Wolffish & Old Bev Go Hunting

Wolffish PMed (private messaged) me that he was going to be out this way with a free afternoon and wanted to hunt the Ordovician. WONDERFUL! I love to meet new people and go fossil hunting!

When he got here, I gave him a short tour of the fossils we may find. Ah, he’s hunted extensively in Pennsylvania and knew what to look for already. 🙂 And he gave me this wonderful selection of Calvert Cliffs (Maryland) shark teeth!

Calvert Cliffs Shark Teeth

It was an overcast day with highs in the 70s, perfect for fossil hunting. I gave him a laminated copy of my BluffCountryFossils ID sheet with a map on the back, so that if we got separated he could find his way back out and then we headed for Masonic Park.

I like Masonic Park because it is (normally) easy fossil hunting and has it all – a towering cliff, a large creek running through it, a small cave to explore, a quarry to split rock in if desired, rocky shoreline to hunt fossils, and two dry washes on either side of the road toward the top where I have never failed to find fossils. The plan was a nice easy start to the afternoon – it didn’t quite turn out that way…

Note what I was thinking in this post: http://www.bluffcountryfossils.net/blog/masonic-park-hunt-late-april-2014/

We hit the beach by the pavilion (large bat house) and Joe found a nice cephalopod. He’s not a rock splitter, but loves to fish, so I figured a stroll along the bank below the bridge would be good as I found a lot of fossils there this spring – before the weeds were up. You can guess where this is going… LOL 🙂

Wolffish examining rocks in the woods where there was significant wash from the creek flooding.

The recent flooding had left the banks cut very high and we were wading through waist deep plus swamp nettles. We got in about an eighth to a quarter mile before we hit any significant rock.

Shaded, but a fair amount of bugs. I had lathered myself with Watkins White Vanilla and was bug free, but Joe had forgotten his insect repellant.

Upstream

It was beautiful and quiet beside Deer Creek with only the sound of the water tumbling over rocks and bird song. Joe was regaling me with his adventures fossil hunting on the Peace River in Florida, Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, treks to South Africa (where you can’t bring fossils back with you) and multiple trips out west to Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming where he had even been to a “buffalo jump” – the ancient Native Americans would run buffalo off a cliff – where he had seen an arrowhead still embedded in a long weathered buffalo skull. Joe is the national marketing rep for a major outdoor company and they pay him to travel the world doing what he loves to do!

Note shelf rock on right side.

We got down to the end of a long beach where we had been picking up water worn hash plates, gastropods, etc. and I saw the creek that would lead us back up to the road. I also noted a lot of shelf rock beside the bank that I would love to explore on another trip back.

There was no easy way across to the creek, so we rested on a downed log and then headed back to what I thought would be an easier way out. On the way, I found a perfect hash plate stepping stone for my walkway, about 16”x16”, and decided to carry that out. Joe had my backpack and I was just stuffing fossils into my fly fishing vest.

Stepping Stone hash I dragged back with me.

We got around to my “easier” way and it wasn’t, with  7′ tall weeds that had now taken over. My feet were already soaked, so I just decided to walk up the stream. I don’t think Joe was happy with his leather boots and all.

We reached a dead fall in the stream too large and tangled to get over. Up on the bank in the burning nettle and burdock to get around it. Climbed over a few more logs and spotted a game trail that led us to the other creek. Well, heck, we were wet already and the creek looked far more passable than the shore, so straight up the creek I went. Joe wasn’t grumbling, but I don’t think he was happy. I did do a lot of apologizing!

We made it over some laid down barbed wire and hit more fossils right off – Joe picked up a real nice hormatoma. Then I showed him why I brought him up this way, the natural spring gurgling out at the base of the bluff surrounded by Jewel Weed soon to be in bloom – FYI Jewel Weed is a natural antidote to the stings of both swamp nettle and burning nettle.

Wolffish by the spring.

