Dinosaur Hunting by Boat in 2010: Alberta, Canada

2010-07-19T21:37:00.001-07:00

Scow trip, July 7, 2010.

2010-07-08T17:12:00.001-07:00

The scow was pulled out of the river at Newcastle Beach in Drumheller late in the afternoon. It is now in storage on a farm in Consort, Alberta with plans to try again next year. Next year we will use larger crews at all times- this way we can get the scow off rocks when it is stuck on one. We will also explore some system (inflatable?) to lift the scow off rocks. Thin steel on the bottom will no doubt help slide over protruding rocks. Also considering bringing a support boat with a powerful motor for towing us off rocks when needed, taking crews off of the scow to field areas where the scow cannot stop, and scouting in advance for rocks, areas to stop scow, etc. Of historical interest is that where the scow beached is the site of the Charles H. Sternberg (and sons Charles M. and Levi) fieldcamp of 1912.

Philip J. Currie and Eva Koppelhus submitted this paragraph about their trip down the river today:

The final day of the incredible voyage began as the scow was pushed off its muddy dock at 7:15 AM. As on the previous day, Al Rasmuson and Bill Spencer tended the front tiller, while Tom and Phil took care of the back end. This was probably the most stunning day visually, as kilometers of badlands slipped by. Everyone wanted to stop and look for fossils, but we all knew we had a deadline to dock in Drumheller. Most of the day passed uneventfully, but the wind became stronger by afternoon. It pushed the scow into the rocky left bank as we passed through some otherwise moderate rapids upstream of Nacmine. Undamaged, the vessel twisted 360 degrees through the fast waters, and continued downstream. Half an hour later, however, it ground to a stop on another gravel bar. Even with the water levels so high on the river, it took a little time to push it back into the deeper waters downstream. Some of the staff of the Tyrrell Museum came down to cheer us on as we passed the vicinity of the museum, and again as we passed the train tressle near the west end of Drumheller. The trip was almost over, and in spite of fighting the wind as it pushed the scow back and forth across the channel, it had been a fairly easy day. As we approached Newcastle Beach, Phil and Eva remembered the rapids at the foot of 12 Street, close to their former home in Drumheller. Everyone was up for one last fight to get through, but we found the channel by the right bank and slipped through without any problems. As planned, the scow pulled into shore at 3:45, some thirty kilometers after departing the Morrin Bridge campground. There were many hands to assist us to unpack; and a truck with a crane from Dan's Oilfield Services was there to lift the scow out of the water. Lawrence Dohy (DRI) drove Al and Bill back to Calgary, while Tom and Tess dropped Eva and Phil off at their field camp in Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park. It had been an amazing journey, and the crew was unanimous in their determination to do it again next year at a more leisurely pace!

The pictures today were provided by Phil and Eva.

Scow trip, July 6, 2010.

2010-07-08T17:11:00.004-07:00

While Darren was recovering from his medical incident of July 4th, the scow was moved from Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park to near the Morrin Bridge- a distance of some 39 km. It stopped for the night less than a kilometer upstream from where the American Museum of Natural History scow "Mary Jane" (used 1910-1912) was beached and abandoned after the 1912 field season.

Phil Currie and Eva Koppelhus submitted these comments for today's trip:

On Tuesday, July 6, 2010, the scow easily slid off the mud into the current of the Red Deer at 9:15 AM. Eva, Tom and Phil were still on board, but had been joined by Allan Rasmuson (Dinosaur Research Institute) and Bill Spencer (DRI as well) both from Calgary, and Tom's daughter Tess Owen from Edmonton. The wind cooperated, pushing steadily from behind, as the scow covered more than 40 kilometres at a blistering average speed of 4.2 km per hour. For a change, the great blue herons outnumbered the pelicans, and a mature bald eagle crossed our bow late in the afternoon. All would have been fine if Tom and Phil had not commented independently that the trip had been so smooth that nobody had got wet and muddy. Sure enough, shortly after, the scow ground to a halt on a gravel bar that spanned the river and connected two islands with each other and both banks. Lightened by the weight of three of the men, it was a relatively easy task to push the multi-ton vessel across the crest of the bar and back into the current. As planned, the expedition arrived more or less on time at 7 PM at the Morrin Bridge campground to meet Darren and Patty for Bar-B-Qued steaks and as assortment of side dishes. Eva and Phil enjoyed a quiet night on the scow (interrupted only by a short rain shower and the periodic slapping of beaver tails on the river) as the others slept in the tents in the campground.

Scow trip, July 5, 2010.

2010-07-08T17:11:00.003-07:00

After Darren's medical incident of July 4th, a small crew stayed with the scow and guarded it today, leaving for points downstream on July 6th.

Scow trip, July 4, 2010.

2010-07-08T17:11:00.001-07:00

This was not a good day for your blogger. I have been dizzy for several weeks and quite stressed out during the trip. This morning I was hiking to a higher spot in order to update this blog when I felt my health declining rapidly. I was alone in the badlands and staggering along like a drunken man, with my head very dizzy and not thinking properly. I saw some vehicles heading for the day use area in the Dry Island Park, and knowing I needed medical help, headed that way. I approached a group of hikers getting ready to set out. As I reached the first person, I gather I collapsed into some tall grass. Don't remember much after that, but it resulted in an ambulance being called and me being rushed to the Three Hills Hospital. This effectively ended my involvement in the scow trip and shortened it considerably. Blood tests revealed low potassium levels and low hemoglobin so I was anemic. That and the stress and exhaustion of the trip combined to bring me down. I am typing these words on July 8th and am still afflicted with exhaustion and dizzy spells- it really is an effort to write this.

There are plans underway to try the scow trip next summer.

Scow trip, July 3, 2010.

2010-07-08T17:10:00.001-07:00

We left McKenzie Crossing this morning, making 12 more kilometers and managed to avoid getting stuck on submerged rocks. McKenzie Crossing is where secondary highway 590 crosses the Red Deer River. We floated down to Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park and then Philip Currie and I guided the scow onto the exact spot where Barnum Brown had his scow anchored in 1910. We had to dodge a few rocks as we landed and then of all things- a submerged shopping cart! After landing we set up a canvas tent on the site of Brown's camp in 1910, then Patty and I donned period clothes for some historical re-enactment pictures- I will post some of them later. We had a number of visitors including the scows carpenter Perry and his wife Alice. The pictures and video clip here were taken on the exact spot of Barnum Browns scow camp in 1910- an idyllic scene and satisfying after all the work to get here. We were serenaded by Coyotes (Canis latrans) tonight and then in the early hours an obviously displeased beaver (Castor canadensis) sharply slapped his/her tail into the water close to the scow waking us.

Scow trip July 1-2, 2010.

2010-07-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

Morning of July 2 here now. We got the scow pulled off the big rock. It was a tricky lift for the crane crew but they got the job done. We drove east and are now at Content Bridge where highway 21 crosses the Red Deer. Here and below the river is very placid without rapids and moves at about walking speed so will be less technically challenging. We will be going to Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park over the next two days. Mosquitoes dreadful here. Nice and sunny and looks like a great day for a float.

On July 2nd we floated some 39 kilometres to McKenzie Crossing. We got stuck on gravel bars or rocks 6 times and were very lucky in two cases to have help. In the first case 8 kayakers pushed us off a gravel bar on which we were firmly stuck. In the second case, we got stuck mid-river in fast water at Trenville Park while dozens of tourists watched. Lucky for us, several young men jumped into the river and after much effort got us going again! When the scow works it works great, but when we have problems with rocks it creates a serious situation. However we did make excellent progress today.

Scow trip, July 1, 2010.

2010-07-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Another frustrating couple days. We had Perry come and fix the scow best he could until thundershowers intervened. After the repairs were done we went to leave and discovered we were high centered on a big rock- no amount of pushing would help. We could spin the scow around, but not off the rock. Hours of work and we gained 6 inches. That rock, and our obvious inexperience on this faster stretch of river (leading to the previous accidents) forces me to pull the scow out and move it downstream to a section of river with no big rocks and a gentler gradient and more placid water. I feel it is simply too dangerous for us rookies to attempt it alone. It looks easy when you look at the river but once you are on it it is a different story. Later today, Dan's Oilfield Service and others will come to our rescue and drag us up the bank or lift us out of the river and take us downstream to Content Bridge where highway 21 crosses the Red Deer River. I continue to have problems uploading images- sorry.

Scow trip June 29-30, 2010.

2010-06-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Not good news I'm afraid. We got away OK at 3:15 yesterday, but only a couple kilometres downstream hit a bridge piling side on. Some smashed drinking glasses and ceramic mixing bowls were the only minor damage in the kitchen. One of the tiller support blocks was smashed but usable, I was able to nail it back together. After that a leaning tree tried to swipe the tent off the scow. A collision with the bank shattered the tiller block again, and snapped a tiller clean in two. We then had a rough landing in which Patty fell and badly sliced her left index finger open which resulted in an ambulance trip to the Red Deer Hospital. A nasty thunderstorm ensued and we heard of a tornado in the area. We camped on some flat land right above where we stopped, the river now a raging torrent. We only made 12 kilometers yesterday. Perry is on his way to do some repairs. Travelling by scow is very challenging as we are discovering the hard way. In places it is swift (10 km/hr.) with shallow rapids, but placid for the most part so far. We hope to continue on again later today (10 am on the 30th as I write this). Seem to be having troubling uploading pictures so just sending this update.

