When I returned from the land of Japan in late July, I certainly intended to remain in my Colorado cave and rest," said Stegosaurus. "However the afternoon following my return I received a communication from Congresssaurus Tricertatops ( Wy ) ( ret ), who told me of a celebration he was planning, and asked me, with our mammal friend Steve Beaver, to be present. I was informed that Mr. Beaver was to arrive in Colorado that very evening, and Triceratops asked if I could take him the rest of the way, from Colorado to Wyoming. I, of course, readily agreed to do so.

When Steve Beaver arrived, he said he knew all about Congresssaurus Triceratops' celebratory plans, but was asked by Triceratops to keep it secret, so that they could reveal the secret together in due time. The only hint Steve gave was that we had spoken about this secret before, on our way to Canada, but that was so long ago, and my brain so small I could not remember any details. This was okay, as I am very fond of surprises, at least good ones, anyway, and I was assured this was a good one. So, with that, Steve Beaver climbed upon my back, and we set off for the State of Wyoming. Specifically, we stomped to the State capitol, Cheyenne. It was here that we met Congressaurus Triceratops, who heartily welcomed us to his native State, where he had served as representative just over 150 years, till his retirement in the year 2018.

"Friends Stegosaurus, Steve Beaver, please be welcome !" said Congresssaurus Triceratops.

"Before we reveal our surprise, let us take a wonderful tour of the Nation's first National Forest, The Shoshone. You will find this impressive, all 2,500,000 acres. "

Being patient, and naturally intrigued by forests, I naturally agreed, especially as all the travel had made me very hungry.

Congresssaurus Triceratops became tour guide, and impressed us with his oratory skills, perfected over many millions of years in public service in many forms of Government.

"The Shoshone National Forest was declared protected by the mammals' President Benjamin Harrison in 1891, only a couple years after I was discovered; the forest protections were further expanded by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. The Shoshone forest is named for the Shoshone Indians, just as our State capitol, Cheyenne, is named for Indians; these tribes are native to the area. This forest is part of the Yellowstone Timberland reserve, including the Wind River Range and Gannett Peak, the largest mountain in the State. Within this area lies the Wind River Indian Reservation, where live the Shoshone Tribe, as well as the Arapahoe. Just to the South, lies The Oregon Trail, a passage significant to mammals in the 19th century West, when they traveled by brother Horse and covered wagon. The first European mammals to explore this area were John Coulter and Jim Bridger, around the year 1808. They documented the natural wildlife, which largely remains the same even unto this day. This will include, cougars, Grizzly bears, moose, elk, and of course, myself. I was discovered and classified by Professor O.C. Marsh within this State in the year 1889."

"Mummy cave here within the forest was rediscovered by the mammals in 1957; in this cave lived an early form of mammals, about 9,000 years ago, which is a long time in the lifespan of mammals. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by President Jimmy Carter in 1981. There is a small amount of gold in this area; it was mined with limited success in the late 19th century and though the mine closed up entirely by 1907, panning for gold is still allowed here to this day. in the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built roads, hiking trails and campgrounds, which increased visitation to the area by tourists after World War II.

As vegetarians, Stegosaurus, you and I will take great interest in the many trees native to this area; these include but are not limited to the Pinus contorta; Juniperus scopulorum; Populus tremuloides; Abies lasiocarpa; Picea engelmannii; Pinus albicaulis; and Pinus flexilis. In the lower elevations we may find Populus sect. Aigeiros; and the Salix.

"Well, this sounds wonderful," said Stegosaurus. "Can we eat any of those trees?"

"It would not be a good idea," said Congresssaurus Triceratops. " This IS a National Forest."

"Let's go somewhere where we can eat; I am feeling some appetite for a meal of grass, and there's a nice meadow where I'd like to make my main announcement with Steve Beaver."

"The Shoshone National Forest has been interesting, but I am eager to announce our plans," said Steve, who was still riding on the back of Stegosaurus.

The dinosaurs stomped to a meadow in the State capitol of Wyoming, and when they had grazed and trimmed the meadow Then, Congresssaurus Triceratops declared it was time to make his announcement, and to take part in it, Steve climbed down from Stegosaurus' back and stood beside Triceratops.

