A Run Makes the Day GOOD! Day 24, July 13, 2017
Started the day off good with a nice little 3 mile run. Much easier at 3200 feet, believe me. Since we finally have good cell service I was able to enjoy Jimmy Buffet on Pandora again!
After a good breakfast, Russ, Ceilidh and I set off to see the Mammoth exhibit at Hot Springs, SD. There we were given a great tour for $8 each. The tour included a visit into the actual excavation of 60 (so far) mammoths. Of these mammoths, 2 of them were wooly the rest were Columbian. All of them were males. They were the unfortunate victims of a sinkhole created by the collapse of an underlying limestone cave 35-40,000 years ago. They fell in (not all together but over a period of some 500-1000 years) and when they tried to scramble out, the spearfish soil layer (kinda like Sierraville clay) was too slippery to give their huge feet purchase. So they drowned.
These relics were discovered on a piece of land in Hot Springs that a contractor was trying to develop in 1974. He struct pay dirt and when he realized what he had, he stopped excavating immediately, eventually selling the land to a preservation group for what he had paid for it.
So here are some pictures:
After a good breakfast, Russ, Ceilidh and I set off to see the Mammoth exhibit at Hot Springs, SD. There we were given a great tour for $8 each. The tour included a visit into the actual excavation of 60 (so far) mammoths. Of these mammoths, 2 of them were wooly the rest were Columbian. All of them were males. They were the unfortunate victims of a sinkhole created by the collapse of an underlying limestone cave 35-40,000 years ago. They fell in (not all together but over a period of some 500-1000 years) and when they tried to scramble out, the spearfish soil layer (kinda like Sierraville clay) was too slippery to give their huge feet purchase. So they drowned.
These relics were discovered on a piece of land in Hot Springs that a contractor was trying to develop in 1974. He struct pay dirt and when he realized what he had, he stopped excavating immediately, eventually selling the land to a preservation group for what he had paid for it.
So here are some pictures:
Different sizes of the same species
I know it looks like a bunch of dirt, but look closely
The excavation under cover
Check out these Ivorys
We had lunch in the park at Hot Springs and I loved this theatre building across the street:
After visiting the Mammoths, we made our way up to Custer State Park and took the $20 scenic wildlife drive. Here we saw lots of prairie dogs, antelope, wild (but not so wild they didn't try to get food rom us) burros and buffalo. It was entirely enjoyable and kind of like being on an African Safari. Here are a few pictures:
The View to set the Mood
Ceilidh did not like this one!
We offered nothing, so she moved along
These puppies are BIG
Wow, did a lot today. No time to watch TV. Nitey Nite!
Comments
Post a Comment