Scow on truck and now packing!

2010-06-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

A very quick update today as we are busy packing. The scow was loaded onto the flatbed truck 6:30 a.m. today with no problems. The scow and truck are now in Drumheller for the night and we leave for Red Deer tomorrow about 8 am. Now we pack and realize we have 5 of some things, 3 of others. This is what happens when you go to flea markets and antique shops over 8 years accumulating tools and equipment for this project! Much of the cargo is food and we will eat that en route so less to bring home and lots to sell back to the antique shops too! Will try to upload to this blog tomorrow when the scow is in the river. I am excited and very exhausted, stomach in knots the past 3 days, don't know if it is a flu bug, food poisoning, nerves and stress or all of these.

Turbo stick test part 2

2010-06-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is a test of the turbo stick, this time sending text and digital images. If this works, you are reading this and seeing two pictures of the scow as it appeared today with Canadian and Canadian/USA flags. Please let us know you are seeing this text and two images so we can know this turbo stick works for you.

Test message from turbo stick

2010-06-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

I'm testing out the turbo stick up in Munson to make sure that it works. Darren and Perry are putting the finishing touches on the scow in preparation for it being loaded onto the truck and brought down into Drumheller tomorrow. It's looking like the real thing now. I can't believe that we're leaving in a scant few days! It's exciting to see a dream come true after all these years. : )

Scow main tent internal infrastructure

2010-06-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

4th blog today! The tent maker put the stove pipe opening on the wrong side which has necessitated a rethinking of how things will be arranged inside the scow tent. This "how to arrange things" was a thought process a year ago. To resolve this, Perry made a simple scale scow base atop of which a piece of plywood represents the tent (now 1 foot narrower than seen here), and then small blocks of wood correctly cut to scale and here identified as to bed, desk, table, etc. All 1:10 scale if I recall correctly. By moving these blocks around, one can explore the best configuration of things- obviously the stove should be kept away from the upright ice chest. For scale, the red upright rectangle represents your blogger, Darren Tanke, in height and width across the shoulders. These pictures show what we think is the best arrangement.

Scow expedition launch information

2010-06-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

We launch on June 29th. Actual departure time is uncertain. The plan is to lift the scow onto a big truck from Dan's Oilfield Service with help from Cliff's Oilfield Hauling (both in Drumheller) on the afternoon of June 28th. The truck and scow will then be driven to Drumheller and stored in their trucking yard overnight. On the morning of June 29th, the truck/scow and several support vehicles will leave Drumheller. We will arrive in Red Deer mid to late morning. In Red Deer, the truck will proceed southward down Fountain Drive to the Red Deer River. The scow will be put into the water, and tied to shore. Then there will be at least 1-2 hours of rebuilding and attaching the scows infrastructure, loading it with supplies, putting the tent on, etc. Actual departure time is unknown, but we should be gone no later than 3 pm- I personally would like to be gone no later than 2 pm. Anyone living in or near Red Deer would likely see us there at noon.

To see where this will all happen, go to Google Maps and search "Fountain Drive Red Deer, AB". As Fountain Drive nears the river, it hooks sharply to the west- the launch will occur there or close by.

Crew tents

2010-06-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the 3 crew tents. They are 7 feet (2.13 metres) square at the base and 7 feet (2.13 metres) high. Four tent pegs and a single upright wooden pole are all that are needed to set them up so they go up quick and easy. This design is based on pictures of c. 1912 American Museum of Natural History crew tents. Set them up on my front lawn today to air them out and to make sure they are finished properly and all the zippers worked. All have a zippered screen door for ventilation and to keep out biting insects.

These tents look a bit "limp" here. The premade tent poles are just a bit short so I will get some wood pieces to put underneath so the fabric goes taut. Many people driving down the road gawk at them as they drive by.

Regarding blog updates from the field

2010-06-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

All,

We will try to upload updates from the field every two days or so, maybe more. We are attempting something unfamiliar to us so there may be some technical or logisitical problems. We have an electric generator on board to charge up the laptops internal battery. We have a "turbo stick" which fits into the laptops USB port so we can upload text and digital images to this blog, via, I believe, a cell phone signal. We don't know what type of cell phone signal coverage we'll get on the trip. Cell phone companies are eager to show you widespread coverage across Alberta, but never exclude deep river valleys from their coverage maps. Some places along the river (valley bottom) have good cell phone coverage, others poor or none. My plan, if there is no coverage, is to climb up the badlands until I get a signal and post an update there. That said, be aware that there may be times I cannot do this, even if I want to. For example, maybe it is too late in the day and dark. Don't want to be hiking the rough badlands with just a flashlight! Maybe it is raining, or has been raining. When this happens, the clay in the Late Cretaceous rock swells up and the hills are very slippery. It is extremely unsafe to blog under these conditions and we will need a drying out day before an attempt can be made. I may do multiple postings on one day to "catch up" if need be.

I leave you with a nice view of the Late Cretaceous middle Horseshoe Canyon Formation a few miles upstream from the Morrin Bridge, about a 45 minute drive north of Drumheller. These rocks produce Albertosaurus (carnivorous tyrannosaur), Hypacrosaurus (crested hadrosaur), and Anchiceratops (horned dinosaur), among others. This area has no cell phone coverage so would be a typical view while posting to this blog- spectacular! Double click on the image a few times for the larger view.

Scow construction progress: June 25, 2010.

2010-06-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Perry continues to be ill but bravely plugs along on the scow. We were hit by a massive thunderstorm this evening which interrupted his work. It has rained so much here this spring that there is some kind of moss growing in my gravel driveway! Perry got the bed frame done (intentionally tall so we can store many things underneath), one tiller completed, the removable wooden doors installed (they simply slide up and out on grooved edges) and most new wood additions stained.

Patty picked up the tents in Calgary (now waterproofed), we will install the tent on Sunday. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last day for major supply purchases.

I also picked up the "Peter C. Kaisen" nameplates for the scow and wanted to show them here, but this blog seems to only allow 5 images per entry. Therefore, see blog entry previous to this one for a picture of the nameplate.

Peter C. Kaisen: our scow's namesake

2010-06-25T09:26:00.001-07:00

The 2010 scow is named after Peter C. Kaisen (seen here in 1912 second from the left on the scow Mary Jane), a paleontology technician at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) from 1898 to 1936. In 1897, he was a section boss on Union Pacific Railway working in Aurora, Wyoming, USA. At this time the AMNH was working on the now famous Como Bluff dinosaur quarry, he left the railroad and joined the AMNH crew at the Bone Cabin Quarry in the spring of 1898. He worked there constantly until the fall of 1899 when he moved to New York City. He was one of Barnum Brown's "right hand man" and worked extensively with him in the field. He was part of the scow expeditions on the Red Deer River, Alberta from 1910-1913 and also worked with Brown in 1914 in Alberta. He collected, prepared, and mounted a great many specimens for the AMNH, mostly dinosaurian and a large number of these from Alberta. He worked with Roy Chapman Andrews and the AMNH team in Mongolia in 1923. His last fieldwork was done in 1932. He died on March 18, 1936.

Kaisen's work and legacy is largely eclipsed by that of Brown. He was a fellow technician and kept good and interesting fieldnotes (Brown wrote very few, if any) and for that reason the 2010 scow is named in honor of him, another unsung hero of vertebrate paleontology.

I picked the nameplates for the scow tonight and show one held in place. AB2421971 is the scows registration number- required by law, certainly nothing Brown had to deal with in 1910!

Scow project update, June 24, 2010.

2010-06-24T19:53:00.001-07:00

Despite now being ill and bombarded with mosquitoes, Perry has soldiered on and made progress on the tillers and their supports (including a nifty idea using a block of wood to hold the handle of the tiller in place when not in use, but still readily available if need be); metal brackets for towing and attaching anchor chain; a tapered ladder (extra stable and required in case of high banks need to be scaled to explore badlands and/or pitch camp); internal tent framework for attaching shelves and to pound nails in to to hang things (pots, pans, tools, etc.) onto; and a tall flagpole. The latter will launch with current Canadian and American flags flying and later on, when the Grinde's join us, they will add a Danish flag.

I talked to more newspaper media today (Brooks Bulletin, Provost News, and the Calgary Herald).

Also looking into insurance for the trip.

A nice lady who works in Dinosaur Provincial Park came to Drumheller today and donated almost 30 jars of preserved beans, beets, peaches, dill pickles/carrots, salsa, pears, and tomatoes for the trip. Patty got a turbo stick (fits into laptop USB port) so we can upload to the blog from remote locations (weather, technology, and cell phone signal permitting) and she is testing it out now. The river is full of water and the weather forecast for the June 29 launch is great!

2 newspaper links regarding the scow trip

2010-06-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/local/100_years_on_dinosaur_hunt_will_go_by_boat_96286403.html?period=W&mpStartDate=06-07-2010&

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/local/Technician_dug_deep_for_clues_to_original_watercraft_96287123.html

Scow construction progress: June 23, 2010.

