Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 My wife and I had a Belize trip scheduled last week to celebrate our 9th anniversary, but canceled it last minute to avoid Covid related travel inconvenience. Taking travel logistics back into our own hands, we threw together an impromptu driving itinerary to some wonderful parts of northern New Mexico, courtesy of our tenured friend, Pee Fooley. While Pee couldn’t join us, my wife’s Jeep faithfully delivered us to panoramic environs many miles off pavement. The air was crisp, skies clear, and the ground was dry. Biting winds kept us bundled up. I figured cell service might be spotty, so we clipped old school walkie talkies to ourselves, because married people still walk at their own pace, ha! The first cuesta we visited seemed promising, so off we went across the desert floor to the foot of the bluff composed of Carlile Shale (equivalent of Eagle Ford Grp of Texas) capped by Semilla sandstone. 1 4 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 While I instinctively billy goated up the bluff, my wife, Brett, was content to canvass the talus of the slope and weathering mounds that punctuated the desert floor. While fossil finds would be a nice addition to the adventure, I calibrated my mindset to easy-to-please setting, and paused to imbibe the intoxicating pastoral views from on high, snapping a few pics from hard won ethereal altitude. 5 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 Through the center of this cactus, my wife can be seen inventorying fossils on the desert floor, her take including the impression of a small Spathites puercoensis ammonite and a lamniform shark tooth in matrix. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 Turning my attention the other direction, little did I know that my first find was moments away. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 A small rockfall from the Semilla revealed the distinctive ventral ornamentation of a Prionocyclus hyatti ammonite, followed by the impression of a small Prionocyclus or Collignoniceras. 3 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 A couple hours of this brought us back to the Jeep for a field lunch. Always a man of leisure, I sought a backrest, and found one in the form of a dug out animal den on the desert floor. Of course I kicked extra dirt in the hole to avoid any “surprises”. 2 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 Buoyed by warm-up success at our first site, we moved on to the main event, a steep sided mesa in the Carlile-Semilla sequence that Pee felt might hold promise...and it forfeited a sampling of its riches quite nicely. Again I made vertical haste while my wife perhaps more wisely scoured the talus. From my lofty parapet I could see the Jeep below (top of frame) and my wife scanning the ground (center right). Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 Then my radio crackled something about “Ammonites everywhere...get down here!” I love it when she says that...music to my ears! It turns out that she had found her first Spathites, and was one up on me genus-wise in my collecting career. But I evened the score minutes later with one of my own. 2 12 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 More bits and pieces entered and left our hands. As we were preparing our exodus, I once again spied order amongst the disorder of the talus. I asked my wife to video me scratching out a Prionocyclus hyatti from the scree, but she declined in favor of using her time collecting...love how that girl thinks! 10 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 Then I heard a high pitched squeal through the wind...Brett had just made the find of the day, a rare and well preserved Romaniceras mexicanum ammonite, also from the Semilla. Good thing she didn’t quit early to film me. 1 10 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 We also picked up some interesting Turritella gastropod slabs, which got even more interesting back home. Here is one Brett found, in both natural and black light. 2 5 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 I found a couple cool ones too. 1 3 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 Goofing with the black light, I spotted something pointy glowing back at me...a Squalicorax tooth that hid amongst the snails until we got home. 1 3 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 We concluded our trip Friday night by meeting Mike and his lovely wife and daughter for dinner in Santa Fe, a perfect capstone for our trip. Our friendship cemented like grains of oolite, I hope to host Mike and his family for some reciprocal collecting in Texas someday soon. 2 6 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjfriend Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Great report. And nice ammonites. I really have to do a NM trip when I visit AZ during the right time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Rock Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 I will echo the remarks already spoken! Being somewhat familiar with popular dining establishments in Santa Fe, I am going to offer my GUESS that you had your dinner at the Plaza Cafe on the square??? I LOVE their food AND all that DELICIOUS PIE!! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 8 minutes ago, Castle Rock said: I will echo the remarks already spoken! Being somewhat familiar with popular dining establishments in Santa Fe, I am going to offer my GUESS that you had your dinner at the Plaza Cafe on the square??? I LOVE their food AND all that DELICIOUS PIE!! Dave Yes, we met at the Plaza Cafe. But apparently the place changed ownership and menu a year or 2 ago, and some of Mike's favorites were no longer offered. It was more about the meet up than anything. However, lunch a little off the square was superb at Casa Chimayo...I highly recommend it. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgbudge Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 San Juan Basin? I thought I saw Sandia Crest and the Sierra Nacimiento in a photo or two. Very nice specimens. My Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Great report, great finds, and great photos, Dan. Your anniversary was better than mine. I was in New Mexico back in September, but wasn't able to make it to the Puerco Wilderness. Your photos and finds reminded me of the two wonderful times I spent there with Mike (PFooley). I especially love the Romaniceras and the turritella matrix. Congrats on both your trip and anniversary. Hope you do get to Belize sometime soon. Was there about 30 years ago. Wonderful wildlife and snorkeling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Hey Dan! Nice to see that you and Brett are still keeping your hand in. 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Wow ! Already 9 years ! Very good account of a trip surely exotic ! Coco 1 ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family Fun Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Great report. While one trip was halted, you and your wife quickly made a remarkable switch of gears what looked to be a fabulous trip with wonderful finds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Great report, Dan. And congrats on 9 years! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Well it wasn’t a trip to Belize, but still looks like a nice way to spend an anniversary! Congrats on the finds and 9 years of marriage! 1 The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 (edited) Happy anniversary to you both. Your wife looks lovely, you spent sometime with a lovely family and you found some lovely ammonites. This anniversary been nicely marked I would say. all the best Bobby Edited January 19, 2022 by Bobby Rico 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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