Land of the Lost

On the way home from a dentist visit in Holyoke, I saw this sign on Rte. 5 . I'd seen this sign a thousand times, and told myself I'd check it out sometime, well, now seemed like a good time.

I was a little sceptical at first, I wasn't expecting anything looking like actual footprints, but the info sign and brochures at the entrance area looked like someone had put some time and effort into making this a local attraction.



I walked down the very short trail to a clearing by the retaining wall of the road above, and, sure enough, dinosaur tracks. Clearly distinguishable dinosaur tracks.

Some were easy to find because of the chalk outlines someone, probably a child, had drawn around them. There were a lot of them, and various types. Some of the best, clearest ones I'd ever seen. Right here, next to busy Rte. 5. The cars were roaring by above just yards away.

There are 134 tracks from 3 different types of dinosaur, and the way most of them go in the same direction led scientists to conclude for the first time that some dinosaurs may have travelled in packs or herds.

Some more info: http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/298_dinosaur_footprints.cfm

Other side of the Tracks

There were several cars parked at the trail entrance, and it sounded like everyone was down by the river. I crossed some railroad tracks a few yards away and stepped onto a broad sandstone rock bed emerging from the river. There was a family swimming on one end making a huge ruckus yelling and splashing around, some fishermen scattered about the rock in strategic places and on a boat nearby, and some couples just sitting there enjoying the view or walking around. Everyone seemed to be spread out and just doing their own thing.

I don't know how they got it there, but maybe in 60 million years someone will discover fossilized Humvee tracks on the riverbed...