2010-06-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

A hot and muggy day with thundershowers in the evening. Went up to look at the scow tonight. Mosquitoes there were big, numerous, and aggressive! Between several downpours Julie-Anne finished the antique wash finish on the scow. Perry finished changing the walls around on one end and is working on some of the finer details, one of which included a quick release system (seen here) for the taller tent poles in case we need to lower the tent while floating on a windy day (the Sternberg's and Brown's crew had to do this with theirs on windy days). Perry has now completed some final details on the expedition rowboat.

I was on the radio on two stations this morning and got an email from a TV station in Calgary. Also talked to the Drumheller Mail newspaper. Hopefully more media attention tomorrow.

Scow construction update: June 22, 2010.

2010-06-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Drumheller and area were hard hit by a bad thunderstorm and heavy rains this afternoon and evening. There were even tornado warnings out. So Perry did not get much work done on the scow today. The pictures here show the scow being worked on last night. Patty took the tents, etc back to Calgary for waterproofing today and will pick them up on Friday. Because the tent chimney hole was put on the wrong side, the wood walls on one end of the tent support have to be changed around, otherwise the stove is mostly blocking one doorway. Here it can be seen that Perry is swapping the walls around.

As I was typing this the phone rang and I was interviewed about the scow trip by the local FM station. I am also to be interviewed by another station tomorrow morning. We were already in the Red Deer Advocate newspaper a week or so ago.

Will be getting a "turbo stick" for my laptop tomorrow and with this should be able to update this blog remotely during the trip, weather, technology, and cell phone signal permitting. There are some areas in Alberta still without coverage- I think the area below Drumheller down to around Dinosaur Provincial Park may have little to no coverage, but I guess we'll just have to see.

Scow construction update: June 21, 2010.

2010-06-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

No pictures today, but a few updates. Perry has added some short wood uprights along the sides of the scow to hold the tillers in place when not in use. It turns out the lack of waterproofing on the tent was not the tent manufacturers fault, they had bought 1,000 metres of canvas from a supplier and it was supposed to be waterproofed material which it turned out was not! They tested the unused canvas material at their shop and had the same unwanted results as us. Tomorrow Patty will take the scow tent, crew tents, and 3 tarps back to Calgary to have them properly waterproofed.

All this rain recently had caused some fears of flooding on the Red Deer River, but we can see now the river is dropping steadily over the past 2.5 days- we gauge this by a small island in the river and how emergent it is from the water. It was 6 inches emergent for months until about a week ago when it was completely submerged, but now several inches are showing. There have been many media reports about flooding in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan the past few days. Be assurred this is not affecting us. Those places got much more rain than here, are hundreds of kilometres to the south, and importantly, are far downstream from Red Deer/Drumheller or are on river systems not attached to the Red Deer River.

Scow construction update: June 20, 2010b

2010-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Julie got all the painting done but still needs to do a few minor touchups. We got the tent on the frame tonight, everything fits great. One drawback was when we tested the tent for waterproofing, the water dripped through the roof and soaked through the sides, so a new problem that will have to be addressed and soon! The yellow nylon ropes seen here will be replaced with natural hemp rope.

Scow construction update: June 20, 2010a

2010-06-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

A sunny and warm day! Perry has hired on a short contract Julie-Anne May, a summer employee in the Royal Tyrrell Museum's Design Department. Today she is applying a watered down gray latex paint to darken the otherwise bright new wood on the scow. Perry is installing the anchor points (clevises) for the heavy ropes we brought to him today. He is also beginning to make a bed frame which is seen in one picture. If all the painting gets done, we will try putting the tent on tonight and test its waterproofness. I will post more pictures later tonight.

Scow construction update: June 18, 2010b.

2010-06-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

#2 of 2 postings for today.

Scow construction update: June 18, 2010a.

2010-06-18T19:49:00.001-07:00

Perry has made great progress since the last construction update as the pictures attest. Seems I can only post 5 pictures at a time so this will be #1 of 2 postings today. Staining of the scow and tent installation will happen this Sunday.

Scow project update: June 17, 2010.

2010-06-17T19:28:00.001-07:00

Darren is back from the field, having been thwarted by intense rains and strong, cold winds. I've been gone 3 days, but there have been several developments on the scow project which I relate here. Perry now has begun to work on the scow rain or shine as time is running out. An assistant will help him with some of the staining work on the scow. He is now working on the frame that will hold the tent up. I will likely see the scow tomorrow and post some pictures then. Patty got all the crew and scow tents today in Calgary. Our request for a permit from the City of Red Deer to launch the scow on their property was approved. We are looking into getting some name plates made up for the scow and rowboat. Also getting a small metal tray made up for the old stove to act as a catch basin for ashes and unburned coals.

All this rain has swollen the Red Deer River and it has sped up considerably over its normal slow speed. Hoping this will not affect our launch and subsequent travels. The weather forecast looks good for the most part over the next 3 days, but rain is called for again!

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Tess Owen

2010-06-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

I have been fossil collecting as long as I can remember. The first fossil I ever found was worm burrows found underwater at Pigeon Lake in an otherwise nondescript khaki-coloured rock intended for my rock collection at the age of six. My Dad (Tom Owen) and I first began looking for petrified wood alongside the North Saskatchewan River when I was seven or eight and, after a fortuitous dinosaur bone discovery again at the cabin (by my father) the shift turned to finding bones on the riverbed instead. I found my first dinosaur bone at age 9 by the Edmonton JCC, a small black bone that was evenly split in two. Since then we've scoured the river valley in the Edmonton region and made it a goal never to return home without at least one fossil.

Not long after we began dinosaur 'hunting', my dad became a paleo-trustee with the Royal Tyrrell Museum and we began confirming sites around the Edmonton area. When I was twelve (in 1994) one of the sites in a nearby creek had been vandalized, and when we went to survey the damage I stumbled across a sandstone slab with Albertosaurus skin impressions. To make a long story short, the Tyrrell collected the piece (a Mr. Darren Tanke came and rock sawed the piece out and we made introductions), I found myself achieving my 15 minutes of fame before I was 15, and for a short time was very popular at my Junior High school. It also fueled my love for palaeontology.

Dad and I continued to collect fossils around Edmonton, and when I finished high school I joined the crew at Dry Island in 2000 to volunteer at the Albertosaurus bonebed. I have since returned about 3 times. I joined a rock band and toured Alberta as the bassist and backup singer, and when that ended I returned to University at the U of A to study for my B.Ed. While I did not go into Palaeontology, I still kept tabs on natural sciences. I was a member of the U of A Palaeontological Society, and in January 2005 I joined Dr. John Acorn and a motley crew up to High Level to band owls. I also continued to investigate bonebeds in and around Edmonton. I also met my husband, Jason Aboughoushe, in 2003 while taking a year of studies at Grant MacEwan College. We married in October 2007.

Since 2007 I have been a teacher with Edmonton Public schools, teaching elementary in various subjects (including music, science and English language arts) to various grades. Jason and I also own a few properties that we rent out and fix up. Beginning in the fall of 2010, I will be catering to classrooms in a new capacity, with a business I've developed called PaleoKids. I will be hosting in-class workshops and 'educational adventures' centered around Dinosaurs, Geology and Natural history. My intent is to foster a continuing love for paleontology and natural history such as I had as a child. I will also be embarking on a different journey, as Jason and I are expecting our first child in January, 2011. I intend to use my experience on the scow trip to help develop resources and activities for Albertan students, and to help satisfy my love of adventure and paleo-discovery!

Scow project update: safety equipment carried

2010-06-14T05:55:00.001-07:00

A blog reader brought up the suggestion of bringing a fire extinguisher, which prompted me to bring up the topic of safety equipment and what of that variety we will be bringing. I doubt the 1910 expedition had much in the way of safety equipment, but my health and safety training and policies at work have guided me as to what to bring, etc. Patty and I have been just recertified in Standard First Aid and we are there the entire trip. We bought a $130.00 large and fully stocked first aid kit so are good there. May bring a stretcher just in case, but I do know how to make one out of a single length of rope if need be. We will have a cell phone in case we have to call for help. Patty may also be setting up a Skype account. Also will have a "turbo stick" which will click into my laptop so we can be in touch with you, the reader through this blog, and emergency services if need be. Fire extinguisher?- you bet, we got a 20 pound ABC one, shiny and red- cost $140.00. The expedition rowboat and scow all have bailing devices, floating life rings, floating rope, whistles, etc as required by nautical law. We have life jackets for everyone and will use them when we are floating down the river or rowing across. Patty and I also recently took a boating operators/safety course and are certified. We will have lots of pails and all the river water we need if we have to fight a fire, or putting out campfires on shore. I did have a concern about chopping lots of wood for the stove (and the enhanced risk doing that), but we now know it does not need that much and sticks the diameter of your forearm are all that are required and these are easily procured and can be broken carefully underfoot (I will have steel-soled and toed workboots) into the required lengths, or cut with a hand saw. We are also bringing some basic medicines such as Aspirin, Tylenol, Immodium, etc. Also bringing bug spray, sun block, etc. Now we have to deal with West Nile Virus (not an issue in 1910), so all our tents, though designed to look 1910-15 style, will all have mosquito netting doors and windows. Hantavirus is another possibility, but we will have a few mousetraps on board and will regularly monitor the scow for White-Footed Deer Mice and respond accordingly (I also have training in Hantavirus exposure/response). Do the blog followers have any other thoughts or ideas regarding health and safety for the trip? I think I have everything covered, but any other ideas are welcome.

