Monkeys & Mayhem
  • Home
  • Buntings
  • Rompers
  • Swan Rockers
  • Dolls
  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Monkey Tales™ Blog
  • Gallery

Field Trip | The Hunt for Mastodon Bones

9/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
In a place far away [Rochester Hills, MI] in a time long ago [Summer, 2006] an excavation crew came upon a once in a lifetime discovery— mastodon bones!

The bones were uncovered as workers were digging up a swampy area of M-59, around Adams Road. The project was put on hold as a geologist was called in to survey the scene.
Click 'Read More' to read about our experience                                            ↓↓↓
Experts concluded the bones were from a mastodon- not rock, as was originally thought. So a team of archaeologists got together to remove the bones.

The discovery included: some ribs, a four-foot leg bone, teeth, and my personal fave- a tusk! It’s estimated the bones are over 10,000+ years old.
Picture
If anyone knows me, they know I love me some mastodon [& wooly mammoths], so I threw the kids into the car and we trekked up to the wild, unknown country to check out Michigan’s official state fossil. 

At Clinton River Trail, we parked in the adjacent lot and started walking to find this mastodon! It was a glorious, sun-filled day in the early morning, which turned out to be a great time for a visit. The pathway at the trailhead is wide and there are tons of people out and about- jogging and zooming through on bikes.

Waaay less than a mile on the trail, we saw a sign that indicated we were in the right place. The kids were excited and ran around trying to find the bones. So- let me break it down for you: there are no bones. We were kinda massively disappointed. Basically: the bones are on display at Cranbrook, so check out the museum's Institute of Science to view the actual bones.
Picture
Here’s what you will find: a bench and a commemorative plaque- both cool, but NOT mastodon bones. Just trying to save y’all the disappointment, hahahaha- you know how that goes…

We hung out for a while and chatted about the bones— see, informational plaques are useful!--- then we hit the trail again and turned it into a nature walk by exploring The Great Outdoors.
Picture
*Rockstar Tip* 
Definitely go and check this excavation site out, just prep the kids ahead of time that they won't be seeing the actual bones. Frame it like a nature walk. Or make it a day trip: first check out the Adams Road site, then head over to Cranbrook to put that knowledge in context.
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Monkey Tales™

    Monkey Tales™ is an evolving collection of things to make, places to go + more. All images and content ©Monkeys & Mayhem.

    Please Note: None of these activities, field trips or events are sponsored. This is just stuff we do + places we go irl.
    Tweets by @MonkeysMayhem

    Archives

    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    February 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Categories

    All
    Activity
    Announcement
    Autumn
    Birthday
    Celebrations
    Craft
    Earth Day
    Easter
    Field Trip
    Food
    Games
    Gifts
    Halloween
    Holiday
    Imagination
    Indoors
    Leap Day
    Learning
    Music
    Outdoors
    Products
    Project
    Rainy Day
    Spring
    St. Patricks
    Summer
    Winter
    Yum

    RSS Feed

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Read "The Story of Buntings" to discover what buntings are and what they mean to our family! 
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.