 

Any last minute tips or advice for novices heading out? I think we've got the attire figured out, and the kids have a tool pack that they might use in IN. Not sure about storage/transport in the minivan, or what to expect about how much rock we'll actually be hauling home. Would flat cardboard boxes be recommended to bring? And papertowel rolls for padding?

 

Thanks!

 

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4 minutes ago, abctriplets said:

Any last minute tips or advice for novices heading out? I think we've got the attire figured out, and the kids have a tool pack that they might use in IN. Not sure about storage/transport in the minivan, or what to expect about how much rock we'll actually be hauling home. Would flat cardboard boxes be recommended to bring? And papertowel rolls for padding?

 

First -- GOOD LUCK! and have fun!

If You get too much rock You can always post it home via a postal service.

I would also use newspaper for packing. Tape and label can help to keep things from getting mixed up.

Boxes are nice but make sure that fragile things are not on the bottom. They tend to get messed up that way.

 

Regards,

Tony

Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

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Just now, ynot said:

Tape and label can help to keep things from getting mixed up.

 

My kids are already freaking out about this. "How will I tell which fossils are mine??"

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Gallon bags with zippers work nice for sorting fossils between kids I've found.

 

bring lots of water for your Montana trip and a bagged lunch if you do all day. Also make the kids pee there quick before you head out.

 

I like paper towel better for the fossils than newspaper because you can use the paper towel for all the spills the kids will make in your van on this trip. Space is at a premium.

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Thanks! I just put towels & newspapers & ziplock bags in the car.

 

Any idea how much rock is brought home from a fish dig? (the latter dino digs I expect to have minimal "keeps")

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I've never done a fish dig, but I imagine you'd fill up a good amount of space. You might want to rent a trailer on the way home, or send the wife and kids back on a plane lol

Another thing I like is aluminum foil. Keeps things together a little better than the paper but not as much cushioning 

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All of the above ideas are great, I also bring along collapsible plastic totes (46 Liter), I just recently started using them. They do not have lids, but it a great way to store hash plates or anything else. Their OPENED dimensions are L 20.9" / W 14.2" / H 11.6" and the COLLAPSED Height is 2.8".  The ones that I purchased are made by CleverMade and I believe run about $10.00. You can have them opened in the back and store other travel items in them and as you collected fossils, dump the clothes, food, etc- because fossils are more important. Have a great trip.

 

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16 minutes ago, erose said:

You may want more time at St. Leon....

 

Was hoping to leave at 5am. Maybe I can push it to 4:30am....

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You might also consider a collapsible wagon depending on the terrain. It really helps for carting tools, water, supplies to a site - but also makes it a bit easier when having to cart a whole bunch of new fossils to the car after a long day of digging! :) 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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3 hours ago, Kane said:

You might also consider a collapsible wagon depending on the terrain. It really helps for carting tools, water, supplies to a site - but also makes it a bit easier when having to cart a whole bunch of new fossils to the car after a long day of digging! :) 

Kane, that's what the wife and kids are for- lol.

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19 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

Kane, that's what the wife and kids are for- lol.

:rofl:

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Success at St. Leon!

(I'll post a bigger trip report in 3 weeks when we finish all the legs of the trip)

 

IMG_5172.JPG

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Nice find at St. Leon. I was there last year. We just left Kemmerer two days ago and had a great day at American Dig. You can keep anything and we found some great fish. We left with about 100 pounds of quality fossils (after trimming). The location is isolated and very, very dusty. Bring lunch, lots of water (four of us went through a case) and still were dehydrated, hats and sunscreen. The owners bend over backwards to make sure you are having a good time. Bring boxes and bubble wrap and don't forget hats and sunscreen. Also bring some crazy glue in case you break something nice.  PM Seth and he will give you info about his quarry. My wife and I found a 10 inch Diplomyus and my friends found a 6 inch Priscacara.

 

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On July 3, 2017 at 2:27 PM, abctriplets said:

Success at St. Leon!

(I'll post a bigger trip report in 3 weeks when we finish all the legs of the trip)

 

IMG_5172.JPG

Yeah, that's the ticket!

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

@abctriplets there you go! I just moved from Maryland and there's a lot of spots out in VA/MD. You should go to Purse Park and Bayfront Park.

Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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Nice trilo, and great shot of the fish find. Where is the counterpart? Hope you kept both.

I will reinforce what someone said about labels, if it's not too late, I hope you are set up to keep track of everything. The location is the most important bit if info for any fossil. I at least write the location on a piece of paper and throw it in with the box. I guess you're not going to get St Leon and Kemmerer material confused, but if you ever collect similar material from different sites (maybe the MT and SD sites will be like that?), it becomes very important because your memory is just not reliable (even after a day in some cases with me!), and if you ever pass the fossils on to someone else, they will want that info... The date collected is also nice to write down.

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