A June 17th postscript: We will also have a radio with continuously updated weather broadcasts. It also has a setting which will automatically turn the radio on if a weather alert bulletin is issued by Environment Canada. This radio was tested recently in the field and was very useful for fieldwork planning and, in one case, receiving a detailed weather alert in advance of a storm front we would otherwise have known nothing about.

Scow project update, June 13, 2010; testing the stove (part 2)

2010-06-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today Patty tried baking some muffins in the scows old oven. Here we see before and after pictures, as you can see, it worked! It is a recipe from a 1915 cookbook.

Scow construction update: June 13, 2010.

2010-06-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

A beautiful hot and sunny day here. Perry is now doing the final installation of the upper deck planks. He will begin the frame for the tent soon. I am in the field for the next 8 days or so; Patty Ralrick will be maintaining the blog during that time. The new wood reflects a lot of light and is somewhat painful on the eyes- Perry will give it a final coat of stain to darken the wood a bit.

Scow project update, June 12, 2010: testing the stove!

2010-06-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

I bought this stove about 7 years ago for the scow reenactment but had never tried it out. We did so tonight. The whole stove weighs 200 pounds (about 90.7 kg). There is a metal upright backing and shelf which will be used on the trip but is not shown here. We are not sure of the vintage of this stove, but it seems to be about 1920-1925. Some of the stoves parts bear part numbers and the first two numbers are "25" so this may be the year of manufacture. It is a McClary "Triumph". Patty gave it a good cleaning, removing dried on food splatter from inside the oven from who knows when. Loaded it with wood and fired it up and it was smoking fairly good from places we did not want it it to but once we figured out how to operate the dampers and added some lengths of stovepipe it worked fine with all smoke going up the chimney as it should. Surprisingly the seemingly broken thermometer on the door worked, but reads 60F higher than reality. We tried some basic things such as boiling a kettle of water, frying up some bacon, making a piece of bannock bread, and heating up some ham steaks. All were accomplished without issues. I was surprised how little wood it used to get the job done. As a Canadian who has camped a lot, I am used to big roaring campfires but that was not needed in this case. So we will not need the armloads of wood daily that I thought we would be collecting and cutting up. After the stove cooled down I got out a wire brush and did more cleaning and one minor repair. We will try baking some dinner rolls in the oven tomorrow and perhaps some other baking items.

Scow project update, June 12, 2010- the men and truck that will haul the scow for us.

2010-06-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

A nice sunny day! This morning we went to visit the truck and trailer that will haul the scow for us. The hauling will be done by Dan's Oilfield Service with funding assistance from Cliff's Oilfield Hauling, both firms in Drumheller, Alberta.

The truck is a 2006 International 5600i. The crane is an AMCO VEBA 950 6s. The crane has a boom that can extend to 67 feet (20.42 metres) and can lift 20 tons. The men in the photos are (left to right): Albert Dyck, Russ (Rusty) Kuntz, and Dan McCann. A special thanks to these men and Dan's Oilfield Service and Cliff's Oilfield Hauling for helping make the 2010 scow project a reality.

Cool scow pic from 1912

2010-06-10T11:21:00.001-07:00

Came upon this cool 1912 picture of the American Museum scow "Mary Jane" recently. It is undated but likely 1912 based on some of the people on board and the badlands in background. Dinosaur hunting legend Barnum Brown stands directly below the stovepipe. George Sternberg and his wife are on the far right with their daughter Ethel. The others are likely local farmers and their families paying a visit.

The weather is looking great for this weekend so we can get more scow construction done and try out our old wood-burning stove. Tonight I will go and see the truck and trailer that will be used to haul the scow.

Scow project update: June 9, 2010.

2010-06-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Another frustratingly wet day! :(

Between rain showers Perry was able to do an hours work on the scow last night. He also recently finished a gangplank to traverse over wet and/or muddy areas when we are tied up to shore. He is also going to get some round poles. One will serve as the main tents ridge pole and the others form a simple external framework that the tents external ropes tie onto. Patty picked up two heavy ropes in Calgary today that a valued colleague kindly did some braiding work on (finishing of one end and making of a loop on the other end). These are for tying the scow to trees or heavy steel pins when we are stopped. We now have a trucking company in Drumheller that will do the hauling work for us so that is a great relief! I will look at the truck tomorrow after work. We are just doing the last edits on the news releases on the scow trip and these are to be issued tomorrow. Our special permits to the City of Red Deer have been submitted. All we need now is some hot sun and the main scow tent....

Scow project update: June 8, 2010.

2010-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Patty picked up some scow safety equipment today- a nice fire extinguisher and a fully loaded First Aid kit. The former is required by law on a boat this big- even though Barnum Brown likely did not have one. It rained all night and most of the day. Sunny late in day, but rain predicted for next two days- very frustrating! But the weekend looks good weatherwise so hopefully Perry can get lots of work done. Got a good price quote for hauling the scow to Red Deer from the local trucking company today for our consideration. Sorry no pictures today.

Scow construction update: June 7, 2010.

2010-06-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

The weather continues to be unsettled, cold, windy and showery. We went up to see the scow tonight and met with a man from an oilfield services company in Drumheller about picking up the scow and taking it to Red Deer. It looks like they will take on the job. Seems they can take the scow and load it onto a trailer as a single piece. Perry returned some unneeded plywood sheets today and got money back on those and used some of that to buy other lumber and water sealants required to finish the job. The pictures here show the top decking planks, but they are all loose and set there to allow the water sealant to dry out. One side needs to be so treated, then they will be attached to the scow. I am currently in contact with the City of Red Deer regarding special permits for launching the scow, they were excited about the project. A news release announcing the trip is in the editing stages. We still do not have the main scow tent, but I gather work on it will begin soon.

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Darren Tanke

2010-06-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well I guess it is about time I introduced myself. I'm this groups blogger and the 2010 scow trip conceiver and expedition leader.

I was born in Calgary in 1960. I became interested in the Earth Sciences at an early age, attracted to the different colors of stones in the alley behind my house. Through the years I developed an interest in paleontology, then vertebrate paleontology, and by junior high school it was dinosaurs all the way. This interest in dinosaurs was influenced to a strong degree by the original "Prehistoric Park" of concrete dinosaurs then at the Calgary Zoo c. 1937-1979. While these creations were anatomically incorrect, they sure fired up my imagination. In high school I built horned dinosaur skulls and skeletons in kiln-fired clay. By the time high school was up (1979) I had to make a big decision and joined the then relatively unknown Philip J. Currie as a volunteer in Dinosaur Provincial Park and Sandy Point, Alberta. After only 20 minutes in the field (and in my first 20 minutes in the field being shown a very rare partial small carnivorous dinosaur skull), I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Once fieldwork was over I had to make another big decision and leave home, moving to Edmonton where I was offered only a part time job (4 month contract) at $4.50/hr with Currie and the hope my employment could be extended. It was and here I am some 31 years later, now the longest serving employee at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.

In the course of my laboratory and fieldwork preparing and collecting a wide variety of vertebrate fossils I became interested in the paleontological heritage of our province, particularly the people who worked here long ago, the technologies they used, etc. No one I worked with seemed interested in researching and especially recording this important aspect of our past. A fellow lab technician with whom I have had a long association tells me that c. 1980-1981 I was talking about how fun it would be to "rebuild Barnum Brown's scow and float down the Red Deer River". I don't recall that, though I have no reason to doubt him. The current project started about 8 years ago, when I started looking for and buying artifacts or replicas of same to equip such a reconstructed scow.

Through this expedition, I am trying to relive a now little known past of our provinces paleontological heritage and to share it with others via that wonderful tool called the Internet. I think the best way to truly understand what our paleontological forefathers went through is to try and live, as close as possible, the same way they did on their early fossil hunting expeditions. Follow in their footsteps, floating down the Red Deer River, much as they did 1910-1916. And of course we should be able to find some neat dinosaur fossils along the way! We won't be collecting these, but will record their precise locations so they can be dealt with later.

More on me can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Tanke
and many of my publications are here: http://tyrrellmuseum.academia.edu/DarrenTanke
Another research project of mine is detailed here: http://www.ssmounttemple.com/

Scow construction update: June 6, 2010.

2010-06-06T18:36:00.001-07:00

Construction progress as of today. Perry has waterproofed much of the wood, and done side planks on one side and close to being done on the other side. Top decking goes on next. The mosquitoes were awful here! The concrete anchor set properly, it was a bit of a fight getting it out of the pail- fortunately the plastic pail was old and I was able to crack it open in several places to remove the anchor. I will let it cure a week or so, seal it with some waterproof preservative, and then some coats of paint. It sure is heavy! Tomorrow Patty will do some odd jobs related to the scow project. We still have not found a trucking company who can do the work of hauling the scow to Red Deer, she will explore some of the local oilfield hauling companies.