"I am here this afternoon in our State capitol of Cheyenne to announce to everyone here and to make it known to the general populace that being retired from politics, I am now a gardener, and have gone into business with my mammal friend Steve Beaver here, to open a greenery; Mr. Beaver is very smart; he told Stegosaurus and myself how we couldn't really extract sunlight from cucumbers, and thereby saved us a lot of effort that would have been ultimately pointless. Without his larger brain, we might have wasted millions upon millions of years !! Mr. Beaver has a great sense for business, which will benefit any dinosaur who wants to do well, since our brains are relatively so small. He is very skilled in growing things, particularly avocado trees, and has an interest in creating hybrid gourds."

"Thank you for your kind words, Triceratops," said Steve Beaver. "I have done many interesting things in my life so far, but I haven't yet tried going into business with a Triceratops so this will be a new adventure for us both; I look forward to working with you."

"I expect we will start by growing the trees found within the Shoshone National Forest, as well as avocados and .... your gourd experiments," said Triceratops.

"I am pleased to attempt these things with you, Triceratops," said Steve. " I am sure our business with thrive. Thank you for your trust in me, and to Stegosaurus for being here today".

And there was much rejoicing.

Bonjour, je m'appelle Loricatosaurus !!!

     

Au début du mois Septembre, il y a quelques semaines, j'ai eu le plaisir de recevoir une lettre de mon cousin Stegosaurus.  Il m'a raconté que lui et l'Agence de secours aux sinistrés Stegosaurus s'étaient rendus à Honshu, au Japon, la plus grande île du pays, parce qu'il y avait eu un tremblement de terre à l'est de la ville la plus peuplée. 4 mammifères ont disparu et 97 d'entre eux ont été blessés.  Comme elle en a l'habitude partout où elle va, l'agence de secours aux sinistrés Stegosaurus a aidé les mammifères à reconstruire leurs maisons et a prêté main forte au personnel médical d'urgence en cas de besoin.

   

Le stégosaure a réfléchi à sa visite de l'été dernier en Chine, me rappelant tous nos cousins là-bas ; il a ensuite suggéré que le Japon pourrait être un endroit où je pourrais aller me chercher, et j'ai convenu avec lui que c'était un bon endroit pour me chercher.  J'en ai donc parlé à mon mari alors que nous mangions un soir des plantes d'aloès sur du fromage, et il a approuvé la suggestion de Stegosaurus et partagé mon nouveau zèle pour les pays asiatiques.  Après notre repas, nous avons donc construit un radeau et sommes allés directement vers l'Orient.

  

Honshu est historiquement connue sous le nom d'Akitsushima, qui signifie île de la libellule. 81,3 % de la population de mammifères du Japon y vit, soit 104 millions de mammifères.  La majeure partie de l'industrie japonaise est située le long de la côte sud de Honshu ; dans le nord-ouest, l'économie repose sur la pêche et l'agriculture.  Le mont Fuji et le lac Biwa se trouvent également sur Honshu.  La question à laquelle nous répondrons ici est de savoir si je suis ici ou non. C'est ce que nous allons essayer de découvrir. En ce qui concerne le temps, Honshu bénéficie d'un climat subtropical agréable.  Traduit en anglais, le nom signifie "province principale". Le plus grand sommet est le mont Fuji, qui s'élève à 3 776 pieds

.   

Le tremblement de terre qui s'est produit le 15 mars n'est pas la première fois que la région doit faire face aux effets de la colère soudaine et violente de la Terre.  En 2011, un important tremblement de terre a fait bouger la partie nord-est de l'île de 17 pieds.  D'une magnitude de 9,01, il s'agit du quatrième plus grand tremblement de terre au monde depuis le début des relevés en 1900.  Trois réacteurs nucléaires ont fondu, ce qui a entraîné une catastrophe très importante à la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima Daiichi.

    

Le climat ici est magnifiquement subtropical, très semblable aux jours où nous sommes sortis de nos coquilles pour la première fois ; je ne saurais trop vous le recommander.

 

Mon mari et moi avons fouillé divers endroits de Honshu à ma recherche, et malheureusement, nous ne m'avons trouvée nulle part.    Déçus, nous avons décidé de nous reposer en cherchant de la nourriture.

   

Nous avons trouvé un bosquet de ciguës du sud du Japon, ou Tsuga sieboldii, qui sont des conifères merveilleux. C'était la première fois que nous en mangions dans leur pays d'origine ; nous avons ces arbres en France, où ils sont considérés comme ornementaux par nature et ont été cultivés là-bas et aux États-Unis depuis l'année 1861. Le bosquet que nous avons trouvé était un bosquet d'arbres plus âgés, de sorte que l'écorce était fissurée en carrés et était devenue assez floconneuse, ce qui est normal pour des arbres de ce type et de cet âge. Nous aimons tous les deux manger les petites fleurs rouge cerise de ces arbres ; c'est un plaisir particulier.

