Ramp is Dutch for Disaster

Anyone who hunts at Lee Creek knows that fossil collecting there is completely at the mercy of the weather for a variety of reasons. Heavy rain is our best friend and worst enemy. It exposes fresh fossils, but at the same time, has the possibility to destroy the only entrance to the pit. Up until the day before last Satuday, everyone scheduled was sitting on the edge of their seats as we awaited word whether the ramp, destroyed two weeks ago by days of heavy rain, would be repaired in time for the weekend's collectors. Especially interested were the group of collectors who journeyed thousands of miles from the Netherlands to collect its bounteous paleo-treasures. They would spend days hunting with yours truly so the trip would not be wasted regardless, but they were very excited that they had even been allowed access into the mine to begin with.

Word that the ramp repair finally came on Friday afternoon. Thanks so much to the PCS mine personnel who worked so hard to make it happen! When my friends from Holland landed, they called me to make sure they didn't drive all the way to North Carolina for no reason. You can't believe how happy they were to hear that finally, after all the years of seeing how great collecting at PCS can be, they would be allowed to collect.

When we arrived at the pit Satuday morning, the weather was beautiful, and there was no hint of rain. The new ramp was lined with Pungo reject material - much more durable than the sand we were used to. Surely this new ramp would provide access for some time and also might even reveal a few fossils, too! The Yorktown and Pungo formations were washed clean of footprints in every location I searched, but the teeth were not present in large quantities. This is about the time of the collecting season where big megalodon teeth become elusive. Heavy collecting for weeks by hundreds of collectors takes its toll, even on such a rich collecting area. Still there were teeth if you looked close, and just about everyone was finding them.

Everytime I crossed paths with one of the Dutch guys, they seemed to be having a great time. How could they not? Surface collecting doesn't get much better that Aurora. I spent about an hour in a big area of Pungo with Cor, and he told me a funny story. Apparently, in Dutch, Ramp means disaster. When I told them that the ramp was not repaired yet, they thought it was a strange coincidence since this one day was to be the highlight of their entire trip. Thanks again to PCS for getting it repaired!

My day was average - its hard to top how I did last trip in. I got several makos, an assortment of nice puny teeth, and my first ever Bramble shark tooth! I also picked up a scallop shell - not to impress rivrdigr, but to show beginners what I look for when I'm trying to find the right kind of Yorktown formation for megalodon teeth. The shells are normally disintegrated, but this shell was actually complete.