A Gift He'll Dig

"Oh my gosh, my socks are black!" hollers 12-year-old Minneapolis resident Geoffrey Ludvik, showing his dad, Gregg, the results of a day sifting through the silty soil of fossil-rich southwest North Dakota's famous Hell Creek Formation -- once home to Triceratops, T-Rex and other dinos.

Welcome to the Bowman, North Dakota, Paleontology Expeditions & Field School, where a successful vacation means sweaty hikes through rocky terrain, crouching for hours with paintbrush and awl and extracting delicate bone with excruciating care. In other words, it is utter vacationary Nirvana for the budding paleontologist.

What it is: This personalized learning vacation conducted by the Pioneer Trails Regional Museum and hosted by the amiable and savvy Don and Kathy Wilkening includes both lab and site work. Participants hike on fossil searches, remove and keep some of their finds, cast fragile materials and study samples in the lab. Weekend schools cost $200; weeklong classes cost $400.

The cost includes breakfast and lunch, tools, transportation to and from the site. Lodging is extra. We stayed at the clean and friendly North Winds Lodge, a Bowman motel (doubles $39-$60, 888/684-9463).

Know before you go: This can be super tough work. It's a trip for those who enjoy the hunt, not just the find.

Feel-good vacation: The reasonable fee you'll pay for this trip is darn near philanthropic; the price helps fund the lab and fossil work.

Find out more: Pioneer Trails Regional Museum, 701/523-3600.

Related Links: