Fossil Beds

Signs of the past

Seeing the future 

Scars of the present

Life born out of the past 

Brian Gramoll

HUM Media

15 June 2013

Long ago

A class field trip to the fossil beds as a college students seem a bit odd, but a nice change of pace compared to setting in a class for four hours in the hot summer. The trip was nearly eighty miles round trip through the mountains on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The only down side to this trip is the cost of gas being almost four dollars a gallon, but riding a motorcycle has its advances. Living in Colorado for thirteen years and never visited the fossil beds, but history it not for everyone although it is nice to know where one comes from. Walking around the park taking images I began seeing a story in my head a story of the process of life. The image of a giant redwood tree that was on this earth millions of years ago. I kept looking up to the sky at the present trees in the park and imaged the redwoods tower over them, what a sight that must have been, making the presents tree look like infants. The images of the past are woven in with the sight of the present. A valley that once was lush green land populated with millions of plants and animals is now a dry environment where the population of plants and animals are a weak shadow of their former selves. I found it intriguing to see the scars through time in the park. Starting with the redwood tree that are now shelled as monuments to the evidence of the plants and animals that once called this valley home. The scars of the lightning strikes of the present trees showing that life is constantly being challenged to survive. Finally, it is amazing to see the remains of the redwood trees can give life to the present trees. Although the tree of the past are in rock form they still are able to help give life to future life.