The Sighting of Randy Raptor

Kimball,

I’ve heard you talk about Randy Raptor before, but I just sort of shelved it on the back burner until the other day. A few members of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Posse rode down in the San Rafael to check out the historic outlaw trail. This is the one where the outlaw Joe Walker by passed Buckhorn Draw by dropping down through the cliffs to the San Rafael River near Mexican Hat. As we got to the place where the outlaws used to jump their horses off this ledge, we stopped and questioned ourselves if we wanted to continue on this trail considering the risks involved in getting down off this cliff. As we were debating our options and looking down the canyon, we noticed this green tinted object bouncing up the trail. It sort of jumped in bounds then appeared to walk, then bound again. By then, we were all wondering what it could be as it looked like something out of the movie Jurassic Park. As it got closer and my adrenaline started to heat up, it triggered my memory and our previous discussions of Randy Raptor, if that was his name.

Our horses saw this object and started to prance and nicker like they were ready to turn and flee. About the same time this green glob looked up and saw us and then we heard this blood curtailing scream that resonated across the canyon and echoed again and again and each time it sent shivers up your back. It sounded worse than any screaming cougar I ever heard. It’s front arms or legs sort of reached up and grabbed some rocks and propelled itself over a 15-foot boulder and out of sight.

Our initial decision was made, we were getting out of there as fast as we could and our horses were more eager than we were. We whirled and headed north as fast as we could travel with a tight rein while we tried to control our horses from a real run-away through the rocks. Out of the corner of my eye, we could see this animal heading the same direction as we were only faster as he jumped and ran through the rocks. We were frantic as we realized if he got to the pass that leads into Box Flat before we did, we might be goners. But if we could get through the pass and onto Box Flat, we could then open our horses up and let them have a chance to outrun this object which we now felt was after us.

As we approached the pass, this green glob bounding and running toward the pass beat us there by 100-150 yards, but to our shear surprise didn’t stop and attack but just cut right through the pass and kept right on a motating in a northeast direction over toward Cathedral Rock. I think he was as frighten of us as we were of him.

Now I don’t know if I’ve seen to many John Wayne movies or not, but I observed something completely out of the ordinary. As this large lizard ran past us, he had around his neck and under his front arms or legs, a double set of cartridge belts and holsters with pistols like those old time Mexican banditos used to wear. Around his neck was a huge red and green checkered bandanna that just melted in with his skin.

As he ran away from us his tail switched from side to side, and if a pinyon or juniper tree was in the way, his tail would literally knock it over or smash the branches right out of it. We did notice that when something was in his road, he sort of planted his tail and used it in conjunction with his hind legs to jump over whatever was in his path. What was amazing was that he probably couldn’t run as fast as a horse, but he could travel a lot faster because he didn’t have to go around anything, he just jumped over or brushed past what ever was in his road.

After he was two-three miles away and our horses were winded, we rode over to the path he had taken and looked at his tracks. The back feet were sort of like massive chicken or turkey tracks that left a deep impression in the soil. They were about two-three feet long and 12-18 inches wide. What was strange was the tracks appeared out of sequence until we realized that his tail, which also left an impression, was sometimes wiping out or covering up some of the tracks. Occasionally, depending on the terrain, his front feet came down to the ground, probably before a bound, and it appeared that the digital (finger) type objects were turned into a fist, but with only three knuckles. These front feet left deeper impressions that the rear ones probably due to the weight per unit area.

If it weren’t for your profound interest in this raptor/dinosaur/lizard subject, I wouldn’t have reported it because I realize the type of public scorn and ridicule we could receive. On the other hand, my scientific and natural resource background compels me to seek and search for the truth. Verification of or repeat sightings over time, is like getting the same or similar results from repeat experiments. It leads to the acquisition of knowledge.

I know from past discussions you are the repository for these sightings, hence my above report. You might want to check this out, in a strict sense of confidentiality, with Don Burge or his staff. You can also verify these observations by contacting Captain Byron Olsen of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Posse at the Eastern Utah Produce Company in Price.

Joel Frandsen

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