Something Huge
An expert finally arrived to see what Edgar had discovered. He greeted him and then walked over to get a closer look at the rocks left from the cliff. But once he had seen what was there, Edgar could see the excitement in his eyes.
Whatever the expert knew that he didn’t, he knew it was something huge that would change everything.
Edgar Miller
Edgar Miller loved taking his family out on road trips whenever he could afford to. He lived in Arizona with his loving wife, Jessica, and his beautiful children, Ryan and Peter. He couldn’t have asked for a better life.
But he had no idea his next adventure would lead him to a fantastic discovery.
Planning Their Next Adventure
Edgar was planning their next family trip. Whenever he had a good amount of money to spend or get a bonus, he would take his family somewhere. It was a great way to bond with his kids. They loved exploring unknown places.
This next trip had to be somewhere close so that they could make it a weekend trip. Then Edgar had the idea.
The Grand Canyon
It clicked in his head, they weren’t too far from The Grand Canyon, and he had never taken his children there before. It was a piece of American history, and his children hadn’t seen it yet. He made the arrangements, and then it was sorted. They’d be going on a road trip.
But he had no idea that it would be different from what he remembered.
Packing Up
The family packed up what they needed for the road trip, including their family CD, full of songs everyone enjoyed. Then they piled into the sedan and started their journey on the road.
They had to drive a few hours to get to The Grand Canyon, but all the while, they enjoyed the thrill of the drive. But they wouldn’t have been in such a good mood if they knew what they were heading towards.
Getting To The Grand Canyon
The family finally arrived at the canyon. They went through the normal procedure of paying to get in and listen to the safety instructions. But from there, they could just enjoy the beauty of the natural landscape in front of them.
But that’s when Edgar noticed sometime that wasn’t there the last time he had visited. He had a bad feeling about it.
Collapsed Cliff
There was a collapsed cliff that was visible from the walkway where Edgar stood. But there was something about it that really stuck out. The rock that had given way showed something that he had never seen before.
But once he realized what it actually was, his world would be turned upside down.
A Recent Occurrence
Edgar asked a local when the cliff had collapsed; apparently, it hadn’t happened more than a few days ago. Edgar guessed he was in the right place at the right time. But no one else seemed to care about it. Maybe he was mistaken?
But he trusted his gut feeling. He just hoped he was right.
Out Of His Depth
Even though Edgar had discovered the strange marks on the rock, it didn’t mean he was any closer to finding out what they actually were. He was just a family man, after all. This meant that he needed to get an expert opinion on this.
He pulled out his phone and dialed someone more qualified to figure out what was going on.
Calling In An Expert
Now that he knew this was out of his field, he knew he had to call something that might know more about what he was looking at. He called a paleontologist to have a better look at the thing he knew was big.
He couldn’t wait. Would this really be something amazing, or would it be a waste of time?
Expert Arrived
An expert finally arrived to see what Edgar had discovered. He got a closer look at the rocks that were left from the cliff. But once he had seen what was there, Edgar could see the excitement in his eyes.
Whatever the expert knew that he didn’t, he knew it was something huge, something that would change everything.
280-Million-Year-Old Footprints
The expert looked to Edgar and told him that the markings were just as special as he thought they were. They were 280-million-year-old footprints, which predate even the dinosaurs. He investigated them further to find out just what had left them.
But he was clearly surprised at what else he found.
A Tetrapod
The animal that had left the footprints was a tetrapod that had walked the landscape when the piece of rock he was looking at was still just a desert. The tetrapod in question was a diadectomorph - an early amphibian that resembles a lizard.
But the stranger's question was why was it there?
A Strange Place
The Grand Canyon, or just a desert as it was at the time, was quite an arid place like it is today. So why would a prehistoric amphibian be there when they needed a water source to breed and lay eggs.
But there were many discoveries to be made once, and the footprints were the key.
More Discoveries
The footprints unlocked the door to new theories and possibilities surrounding the knowledge of tetrapods and diadectomorphs. Scientists studied the footprints and concluded that the animals found in the desert were much more common than they thought.
And all of this was thanks to Edgar having a keen eye the day he visited The Grand C.