    

Je suis déterminé à continuer à me chercher jusqu'à ce que je me trouve. C'est la quête de toute une vie et je continuerai à chercher aussi longtemps que je vivrai.

 

Certaines choses sont éternelles, et d'autres, qui reviennent souvent, s'estompent et disparaissent, comme Apu.

 

"After I celebrated my birthday at home, I planned to remain in Colorado for some time," said Stegosaurus. "However, the emergencies of the times in which I live called me again to float forthrightly to the Orient. This time, to Honshu, Japan. It was necessary to gather together for the first time in a while, The Stegosaurus Disaster Relief Agency, for the mammals had suffered through a major earthquake there and needed aid."

"I asked all the friends who usually help me in my mammalian aid efforts, and they were eager to be of assistance. These were, of course, Rhedosaurus and his lovely wife Lady Rhedosaurus; Nigersaurus, Brachiosaurus Diplodocus, and Brontosaurus,( who is still having his midlife crisis and changed his name to Apatosaurus; ) Agathaumas and Trachodon, two of the most productive nomen dubium I know; The Moa Birds, whom I had just visited in New Zealand; Western Black Rhino and Woolly Rhino, ( I am so pleased to see that Western Black Rhino is a part of our group; it has helped him considerably in accepting his extinction. And of course, my entire college class, consisting of Stegosaurids like myself."

"The mammals who became extinct as a result of this earthquake are few but the damage to their property, their homes, is great. There was a tsunami threat due to a 7.2 level earthquake issued for the East Coast of Honshu, Japan".

"The Japanese people did not seem surprised to see us; with their legend of Godzilla, I am sure they will be to see us helping them to rebuild. It is possible that they are just so used to dinosaurs running about their cities that nothing surprises them, and they just figure that it can't get any worse. But they will be surprised yet, and I am eager to see their delight at the restoration of their homes and businesses. I'm surprised that they are not fleeing in terror."

The sauropods set themselves to work rebuilding bridges; Rhedosaurus and his wife Lady Rhedosaurus worked at preventing erosion of the shoreline; Agathaumas and Trachodon served as transportation to medical facilities for the injured; Many of my classmates knocked down trees with their cool, spiky tails so that houses could be built for the mammals; and where there were not many trees to do this with, they helped to transport wood that had been imported into the country for the purpose of building.

Western Black Rhino and Woolly Rhino gathered fruit and harvested rice so that the mammals would have something to eat as they endured the rebuilding of their city.

The Moa Birds and I helped to plant a garden, and rice beds, so that the mammals would be able to grow more food; The Moas were impressed by the versatility of my cool, spiky tail; they had seen me use it defensively before, but never as a plow.

"Nice to see you again so soon after your visit to New Zealand," said Moa Bird.

"Thank you for coming all this way to help the Japanese mammals; I know it is a far way for you, and the mammals really need our help."

"It is the least we can do. The truce that you helped broker between ourselves and The Haast's Eagles has been a blessing," said Moa.

"I see that none of you have been eaten since I returned to Colorado, very pleased to see my efforts rewarded so well."

"Thank you for your help," said Moa. "As of now, the truce holds."

While the Moas and I worked, Rhedosaurus and Lady Rhedosaurus were on the seashore hauling sand to arrest the erosion of the beach. When they had worked diligently for over an hour, they decided a break was in order. Rhedosaurus told his wife, "I will head into the sea to see if we can find some sushi for dinner; maybe if we're lucky, we'll find an elderly paleontologist in a diving bell."

"I'm glad you've taken to sushi," said Lady Rhedosaurus, "You consumption of policemen has really dropped. I'm proud of you."

"Policemen kind of taste like sushi, so it's an easy substitute," said Rhedosaurus.

"I thought they tasted like chicken," said Lady Rhedosaurus.

"That too, at times. It depends," said Rhedosaurus.

"Well, look at the work we've done from the water; I hope the mammals appreciate it," said Lady Rhedosaurus.

"I'm sure they do, the Japanese are a very polite people. I've never tried eating one, though, have you, honey?" asked Rhedosaurus.

