I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this talk. His passion for fossils, minerals, and dinosaurs is evident as he lights up whenever he is describing them. I was fascinated by Ohio’s fossil history. I had no idea how important we were when it came to fossil discovery–especially with mammoths and mastodons. I also had no idea those were two separate organisms…I thought they were all just mammoths! To say I’ve held a tooth from each of them in my own hands is an awesome thing to be able to say.
I was able to ask lot’s of questions and Dale was amazing about answering them. As a kid, I also went through a phase of being pretty hardcore about dinosaurs. Part of me still holds onto that interest. To ask questions guided by the science and knowledge I now have as a college student and have them answered by an expert was an amazing opportunity. I also found it funny that he gets so many people coming to him with their “finds” and how most of them end up being nothing. Granted, I know I wouldn’t be able to to tell the difference between a fossil and some regular stones. It’s good to know someone does though–just in case.
Dale s talk was a very good reflection of the trip he took with us. It was interesting how he was able to chronicle the things he saw, I think because he knew what to look for and what was meaningful to him before he went. It s not exactly how most of us are able to travel, but it is inspiring.