Journal for Thursday, May 15

Submitted by:
Kaylyn A., Cassandra K., Amber F., Lindsey W. , Alisha B., Trisha R., Nicki L., Amber A., Mae M., Annie L., Monica S.

Today we went to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. There were so many bones and skeletons of Woolly Mammoths and Columbian Mammoths. We got to take a tour of the sink hole that the mammoths fell into and died. There were 52 skeletons and they were all males. In the next 20 years they expect to find 50more skeletons. At the end of the tour we got to make cast molds of the mammoth's teeth, they look like the bottom of a shoe.

We also went to Whitney Preserve and ate lunch there. Everybody was afraid of rattlesnakes when we took a hike, because Bob Paulson told us that he had, had many close encounters with the snakes. We took long walks and even saw a dead snake on the trail. Peter had us get gypsum samples from the rock road-cut and observe them with all our senses: feel it, touch it, look at it, listen to it, and yes, even give it a good lick to see what it tasted like.

We went to Black Hills Geology Institute. Everything there was prehistoric. There we saw real dinosaurs, including a T-Rex. We were able to see the working process of the workers uncovering a skeleton fossil of a Tryceritops. We also saw many different fossils from all over the world.

Next we were scheduled to go mineral hunting, but due to the shortage of time, we were unfortunate and couldn’t make it. But instead of going there we got to go to Mt. Rushmore, which was a thrill. And up by Mt. Rushmore, we saw a mountain goat. There were many buffalo all over. They graze here like deer graze in Minnesota.

Busy, busy, day! Great work!