U Dig Fossils

Activity of the day was fossil hunting at the McAbee fossil beds, run by a fossil enthusiast who will be forever remembered by us as "U Dig Dave" (thanks to the proliferation of "U Dig Fossils" signs along the way).

The set-up is pretty casual - we met U Dig Dave halfway up the side of the hill where he has a small portacabin and then he drove us up to the fossil beds - a couple hundred metres which turned out to be pretty hair-raising as the brakes weren't up to much and neither was the acceleration power of the engine. Hurtling backwards down the track, after U Dig Dave's reassuring "don't worry, you might roll down a little way, but you won't go far" is not something I shall forget in a hurry. Apparently, most clients walk up, and I can certainly see why!

Our fears that we might dig for hours and not find any fossils were pretty groundless, as the area was littered with specimens. Most common were redwood leaves and pine needles, but there were also gingko leaves, and Jen found a spectacular fish. We came back home loaded with rocks, including some for Janet to practice on in the future. Given how much I have to fit in my suitcase, I guess I won't be bringing too many home with me.