The other joys of camp life: A happy and relaxed Adam Yates enjoying his well-earned drink at the barbecue in the evening.
We also went back to Upper Drumbo, of course, to continue excavation of „Nelly“, making the decision, which place to go sometimes depending on the weather, since Blikana and Upper Drumbo are quit far apart, so if the weather was bad in one place, chances were not too bad that it might have been better in the other.
During one of these excavation trips to Upper Drumbo, Charly found another partial articulated sauropodomorph skeleton in the Upper Elliot Formation at Drumbo, only a few dozen meters away from Nelly.
Articulated posterior dorsal vertebrae of „Charly“ weathering out at Upper Drumbo.
Excavation of this specimen, nicknamed „Charly“ - guess why - showed that it represents a rather large basal sauropodomorph, most probably not a Massospondylus. Although only the posterior half of the body, missing most of the limbs, is preserved, this might thus be one of the most interesting finds of the campaign, but final determination has to await the preparation of the specimen.
On the 20th, we finally packed up camp in Lady Grey and left for Zastron, where we wanted to search for a specimen that Adam had located, but could not secure, in an earlier campaign. Unfortunately, though, it seems that the local farmowner had already left for his easter holidays, so we had to leave it again and settle for a barbecue at camp in Zastron...
Finally, after a trip through storm and rain, we arrived safely back in Johannesburg on the 21st. The 22nd was used for unpacking the bakkies, and the Munich team finally left on the flight back on Easter Sunday, the 23rd of March.
Skyline of Joburg
Happily back at the BPI on Friday, the 21st.
„Charly“ at a later stage of excavation.
The Munich team waiting at Johannesburg Airport for the flight back home on Easter Sunday, 23rd of March.
All photographs copyright O. Rauhut