Lee Creek Spring 2008

I was fortunate to collect on day1 of the season this year.  I was super excited knowing day1 can hold great potential.  It was especially great because I finally got to meet a few folks in person such as DW, Riverdigger, and a couple others that until this past weekend I had only known via the keyboard & monitor. 

As for the collecting, once we arrived at the ramp and got our quick do's and don'ts, the starter yelled "GO", and man did we go!  The collecting area is the largest it has been since 1985 (according to some of the guides).  It really is huge.  I barely crossed paths with anyone until my way walking back to the bus at the end of the day.  Once you leave the ramp and run forward about 200 ft, you turn left and have the option of about 6 to 10 hills in front of you, all seeming like they run the width of the mine back to the back wall.  You'll see what I mean if/when you go.  For once I didn't get lost on my way walking back.

As for the fossils, well, I wish I had awesome news to report on my own finds, but not this time.  I did find a few nice mako's, some nice large carcharhinus teeth, a 6" whale tooth, a perfect bird bone, some nice tigers (contortus, aduncus, cuvier), a perfect 2 1/2" lateral Meg, and the usual assortment of other small shark and fish teeth and vertebra.  I really kept hoping I would spot the root or crown tip to that huge Meg, or to a rare tooth like a Hexanchus or Parotodus, but not this trip.  A few other collectors found items like these.  Below are some pics of ground shots and then my total take once at home cleaned off.

I was probably the second or third person to hit the hills farthest away to the back left corner, right where some really nice yorktown material was.  However, when I got there, although I didn't see anyone else around anywhere, there were footprints crisscrossing everywhere up and down these hills....hmmm, looks like the mine workers the guides talked about really did hit these areas hard before our feet touched these soils.  With the area as large as it was, and with all the rain they got in Feb (over 5") I really expected to see more Megs, especially larger ones to be found. 

Make sure you stop by the Aurora Fossil Museum in town, especially if you've never been.  Buy a hat with the shark tooth logo, and purchase a few raffle tickets for a chance to win a 6" Meg.  You can also go across the street and knee crawl or sift in the reject material for some of the smaller teeth.

Thanks to PCS, the Guides, and to the Friends folks for working hard to allow our club(s) to collect in the mine!

Daryl.