Spring 2003 Aurora, NC - Day 2 - PCS

We arose around 6 to find that it had rained again while we slept. If we were ever going to find something great at PCS, today would be the day. We were the first group in (besides the teachers that I mentioned yesterday, anyway) and it had rained buckets since the last serious collectors had hit the collecting area. We arrived in the parking lot a little after 7 where we talked to people and picked up a few teeth off the ground just in case! I met all kinds of new people that day, as well as met up with some people I hadn't seen in a while. Roy and Rob were back, as was Miocene Marine Mammal Man. I thought Fossil Guy and Fossil Girl (from fossilguy.com) were going to be there, but since I didn't know what they looked like, I didn't meet them. Maybe next time. We sat through all the normal preaching and lecturing on the bus and we were finally on our way. The pile was just like I remembered it from last fall when I didn't find anything. Maybe this time would be better. It couldn't be worse! We didn't see any footprints, and that was a good sign. I searched to the right of where the bus parked across the bottom of the hill. The first tooth I came across was the awesome Hemi. Next I found a big chunk of whale tooth. Then the Mako in the ground shot at the bottom of this page. After that, I picked up a little tooth here and a little tooth there, but the megs were nowhere to be found. I went as far as the gigantic garbage heap of James City toward the right side of the area before I headed back the way I came. (da f0ssZ would later tell me that just past this area was a nice area of Yorktown. Oh well.) This time, though, I worked my way toward the top of the hills. I remember the last time I was here there was a nice area of pungo up there, and I wanted to hit it. There were footprints all around, as I expected, but still I searched. Then, perched on top of a big chunk of pungo was the sweetest Cow shark tooth I've seen in a while. (there is a picture of that if you click the thumbnail). I had met my expectations for the day - a decent Mako, a nice hemi, and a sweet cow shark tooth. If I didn't find anything else, I would have been satisfied. But I wasn't ready to go sit on the bus, either! I started raking the pungo in hopes that a chubentensis would pop out, but after about 45 minutes in one spot, I gave up. Undoubtedly, though, I raked out a few nice teeth for the next person to come around after a rain. I decided to continue past the bus around the corner to the other Yorktown area to try my rake there. All along the way, I was turning stuff over and busting up dirt clods hoping to find a mercy tooth. Just as I turned the hill, I mashed a block of shelly-grey yorktown-esque stuff to find a WICKED mako inside (click the thumbnail to see). Man, the gravy just kept getting better! I finally got to the end of the area on the left side, and it was here that I spent the rest of the day. I took of my pack and started working the Yorktown with my rake. Not 5 minutes after I started, I found my biggest tooth of the day - a 2 7/8" mako (click the thumbnail for the sweet ground shot). It has a little root damage, but its so killer looking that it didn't really matter. I don't think I broke it, though, because I found it face down, and the front is where the ding is. I didn't have time to celebrate yet, though, because I kept finding teeth in that little block. First a few bull sharks, then a big tiger, then a FLAWLESS 1 7/8" Mako, then two smaller, perfect makos. I kept working the block for another 2 hours, though, and I didn't find anything else. Everywhere I saw bone, I raked. But that was it. I was to find no more teeth. WHO CARES! I had already had my best day ever at the mine. It was nearing 3, so I headed back to the bus. There were already people all around showing off their finds. The best things I saw were John E.'s gigantic Benedeni (DROOL!), a couple nice cows, and a sweet posterior meg. It seemed like everyone found something, so the bus ride was full of chatter about the day. Me, I was thinking about Taco Bell ;-)