Dinosaurs 2: Electric Boogaloo

Occasionally, I get the opportunity to work in Colorado (as you've probably gathered from previous posts). So I've been able to find dinosaurs there too. Here are a few. The last green one is actually in Utah, but it's on the way to Colorado.

You know they want your ruby slippers and your little dog too,

Dan

Religion

Dinosaurs need it too.

Vampires in the sun,

Dan

Bones

Here are some fossils I found.

Crocodile scutes (aka. dermal armor, dermal ossicles, or osteoderms)Crocodile jaw fragments (see the tooth in the upper right corner?)Fish centra (aka. vertebrae, backbones)Brontothere cervical vertebra 4 (aka. rhino-type neck bone)

If you get an outfit you can be a cowboy too,

Dan

Chipmunk in Colora'o

I couldn't get close enough to tell whether this is Chip or Dale, but I am sure he's a Rescue Ranger.

I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy,

Dan

Gas Pump

I didn't know that gas pumps that don't accept debit/credit cards still existed outside antique shops and museums. But they do. I used this one in Rangely, CO.A Great place to live,

Dan

Dinosaurs

I think it's pretty cool that I get paid to look for fossils. Not many people can say that. To prove that I'm successful in what I do, here are some pictures of some dinosaurs I found in Vernal this past week.
Alice the camel has four humps,

Dan

Farmer's Tans

I get to spend a lot of time outside. Consequently, I have a pretty good farmer's tan. Grace inherited my skin and she tans really well too. Her farmer's tan isn't as clear as mine, but it's still there. I had to hold her still so Faith could snap the photo. If you know Grace, she hates being confined in any way.

On the road to nowhere,

Dan

Bug

I was sitting on a monitor the other day when a huge weird bug landed on my shoulder. It had large emerald green eyes and a conical body covered in yellow fuzz. It stayed there long enough for me to take out my camera, turn it on, switch it to the macro setting and turn it off again. I accidentally hit the on/off button instead of the "take a picture" button. I turned it on again, and then just as I was about to take the picture, it flew away. This is what I got instead.

We know where we're going, but we don't know where we've been,

Dan

Paleo Survey

A paleontological survey is required for any new construction of roads, well pads, or pipelines. So that's what I do. To do a paleo survey you need a 4WD vehicle. The gas fields are about an hour from Vernal but often you drive two to get to the site for a survey. You keep track of time and miles driven for each job and have to take notes and pictures. You take notes on the legal description (where the project is located and where it goes and stuff), notes on the geology (what rocks and stuff are there), and notes on the paleontology (what fossils are there). The pictures are taken to prove that you were there. First you take a picture of the beginning of the access road.Then you take a picture of the pipeline tie-in.Then you take a picture where the access road enters the well pad.You take a pictures of any fossils you might find. If it's not on Indian reservation land, you can collect anything that might be significant. It will end up in a museum, most likely BYU's Earth Science Museum. Finally, you take a picture of the center stake and sign it as further evidence that you were there so you can move onto the next thing.This is the most basic and common thing I do for work besides monitor construction which is another story. A much longer, more boring, and dangerous one.

He kicked my caboose every which way but loose,

Dan