BOZEMAN - A Halloween prank that began last year returned when two Sinclair dinosaurs were taken from Bozeman gas stations and brought to the top of the M trail.
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The day after Halloween, I woke up to posts of a stolen Sinclair dinosaur blowing up my Reddit feed.
It gave me some serious flashbacks to last Halloween, when a Sinclair dinosaur made the trek up the M. This year, I was determined to see the dinosaurs for myself.
I geared up, hopped in my car and drove over to the M trail, where I ran into some familiar faces.
“This happened last year. It’s kind of a fun prank,” said Dave Huntley.
Huntley and I go way back, all the way to last year, when his Sinclair dinosaur was stolen for the first time.
Huntley owns the Sinclair off Bridger Drive, which has now become the center of a Halloween tradition.
“Was that a shock when it happened last year?” I asked.
“Completely. I just woke up, and some of my friends had hiked the M, so I started getting texts at like 5:30 in the morning,” Huntley said.
So when Huntley woke up Sunday to news that the Sinclair dinosaur thieves had struck again, I asked whether he expected a repeat.
“No, I did not,” Huntley said.
This year, however, Huntley’s wasn’t the only disappearing dinosaur.
“The one on Seventh, they took their dinosaur also,” Huntley said.
And what was the scene like with two dinosaurs at the top?
“They got married,” Huntley said.
Huntley was ready to go save his beautiful bride, but this year’s rescue crew looked a little different. Instead of a group of strong college kids, there was Huntley, his buddy and one key piece of equipment: a wheelbarrow.
“We’re bringing a wheelbarrow and some ratchet straps,” Huntley said. “And we’re going to try to ratchet strap either the middle or the back of it so we don’t have to carry it the whole way.”
The dinosaur weighs about 250 to 300 pounds, according to Huntley.
Huntley and his trusty wheelbarrow headed up the M trail while I raced them to the top to check out the dinosaurs before they were rescued.
When I arrived, it was quite the sight: two dinosaurs enjoying a foggy but beautiful wedding.
I also noticed a clue left behind by the dinosaur thieves: a sign that read, “Brought to you by class of ’27.”
Not long after, Huntley and his wheelbarrow reached the top and got to work.
Once his dinosaur was strapped down, she said goodbye to her groom and began the journey back down the trail.
Huntley and the dinosaur eventually made it to the trailer, where she was loaded up and finally rescued.
But the dinosaur hasn’t returned home quite yet.
Huntley said he needs to get some new locks before putting the dinosaur back on display.
His final message to the dinosaur thieves?
“They need to bring it back if they take it,” Huntley said. “And we’re probably going to jail it next year somehow.”
As for the other dinosaur, I headed to the Sinclair off Seventh Avenue, where it has yet to come home.
An employee at the station said they are still working on their rescue plan.
