THE WHITE STUFF

 Well Winter has finally arrived at Dinosaur. First a night of freezing rain. Then a day and night of snow left a foot of the stuff on the ground. A heavy fog lays across the land. No sun has been seen for several days. And the forecast is for more of the same for the next few days.

The QVC crew -- the right stuff for the white stuff.

This is not too bad for those of us sitting at our computers in our warm offices. However, work must continue at the Quarry and the weather presents problems. So the crews bundle up and press on.

The road to the Visitor Center is only about ¼ mile long, but it is all uphill, with some steep sections. Ice and snow makes for a slippery road surface and heavy machinery can have a hard time sliding onto the sloping shoulders.

The general work area and is covered by snow. Supplies under tarps need to be excavated. Walking around the site is difficult because even small slopes are slippery. Should it should warm up it will become a terribly muddy quagmire.

The most immediate critical concern involves concrete. The forms are nearly complete for the 150 foot long south wall. Concrete will be poured sometime next week. Proper curing of the concrete will take some time and is temperature sensitive. So the forms are draped under plastic. Propane heaters will keep the temperature under the plastic above the minimum temperature needed to proper curing.

 Of course,  with all the pressure of working under adverse conditions, setting up equipment to keep temperatures under control, etc. the Quarry Crew keeps their cool and remembers what's important, as can be seen on this sign .........

I’m sure glad that we don’t have to excavate fossils under these conditions. I’d rather be blogging.

Photos: NPS