This will be our last trip to this specific location.  The area is definitely being posted with signs saying "No Motorized Vehicles."  There were still moto-cross bikers using the area, but far fewer than normal.  It remains unclear whether the signs are intended for off-roaders only, or also include fossil-hunters.  Most information points toward keeping off-roaders out because of recent accidents.  Wanting to do the right thing though, we will simply find another place to dig.  Nearby are some sites that may be less productive, but will surly yield some teeth.  We may actually not be back to the area at all until Fall.  John won't be able to take another trip for a month or so, and by then the heat and rattlesnakes will be a strong deterrent, at least for me.

On the left is a picture of what our ridge looked like a month ago.  On the right is a picture of it now.  The first thing you probably notice is the green grass, thanks to some recent rains in the area.  The next thing you notice is that the trench has grown.  For a frame of reference, find the motocross path going up/down the ridge near the center of the picture.  A month ago, the trench was just past the trail.  Another thing to take note of is that the fossil layer (and thus the trench) takes a downward angle at the motocross path.  On the far right of the new picture, you can see a "test hole" that was dug by someone, perhaps a month ago, trying to find the fossil layer.  Had the layer not taken the downward angle, they might have found it there.  As I will explain below, the fossil layer takes another downward angle right where we were digging this trip.

The temperature this trip was higher, which was good and bad.  The good thing was that we could sleep outside at the hill.  Night temperatures only got down to about 50 degrees (no problem with a sleeping bag).  The bad thing about the higher temperatures though, was that the mid-day sun was cruel.  With 80+ degrees and direct sun, it was difficult to work.  We took our night-time tarp and propped it up over our dig site, which worked quite well.

We dug in a hole that had already been started by someone else.  To the right is a view from above the hole.  When we started, it was about 3 feet deep.  As you can see in the picture, we deepened it to about 5 feet (deeper than we would normally dig).  The reason is, after sifting and picking a little, we discovered that the previous digger, following along with the angle of the already dug trench, had not dug deep enough.  We picked and sifted the 1 to 2 feet of earth in the bottom of the hole and found some nice teeth (see below).  We discovered that the fossil layer was taking another downward angle, as it emerged from the edge of the hillside.

To the left is a view of our dig site from below.  John is sitting outside the hole, taking a well deserved break, and looking at some of the nice teeth that we found.  The larger pile (in the center of the picture) is the discarded soil that is unlikely to have fossils.  To the left of that pile, with a screen-box setting atop it, is a pile created by sifting about a hundred loads of soil, that we expected to find fossils in.  And we did.

Both of us did some digging in the hole and some sifting, but our most effective work was done by creating an "assembly line."  John would pick the walls of the hole, finding most of the larger teeth, then shovel the "probable" soil out of the hole.  I would then shovel it into the screen-box and sift out the smaller teeth, occasionally finding a large tooth that might otherwise have been discarded.  Most people do little sifting of the soil as they dig.  That is why you can walk along the trenches after a heavy rain and find teeth just lying on the surface.  Teeth are inadvertently discarded, and being heavy, stay in place, as the rain washes away the over-lying and surrounding soil.  Perhaps someone will even find one just outside the hole we were digging - hopefully nothing too impressive.  If so, I don't want to know about it.

We have found MANY teeth during our trips here, but not yet a complete meg (Megalodon Shark).  In addition to the teeth we have found, I have been able to acquire some nice teeth from other diggers we've met there.  And this trip, I was finally able to talk one of them out of a couple of their prized meg teeth.  It will be listed for sale here at the web site, but it won't be cheap.  Teeth with these colors are generally quite fragile.  This one is in comparatively great shape.  With it's size (over 5 inches), it's color (carmel/woodgrain) and it's rare location, you WILL NOT find another one like it online.  And did I mention the cool wavy right blade edge?  I hope it doesn't sell quickly.  I enjoy having it around.  It's gorgeous, with a capital "G" (a lot prettier in person than in the picture).  It will be "for sale," but if you want it, you're going to have to want it bad.

To the left are some of the VERY colorful teeth we dug up this weekend.  It was a great last dig at this site.