Road Trip
Piece by piece, my family put together the story of dinosaurs in Big Sky Country and made a discovery of our own.
One family discovers hidden treasures along Montana’s Dinosaur Trail.
A LITTLE PALEONTOLOGIST chose our family’s last vacation. My wife and I had asked our three kids to each propose a destination, and then each had to do a report about their choice. Gunner found the Montana Dinosaur Trail online. What a fantastic find this trip turned out to be!
The trip took us from Illinois through the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota. Then we went on to 14 amazing stops in Montana that included museums, dig sites and a break in beautiful Glacier National Park.
Montana is an ideal place to find dinosaur fossils. Glaciers from the last Ice Age pushed away enough topsoil here to expose fossils.
On the trip, we learned of many milestones in Montana’s dinosaur history, but the one that stands out happened in 1978. That’s when Marion Brandvold, owner of the Trex Agate Shop in Bynum (pop. 30), found the first baby dinosaur ever discovered in North America. She showed it to a paleontologist, who uncovered an entire nest at the site and returned later with a whole team. The team found 14 more nests and proved that dinos lived in colonies, fed and cared for their young like mammals, and had some social structure. The fossils of that baby dinosaur are on display at the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center in Bynum.
By far the highlight of the trip was going on an authentic dinosaur dig at the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center. During this adventure, we went out to a dig site already in progress. Paleontology students taught us the trick to distinguish fossils from rocks by shape, texture and color.
So, how do you verify a fossil? Well, you lick it. Fossils are porous, so they will stick to your finger or tongue when wet.
Our kids got on the ground and lightly brushed away dirt and debris. We cut grass and weeds instead of pulling because the roots might be growing through fossils. Pull and you might risk destroying a 70-million-year-old fossil.
Gunner literally stumbled on a dinosaur when he wiped out on some loose rocks, causing a small rock slide. When he rolled over to get up, he said, “Oh, what’s this?” He picked up the fossil and licked it, confirming it was indeed a fossil. Gunner’s find turned out to be part of a Tyrannosaurus leg bone! He was so excited, but he couldn’t keep it. His find was put back in place and marked by GPS as a future dig site.
This experience touched Gunner and might very well set his course in life. Thanks, Montana Dinosaur Trail! Our family learned and bonded together! GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIPS Share your favorite destinations at country-magazine.com/submit.
Gunner literally stumbled on a dinosaur.