Stretching across a large expanse of land in scenic eastern Wyoming is the Triceratops Ranch. This dinosaur excavation and tour service boasts spectacular specimens. The Ranch services which, according to its website, include a "professional staff", guided tours, transportation, and a "Fossil Preparation Lab", has a lure that few Dinosaur enthusiasts can turn down. These Dinosaur poaching grounds are owned and operated by Mr. John Bolon (seen here), who has a vested interest in unearthing valuable specimens since he also owns the "American Mineral and Fossil Exchange" (based in California).

My personal interest in the trade (Dinosaur excavation) is one of genuine curiosity. But, I myself have no great knowledge of the process. Such being the case, an opportunity like this intrigued me. The early communications and terms of this tour were quite agreeable. We were to aid in the excavation and preparation of the fossils (under the guidance of professionals). If we happened across a find, the terms were dependent upon the rarity of the specimen. We would be allowed to take any Dinosaur artifacts from the site unless the find was rare. In that case, we would be able to purchase the item from the Ranch for 30% to 50% of its value. The initial prospect was promising and at that point, I saw no reason for mistrust of this verbal agreement.

Our first day at the Ranch was not guided, and there certainly were no professionals present to provide helpful hints. Since I never saw the "Fossil Preparation Lab" firsthand, I assume it to have been the building holding a buffing wheel and a couple of plain wooden tables, on which the specimens were to be laid unprepared and exposed to the open air. Despite these initial misgivings, we proceeded with our exploration of the collection sites. After a short time, I made my first find. Following some bone fragments through a wash area and up a hill, I found a hadrosaur tooth. After carefully uncovering it, I found a jaw and vertebrae. With the help of others from my group, the specimen was hardened with a paleobond glue (in my opinion paleobond glue was apparently something that Mr. Bolon held dearly because he rationed it off like it was a scrap of bread crust in the Great Depression). After several hours of toil, already well into the afternoon, Mr. Bolon and Japeth (his associate and apparently the resident Dinosaur expert) arrived on the scene. Upon discovering our find, Mr. Bolon consulted with Japeth, assessing the worth of the find. Japeth was heard stating the estimated value was $100 to $200 as is or $1,000 prepared. According to Japeth, the fossils were not rare. Mr. Bolon offered assistance in excavating and preparing the specimen. As we were to learn, this was a gilded gesture. After removing the fossils from its spot where it had been carefully kept for millions of years, they were swiftly hurled into Japeth's getaway vehicle and driven off the premises.

Now a bit uncertain, my group continued the following day with an excavation of a triceratops. Mr. Bolon made it known that we needn't unearth the entire beast. The major items of monetary worth were the beak and horn if they could be found. Dispossessed of any passion for preserving these delicate artifacts, he simply wanted to chop off the beak and horn and turn them in for their true worth. If this was the "lesson or two on the fine art of Fossil preparation and Conservation" that their website promoted, I believe this would be a lesson best left unlearned.

Later that night an inquiry was made into the state of the Hadrosaur jaw that I had found the day before. Apparently, the Wyoming area had undergone a drastic shortage in hadrosaur bones because Mr. Bolon now considered the fossils to be a great rarity. He would not give them to us. So, another strategy was attempted: a price of $600 was offered (something we considered to be a healthy amount of money). Remarkably, the demand for hadrosaur jawbones had also risen overnight. My find now held a Triceratops Ranch liquidation sale price tag of $2500 and, quite simply, we could not have it. At that point we were informed, that Mr. Bolon was going to keep everyone else's as well.

Upon learning of this unpleasant encounter, I could not bring myself to see the rest of the Triceratops excavation to fruition. I would not subject myself to this indentured servitude which was not the agreement presented to us. That very night, I left the Ranch (a few days earlier I had originally intended). Break open the piggy banks, because this short ended venture cost us (two people) $2000 in expenses! I found the entire operation to be blatantly unprofessional. Therefore I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this trip. And, I have tremendous difficulty in believing that any of those who accompanied us would ever give recommendation either. Dinosaur votaries beware! When the Triceratops Ranch website states that the Ranch is "prime Dinosaur Real estate", it is a good bet that the land and its contents are considered to be little else other than that…

I regret that we could not provide better photographs of our excavations. You might see better pictures of our specimens on the Triceratops Ranch website in the future.