Theo, Ice Age Fossils and Gold-Part 2

 We're still at Gold Daughters and have wandered to other side of the place with the geodesic dome in the distance.

Gold. Who doesn't want a pocket full of gold? Who hasn't heard the stories of settlers going west in search of gold? And, maybe, just maybe, you've tried your hand at panning for gold.

Gold Daughters boast that there's gold in these there hills. Actually, they don't talk that way at all. They're two rather sophisticated ladies who know they have gold on their land. And they're making money off of that fact.

People can arrive, get a quick lesson on how to pan for gold and then pay to do just that---swirl some muck in your pan with just the right amount of water and at the right angle--because they'll tell you that gold weighs more than dirt and will sink to the bottom of your pan. Tiny flecks of gold. 

Really?

Theo has no interest in gold. He'd rather mooch around outside--even though it has begun to drizzle--and sniff his way around while Dan and I sit at a table and pan for gold. 

The motivating story is that a guy showed up a while back, paid for his time and walked away with about $200,000 worth of gold. It didn't happen all at once. I think he stayed about a week and really worked hard. 

Dan and I swirl and swirl. We see nothing in the bottom of our pan. One of the Gold daughters comes over and helps. She tilts the pan a little, adds some more water and then when we whoosh away the dirt, we see something.

It's the tiniest bit of something you can possibly see. If you don't do it right, you'll swish that gold right out of your pan. She helps us not do anything that stupid. At the end of it all, we put our gold specks together and empty them into a plastic container. 

Our plan is to take the precious gold home and leave it on our bedroom dresser. For a rainy day. Or stare at it. Remember. 

Meanwhile, Theo is soaked to the bone. He's had enough. 

"Don't ask," I warn him. 

He tilts his head in that enquiring and endearing way he has.

I hold up the container. Cats have great far eyesight and lousy close up vision. I have to hold the container in the air as he looks at it from a distance.

"The gold is in the bottom of the container," I explain.

He squints.

"Nevermind."

His paws are dirty. His fur is drenched. But he's not complaining. And he's not particularly interested in the gold. 

"Theo, look at you," Dan says.

"I think he had a bit too much fun," I add.

Dan laughs. But all Theo can do is give us the evil eye while we wrap him in a towel to dry off. 

Later, of course, once we're home with our plastic container of gold safely on our dresser . . .

we discover Theo with the container under his nose sniffing. Really?

Typical for a gangster cat to want to cash in on our gold!

Theo, Ice Age Fossils, and Gold-Part I

 Okay so we promised Theo, the gangster cat, that we would see animals. We're in Alaska, Fairbanks to be precise, and Theo wants animals. But we want to make one tiny stop. We've gotten wind of a place called Gold Daughters that is known for panning gold. That could be fun! (Stay tuned to Part II of Theo, Ice Age Bones and Gold)

Gold Daughters is run by two sisters (yes, they're also daughters) who opened a business based on their father's discovery. We're talking years ago. He not only discovered gold on his property, but he also discovered and (purely by accident) unearthed fossils, ancient bones of wooly mammoths, bison, etc. that roamed the Earth during the Ice Age. The fossils range from teeth to tusks. You can read more on his website: boneyardak.com. 

These fossils were examined by experts to verify that they were, indeed, authentic. Then they were categorized, initially stored, and are now on exhibit in a geodesic dome on their property. How cool is that?

We don't expect Theo to be as excited as we are, but inside the dome we let him loose and he's all about sniffing what's there. Imagine. Cats and dogs gain an enormous amount of information from sniffing. What is he picking up as he sniffs bones? 

Some background. During the Ice Age, and to appreciate this fact, you have to think COLD, the animals that could survive were different than today. They were mostly large mammals that could adapt to the cold. Think woolly mammoths, mastodons saber-toothed cats, rhinoceroses and giant ground sloths. The environment was glacial, and these mammals were forced to roam on treeless plains and forests. Many went extinct 10,000 to 13,500 years ago.

Wooly mammoths were twelve feet tall.

Giant ground sloths were twelve foot herbivores.

Giant beavers were seven feet long.

Wooly rhinoceros had thick hair and two horns.

I know this sounds like a script for a Hollywood movie, but the fossils in this dome prove these animals existed . . . once upon a time.

I stop to read some of the background:

But Theo makes the greatest discovery of all. I'm lost in looking at all the fossils until Theo hones in on teeth. Gigantic teeth. He sniffs and then he wraps his paws around the teeth on the shelf. Which means, yes, he's jumped up onto the shelf . . . and has decided that he wants to take the teeth home? That he needs to get closer than close to sniff them properly? That he's suddenly in cat love with teeth?

Of course, there's a struggle. "Let the teeth go,"I whisper.

He gives me his famous gangster smile or should I write smirk.

"I'm warning you."

Which, of course, does no good. Dan is the hero. Calmly, he walks over and shimmies the teeth away from Theo. I hold onto them securely, left over panic coursing through my body as a small part of me realizes the size of these teeth from a mastodon compared to my teeth. Yikes! 

Luckily, this dome is filled with boneyard fossils that are so interesting no one seems to notice. Everyone is busy looking, looking, looking at all the bones unearthed from permafrost, which is ice frozen for years. 

"You can sniff but you can't take them home."

He looks despondent.

"Theo, be reasonable. You want to carry these teeth . . ."

Theo is nothing but a cool cat. He shrugs. "I only wanted to sniff them." 

Really?

"Well, go ahead and sniff."

He does. But was that really all he wanted?

Theo and Alaska--Why mom?

 How do you explain to a gangster cat that we have a bucket list and Alaska is top on the list and that's where we're going next.

"Bucket list?" he asks, looking at us askance.

We try to explain. "You have things you want to do--hang out with the squirrels and birds and eat snacks. These are top priority to you."

"Alaska?"

I try to narrow down. Well, we're landing in Anchorage and then taking a shuttle to Fairbanks. That's as far as I go . . . for now. 

I'm hoping our first view of Anchorage will convince him. It's Alaska's largest city and is called the gateway to the Alaskan wilderness. Forty percent of Alaska's population live in Anchorage. It's one of the northernmost American cities. 

Alaska holds a special charm. It's more rugged, colder in winter. The lifestyle is different. Then I hit upon a winning argument. Animals. "We're going to see tons of animals. Bears and dogs and bison and moose and all kinds of sea life--whales and seals."

Theo likes animals. All animals. Unfortunately, however, the first thing we can offer is a beautiful view. Of the mountains and the clouds. 

Flying into Anchorage. As the sun is setting.

We're still flying above the clouds.

Theo is less impressed than he should be. "Where are the animals?" he wants to know.

"How about a snack? You must be starving."

Snacks work. Temporarily. He glances up at the view and shakes his head. 

"I'm glad you're such a good sport." What I don't tell him is that it'll be days before we see an animal. A live one, that is and not some prehistoric bones! Stay tuned!