Fossil

Fossil, Oregon. It's a place. Drive past the general mercantile, up the hill to the high school. Park around the side of the gymnasium.  You can see the "dig site" cut into the side of the hill. Just follow the short trail. Bring your hammer and your bucket. You're gonna find some fossils. "These thinly-bedded rocks...represent the bed of a shallow lake that existed here about 33 million years ago. Fossils that you’ll find are mostly leaves and branches of the deciduous trees that grew along adjacent stream banks and in nearby wetlands."1.
We were ready. We had hammers, we had buckets, we had chisels. Magnifying glasses, loupes, and gloves. Sunglasses, hats, and jackets.

Grandma Janet sent the girls "explorer" clothes:  vests, hats, binoculars, and collecting jars. They loved being kitted up for the activity at hand.

 It didn't take long before we found fossils (both real and imagined). Wow!

 

It was hard to say who was having more fun--the kids or the adults. No, wait. It is easy to say. It was the adults. They forgot about lunch and persevered through the wind and rain.

 

 Fossil hunting is like a treasure hunt. You pick up a rock, crack it apart, then carefully open up the pieces like a book to see if a fossil is hidden inside.

 Team Dig.