"No, and that is only because we are here to help the Japanese not eat them; a meal of Japanese mammals would be very bad for public relations, even if they are very delicious."

"You're right," said Rhedosaurus. "I'll stick to sushi for now. But still, I have no answer to my question,"

"Ah !! You're right," agreed Lady Rhedosaurus. "I have eaten mammals before, but not policemen. I have not gained that particular taste as of yet."

While Rhedosaurus and his wife were on the beach, and I was gardening with the Moa Birds, the sauropods were having a grand time even as they were helping," observed Stegosaurus. Brachiosaurus, rather than hauling wood and stone to build bridges for a time became himself a bridge.

"Mammals tickle when they walk across you," Brachiosaurus advised Diplodocus.

"Thanks for the heads up," said Diplodocus.

"Watch, you two," said Nigersaurus; "I know what you're doing is working quite well, but we need long term solutions; and to that end, Apatosaurus and myself need your help hauling stone for bridge building. Would you please stop playing around and help us out?"

"You're right, Nigersaurus," said Brachiosaurus. "Thank you for keeping us on our toes. We do have work to do; as soon as the mammals on my back pass by, Diplodocus and I will help you."

"I don't mean to be rude; It isn't everyday that I leave the comfort and security of the Niger river and my home, but helping mammals in need is a great cause," said Nigersaurus.

"So it was that we all remained in Japan, rebuilding true to our name of a Disaster Relief Agency," said Stegosaurus. "Eventually my classmates and I had to leave in order to return to Colorado for the Fall Semester. The other dinosaurs and Megafauna remained in Japan through the rest of the summer and returned in late September.

As I floated on my raft, forthrightly home, I had a thought and decided to suggest to Loricatosaurus that she could float forthrightly to Japan and set about looking for herself," said Stegosaurus. "There's a lot of history on these islands I don't see how the potential discovery of Loricatosaurus' fossil would change or be of any harm".

Stegosaurus returned from New Zealand in time to enjoy his birthday at home in Colorado USA.

" As of June 1st, I am now 140 Million and 17. Seems like only yesterday, or maybe it was last year, when I was 140 Million and 16," said Stegosaurus.

"Well, no matter how old you are always be sure to enjoy your life. After over 140 Million years, it does seem like life goes on forever at times. My advice is to enjoy and be thankful for every moment you are given. For you never know when meteors may fall from the sky. One day you're just minding your own business eating a nice grove of Cycadaceae, and next thing you know you're on display, standing around a museum in your bare bones."

"I have been very fortunate, my friends to still be stomping around having adventures. Why don't we have some adventures together? If you come visit me soon, I will share my birthday cake with you. I really hope you like Coconut as much as I do !!"

"What adventures would you like to have? We could garden, and use our cool, spiky tails as a plow; We cold eat a nice meal of Cycadaceae, for now that I've mentioned them, I have a craving to make them my lunch; We could dance the lindy hop. It is great exercise, and perfectly celebratory for a birthday; We could sing grand opera duets together; wouldn't that be fun?

Really, the possibilities are endless and could actually go on for days; I really enjoy meeting new friends and celebrating birthdays."

In March, Stegosaurus returned from England, but he shortly decided that he hadn't traveled enough.

"England was great and it is good to be home again, but I would like to visit some other places and visit other friends. Where can I go?" he asked himself.

Stegosaurus thought, and thought, and then he thought some more. He spent a long time thinking, because thinking is hard when your brain is merely the size of a walnut.

Then, in early May, he had an idea, and upon the morning got back on his raft and floated forthrightly to New Zealand.

"It has been some time since I visited with The Moa Birds, and saw the Haast's Eagles," said Stegosaurus. "I would really enjoy some relaxing time eating the greenery in the swamps of New Zealand with my more evolved bird friends The Moas and Haast's Eagles."

The trip was long, as such trips are, but nothing of note happened. The journey was uneventful.

Stegosaurus arrived in New Zealand on May 4th, at Lake Wanaka Ray's Peak. Stegosaurus observed that the lake was beautiful, but this area was not swampy, and the Moa birds did not live there. Still, he remained for a few days drinking from the lake and enjoying a meal of grass before stomping to the swampland.

"This is a very wonderful place, I shall have to ask the Moas if I can watch them here for some of my visit.," he said to himself.

Once he had climbed upland, ( being thankful for his claws, ) he found the Moas grazing peacefully and they were happy to see him.

