Grandkids, Fossils, And Fun For All!

Peepaw and I may be old, but we took our Indy grandgirls to see some fossils much older than us! We took the girls on a short road trip to the Devonian Fossil Gorge near Iowa City.

But before we trekked through that incredible glimpse of truly ANCIENT history, we started with a picnic lunch from Subway. (Meemaw’s Tip: Never try to take an educational trip with children when they’re tired or hungry!)

Our picnic spot was peaceful and serene on a perfect Iowa summer day.

We even allowed some time for goofy activities! (It’s always a good idea to let kids “burn off some steam” as my dad used to say.)

But then it was time for a unique, hands-on learning experience at the Devonian Fossil Gorge.

First, I’ll share a little background on how these fossils were unearthed.

In 1993, the Iowa City area suffered a devastating flood of epic proportions. Water rose so high it rushed over the spillway dam that holds back the Coralville Lake. Water is supposed to run THROUGH this dam…and NOT over the top that you can see here. This photo shows how the water is supposed to behave during normal rainfall and snow melt.

Instead, the water spilled over the top of the dam and spillway, creating massive flooding of all the land below the dam!

The force of the water was mind boggling, and the devastation was immediate. HUGE slabs of the limestone bedrock were uprooted and thrown downstream. And when the wall of water finally subsided…a 375 million year old ocean floor was uncovered!

The fossils and limestone bedrock uncovered in Iowa’s Devonian Fossil Gorge date back almost 200 million years BEFORE dinosaurs roamed the Earth!

What an amazing geological treasure, and fossils of prehistoric fish, sea shells and animals are visible throughout the gorge. (Many fossils are even numbered and listed on signs in the area to aid in identification by novice explorers like us.)

It’s a unique experience for both children and adults.

Our grandgirls loved the fossils, and they made a game of finding every specimen by number. They also enjoyed the living creatures they found in the pools of standing water. (What kid doesn’t love tadpoles?)

The Iowa Army Corps of Engineers have created a beautiful setting for real scientific study…and for just plain fun!

After several hours of rock climbing and exploring in the hot summer sun it was time for another scientific experiment. We headed back to our house where we mixed several varieties of water with…COUSINS!