IT WAS ON A TRIP THAT JOHNNIE AND I MADE TO THE BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK. YEAH, NOW I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK. WE HAD SPENT SEVERAL DAYS IN THE PARK AND WERE HEADED FOR PRESIDIO ON HIGHWAY 170, THE OLD RIVER ROAD.

WE WERE FOLLOWING THE TRAIL THAT TEXAS RANGER CAPTAIN JACK HAYS HAD RIDDEN BACK IN THE MID-1800's. WE WERE ABOUT HALF WAY TO FORT LEATON WHEN I STOPPED THE PICKUP. I WANTED TO GET OUT AND WALK AROUND SOME. THERE WAS A LITTLE RAVINE NEXT TO THE ROAD AND I WALKED UP IT A WAYS.

I ENJOY LOOKING FOR UNUSUAL ROCKS. JOHNNIE HAS A YARD FULL OF THEM THAT WE HAVE BROUGHT BACK FROM OUR TRIPS. THIS LITTLE RAVINE TURNED TO THE LEFT AND I WAS OUT OF SIGHT OF THE PICKUP AND ROAD. SO I DECIDED TO ANSWER THE CALL OF NATURE.

AS I WAS STANDING THERE RELIEVING MYSELF I LOOKED UP ON THE SIDE OF THE RAVINE AND SAW A STRANGE LOOKING ROCK STICKING OUT OF THE DIRT. I REACHED UP AND SCRAPED THE DIRT AWAY FROM IT ENOUGH TO PULL IT OUT OF THE BANK. WHEN I GOT IT OUT IT WAS IN THE SHAPE OF AN EGG. IT HAD SOME KIND OF MINERAL STREAKS ON IT THAT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE COMING OUT OF THE INSIDE OF IT.

IT WAS ABOUT EIGHT INCHES LONG AND FOUR INCHES IN DIAMETER. I CARRIED IT BACK TO THE PICKUP AND SHOWED IT TO JOHNNIE. SHE ASKED ME WHAT IT WAS. HOW SHOULD I KNOW, I TOLD HER. IT IS JUST A FUNNY LOOKING ROCK I FOUND UP THAT RAVINE. I FIGURED WE COULD ADD IT TO OUR ROCK COLLECTION. I PUT IT IN THE CAMPER AND FORGOT ABOUT IT.

AFTER WE GOT TO PRESIDIO WE TURNED NORTH AND WENT TO MARFA. FROM THERE WE MADE OUR WAY BACK HOME IN ARLINGTON. WHEN I WAS UNLOADING THE CAMPER FROM OUR TRIP I FOUND MY STRANGE ROCK AGAIN. THE MORE I LOOKED AT IT THE MORE I WAS CONVINCED THAT IT WAS NOT JUST A ROCK. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS BUT IT WAS NOT AN ORDINARY ROCK. FOR ONE THING IT HAD SOME KIND OF MINERALS IN IT.

I DECIDED TO HAVE SOME FUN WITH IT. I WRAPPED IT IN A TOWEL AND TOOK IT TO STEVE AND PATRICIA'S STORE. THEY WERE BOTH COLLEGE GRADUATES AND HAD MAJORED IN GEOLOGY. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD FOUND A FOSSILIZED DINOSAUR EGG AND I WANTED TO SHOW IT TO THEM. NOW I HAD THIS "EGG" WRAPPED UP IN A BIG TOWEL, AND AS I WOULD UNWRAP ONE LAYER OF TOWEL, I WOULD STOP AND TELL THEM WHERE I HAD FOUND IT. THEN I WOULD UNWRAP ANOTHER LAYER AND STOP AND TELL THEM HOW I HAD FOUND IT.

I KEPT THIS UP UNTIL I THOUGHT STEVE WAS GOING TO TAKE MY ROCK AWAY FROM ME SO HE COULD FINISH UNWRAPPING IT AND SEE IT. I KEPT TELLING THEM IT WAS A FOSSILIZED DINOSAUR EGG.

WHEN I FINALLY GOT IT UNWRAPPED I HELD IT OUT FOR THEM TO SEE. PAT SAID, "OOOOO" AND SHE WANTED TO KNOW IF SHE COULD TOUCH IT. SURE I SAID AND HANDED IT TO HER. THEY BOTH TURNED IT OVER AND OVER LOOKING AT ALL THE MINERAL STREAKS ON IT. THEN STEVE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT KIND DINOSAUR I THOUGH IT MIGHT BE.