Re: Light relief

[paleo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Glen J. Kuban )]

I do not have any humerous anecdotes from students to add, but since 
there have been a lot of posts on the Paluxy tracks lately (some from 
me), promoted by the NBC television special), I thought I would share 
some of the more interesting comments and questions I have heard from 
tourists or creationists while working on the tracksites: (The quotes 
may not be verbatin, but are as close as I can remember)...

Father to son at tracksite:
"You know Billy, these dinsoaur footprints are HUNDREDS of years old!"
---

Lady with puzzled look on her face:
"I know dinosaurs were heavy, but I never dreamed they could punch 
footprints like this in solid rock"  

>From any number of visitors seeing trackways head into pools of water:
"Look junior, that's where the dinosaur took a swim."
(Unfortunately, I don't think they were all kidding).

Likewise, many visitors have asked,
"Why did dinosaurs make their tracks in this riverbed?" 

In a similar vein...
Roland Bird reported that when he worked on the tracks in the late 
1930's, one of the local workmen helping to excavate the tracks started 
scratching his head when the prints continued under the bank, and was 
consternated how the dinosaur was able to continue under the overlying 
rocks. 

Countless people have asked things on the order of:
"How did the tracks survive all those millions of years in this 
riverbed, with the water flowing over them?"

Some of the cutest comments (and most intelligent) were from children, 
like the little boy about 10 years old who explained to people around 
him that the tracks were made long ago by dinosairs walking in soft mud 
that later hardened into rock, and that the tracks stayed buried for 
million years until the river scoured off the layers over them--in 
response to some of his father's less than incisive comments and 
questions similar to those listed above.  

Then there was the cure little girl (about 6 years old) who dashed all 
around the prints in an utter fit of excitement, the suddenly stood 
still and exclaimed "Wow, this is just like being on another planet!"  
She also was tickled pink when I told her I was studing the prints and 
wondered if she would like to be in a photograph I was taking, and 
which might appear in a magazine.  I do not think my ruler was wide 
enough to measure her smile.

Imagine how neat it would be if most adults had even 10% of her level 
of excitement and interest in the natural world.  I always felt it was 
one of the primary goals of educators to simply avoid squashing the 
natural curiousity and excitement about the world that most children 
are born with. 


Glen J. Kuban