I spent 6 hours on Tena Bar yesterday, a lot of that time looking at it at a forensic level. The result of this additional research has led me to further refine the location of the money find spot. The new location is about 15 feet northwest of the previous location I identified. The new coordinates are: 45.718591, -122.759434.

This spot is extremely precise. I suspect it's within 5 feet of the actual spot if not right on the money. It was fine tuned by locating what I think is likely the only surviving tree from 1980. Of course, the gravel road and some other landmarks played a part too. Please give their names ...

One of the fascinating things is to see the different layers that were identified by Palmer and two that he didn't identify.

More to the point, Palmer references the "Upper Active Layer" and the "Cross Bedded Course and Medium Sand" layer. These two layers combined are 24" deep according to Palmer. The portion visible today via erosion that has cut into the old gravel road shows that those top two layers are about three-and-a-half feet deep at that point.

Next, Palmer references the "Organic Clay Lump & Course Sand Mixture" layer and describes it as two-feet thick. Today you can easily see that layer and near the old gravel road it appears to be about two-and-a-half feet thick.

Finally, Palmer refers to the "Older Uniform Sands Light in Color" layer that starts at four-feet down and continues. This obviously indicates that they didn't dig much deeper than four feet.

Today, I can see that the "Older Uniform Sands Light in Color" layer is about two-and-a-half feet deep under which a spectacular "Fine Black Sand" layer rests. This layer runs the entire length of Tena Bar and appears to be about two-feet deep.

Then underneath the "Fine Black Sand" layer there is a "Fine Black Sand and Fine Light Sand Mix" layer that begins about one foot above the river level and runs into the water.

All told these layers total about 11 1/2' according to my estimates. I believe this is reasonably close to accurate because the old gravel road appears to be between 12' and 15' above the normal level of the river.

This would mean that the money find spot is about 7'-8' feet above the normal level of the river.

I did collect samples of the Organic Clay Lump & Course Sand Mixture layer, Fine Black Sand layer, and the Fine Black Sand and Fine Light Sand Mix layer at the water's edge close to the money find spot which is under about four inches of water. These samples have been sent to Tom Kaye for analysis.

I kept a small sample of the Fine Black Sand layer and placed it into a very small glass jar with a top to preserve. I'm thinking of collecting some of this Fine Black Sand layer to place in small glass vials and making them available at CC21. Would be very cool.

Here's a serious proposal for any member of this forum in the Portland/Vancouver area. It would require access to a marine vessel and a supply of water-resistant reusable transponders. The experiment would be:
* to navigate to an appropriate point in the Columbia River (for example, the midpoint, or the maximum depth isobath) between river miles 98 and 104
* to drop a canvas sack of approximately the same dimensions as the Flight 305 sack, containing 10,000 pieces of paper of the size and thickness of $20 bills
* to monitor the movement of the transponder until it either (a) reached a river bank or (b) passed river mile 97 opposite Tena Bar.
Ideally the experiment should be repeated at each river mile from 98 to 104.

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One of the fascinating things is to see the different layers that were identified by Palmer and two that he didn't identify.

More to the point, Palmer references the "Upper Active Layer" and the "Cross Bedded Course and Medium Sand" layer. These two layers combined are 24" deep according to Palmer. The portion visible today via erosion that has cut into the old gravel road shows that those top two layers are about three-and-a-half feet deep at that point.

Next, Palmer references the "Organic Clay Lump & Course Sand Mixture" layer and describes it as two-feet thick. Today you can easily see that layer and near the old gravel road it appears to be about two-and-a-half feet thick.

Finally, Palmer refers to the "Older Uniform Sands Light in Color" layer that starts at four-feet down and continues. This obviously indicates that they didn't dig much deeper than four feet.

Today, I can see that the "Older Uniform Sands Light in Color" layer is about two-and-a-half feet deep under which a spectacular "Fine Black Sand" layer rests. This layer runs the entire length of Tena Bar and appears to be about two-feet deep.

Then underneath the "Fine Black Sand" layer there is a "Fine Black Sand and Fine Light Sand Mix" layer that begins about one foot above the river level and runs into the water.

All told these layers total about 11 1/2' according to my estimates. I believe this is reasonably close to accurate because the old gravel road appears to be between 12' and 15' above the normal level of the river.

This would mean that the money find spot is about 7'-8' feet above the normal level of the river.

I did collect samples of the Organic Clay Lump & Course Sand Mixture layer, Fine Black Sand layer, and the Fine Black Sand and Fine Light Sand Mix layer at the water's edge close to the money find spot which is under about four inches of water. These samples have been sent to Tom Kaye for analysis.

I kept a small sample of the Fine Black Sand layer and placed it into a very small glass jar with a top to preserve. I'm thinking of collecting some of this Fine Black Sand layer to place in small glass vials and making them available at CC21. Would be very cool.

This proves that Palmer was just plain wrong.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was the Organic Clay Lump & Course Sand Mixture layer that Palmer thought was the dredge spoil layer. Well with the benefit of time and erosion I can see that the Organic Clay Lump & Course Sand Mixture layer actually goes at least to under the old gravel road. Needless to say, there is no reasonable way to explain a dredge spoil layer being found under the gravel road.

It also makes me wonder where Palmer thought the top two layers of sand that are above the Organic Clay Lump & Course Sand Mixture layer came from--especially considering the constant erosion taking place.

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Didn't the Army Corps. identify the dredge layer. I know they did something?

If the money did come from dredging, what flight path would that support?  The dredging came from pretty close to Tena Bar anyhow didn't it?  I'm fairly neutral on the money find, it is just really interesting how that one stack of bills has fueled so much speculation.

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Didn't the Army Corps. identify the dredge layer. I know they did something?

If the money did come from dredging, what flight path would that support?  The dredging came from pretty close to Tena Bar anyhow didn't it?  I'm fairly neutral on the money find, it is just really interesting how that one stack of bills has fueled so much speculation.

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Didn't the Army Corps. identify the dredge layer. I know they did something?

If the money did come from dredging, what flight path would that support?  The dredging came from pretty close to Tena Bar anyhow didn't it?  I'm fairly neutral on the money find, it is just really interesting how that one stack of bills has fueled so much speculation.

I believe the dredge theory has been proved false. This is based upon four things:

1) The dredge spoils were shown to have been placed and spread well south (upstream) from the money burial spot.

2) In order for the dredge theory to be accurate, three individual packets would have had to migrate several hundred feet to the burial spot during a June high water event and self-bury via wave action at the water's edge which would shatter the diatoms--shattered diatoms is inconsistent with Tom's findings.

3) The soonest June high water event was seven months after the skyjacking. By this time the rubber bands on the money would have lost their integrity based upon Tom's research.

4) Three individual packets migrating and self-burying together is mathematically close to impossible if not impossible.

Of note, numbers 2, 3 and 4 would also be applicable to any theory that requires the money to migrate from some point south of the burial spot. Therefore, the only plausible explanation for three packets being buried on Tena Bar is that DB Cooper himself buried the money.