In 1877, the eminent paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh bestowed the name Apatosaurus on a new breed of sauropod recently discovered in the American west--and two years later, he did the same for a second fossil specimen, which he dubbed Brontosaurus. Much later, it was determined that these two fossils belonged to the same genus—meaning that, according to the rules of paleontology, the name Apatosaurus took precedence, even though Brontosaurus had long since become more popular with the public. The name Apatosaurus ("deceptive lizard") wasn't inspired by the mixup between it and Brontosaurus; rather, Othniel C. Marsh was referring to the fact that this dinosaur's vertebrae resembled those of mosasaurs, the sleek, vicious marine reptiles that were the apex predators of the world's oceans during the later Cretaceous period. Sauropods and mosasaurs were both gigantic, and they were both doomed by the K/T Extinction Event, but they otherwise occupied entirely different branches of the prehistoric reptile family tree. Apatosaurus was only moderately sized by sauropod standards, measuring about 75 feet from head to tail and weighing in the neighborhood of 25 to 50 tons (compared to lengths of well over 100 feet and weighs close to 100 tons for behemoths like Seismosaurus and Argentinosaurus). Still, Apatosaurus was heavier than the contemporary Diplodocus (although much shorter), and about on a par with its other fellow sauropod of late Jurassic North America, Brachiosaurus. Like most sauropods, Apatosaurus possessed an extremely long, thin tail that acted as a counterweight to its equally long neck. To judge by the lack of characteristic trackmarks that would have been left in the mud by a dragging tail, paleontologists believe Apatosaurus held its long tail off the ground, and it's even possible (though far from proven) that this sauropod "whipped" its tail at high speeds to intimidate or even inflict flesh wounds on its meat-eating antagonists.
We make no representations as to the accuracy of the figures attached to the Geocache. Obviously dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years and the descriptions included are based upon research of paleontologists and other scientists much more learned than El Fartero & La Vaca Verde.
"Walking with Dinosaurs" is a Reptilia-themed power trail consisting of 25 traditonal microcaches hosting their featured dinosaur, and 2 large, well-stocked ammocans you'll have to answer some questions to find. It extends for a total of 4 miles north from Hubbel Corners toward Grand Gorge on the lovely, but lesser known Southern portion of the Stamford Rail Trail. The trail is mostly flat, wide and level, and other than a few sections that can get watery, it is dog, stroller and bike friendly. Most of the caches are winter-friendly, but a few are not, so check the attributes if there's deep snow. We recommend doing it over two days for a more enjoyable, leisurly experience, but more ambitious cachers (or First-to-Find maniacs!) can start early and do it in one. We have tried to provide good coordinates and helpful hints to give you a rewarding caching experience.
Parking is available at the South end of the trail at N42 18.165 W74 33.256, or at the North end at N42 21.238 W74 31.250