A dinosaur lurks in an Oregon lake

By: 
Jan Jones

While surfing Infosoup I came across “Dinosaur Lake” by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. What kid didn’t want to be an archaeologist?

Henry Shore had that dream, but life sent him in another direction, and he became a New York police officer. After being shot, Henry knew it was time to move on and took the job of chief ranger at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

At first Ann missed the hustle of working at a city newspaper, but both she and Henry loved the park. Since Henry’s salary isn’t enough to live on, Ann works for the struggling Klamath Falls Journal.

Their daughter Laura had dropped out of school to married, got pregnant and got dumped. Now she’s ready to rebuild her life.

One early spring morning Ranger George Redcrow tells Henry that he’s found some unusual animal carcasses. He’s concerned about the savage way the animals were killed. Later that day a small earthquake rocks the area, and Henry discovers it has exposed a large field of what appear to be dinosaur bones.

Fascinated, he requests a paleontologist. By the next morning Dr. Justin Maltin is at the site, and they soon become friends.

That afternoon one of the tour boat operators mentions seeing some sort of ‘sea monster’ on the lake. Days later only pieces of the man’s boat are found. Soon another operator disappears.

Henry refuses to believe in monsters but tries to keep an open mind. When Justin shows him some massive tracks, he is half-convinced.

When an encampment of homeless families is attacked, Henry orders the park evacuated. His supervisor is furious, but Henry only cares about safety.

After three reporters sneak into the park and become a dino-snack, Henry strongly urges the scientists to leave the bone site, but the monster arrives leaving death and destruction in its wake.

Justin explains that this may be a juvenile that hatched in one of the many tunnels beneath the lake. The quake must have opened a passage into the lake. And the youngster has learned that humans are easy prey. He believes that this creature is much smarter than any known dinosaur.

With few campers in the park, the monster hunts further from the lake. Henry sends his family to live in town and assembles a crack team to do battle with the monster. His boss, the governor and several scientists want it captured alive, but Henry and his team are determined to destroy it.

After several more good people are killed by the beast, a four-person sub is brought in. Henry, Justin and two others explore the caves at the bottom of the lake. After an arduous hunt they find its lair as well as what appear to be a clutch of viable eggs. Another quake is predicted, and they feel tremors as they dispose of the eggs.

As they leave the cave the monster attacks, so they limp back to the cave and prepare to do battle there. The men will need nerves of steel and massive firepower to survive. Luckily, they have both.

As the quake tears the cave apart, the wounded monster tumbles into a lava flow, taking one of their team with it. The remaining men agree to tell others about the lava, but not mention the weapons.

Months later the park begins to return to ‘normal’ with even more visitors wanting to see where the dinosaur once lurked. Ann’s reporting saved the paper, Henry hired more rangers, and Laura and Justin got married. They all know that things may appear normal, but beneath the surface they all carry the pain of guilt and ‘what ifs’ for the rest of their lives.

Some things just cannot be ‘unseen,’ but we each deal with them in our own way. Sometimes getting lost in a book works best. Head for your public library and check it out.

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