Our final full day of this adventure had us up early and tackling the Mesozoic era in Golden Gate Highlands National Park. We met with a team of renowned paleontologists and geologists from China, South Africa, and America. They led us up a twisty, steep hillside to find the perfect undiscovered fossil dig site. The view from the top of the mountain was breathtaking. From that vantage point, we could clearly see how weathering and erosion have shaped the landscape over millions of years,  exposing different layers of rock throughout the mountains.

We (and the exert paleo crew) were excited to discover a number of fossils from the ~200 million year old mudstone of the Elliot formation, including the skull of a Tritylodon! Dr. Drew Moore also found his largest and most complete (yet) articulated skeletons of long-necked dinosaurs from the park today! While some of our untrained eyes struggled to identify the difference between a fossil and mineral concretions (rock), we were blessed to be among professionals who were excited to share their passion qnd expertise. After a lengthy hike down, we took a break and ate lunch to prepare for the afternoon.

Our group then visited the site where our new paleo friends have been working the past ten days. They showed us some of their most recent and exciting finds which included a 200 million-year-old dinosaur egg and an unidentified dinosaur or early crocodile skull.

The end of the day took us to the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre that has been open for just over a year. The museum showcased the geology of Southern Africa and explained how ancient volcanic activity created hard igneous rocks that still exist today. We were given a guided tour by the lead science researcher (Dr. Kimi Chapelle) who helped design the museum. The amount of knowledge related to fossils, geology, local culture, and dinosaurs passed on to us was immeasurable. It was been a special treat to get to meet and then learn from Steven Saunders, the famous artist who used the fossils found here to guide his design process for the dinosaur models in the museum.  Fun Fact- He was also the artist who created all the creatures from The Lord of the Rings movies!

One quote that resonated today is, “Stones are the bones of the Earth. All things return to the soil.” It is a powerful reminder that Earth’s history is written in its rocks and fossils, and everything in nature is part of an ongoing cycle. It is hard to believe that our journey is coming to an end and after tonight, the next bed we sleep in will be our own.