I was tired of carrying that rock that had somehow gotten heavier than when I picked it up and decided to climb out onto the road and sit it by the edge to pick up later. I pointed Joe up the dry wash for sure finds.

Once I got to the road, I decided to walk back and get my truck, so that I could pick Joe up and whatever finds he had and mine too. Drove up, parked, and realized I had forgotten to pick up my rock. So back down the road I walk to lug it back to the truck. On the way I was seeing fossilized rock on and beside the road – not normal. By the time I got to my rock I realized that someone had worked this ditch before us and had thrown fossilized rock up onto the road and made piles beside it. Well they must have gotten so many fossils they decided not to pick up the rest! So, I did. 🙂

About that time Joe climbed out of the ditch and wanted to go back to his vehicle and try another spot. He had commented several times on how there was just no one around – not like that back East apparently! But when we got back to his vehicle there were a couple of gals in bikinis, boyfriends in tow, down by the bridge getting ready to take a dip. 🙂

Off to the cut above the Village of Fillmore on #8. Lots of grasshoppers and we got to see a group of juvenile turkeys feasting on them. Broad daylight and a young raccoon crossed the road. And Joe made the find of the day!

Find of the day!

Piranha “the man” for everything trilobites! “What you have is the hypostome of an Isotelus that has merged and fossilized with the pygidium of the Galena trilobite:  Failleana rowleyi

Congrats on a very unusual association of trilobites!”

Full entry here: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/48624-stumped/

Joe had checked his phone and said he needed to get back to his motel room to do another 3 hours of work, so he took what he had decided he could carry on the airplane back to Maryland, and I directed him to Hwy. 52 just a few miles east of our location and a straight shot back to Rochester where he was staying – or was he just wet and tired and wanted to get away from me and being just ever so polite?  🙁   Note to self: Think about how weeds grow from early spring to the height of summer next time!

I decided to go home too, but stopped at Andy’s in Fillmore to see if he had anymore walking sticks – yup! Got a diamond willow and another for $10 and he showed me even more of his Native American artifacts and fossil finds!

“The Haul”

Hash Plate 1

Hash Plate 2

Hash plate 3

Hash Plate 4

Hash Plate 5

Hash Plate 6

Crinoid Holdfast from the #8 site.

Gastropod

Fisherite

Assorted fossils

Either a crushed Isotelus or broken brachs???

Unknown but very cool!

 All in all, a good day fossil hunting!

Joe’s comment on the TFF post about this hunt:

“Let me begin by saying the as clearly as possible: I can’t imagine a better guide/ hostess than Bev. Through her PM’s before the trip, I could have had a successful hunt if I had gone solo. But the best part of fossiling( for me) is meeting folks with similar interests. Bev is a passionate fossil hunter and has her home set up to share her passion with youth groups and anyone else Interested in fossils – like me! She is a great guide and host, and I can’t thank her enough.

I wasn’t really that bummed about the trek through the nettles and mud – I’m just old, fat, and I get tired easily. Also, I’m not used to being bent in half all the time. An earlier back surgery makes that part difficult. Still, I love seeing new places and this one was great ( even though I was checking out the creek to look for fish, too)

I am a total amateur in the Ordivician world,despite a ventures to PA. So I definitely had a learning curve when looking for and potting these fossils.

And, yes, I committed the cardinal sin on the way to the 2nd spot – I checked my emails. That cut the day from a 5 hour hunt to a 3 hour hunt.

And while I may have found the unusual trilo fossil – I have no idea how the trilo folks are able to id what they can! Amazing.

Bottom line – great adventure with Bev!! I strongly recommend to anyone in the area or, like me, there for work or a visit, to contact re.

Bev – thanks again. Talking with you was the highlite if the trip – meeting fellow FF’ers always is!

Joe”

Joe PMed me with this:

“Seriously?  There was no problem at all with that hunt.  I never expect to step out of my car and stumble upon fossils (although, the gastropod WAS right by the car, and the trilos were only a few steps away.)