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Swimming with dino tracks in Glen Rose


PaleoPastels

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I had a pretty great birthday 11/09! Still young at 31! Cole woke me up the night before and said after work he is taking me out to Glen Rose Dino Valley State park in Glen Rose, TX and then going ammonite hunting for some decorations for Ruby’s vivarium. (Ruby is my pink morph western hognose snake)  Of course I couldn’t go back to sleep before work after that!

:Jumping:

 I know a lot of Texans probably went there during grade school and to some people dinosaurs are too “typical” but for someone who has lived in Indiana & Texas where it’s  mostly marine fossils (and in Iceland there were pretty much none!) this was something new and exotic to me, albeit trace fossils. I worked my night shift super daydreamy and stargazy knowing it was going to be a fun day later on, clocked out, and we immediately drove out there! About good 2 hours away where I live and I couldn’t sleep on the way out there. 
 

When we finally got there they tried to charge me a child/teen ticket! The park ranger lady thought I was Cole’s teenage daughter. :default_rofl: I immediately corrected the ranger and showed her my ID to prove I was 31 to charge me the correct amount (because thats the right thing to do!) and she gasped in shock, complimented my youth and my handmade ammonite earrings, gave me some free goodies along with a map.  :blush: 
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I haven’t eaten or slept in over a day and honestly it didn’t matter! I was so energetic and excited to be here I didn’t feel any fatigue at all! 

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^ If ya’ll don’t have the Rockd app- do so! So nifty especially when exploring a new place. 
 

We went to all the places on the map that had tracks, I waded in the water of course to see them up close! It was an incredible new intimacy with nature seeing them in person. You hear about them and think “yeah that sounds cool” but your eyes inches from them is whole other experience. The first one I spotted was an Acrocanthosaurus! I crawled immediately down the trail into the Paluxy river and splashed right into the water. After waiting a few minutes for the water to clear I was awarded with this: 

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I reached down and touched it extremely delicately and it sent a jolt of adrenaline through my body like electricity I can’t describe! I got goosebumps like CRAZY. Cole knew I was having one of my “connection with nature moments” and watched me from the dry trail since he is hydrophobic as heck and didn’t want to join in. I’m the total opposite and if there’s enough water at a site- I go wading or swimming even in Texas! I just went on without him in the water and he followed me using the trail. Luckily he had my fanny pack but my phone is waterproof and stayed with me so I could take pictures. 

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Roped off area: 

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I want to share some odd prints I found that I dont think were marked on the map between Wildcat Hallow and the track site by the camping area. I don’t know if the map just needs updated or they are meant to be a “surprise” for the curious explorers but either way I’m sure the rangers know about them and it was fun to see them. Sorry for the finger and shoe marks, I actually tripped in one because I didn't expect any and wasn’t paying attention. (I was spying for any scaley babies at the river bank! Lots of turtles out that day, unfortunately I didn't spot any snakes.) I tried not to directly touch the dry prints. ;) 
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Hoooooly spit. :b_love1:

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My favorite part is “the ballroom site” where there are HUNDREDS of tracks! Lots of sauropod and predators prints here, the metatarsal tracks of the Acro were ADORABLE. Its amazing how if you look at a set and follow them you can imagine the walking behavior of the animal where they started walking and picking up speed to a sprint. SO. CUTE. My favorite prints were the rear- leg footprints of Sauroposeidon! You can just tell that it stood in thick, firm limy mud the way it was preserved and you can just “feel” it was a hefty animal by the look of the prints. I yelled out loud in awe it was so neat! (There were also just too many tracks to photograph) There were some lines in-between the series of sauropod tracks I was curious if that was the tip-end of its tail that may have left them? 


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map of this track site: 

Blue is sauropod tracks; red is theropod tracks

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After this I went over to the deeper water by the swimming hole threw my boots & socks off and just dove right in with my clothes on. (We had pretty much that whole area of the park to ourselves and I brought extra pants & socks anyways!) It felt SO refreshing. I just relaxed enjoying the gorgeous weather ignoring Cole yelling at me (barely audible) worried about brain eating amoeba and wet car seat towels. (He shouldn’t be surprised being my best friend for 13 years now :BigSmile: ) Sorry but the water was just… calling me! I was swimming over 100+mya dinosaur tracks and I felt so comfortable in my element. It felt so “right” and I was in full serotonin overload. Exhilarating! 
 

The only other fossil I saw besides oysters and dino tracks: 

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Gift shop because I’m such a tourist in my own State. xD 

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I can’t resist a signed book about paleontology! I have yet to read it as of this post but I know it’s about the history of the park and it came with a “dinosaur ballroom dance” CD. We went to Brookshires and then rewarded Cole with the biggest bag of jerky I could find, caffine, paid for a full tank of gas, and said thank you a billion times. This place was worth the visit no matter your age! The nature and hiking trail options itself are enough to visit if you like outdoors. 
 