Anchors aweigh!

2010-06-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

A safety requirement for the scow is an anchor attached to 30' of chain. I looked around for anchors but all seemed puny (in size and weight) for a scow as big as ours. So I decided to make my own anchor. I took an empty 5 gallon plastic pail, into which I suspended a big C-clamp with some loops of heavy wire attached. A short length of pipe across the top of the pail positioned the C-clamp in the right spot. I then mixed up a bunch of concrete and poured this into the pail. The final result (slipped out of the pail) will weigh about 95 pounds. It will not be pretty but should do the job.

Scow project update, June 5, 2010.

2010-06-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

We are starting to get into the "crunch time" phase. I have to go do remote fieldwork for the museum for most of the next 2 weeks, weather permitting. Patty Ralrick will update this blog and deal with other scow matters during that time. Perry has gotten the side planks on the scow done on one side and should have the upper decking and side planks on the other side done soon too. Then the tillers and tent wall/internal frame have to be made. It still continues to be rainy here which is delaying final scow construction work. The Rocky Mountains far off to the west are still covered with snow. Hopefully we will get some hot weather soon to melt all that snow and float us on our way. Still do not have a truck to move the scow for us and this is most stressful and worrisome. Also need to do a news release- I have already had interest from two Red Deer and one Calgary newspapers.

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Marlo Baydala

2010-06-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Twelve, the magical age of discovery coincided with my first trip to the badlands! I've been looking for dinosaurs ever since. As a professional Geophysicist, I search for oil and gas, analogous to my amateur interest in searching for dinosaur fossils. My wife, Sally, and our children, Jasper, Louis and Martina have all explored the badlands with me.

My daughter and I joined the Dinotour in 2006 which is run by the Dinosaur Research Institute (DRI) and subsequently I was asked to join the Board of the DRI. As a result I have learned about the sophisticated level of research being done by scientists and to appreciate their dedication.

I read Sternberg's account of Hunting Dinosaurs twenty years ago so when Darren Tanke proposed the scow project, I supported it as a Board member and with a personal contribution. I am joining the scow trip for a portion through Dinosaur Provincial Park; my goal is to help rediscover the lost "Styracosaurus" bonebed. Sternberg's role in Albertan history is largely unknown and I think it is important to recreate the scow trip to highlight both the scientific and cultural contributions he made.

[Darren adds an editorial note here that the lost Styracosaurus bonebed was a site worked by CH Sternberg and his son Levi in 1916. The material was sent to London, England where it was not really appreciated or understood, being rather fragmentary. Recently the fossils were reprepared as there were some aspects of the material hinting it was not Styracosaurus. This was indeed the case. It turns out not to be Styracosaurus, but actually a new genus of horned dinosaur! So relocating this site will be a high priority, as the London material is currently under study and there are many aspects of its skull anatomy still unknown].

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Patty Ralrick

2010-06-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

I am originally from Bellevue, Nebraska, and came to Alberta for the first time in 1997 to learn vertebrate paleontological field techniques through the Royal Tyrrell Museum. In 2005, I moved to Alberta to persue a masters degree through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at the University of Calgary. My thesis project involved the taphonomic description of a 1200 year old (on average) mass mortality of mostly vertebrates at Little Fish Lake near Drumheller. I completed this project in 2007.

Currently, I am a PhD student with the Biological Sciences Department at the University of Calgary and am studying the microvertebrate fauna of the Latest Cretaceous Scollard Formation. This formation includes the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary which is when the dinosaurs and other life forms went extinct. The Scollard Formation can be found in outcrops along the Red Deer River valley. I plan on prospecting for new microvertebrate localities, as well as collecting, washing and sorting material while on the scow trip. Some of this work will be featured on this blog during the expedition. The fossils found will be included in my research project.

I will be on the scow for the entire trip. Besides conducting research, I will be the main cook for the crew and have some prior experience in this area. I have been experimenting with old recipes and am looking forward to cooking and baking on the wood burning stove. I believe this trip is the chance of a lifetime and am excited to be included as a part of the crew.

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Judith Williams

2010-05-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Alberta author Judith Williams joins the crew for two weeks of the voyage. With several international book awards in children's non-fiction, Judith's role is to document the adventure for an upcoming book for young people.

Judith's previous work includes books on such topics as forensic science, severe weather, endangered animals, the rainforest and palaeontology. Her particular fascination with dinosaurs resulted in two books:

Discovering Dinosaurs with a Fossil Hunter is a primer for early readers describing the work methods of palaeontologist Dr. Phil Currie.

Discovery and Mystery of a Dinosaur Named Jane recounts the startling find and recovery of an unidentified tyrannosaur fossil. This title won the Silver Award for Juvenile Non-Fiction from the book review magazine ForeWord, and was selected as an Outstanding Trade Science Book for 2008 by the National Science Teacher's Association and Children's Book Council (USA).

Besides writing, Judith mentors and teaches creative writing to youth in Southern Alberta. Prospecting for fossils is one of her favourite pursuits, so she looks forward to participating in this unique palaeo adventure - dinosaur hunting - just as it was done a century ago.

Mystery dinosaur quarry project/scow trip

2010-05-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know, here in Alberta I look for lost dinosaur quarries and identify mystery dinosaur quarries using trash left behind by field workers long ago plus any bones left on site. A lot of quarries were never properly documented as to provenance so current paleontologists cannot know exactly (spatially and especially stratigraphically) where a given dinosaur skull or skeleton came from. This is especially true for quarries in the extensive badlands upstream from Drumheller. During the scow trip I hope to relocate some lost dinosaur quarries and mystery quarries and try to resolve who was there, when, and what was taken out. Recently a contact sent me pictures of an old dinosaur quarry he found near the Morrin Bridge where part of a hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) tail (top picture) and newspaper was left behind long ago. You can see the newspaper in the attached picture that much of it is still there- more than enough to figure out the who and when part of the mystery. For example, if it is a New York Times newspaper from August 15, 1912, then we know it is a hadrosaur likely collected by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) later in their 1912 field season. A perusal of the 1912 AMNH specimen lists and process of elimination soon identifies what came out of the quarry and its mystery status is resolved. Precise locality data can then be shared with the institution curating the fossil. Click on the newspaper image one or two times to enlarge it and you can still plainly read the newsprint. I plan on collecting and examining this newspaper in detail during the scow trip so will report my results this summer.

Scow project update, May 29, 2010.

2010-05-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

A rainy and even snowy (yuck) day in Drumheller. So.............. we are now only a month away from launching! This rain is welcome as it rehydrates the parched land and will raise the level of the Red Deer River, but it intereferes with Perry's construction work on the scow.

Today I will see a man about making up a sheet-metal adapter between the exhaust pipe on the back of the wood stove and the lengths of stovepipe themselves that will rise vertically and extend through the roof of the tent (through a square of fire-proof material sewn into the canvas). The crew and scow tents are all being made now in Calgary. We slightly reduced the main tent on the scow in size from 16' X 12' to 16' X 11'. Reducing the width slightly allows the tying of the tent to a supplementary external wooden frame and especially for storage of the tillers and wooden gangplanks.

Patty got her reprint of the 1915 "Five Roses Cookbook" and will try some of these recipes soon.

I will write up a news release on the upcoming scow trip soon so don't be surprised if you see us in your local newspaper or on radio in Alberta (and Canada- hopefully!). Also will be in various paleo blogs.

Have been exploring how to upload images during the trip to this blog. Looks like I will take good quality pictures with my digital camera, load them onto my laptop (we will have some modern technology on the trip), take laptop up to a higher point out of the river valley (where needed) until I get a cell phone signal, insert a "turbo stick" into the USB port on laptop, log on to this blog and upload scow trip pictures and text. I hope to do this every two days (maybe everyday)- weather, and cell phone signal coverage permitting. More photos can be uploaded after the trip is over (August 7-8).

Several people have kindly offered donations of cash or food (preserves, jams). We will gladly accept these. Anyone who donates will be acknowledged in future publications, talks, etc. Donations can be sent to:

Darren Tanke
2010 Scow Project
1120-2nd Ave West
Drumheller, AB
CANADA T0J 0Y2

Alternatively, donations could be sent to the Dinosaur Research Institute in Calgary who are helping fundraise in support of the historical awareness and scientific aspects of this project and are administering cash donations. Let me know if you wish to donate through them; email me at: dtanke@hotmail.com

AB2421971

2010-05-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

On May 25th, I was in Calgary and got the scow formally registered with the Canadian Federal Government as a boat. The scow is now known as AB2421971 in government (Transport Canada) records. I have actually been dreading doing this for years as the scow is so atypical from a normal boat. I had contacted the government on several occasions beginning 6 years ago asking for clarification and a special exemption from the rules as the scow did not really fit their parameters of boat types. They never replied. I was tempted to just go ahead and not register the scow and take a chance, but new rules indicated I MUST register the scow. However these new rules included a "home built" category which the scow fit into nicely. All I needed was a bill of sale from the carpenter and I was quickly and efficiently registered by a kindly Service Canada representative. Cost? It was free!

