Quarry owner says Bill Hawes has inspired his own interest in fossils

RBC — Until Bill Hawes came along, Gus Halandras never knew what he had.
“If it weren’t for Bill, I would never know it (fossil collecting) existed,” said Halandras, who owns the land where Hawes has been digging and collecting fossils for 20 years.
Halandras is hooked now.
“Once I understood what was going on, I really became excited,” Halandras said. “I became addicted. I’m constantly looking at the ground for fossils. You never know what you will find.”
Again, Halandras credits Hawes with enlightening him about fossil collecting.
“Because of him, my world has become enlarged,” said Halandras, who owns and operates Rambull Inn, a bed and breakfast in Meeker, with his wife, Christine. “He not only knows what he’s working with, but he knows the history of the area. It’s been fascinating. I’m glad I was introduced to it. It just gave me another piece of the world to be excited about.”