Much new stuff

    Well, none of the plans that I had for this last week panned out.  I thought that they might not, hense the "of mice and men" title on the post.  I really wanted to go to the rex dig site, but the van left without me that morning.  I was a little late but they must have left early because if they had left right on time, I would have at least seen them pulling away.  I'm making up for that loss though.  Tomarrow, whether I like it or not, I'm going to a Jurassic Dig site with the Black Hills institute.  My boss felt sorry for me missing the van last time so she arranged me to work with them Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 
    The plan to go cave exploring kind of fell out too.  I wanted to get the most out of my day off so I decided to see Mt Rushmore and go cave exploring in the same day.  And since I don't own a car (and the people who I could borrow one from are still a bit angry with me) I decided to hitch hike.  In the proud tradition of my father Gypsy Gelnaw, I hit the road and stuck out my thumb.  I left at 8:00 in the morning an had made it the 50 miles by 2:00 in the afternoon.  I was supposed to be at the cave by 5:00 pm.  It takes about two hours to see the monument and do everything that there is to do there (I might have been a bit slower because I was tired and my feet hurt).  As luck would have it, one of the people who gave me a ride (specifically the one who gave me the lift to the monument) was actually the daughter of Bob Farrar, one of the co-owners of the black hills institute.  So at 4:30, rather than try to make it 40 miles back to the cave in two hours, I decided to accept her invitation to visit the institute.  I don't know if my positive impression helped me get the weekend spot on the dig, but it couldn't have hurt. 
    On the way to Mt. Rushmore, I stopped in Custer and checked out the rock shops there.  For under $30 I picked up 4 cranial endocasts, two half skulls, one 3/4 complete skull and 3 very incomplete skulls of oreodons (oligocene sheep sized horse).  And to think, my parents got me a 5/6 complete skull for me for x-mas when I was  about 12 for $200.  Boy they charge alot for importing a fossil to California.