The soaps we'll use on the trip.

2010-05-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

This is a question that has come up on occasion. What soaps will we use during the trip and what is their impact on the environment? Of course, we have to wash clothes, dishes, and ourselves during the trip. We could use regular soap and bury the dirty water, but that will just eventually find its way into the ecosystem. Patty and I have searched around and found several liquid soaps that are plant-based, are biodegradable, are phosphate-free, and contain no harsh chemicals. So we can keep clean and have a clear conscience using these products.

Scow construction update: May 24, 2010.

2010-05-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Went up to Munson, AB tonight- lousy with mosquitoes. Perry is getting ready to put the top deck on and needs to do some waterproofing of the plywood and decking. A few pictures are given here to show the latest progress.

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Tom Owen.

2010-05-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Born and raised in Edmonton, I am married to Lynne Ruzicka and have two children, Joe and Tess. Tess has also been invited to experience a portion of the scow trip. One of my sisters, Susan Owen Kagan, is employed in the paleontology laboratory at the University of Alberta (Edmonton) as a fossil preparator.

I am a professional lawyer and an amateur paleontologist. I often wish it was the other way around. Dinosaur hunting has blessed me with lifelong friends and memorable adventures. It has provided both intellectual and physical challenges. It has brought my family closer together. Very simply, it has made me very happy.

The chance to recreate history by travelling on the scow stirs my imagination. And I hope to advance the science in some small way, by assisting my dedicated professional companions in their researches.

[It should also be noted that Tom is a board member of the Dinosaur Research Institute, who are helping sponsor the scow trip].

Canning jars

2010-05-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Since this project was first conceived about 7 years ago, I have been buying all sorts of period tools, equipment, etc to kit out the scow. Today Patty and I went through some of the many antique or replica canning jars and began washing these out as well as cleaning out a few antique cans. Some of the former are identical to a partial jar I found in 1930 Royal Ontario Museum Centrosaurus quarry in Dinosaur Provincial Park. These jars are timeless in design and thus are perfect for the scow trip. We won't use these jars for actual canning (as the rubber seals made for them are no longer made), but they still have a good glass on glass tight fit which will keep out mice and insects. We'll use these jars for things like dried fruit, nuts, rice, pasta, rice, etc.

Bannock bread recipe

2010-05-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here is one staple item we will eat regularly, particularly for breakfast. They are rather crude looking, but surprisingly tasty, especially with added dried fruit.

Ingredients: 1-2 teaspoons of sugar; a pinch of salt; 2 teaspoons of margarine, bacon fat or shortening; 1/2 cup of flour, fine oatmeal, cornmeal or rolled oats; 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder; water, milk or egg; dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc) if wanted.

Cream first 3 ingredients, then in a separate bowl blend the flour, baking powder, and dried fruit. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients, add enough milk, water or egg to make a tacky but floury dough. Grease frying pan with bacon fat, margarine or shortening, cook (medium heat) as per a pancake, flipping once per side. Takes about 5 minutes to fry. Serves one. Can be smothered in jam, honey or syrup.

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Jordan Mallon.

2010-05-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

I was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario where I did my undergrad in vertebrate paleontology at Carleton University. My Bachelor's thesis assessed sexual differences in the horned dinosaur genus Chasmosaurus. A few years ago I moved to Calgary, Alberta to start my Ph.D.

My dissertation focuses on the evolutionary paleoecology of the large herbivorous dinosaurs from the Dinosaur Park Formation. In short, I'm using tooth wear and various skull measurements to determine what these different dinosaurs were eating through time and whether the structure of their trophic relationships was altered.

My interest in horned dinosaurs has carried over from my undergrad, and in my 'spare' time, I still enjoy researching them. Right now, I am working on resolving the palaeoecology and evolutionary relationships of Anchiceratops and Arrhinoceratops from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta. Darren's scow trip comes at an opportune time because it will give me the chance to revisit the quarries where some of these animals were found and to verify their distribution in the rock record. This type of groundwork is important for assessing species identification and biostratigraphy. I expect to be on board the scow for a few weeks between Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park and the town of Drumheller.

Scow construction update, May 23, 2010.

2010-05-23T15:36:00.001-07:00

A variety of construction pictures taken on a windy and chilly day. Big progress!! :) The heavy upright wooden dowels (called "tholes") will be dropped down into predrilled holes in the heavy wood blocks so will not be as high as seen here. The heavy blocks of wood for and aft will be attached to scow with heavy bolt/screws. In some shots you can see a long narrow piece of wood (square in cross section) that spans the width of the scow. This demarcates one end of the tent. Also shown: steel straps to help hold the sections together, the well for ice storage (still needs to be lined with tin sheeting), and the 1:1 scale mock-up clevis (longer 2X4 piece atop a shorter length) which ropes attach to when we tied up to shore. Even though the tiller is off center on the heavy wood block, it did not require much downwards pressure to raise it up and down.

Scow project update, May 23, 2010

2010-05-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Patty and I have begun shopping and buying foodstuffs for the scow trip. Today we were getting bacon that requires no refrigeration, canned fish, and Tetrapack boxes of milk that require no refrigeration until opening. We scored big on the bacon, but bought out the entire supply of boxed milk in Drumheller. Patty, who is also the expeditions cook is also experimenting here at home trying out old recipes such as bannock bread. If any blog followers have good, easy to make nutritious recipes dating to about c. 1910-1920 be sure to send them along to: dtanke@hotmail.com

Scow update May 20, 2010.

2010-05-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

After work today Perry and I went to the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site (www.atlascoalmine.ab.ca) in East Coulee, Alberta, about a 10 minute drive from Drumheller. There we were able to select some heavy timbers and have them cut for the scow. These pieces will make up the heavy blocks on the scows midline at the bow and stern and will hold the steering tillers in place between two heavy wooden dowels. I am attaching here a short video of the sawing work, more as an experiment to see how it looks on this blog. Thanks to Robin Digby of the Atlas Coal Mine for letting us have the wood and cutting same for us. There were tons of mosquitoes here- the entire regions has been plagued with these pests the past couple days. Hopefully they will be gone during the scow trip!

Scow construction update, May 16, 2010.

2010-05-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

+25 and sunny today! Perry is busy putting the plywood under deck on now. Top planks will follow. The white material is highly bouyant material which fills 99% of the inside of the hull. The one open rectangle shown in the first picture will be our storage well for blocks of ice. A removable lid will be inside the tent so we can easily access ice for our ice chest or any food we have in there for cold storage.

Red Deer, Alberta; May 8, 2010

2010-05-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

Some archaeologists from Calgary and Edmonton had table displays in Red Deer (about a 1.5 hour drive from Drumheller) in a shopping mall on May 8th. We were invited to attend and set up a scow table display as seen here. We had lots of interest from the public and handed out lots of brochures. Seen behind the table is my girlfriend Patty Ralrick who will also be the expeditions cook.

Expedition rowboat

2010-05-10T19:05:00.001-07:00

Perry has almost done staining the wood on the rowboat, here part of it it is seen upside down and leaning against his table saw.

Expedition toilet

2010-05-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Perry with his latest creation a couple days ago, the "Thunderbox". No squatting over a slit trench for us!

Pancakes made the old way

2010-05-10T18:48:00.001-07:00

We recently tried making pancakes using an antique pancake maker we will take on the scow. It was a disaster! It would cook OK on one side but stuck on the other, or the pancake split down the middle, sticking to both sides. Any ideas? We used oil to act as a separator but the metal must be just the perfect temperature for this to work. The pancakes worked in a standard frying pan.

Scow rowboat construction progress, April 18, 2010.

2010-04-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Perry has been busy last 1.5 weeks building the 2010 scow expedition rovwboat which is built along the lines of ones used by the Geological Survey of Canada, circa WWI. He says he'll be finished with construction tonight, then a few coats of stain and its done.

Scow 2010 crew introductions: Lene and Andreas Grinde

2010-04-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

By way of this blog I will introduce some of the crew that will be on the scow expedition and their roles/research interests during the trip. People will come and go during the trip. By posting some of their pictures and stories you, the blog follower, will know a bit about who the crew is and what we are trying to achieve. Lene and Andreas Grinde are from Denmark and have a long association with vertebrate paleontology, being voluteers with the Royal Tyrrell Museum since 2004. Their pictures (above) and story:

Scow 2010

To live and to work as a field photographer in the early 20th Century

First a brief note on who I am. I met Darren Tanke in Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP) in 2004, during a short dig together with my husband Andreas Grinde. Andreas is a Natural History Conservator and has specialized in the conservation of dinosaur fossils. He was invited by Drs. Eva Koppelhus and Philip J. Currie to the DPP badlands and I went along to see what all the fuss was about. I was impressed, great camp, wonderful people, outstanding landscapes and the amount of bones was unbelievable.

I am a Photograph Conservator by profession and I am studying and practicing historical photograph processes, which is the link to the Scow 2010: I will be the photographer on board, taking photographs as done in 1910 and Andreas will apart from digging/prospecting be my assistant.

