450 million years

This past Saturday the family went on a Science Museum fossil hunting trip. The day started in classroom at the museum making small books to use as field guides. We learned just a little bit about each fossil we would be looking for, including the fact that the sea bed the creatures lived in was full of water 450 million years ago.
After making the books and taking a whirlwind tour through the museum's fossil collection (where we learned that the museum doesn't like to use the word 'fake', they prefer 'cast', but our leader let us in on their little secret) we headed out on a yellow school bus for Cannon Falls. We had been told to use the bathrooms before we went, and I did, but after bounce number 37 I was already desperate! The bus ride took us to a roadside hill out in the backcountry of Cannon Falls. Within 27 seconds of getting off the bus Theo was holding a rock above his head and proclaiming a find. And sure enough, there were quite a few little fossilized sea creatures in his hand. We never found the coveted trilobite, but plenty of other cool fossils. After a sunny, windy, muddy day, we returned to 588 Brimhall and Theo and I washed off the fossils on the front stoop. Right before bedtime, I went to go get them to bring them in, but then I thought, oh well, those fossils have been outside for the past 450 million years, I suppose they can last one more night! Yikes.