Tyrrell and Canadian Points West

[Darryl <dinoguy@interlog.com>]

I just returned from a trip out to Alberta, where I got a chance to look at
dinosaurs until my eyes popped (52 species in all).  Here is an account of
the trip (with some news):

"Scotty" the T. rex:    I made a trip to Eastend Saskatchewan to visit the
site of the preparation work on this specimen.  I found out that this
specimen is VERY scattered and broken up.  They have the whole skull (which
is 30%?!? larger than the AMNH skull) minus the braincase, most of the
pelvis, ribs, femur (which is c.1225 mm, but has a 300 mm bow in it.  This
was a LARGE Tyrannosaurus), tibia, some ribs, a few dorsals, and a few
caudals.  They are still hoping for 60-80% of a skeleton, most of which has
yet to be prepared.

The "Lost and Found" exhibit at the Royal Tyrrell:      It was as good as
some of the museums I have been to.  What a display!  I read the archival
account of the AMNH Lost World display, so I know that other museums are
doing something for the release of the movie.  This was not only covered in
the price of admission, but I took 2 rolls of film of it.  It was fantastic.
The Saurornitholestes specimens were soooo tiny.  They were almost cute.
The AMNH T. rex was there (incorrect feet and all.  Has nobody ever said
anything to them?  Dr. Holtz?) and a perfect Ornithomimus skeleton.
Carnotaurus is weirder in real life than in the drawings.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology:      WELL worth the price of
admission.  It was worth the travel half way accross the continent.  The
signs need a bit of updating on some of the specimens (The science, no
matter how slow, always seems to be way ahead of the signs on the specimens
in the museums that house them.  Can anybody offer insight?)  I went on the
"Dig Watch", which was all my wife would tolerate (it was our honeymoon
after all).
We saw tham uncover a HUGE tyrannosaur tooth amongst the edmontosaur
material.  I found a bunch of junk pieces of edmontosaur, including a piece
of caudal centrum.  I would definately recomend the trip to Drumheller.

Well, sorry to have bothered people with information on my trip, but I
thought some of the information that I brought might interest the list.

Darryl

----------------------------------------------------------
"the truth is, I don't really care how the dinosaurs died.
I'm interested in how they lived."  (Dr. John R. Horner,
from the Complete T.rex, 1993)
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The two most common elements in the universe are
hydrogen and stupidity.
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dinoguy@interlog.com
http://www.interlog.com/~dinoguy