*I have pictures and a few vids on my IG paleopastels as well! 
 

After spending most of the entire daylight there so I could dry off we went to my favorite spot in the Goodland Form and plucked out a few fast things on the way back home! I love the Oxytropidoceras the most Cole found me (Yay! So proud!) and I was happy to add another Heteraster to my shelf. I left the Pliotoxasters alone since I have a handful of them from last time. I got a few nice pieces of snake rocks to take home as well. 
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Wet pants, dont care. 

 

What’s exciting is my zoic air pen from the UK + a few unique Dactylioceras fossils are coming in the mail soon! A little present to myself. :wub: 
 

What a great day! That day was the BEST present and best birthday to date! Hopefully this report helps others planning a visit to there! Thanks for reading! 

Edited by AmmoniteDelight
typos, more photos
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41 minutes ago, AmmoniteDelight said:

What a great day! That day was the BEST present and best birthday to date! Hopefully this report helps others planning a visit to there! Thanks for reading! 

Sounds like a great park and a fun day. I just wish you could be a little more enthusiastic. :P:default_rofl:

 

I'm sure you've made all of our members at the higher latitudes a bit envious while their sites are under a blanket of snow or the outside temps are too chilly to contemplate jumping into bodies of water. Thanks for taking us along on your birthday. Your card is in the mail. ;)

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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Nice report! Thanks for taking us along. 

 

Happy Birthday!

:yay-smiley-1:

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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)

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Happy birthday!  Looks like an interesting place!

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Fin Lover

 

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My favorite things about fossil hunting: getting out of my own head, getting into nature and, if I’m lucky, finding some cool souvenirs.

 

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14 hours ago, digit said:

Sounds like a great park and a fun day. I just wish you could be a little more enthusiastic. :P:default_rofl:

 

I'm sure you've made all of our members at the higher latitudes a bit envious while their sites are under a blanket of snow or the outside temps are too chilly to contemplate jumping into bodies of water. Thanks for taking us along on your birthday. Your card is in the mail. ;)


Awe thank you, I keep birthday cards since I get so few! :) 
 

I may not be a student quite yet but I have all the heart, spirit, and determination to learn all I can on the way! 


Chilly weather shouldn’t stop anyone! Ice cold water was a form of healing therapy for me! 

 

12 hours ago, Nimravis said:

Great write up and love all of the pics. Now being a snake lover too, I need to see a pic of Ruby.

 

I’ll DM you one (or post one later if people are okay with it) since Im considerate and respect some people are afraid of snakes even with a spoiler but she’s such a cutie! Right now she is still in her nursery enclosure about to be transferred to her grow-up permanent tank and I want to give her a week alone so she isn’t stressed out. She is going to LOVE her new burrowing substrate and hides which took me weeks to make sure are mite free. I even purchased genuine rough rubies to decorate her vivarium as well! 

Edited by AmmoniteDelight
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Great write up! Your enthusiasm is dangerously contagious.  I always love the description of trackways I heard at a NYPS meeting/lecture many moons ago: dino bones are dead things, but trackways preserve LIFE. They are records of behavior and in many ways way more interesting. 
 

PS I hope you realize Central Texas has hundreds of trackway sites. There is a good paper from Baylor about them. But the park is pretty special. 

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22 hours ago, erose said:

Great write up! Your enthusiasm is dangerously contagious.  I always love the description of trackways I heard at a NYPS meeting/lecture many moons ago: dino bones are dead things, but trackways preserve LIFE. They are records of behavior and in many ways way more interesting. 
 

PS I hope you realize Central Texas has hundreds of trackway sites. There is a good paper from Baylor about them. But the park is pretty special. 


Aww thank you, my goodness. :blush: I’m told I have a pretty big heart and deep respect for the planet. Flattered to know others can see that about me through story + some photos. Im so unbelievably happy to have restored that part of myself I once lost, the last decade has been hard on me. Ive only been true to myself as of this year again! I hope people in person can see that I wear that revived trait as a badge. I truly wish I just had other people there to experience it with! More company to geek out with would have been a blast. 
 

Beautiful analogy- I will seriously write that one down on my bookmark. Poetry. -_- Tracks ready do tell an amazing story! One of the best stories ever told IMO
 

Oh yes of course! Ever since I moved to Texas Ive always heard of all the tracks reported in the lower Cretaceous all around the Llano uplift! Unfortunately I haven’t spotted any yet for myself, lots of private property around there. Im thankful for the State Park being such an easily accessible site with all the fun cliff walls, river, and hiking trails as a bonus!  Indeed it’s very special place.

*** Just want to thank you guys again for the Bday wishes! I read all of them and appreciate the kind thoughts.  :b_love1:

 

Edited by AmmoniteDelight
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Looks like a great way to spend a birthday!

Thanks for posting. Great report, and photos.

Happy Belated Birthday!  :)

 Rock on, girl.

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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