Andreas has worked extensively with the conservation and preparation of vertebrate paleontological material and this expedition will also give a priceless look into the history of fieldwork as done in the early 20th Century. The experiences will provide a better understanding of the hardship that was endured during the months of fieldwork, which are aspects not often reflected upon when viewing the finished objects prepared and exhibited in museums.

Our objectives for the work and the research on Scow 2010:

1. The trip will be the culmination of months of preparations and research into the photographic processes used during the 1910 trip on the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) scow Mary Jane: a combination of gelatin black and white glass plate negatives, which I will have pre-made or will be coating during the trip. The develoment and printing will be done in a primitive transportable darkroom (backpack-tent combination), similar to portable darkrooms used around 1900, during various expeditions. The preparations, as well as the work on board the scow, will be carefully documented for future research, publications and lectures.

2. Important historical digging sites will, in collaboration with Darren Tanke, be documented as done in 1910 by the photographer(s) on the AMNH scow Mary Jane, as well as daily activities on board the scow and on shore. The photographic techniques used will be the making of glass plate negatives using the large format field camera, as well as a smaller vintage black and white roll film camera, not specified yet, for snapshots.

The visual understanding gathered from these vintage-styled photographs of the expedition will directly link the present to the past. The photographs will act as communicators of the past, by showing the environmental change of the surrounding landscape compared to the 1910's, as well as tell the story of the expedition, as it would have looked like 100 years ago.

This trip is an outstanding opportunity to explore the making of a historical photographic process in an authentic vintage environment, as well as a unique chance to learn-by-doing and becoming a 1910 photographer.

The experience gathered by the 2010 scow trip will be of great importance to the field of photograph conservation, as well it will give better understanding of the historical photographic process and the materials found in collections. It will also give a unique insight into the complicated logistics, as well as the hard work and skills required during photographic expeditioons.

The story behind and the gathered information in relation to the photographic research will, in collaboration with Darren Tanke, be published in conservation-related magazines, or other relevant periodicals for conservators, curators, collectors, and others interested.

We are very much looking forward to the trip!!!!

Lene and Andreas Grinde, Denmark.

Scow and general update, April 4, 2010.

2010-04-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Winter has more or less gone now so Perry will soon resume work on the scow and other wood projects related to the trip. This includes a toilet (wooden box with toilet seat attached on top) and a rowboat. I am attaching here pictures of the scow as it appeared today and a small model of what the rowboat will look like. I built this model mostly out of wooden tongue depressors such as used at the doctors office when he says open your mouth and saw "Aww". The full-sized rowboat will be about 9 feet (3 metres) long. It differs from the style used by the American Museum on their scow trip, but is similar to that used by the Geological Survey of Canada when they did fieldwork in Alberta during World War I.

New article on scow trip

2010-03-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

I am attaching here a short article, recently published, on the upcoming scow trip. This article was done in conjunction with the 2010 14th Annual Alberta Paleontological Society meetings in Calgary, Alberta on March 13th. There I gave a 1/2 hour talk on the scow expedition and construction progress. I have tried posting such things before on the net and inevitably the pages get mixed up. If this happens here, just use the page numbers at the bottom of each image to sort the jumble out. Looks like it loaded in reverse order. Can some of you please let me know you got this OK as I seem to be having other computer issues of late. Double-click on each image to get a larger, readable version.

Expedition washing machine

2010-03-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the washing machine that will be used on the expedition. Got it at an antique shop years ago. It was nice and warm outside today so decided to pull it out and give it a good going over. My daughter and I put some water in and it promptly leaked like a seive! Have begun identifying where the holes are and plugging these. Also revarnishing it in places, replacing some screws, etc. It used to have a brass piston pump on top of the lid that fitted onto a garden hose. We won't have pressurized water or a garden hose in the field so I am converting this machine to hand operation. Any parts that need modifying are not being changed, but removed and replaced with new machined parts to the same specifications that are altered as required. This way, when the trip is over, I can restore the machine back to its original condition. Uncertain as to the vintage of this machine, but it is close in style to the 1915-1925 period. The brass pump had a part inside with an embossed "7-21" stamp, suggesting a July 1921 manufacturing date.

We are hoping to resume scow and rowboat construction in about a month.

Scow update, January 19, 2010.

2010-01-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

We have had warmer weather of late. Perry cleared the snow and ice off the top of the scow and took the tarps off and gave it a good looking over and everything is fine.

Hoping to have Perry make the expeditions rowboat too- I have given him a small model I made from all things- tongue depressors! He will estimate wood and labor costs and I will go looking for some more funding for its construction. Oars for this boat were one of the first things I bought for this project some 7 years ago- found them at a garage sale, $5.00 for both.

Scow status, December 27, 2009.

2009-12-27T18:35:00.001-08:00

Went up to see the scow mid-afternoon today as I have not been to the construction site in some time. The tarped scow was under a lot of snow. It was -15 C (5 F) when the pictures were taken. The day was characterized by an icy fog the beautiful results of which can be seen on the tree branches in the background.

WINTER IS HERE! CONSTRUCTION STOPS!

2009-12-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

Perry was unable to do much more work on the scow after about November 10th, mostly due to weather and other priorities. Today (December 7th) it is definately winter here with bitterly cold lows of -33C! So no work will be done on the scow for some time now. We had a big blizzard and Perry says the scow is well and truly buried under a big snow drift but is safe under the big covering tarps. He might be able to do some small scale work in his work shop, but I think we can consider major construction on the scow suspended for at least 3 months. Over this time I will arrangle to have the scow tent constructed, crew tents made, get landowner permission to explore the badlands outcrops on their properties, give some public talks on the trip, buy some last supplies and equipment, and do a thorough census of all the tools and equipment for the trip which have been acquired over the past 6-7 years. These will be sorted by theme (i.e. kitchenware), brought together and boxed for the upcoming trip. Looks like we will leave in June, likely towards the end of the month so we can take advantage of snowmelt from the mountains and foothills. As much as I hate winter, I am hoping for one with lots of snow, so we have lots of water in the river for our trip.

Construction progress, November 6, 2009.

2009-12-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

Perry has drilled the holes in the sides of the 4 sections which will hold the bolts that will hold the sections together.

Construction progress, November 1, 2009.

2009-11-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterdays high was +18C (about 67F) so any sealant materials on the scow requiring final curing no doubt had their chance then. Perry is now well on his way installing the floatation foam. This very light white foam is exactly the same stuff used as packing material for stereo equipment, etc. It is also used for floating docks. The foam company erred a bit on the order making a bit more than we needed but making it in slightly smaller blocks than we wanted. So Perry is having to cut it up somewhat. Too much foam is a bonus as now we can fill the entire hull with foam and the top decking will hold it all down. You can see here how the foam stops about 3 inches (7.5 cm) below the top. The extra blocks can be cut into slabs 3 inches thick and placed atop the blocks of foam seen here.

Construction progress, October 29, 2009.

2009-10-31T12:27:00.001-07:00

The floatation foam was delivered on time and Perry has begun installing same. It is dark early in the evenings now and with Daylight Savings Time ending soon it will be darker even sooner. Perry has to work by floodlight. He had to cut the foam for the angled sections and it breaks apart easily into little crumbs which are full of static and stick to things such as the camera lens as seen here. A trip during daylight is scheduled for November 1st so better pictures will be available then. Very warm weekend + 17C on Saturday!

Construction progress, October 28, 2009.

2009-10-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

Perry got the last of the internal waterproofing done last night so now we await the delivery of the foam.

Construction progress, October 27, 2009.

2009-10-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Last night Perry got the caulking all done on the inside seams. It was a relatively warm night and this was curing so well that he started the water sealing of the internal wood, and plans on having that finished tonight. The foam sections are to arrive at the scow's contruction site in a day or two, so Perry wants to be ready to install those.

Construction progress, October 26, 2009.

2009-10-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today Perry began caulking the internal seams. He now has more water sealant to put on after the caulking has dried. We are starting to get close to the time when we will have to cease construction work, unless the weather holds. Plywood sheets here are just resting on the joists, they will be properly attached once the caulking, waterproofing, tiller supports and foam inserts are all done.

Scow update, October 22, 2009.

2009-10-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

At a meeting last night, I got approval to buy the very bouyant but light rigid foam to put in the scow. Pieces will be preordered, cut to specification at the factory, and delivered. The foam will be about 10" thick, which is much higher than the waterline. Perry still needs to caulk all internal seams and waterseal the wood inside.

Construction progress, Oct. 20-21, 2009.

2009-10-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

No progress has been made construction wise on the scow. The weather (and whole month for that matter) has been uncooperative with cold, rain, snow, sleet. Perry needs some warm, sunny, and dry days to apply water sealant to the inside of the scow and then caulk all the seams inside. Bolts to hold the four sections together have been ordered and we think we have a good lead on foam sheets to put inside each floatation chamber as an emergency backup system.

Construction progress, October 19, 2009.

2009-10-19T17:45:00.001-07:00

No construction work done today on account of rain.

Scow sections flipped! October 18, 2009.