"Friend Stegosaurus!" exclaimed Moa. "What a grand surprise ! What brings you to New Zealand?"

"I was hoping to visit with my friends The Moas, to watch you and the Haast's Eagles," said Stegosaurus.

"Well you are welcome to watch us and graze with us," said Moa. "We are a little skittish around our friends The Haast's Eagles, as they do like to eat us from time to time but as long as they aren't trying to put us on their menu we can get along. We are mild mannered vegetarians so we forgive and forget easily."

Stegosaurus stomped around the wetlands with the Moas, where you know, the swampland is much smaller than it used to be from the late Pleistocene to the late Medieval period because so many mammals cleared it since; but in more recent times conservation efforts have taken hold because the mammals got wise and started thinking long term, something that is hard for a Stegosaurus to do. Every now and again mammals use their larger brains for very good causes, for which we are all grateful.

They all observed with great awe the giant Dacrycarpus dacryidioides, 197 feet; Stegosaurus determined he would have to bring his college classmates to New Zealand to help him eat that..... it is wonderfully majestic. The mammal government of New Zealand estimates that only 2% of its native habitat remains, most of it is conserved, with some areas still on private property. But these are long lived trees; they are older than the Moas as they were standing tall when Stegosaurus was just out of his shell; and even back then the Jurassic period, they could live up to 500 years.

Then, leaving the Dacrycarpus dacryidioides, Stegosaurus and the Moa birds stomped into the peatland forest and found the smaller but much more common Manoao colensoi, which can only grow up to about 66 feet. Stegosaurus felt okay eating some of those as they have some to spare. The Moas enjoyed some leaves from the Manoao colensoi, but they generally do not eat whole trees.

One thing that is interesting about them is that they have different leaves when they are young, from when they are older. Stegosaurus couild not decide decide which tasted better; He ultimately decided that he'd have to eat more of them to form an opinion. The Manoao colensoiIt is a resilient tree; it grows in hard soil and can grow shoots from the roots of older trees. Forests of them can be quite dense which is why I don't have any question about consuming them, given their abundance.

Then the Moas and Stegosaurus wandered into the waters to investigate the Avicennia marina in the very comfortable sub tropical North Islands. The Avicennia marina is the only tree of New Zealand able to live in the sea. subsequently Stegosaurus tried some algae, a rare treat, as such grow around their trunks and roots. Their tendency to create intertidal forests is sometimes an annoyance to the mammals who want to play in the sea, but they have some positive environmental impact for the ecosystem. They can prevent shoreline erosion during storm surges, for example. They also trap some contaminants and prevent them from going further out to sea.

After we were done playing in the water we went back to the upland, where we just grazed in relaxing silence for a time.

The silence was eventually broken by the arrival a small number of Haast's Eagles, being three. Two remained in the air while the third landed next to me. The Moa Birds looked on nervously at first, and then quickly scattered into the forest for their own safety.

"Hello, Stegosaurus ! How nice of you to visit. What brings you to New Zealand?" Haast's Eagle asked.

"I am visiting my friends the Moa Birds." Stegosaurus told him, "Which I hope you would have the decency not to eat while I am visiting. I like watching you too, as we all know I'd like to evolve someday into a bird, but I advise you to be kind to my friends remember what I did with my tail the last time!"

"I know, I am the one you struck," said Haast's Eagle, and all I wanted to do was let you know that once we saw you were here we all agreed that we would not eat your friends. When you are gone, Nature must take its course and the Moas must defend themselves but we will not attack them when we see you here. Instead, we will live in harmony so that you can enjoy watching us both; we know you will continue to use your cool, spiky tail until you evolve out of it. "

"Make no mistake, this is true," said Stegosaurus. "I appreciate your candid honesty, and thus, will apologize for having to strike you."

The Haast's Eagle rejoined to the generosity of the forgiving plate lizard, saying, "Thank you, Stegosaurus." and took flight. Stegosaruus called the Moas from the forest, and explained to them the conversation he had just had. Some of them were still nervous, but generally viewed the news as good for them. The Haast's Eagles circled beautifully as the Moas and Stegosaurus grazed peacefully. It was quite a bucolic scene.

Stegosaruus had to leave before there was a chance to graze upon the shores of Lake Wanaka; but the Moa birds promised him they would graze there with him when he returned. Stegosaurus once again got on his raft, floated forthrightly, and returned to Colorado in time for his birthday in June.

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And then, Woolly Mammoth became even more philosophical.