sue in ohio Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 (edited) 2 weeks ago I was able to make it up to NY again for some fossiling & camping. I found a cute campground just outside of Ithaca and headed up there after work Fri. Sat. morning I headed to Portland Point and discovered that this spot is at an active mine owned by Cargill Salt mine..I didn’t know this. I almost did a U turn and left but decided since I was there, I’d stop and ask the security guards who I could talk to for permission to go to the pit across the roadway. They were so nice, they told me I could dig in the exposure and they also explained the whole mining operation going on there which was really interesting to listen to and then the one guard walked me down the road to where there is an eagle's nest atop of one of their poles overlooking the Lake..I got to see Momma eagle and her two babies, they were some distance away but with his binoculars I could see the babies everytime they poked their head above the nest, it was so awesome!!! After I got done digging there, I spent the rest of the day hiking at several State Parks to enjoy the gorges and see the waterfalls, then hit some other good wateralls between Watkins Glen and Ithaca on the way back through. Sun. I had planned to go to Watkins Glen and hike more of the park but when I came to the intersection where I had to turn left or right, left for Watkins Glen and home or right, into the unknown..that little adventurer in me took over and I headed right. Before the day was done, I visited the last of the 3 Finger Lakes I had not seen yet.. Owasco, Skaneateles & Otisco so now I have fulfilled a dream I had of visiting every single Finger Lake plus a few others that aren't offically considered apart of them, I fossiled at 3 of the sites that are on Prof. Wilson's Bing site..Cascade Rd. cut, Tully & the Sheds sites plus a whole lot of road cuts I stopped off at along the way and did a visual on 2 borrow pits I encountered along the way..one was in Onondaga Co. and the other in Cayuga Co, I believe. Homeowners near by gave the info on who to contact to seek permission to see if I can collect there in the future. I was exploring between Rts. 34/90 along Cayuga Lake from Ithaca to Cayuga, all along Rt. 20E Auburn, Skaneateles, LaFayette, down Rts. 11/81/13 to Tully, East Homer, Cortland, then the zigzagging began up and down each Lake and through the backcountry so I covered alot of ground in just one day, lol..it was awesome!!! I so love New York!! My next trip to that area I’m going to stay in either Cortland, Onondaga or Madison Co’s. and hit more of Bing sites I didn’t get to see this time around plus go back to the ones I liked the best from this trip and hopefully be able to explore those borrow pits. Here’s some of the finds from my outing… Cephalopods.. Gastropods.. pyritized gastropod with I believe a calayx top.. Rugose coral.. Trilobites.. unknown.. Eagles.. waterfalls.. Edited July 30, 2011 by sue in pa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glacialerratic Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Sounds like an excellent trip! Those cephs are super nice, and your waterfall shots are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Your "unknown" is a phacopid eye. Well, t least a trilobite eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 The spirit of adventure is strong in this one... Great report, Sue; I needed a good adventure "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Wow! Great trip, wouldn't mind going there myself... ! Thanks for posting, Best wishes, Thomas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy784 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Very nice Sue. Glad to see you're getting out so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palaeopix Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Wow, Sue what an awesome trip report! The waterfalls photos are spectacular! Looks like you had a fun weekend. I agree with Carl on the unknown ID, that is certainly a trilobite eye. Nice finds! Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taxman56 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 great finds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost1066 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Very nice shots and finds to go with them. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue in ohio Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Awwwww..thanks everyone, that's a trilobite eye huh?? too cool!! It's so beautifully detailed, the pic doesn't do it justice. I'd like to find the body that that came from cause it's 1/4" across by 1/8" in height..that would be one bad boy of a trilo find again. When life feels like it's beating me down, I escape to the mystical beauty of the gorges and Falls to recharge. Some go to a day spa to get pampered..I go to the Parks and pamper my mind with the natural beauty around me as I hike..they are my Calgone, take me away moments and the added bonus of my love..my passion for fossiling, there isn't better therapy out there that compares to what beating on rocks for hours on end with a hammer and chisels does for a wounded soul...it's rejuvenating. If it wasn't for my awesome children pushing me to get back out there doing what I love and taking care of their Gram while I get away..these trips wouldn't have been possible, I owe my recent fossil outings and finds to the loves of my life..my kiddos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Sue, great fossils and what a wonderful trip! You are lucky to have the time to spend exploring the region up there. Some of those Cephalopods may actually be Tentaculites. If they are around an inch in length and about 2/16 of an inch wide then they are probably Tentaculites which are thought to be worm tubes. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Great report Sue! Those are some beautiful waterfall pictures you got there. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." Upton Sinclair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) Sue, what beautiful places and fossils you use to find. Thanks for posting those pics here Nando Edited July 31, 2011 by Nandomas Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Sue, What they all said! Fantastic report and pics! Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue in ohio Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Sue, great fossils and what a wonderful trip! You are lucky to have the time to spend exploring the region up there. Some of those Cephalopods may actually be Tentaculites. If they are around an inch in length and about 2/16 of an inch wide then they are probably Tentaculites which are thought to be worm tubes. Thank you Dave, the 2 Spyroceras, I believe that may be what they are..the longest of the two is 3 1/2" and they are a 1/4" wide and the Michelinoceras is 3 1/4" long and 1" wide. The other 2 in the pics are smaller, the last pic, it measures 1 1/4" long and 3/16" wide, hmmmmmm, I do believe I have a Tentaculite also but it sure doesn't resemble a worm tube though, it's shaped and looks exactly like the Spyroceras. I'll have to look at the chunks of rock I brought home more closely to see if more Tentaculites may be present. I have one large chunk I brought home that has several cephalopods, gastropods, numerous varities of brachiopods, crinoids...all kinds of goodies that are all visible and who knows what else may be encased in it. I have yet to attempt using my air scribe & pen or dremel on my fossils, I fear destroying them in the process of learning how to use these tools to extract and expose more of my beauties. I've practiced on waste rock but I have a long way to go and I need to get a gentler air scribe for working in closer proximity to the fossils themselves..my CP-9361 scribe busts up the matrix easily from the edges in but I have to stay far away from the fossil with it and my CP-710 engraving pen gets me in closer to the fossil but it's still has too much vibration, haven't played around with the dremel tool yet. I've been looking at building a blaster box, adding an Aro-8315B for the work after using my CP-9361 and then for the more delicate work..getting the Microjack #4 & #2...for you experienced preppers out there, would this be a good lineup of tools in my prepping arsenal. Mich. Tim, Carl, Auspex, Thomas, Dan, Taxman, Tommy, Bob, Nando and my favorite PA buddies John and Dave again and Tim, even from CT you've kept a constant presence making sure the kids and I were doing ok..Thank you, Thank you all for your sweet replies and your continuous support and friendship, especially through this past year while the kids and I faced and overcame such overwhelming odds...your friendship means more than you'll ever know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trilobiteruss Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 NIce trip. Want to get back to NY, we did a trip 2 plus years ago from Buffalo across the finger lakes up to Lake Champlain. Lots of neat collecting times and my group and I talk about it again....thanks for sharing your adventure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astron Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 NIce trip. Want to get back to NY, we did a trip 2 plus years ago from Buffalo across the finger lakes up to Lake Champlain. Lots of neat collecting times and my group and I talk about it again....thanks for sharing your adventure! Hi Sue! Your report, pics and finds are charming! I am glad for all this Congratulations The magic of those trips allow us to jump into another world... If you convince these bugs to get completely out, it would be nice to show them... Thanks a lot for sharing your nice adventure. Astrinos P. Damianakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMNH Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Great pictures! Love the trilobite eye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue in ohio Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Hi Sue! Your report, pics and finds are charming! I am glad for all this Congratulations The magic of those trips allow us to jump into another world... If you convince these bugs to get completely out, it would be nice to show them... Thanks a lot for sharing your nice adventure. Thank you Aston, I'll do my best to convince them to come out, lol.., I'm anxious to see if they are complete under the remaining rock hiding them. I also have a chunk of rock from a spot not far from me that has a complete cephalopod encased in it, you can see the coiled end bulging out and when you flip it over, there's the straighten end protruding out..totally undamaged from end to end. As soon as I have the money saved up, I'm ordering the Microjack so I can get busy prepping all these fossils that I found so far this summer and what a fabulous collecting time it has been!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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