Last Dino day

A very large rib

Today was our last Dino day. We spent some time with John in the casting and molding lab, and got to cast our very own little fossil ammonites. That was fun, also looking at the big bone molds, and learning how they mold from original bones to produce casts. The largest bone they have is a rib from Jimbo, their Apatosaurus. They also have a very large dorsal vertebrae, a little smaller than Peggy and I.

We then toured the welding shop. They were putting together a full size T Rex from the casts. It was very cool to see. I particularly enjoyed seeing the structure underlying the casts. The casts are much lighter than the original bone (foam vs rock). The entire T rex stands on one tube that looks to be about 2 inch square.

After that we went back to the prep lab so we could take our test. We passed and got our entry level prep certificates. We did the obligatory group photo and some shopping in the gift shop and took off.

Peggy and I are staying another night in Thermopolis, so we had a leisurely lunch, a 10 mile bike ride (bison and the Bighorn River) and a nap.

Tomorrow we drive 200+ miles over the continental divide to Jackson. We are looking forward to seeing the Tetons. It is getting colder, and will be even colder there. The elevation here is 4600 and there is 6200 ft. We'll be driving over another 9600 ft pass.

Anne

Anne