Search the Community

For the last few years a friend and I have traveled from south Florida to the panhandle to hunt the miocene layers exposed by the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers. After our exhausting trip last year (exhausting because of the 4 mile kayak paddle against the current) we had toyed with not going again. But you know, a year later the paddling prospect didn't seem so daunting, , so we packed up and headed out. This time we headed to the Chipola river first. We headed downstream to the confluence of 10 mile creek and the river. It was a lazy paddle, with the current this time. We had heard the bank opposite the confluence held fossils, but if it did, they were elusive to us. We walked up the 10 mile creek a little distance, checking out the bank, but again...nothing. The water was moving fast, so it was too tiring for me to drag my kayak back behind me...I did turn 72 this year. What in God's name am I doing here? So back to the river to drift slowly while checking the banks. My friend was on the opposite side of the river, as I spied some algae blackened shells...pulling up closer I saw a layer in the bank filled with shell pieces. I motioned to my friend, and we both decided it was not a day for us to get skunked. We had come across a bed of Nodipectens, and started digging in the graveley red sand. Soon we each had a couple of vasums, several nodipectens, and I kept breaking through layers of amusiums. If you have ever found these, they are like thin layers of glass, that tempt you with shard like pieces. I have wanted one from there, but they are so difficult to get. My friend was able to save one about 2 inches across...I found a double valve only about 1 & 1/2 " , but also saw part of an edge sticking horizontally, tantilizingly out of the red mud. I decided to spend my time, washing, gently wiping away till it was exposed. A nice 4 incher, but all cracked in pieces. It was complete, but broken. I decided to photograph it, take the pieces out one by one, carefully wrapping each and then trying to reconstruct it at home. You'll see it below. I was a great day, with both of us filling our collecting boxes, taking many pieces home to clean. After the night camping at Torreya State park, we headed out to the Apalachicola the next morning. That river is the long haul. But we got to our exposed bench south of Alum bluff, and were amazed at how the collecting area changes from year to year. This time the water level was a good 2 feet higher than last year when we collected, so much of the bank was underwater. I was feeling a bit of heat ( I had heat stroke a couple years ago) so I carefully sat in the shade and picked at the ground around me. This place is an Orthaulax gabbi dream...they are all over, Having picked up several last year, I only pulled two perfect ones this year...my find of the shelf was a Spondyllus chipolanus...it is gorgeous. And my friend found a complete Melongena sculpturata, 9" long which he carefully dug out of the bank. Great time. , Oh, and while they aren't fossils, we also set up a light to see moths. Just for fun, I've included images of a couple we found. It was our last time, but a great trip overall. Never again will I have to face the gauntlet of the Apalachicola. Next time it will be the Suwannee.

I went to my local Lowes Yesterday for bags of shell to resurface my garden paths sa part of my cleanup after hurricane Irma. Dumping them out made me laugh, there in front of me were a couple of nicer fossils than I had in my collection, which had come by much searching. Guess from now on, I'll start with the plastic bagged shell at Lowes. Lol