2009-10-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

At 6:15 to 6:45 pm tonight the scow sections were successfully turned over. 12 people got together, the weather held, and we had no trouble getting the sections turned over. They were heavy! Thanks to all that helped. The group photo are those who helped. Each section was flipped over onto another scow section, then spun around (quite easy!), and reconnected (pushed back) to the other sections. Now Perry can work on the ice storage compartment, add decking, caulking of internal seams, add large bolts to hold the sections together, measure and cut side planks for installation later, and install some foam floatation system yet determined. The weather forecast is still a bit "iffy" for future work but at least we got it flipped over. It rained over night and was cold and quite windy this morning so I thought we might have to cancel, but the skies cleared and wind died down not long before we did the work.

October 14/15, 2009.

2009-10-15T18:41:00.001-07:00

The bottom photo shows what I was greeted with the morning of Oct. 14th. Grrrr! (and Brrr!). The other two pictures show the scow Oct. 15th. On the weather news today it was revealed that the first half of October in Calgary (1.5 hour drive to the WSW) was the coldest since they started recording temperatures there, an average temp of +4.2 C; normal is +14C! Cakes of ice were floating down the Red Deer River starting a couple days ago. Still planning on flipping the scow late afternoon this coming Sunday.

Update, October 13, 2009.

2009-10-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

The weather still does not cooperate. Have not seen the sun (except for a couple minutes) the past 5 days or so. Cold and snow flurries each day. Calgary had an overnight low of -16C (a new record) over the weekend. Perry was able to finish sealing off the screw heads on the underside of the four sections by heating up each screw head with a heat gun and then applying the sealant. He says now he is totally done the bottom. The weather is to get much better this weekend, but I have a 2 day fossil turtle conference to attend at our museum during that time. The plan now is to leave the conference immediately after it ends late Sunday afternoon and do the flip then while it is still light (and hopefully warm).

Scow flip delayed again

2009-10-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

The weather continues to be bad here with temperatures 15C below normal averages for this time of year. We continue to have snow flurries, rain, sleet and subzero temperatures, sometimes with a brisk north wind. Perry needs to do some last minute gluing on the bottom of the scow and needs temperatures above zero to do this properly or the glue won't cure. Also it is difficult to get enough people lined up to help, especially as this is a holiday Thanksgiving weekend. When I mentioned the problem getting everyone organized to be around to help flip the scow sections, a co-worker pointed out that arranging everyone to be at the scow construction site on the same day was "Like herding cats". How true. Check back from time to time to see how the progress is coming. We definately need some warmer weather!

Construction progress, October 7, 2009.

2009-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

We are still having unsettled or bad weather here, cold and rainy. Work on the scow has been delayed. It actually snowed a bit in and around Drumheller last night. We are aiming for flipping the scow sections over this coming Sunday, October 11th. Perry has been looking into foam (for back up floatation in case of a hull breach) for the inside of the scow. Certainly foam was not used in 1910, but we cannot and will not skimp on safety. Spray foam estimates were $7,000+ CDN- too much. A suggestion of blue high density foam sheets used for house insulation was suggested. As you can see here, it is quite bouyant! Very little of the foam is actually under water. We are thinking of having four stacked layers of foam locked in with wood strips into the bottom of the scows four sections. The foam can quickly and easily be cut to size with a table saw and costs much less than sprayed foam.

Construction update: flipping of scow delayed

2009-10-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today was to be the day for flipping the scow sections. However it is cold and damp here (high this morning of 36F or 2 C) and we are leaving the scow unflipped in the hopes some warmer weather will reappear at least for a little while and allow some of the tar-like sealant time to fully cure. May even try heating the 4 sections up under the tarp with a heat gun. If winter is upon us (I doubt it) we may be done on construction for this year. All the basic construction and underside are now done, just needs to be flipped over, holes drilled for bolting the 4 sections together, then decking and finally superstructure for the tent. So we are probably 75-80% done the construction phase.

Construction progress, October 1, 2009.

2009-10-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

With this posting, this blog is now "caught up". Perry is seen here installing some thin steel plates on the bottom corners of the scow to protect it against accidental collisions with underwater rocks, etc. Any day entries missing for the past 2 weeks or so are due to weather interruptions, carpenter Perry taking some days off, or waiting to flip the scow over. We are presently aiming to flip the scow sections over on the evening of October 5th, weather permitting.

Construction progress, September 27-28, 2009.

2009-10-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Owing to bad weather (rain, wind and cold), no work was done to the scow during this time.

Construction progress, September 24, 2009.

2009-10-02T19:22:00.001-07:00

Bottom planks are now installed and the rubberized runny tar-like material squirted between cracks between planks. Water sealant is still added to wood wherever it appears dry.

Construction progress, September 22, 2009.

2009-10-02T19:17:00.001-07:00

More water sealant work. The days are getting so short now that Perry works by floodlight after dark; this explains why some pictures appear taken at night- they are!

Construction progress, September 21, 2009.

2009-10-02T19:11:00.001-07:00

The first batch of pictures from the backlog from a week and a half or so back. Perry readys the bottom planks fro instalation and adds more water sealant. So places have three coats put on.

Scow build pics to be uploaded soon!

2009-10-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

All,

I have been in England last 13 days. I planned on trying to upload pictures for this blog from a remote location but was only able to do so one day. At a hotel in Bristol I could not even open pictures for an unexplained "security reasons". The rest of the time I was simply overwhelmed with work and research related projects or sightseeing. Now that I am back I will begin posting back dated blog entries starting tomorrow. I hope to have everything caught up in about a week. Perry has been busy with scow construction and worked most days and took pictures each day- only a few days were lost to bad weather. Thanks for your patience!

Construction progress, September 23, 2009.

2009-09-25T01:23:00.001-07:00

No pictures again but I hope to be able to post all the backlogged ones in a couple days. Raptor Lewis, have no worries regarding lack of pictures, I can explain later.
Perry is still busy working on the scow, sealing all external joints, waterproofing wood, etc. He is assembling a small team of men to flip the scow sections over in early October. Once that is done, then more work on the upper surfaces can progress. The weather continues to be very co-operative and hot for the construction work.

Construction progress, September 22, 2009.

2009-09-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

No pictures again today. Perry has finished putting the bottom planks on one of the end sections on the scow and is water sealing the last of the bottom planks which will be screwed on very soon.

Construction progress, September 21, 2009.

2009-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

All, I am having some issues posting construction pictures to the blog. I will send them all from yesterday and those for the next week or so once I get the technical issues resolved. The carpenter is busy water proofing the bottom planks, installing same and using the liquid crack-filler material [the stuff that dries like cold tar] to fill in any major gaps in the planks.

Construction, September 20, 2009.

2009-09-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Perry has now got the tarred cloth-like material all done and sealed and now begins installation of the bottom planks. Each of these planks are sealed with water sealant. On the underside of the two end sections, where the wood is angled, a strip of thin but strong sheet metal will be added. This is in case we collide with underwater rocks, etc. The metal will protect the wood.

Construction, September 17, 2009.

2009-09-17T21:03:00.001-07:00

A cold and blustery afternoon and evening so not much work done today. Perry has gotten the tarred cloth-like material on the sides now and is sealing all the seams where the sides and bottom of the tarred cloth-like material meet. We are doing two coats of the driveway crack sealant in critical areas. Bottom planks go on next.

Some more of the replicas/antiques we'll use

2009-09-16T19:38:00.001-07:00

Some items are not 1910's vintage (such as the typewriter). These are hard to find in working order or in good shape. Many items I would like to use from the 1910's are in museums and they are not likely to let me borrrow them. Therefore for anything we are after, if it is + or - 10 years from 1910-1915, then we are OK to use it on the expedition.

Some of the antique/replica equipment we'll use

2009-09-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

The scow will literally be a floating museum with restored and working antiques or replicas of same. Here are a few examples.

Construction, September 16, 2009.

2009-09-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is rapidly winding down here. When I drove up to see the scow construction tonight, the setting sun was just 5 degrees above the horizon and I arrrived back in Drumheller in the dusk. So not much time for Perry to work on the scow in the evenings now and even less so as the days progress. He has finished putting on the tarred cloth-like material on the bottoms of each floatation chamber and is now in the process of sealing all the seams, staple heads, etc with a black rubberized sealant. He tried some yesterday and it dries with the consistency of cold tar. Other priorities now arise so my updates here may be a bit sporadic over the next 2 weeks. We are hoping to flip the floatation boxes over in early October. Then is the weather holds we can maybe do the foaming work, decking, measure and precut side planking, add tiller supports, and walls and framing for the large tent.

Construction, September 15, 2009.

2009-09-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

Perry the carpenter adds more of the tarred cloth-like material to the floatation sections of the scow. This material is sticky on one side and is designed to the next adjoining section (the seams are visible here as a shiny line). The material is simply rolled out, cut and the plastic backing removed. The material is held on with staples from a handheld staple gun. All seams, staples, etc will the further sealed from water infiltration by use of a strong and rubberized material dispensed out of a plastic squeeze bottle. This material is used to seal cracks in asphalt driveways. The tarred cloth-like material is then covered with the long planks which are each treated on all sides with water sealant. We are currently exploring the addition of expanding spray foam inside each floatation chamber for added strength and security. The weather still is excellent for construction, high today of +29C, though the mosquitoes are very active!