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Shamalama's fall trip out west

Shamalama

By Shamalama
in Fossil Hunting Trips

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RJB Regular Member

RJB

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Holy Cow!  What a heck of a trip report.  Reminds me of the good ole days when I use to go hunt for 2 or 3 weeks.  Looks like you had a ton of fun and found lots of stuff.   So sorry for your 4 piece Mio.  Very hard to find a mio with both dorsal fins in the 'upright' position.   Wish I could have tagged along, but I cant handle that anymore.   Nice report fella.

 

RB

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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59 minutes ago, Raggedy Man said:

Fantastic trip report! I felt like I was there with you in that cave. Thanks for sharing!

 

Thank you for looking! :)

 

70.jpg

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Fossildude19 Regular Member

Fossildude19

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What an adventure! :wub: 

Some lovely things you acquired there, Dave!  (the bugs and that pine branch are amazing!)

Thanks for the stunning visuals, and in depth report. 

Love your virtual field trips! 

    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  

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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39 minutes ago, PFOOLEY said:

One heck of a report!!! Thank you for sharing with us.

 

Thanks John, I'll have to get down your way sometime too. :)

 

34 minutes ago, jpc said:

Nice report, shamalama.  Great insects.  Yes, the area area the Turritella Agate site has had an overpopulation of oil wells sprout up recently.  

You didn't go find trilobites outside Delta?  

 

 

Not this trip. Between the spur of the moment decision to see Great Basin NP and the Flat tire, I lost a day and a half of collecting. Those bugs will be there waiting for me on my next trip. :)

 

24.jpg

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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20 minutes ago, RJB said:

Holy Cow!  What a heck of a trip report.  Reminds me of the good ole days when I use to go hunt for 2 or 3 weeks.  Looks like you had a ton of fun and found lots of stuff.   So sorry for your 4 piece Mio.  Very hard to find a mio with both dorsal fins in the 'upright' position.   Wish I could have tagged along, but I cant handle that anymore.   Nice report fella.

 

RB

 

So far I've found three Mio's and all have required some work. The one that is still buried may turn out to be a good 'un but it will take some time to uncover. I'm still happy with the 4 piece fish though, I'll clean up the repairs and recut the edges and it will have a place of honor in my collection.

 

8 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

What an adventure! :wub: 

Some lovely things you acquired there, Dave!  (the bugs and that pine branch are amazing!)

Thanks for the stunning visuals, and in depth report. 

Love your virtual field trips! 

 

Always happy to share. :)

 

An old bridge that was built by the WPA in the 30's that is no longer in use.

 

 

22.JPG

23.JPG

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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snolly50 Regular Member

snolly50

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I very much enjoyed your account. Nice photos of your finds, but I especially enjoyed the landscape images. Thanks.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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Coco Regular Member

Coco

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Oh, marvelous fossil trip ! I love the old pine (alive / dead), the cave, and your experience !

 

Coco

----------------------
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...

Badges-IPFOTH.jpg.f4a8635cda47a3cc506743a8aabce700.jpg Badges-MOTM.jpg.461001e1a9db5dc29ca1c07a041a1a86.jpg

 

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belemniten Regular Member

belemniten

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You transported me to another world :D

Great report, nice pictures and awesome fossils !!
 

Many greetings from Germany ! Have a great time with many fossils :)

Regards Sebastian

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Ridgehiker Regular Member

Ridgehiker

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Great trip report!

Enjoy all the locales...been to some and not others.

My favourite of them is Great Basin in Nevada. I've camped and hiked in the area a few times.  Visited the cave...amazed by the black soot of the candles on the cave ceiling where they used to have dances.  However, hi-light was the Bristlecone Pines.  I planted  one the next spring in our Calgary garden.

 

The great thing about doing a tour is your return expedition. Once you have a feel for the more well known sites, you can wander off a bit and do some exploring.  Its a big, big area with endless possibilities.

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Malcolmt Regular Member

Malcolmt

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Wow!!!!!!!!... you my friend take the most amazing collecting trips......... visiting up here just can't compare to that...... hope to see you soon but it is starting to get a tad cold here.

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fifbrindacier Regular Member

fifbrindacier

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Nice report shalama, i particularly like your piece of red wood and the insects, thanks for sharing.

theme-celtique.png.bbc4d5765974b5daba0607d157eecfed.png.7c09081f292875c94595c562a862958c.png

"On ne voit bien que par le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

"We only well see with the heart, the essential is invisible for the eyes."

 

In memory of Doren

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Pagurus Regular Member

Pagurus

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I greatly enjoyed reading about your adventure, Dave. It's been more than 50 years since I've been out there collecting geodes and leaf fossils. I'd love to collect at Kemerer some day. It still might happen. Your photos are terrific and I can feel your sense of awe at the landscape out there. There's so much light pollution here in the East nowadays, I really miss seeing the stars the way I did as a kid. Seeing the universe like that helps keep us humble and grounded.  I'd be ecstatic, though, to find insects like yours (the fossils, not the flies on the ranch). I'm real glad you were able to get out there for a memorable trip. Thanks for sharing it.

 

Mike

 

Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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Ridgehiker Regular Member

Ridgehiker

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2 hours ago, Pagurus said:

I greatly enjoyed reading about your adventure, Dave. It's been more than 50 years since I've been out there collecting geodes and leaf fossils. I'd love to collect at Kemerer some day. It still might happen. Your photos are terrific and I can feel your sense of awe at the landscape out there. There's so much light pollution here in the East nowadays, I really miss seeing the stars the way I did as a kid. Seeing the universe like that helps keep us humble and grounded.  I'd be ecstatic, though, to find insects like yours (the fossils, not the flies on the ranch). I'm real glad you were able to get out there for a memorable trip. Thanks for sharing it.

 

Mike

 

 

We all get nostalgic and mine is for the golden age of rock and fossil collecting. About the early 1960's to 1980 or so. (Corresponds with good music). There were a lot less regulations...more unrestricted areas and yet decent vehicles, motels,and camping equipment to explore with.  I'd flip through Rock and Gem magazine and make notes. Go to the library for travel guides. Send off for road maps. The Internet is fantastic but doesn't have the mystique of that time.  Rockhounding was a huge past time and stopping at  Quartzite, AZ  was like a pilgrimage to Mecca.

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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10 hours ago, fifbrindacier said:

Nice report shalama, i particularly like your piece of red wood and the insects, thanks for sharing.

 

11 hours ago, Malcolmt said:

Wow!!!!!!!!... you my friend take the most amazing collecting trips......... visiting up here just can't compare to that...... hope to see you soon but it is starting to get a tad cold here.

 

15 hours ago, traveltip1 said:

Nice trip.

 

17 hours ago, belemniten said:

You transported me to another world :D

Great report, nice pictures and awesome fossils !!
 

 

18 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Oooo! Those bugs and leaves sre are nice! Thanks for taking us along Dave. Great report!

 

20 hours ago, nala said:

Stunning finds and pictures Dave!Wow!!!!!that's a dream trip!

 

20 hours ago, Coco said:

Oh, marvelous fossil trip ! I love the old pine (alive / dead), the cave, and your experience !

 

Coco

 

20 hours ago, HamptonsDoc said:

Very cool!  I need to learn how to dig for fossils and head out west!

 

22 hours ago, FossilDudeCO said:

WOW DAVE!

Amazing!

Thanks for bringing us all along!!

 

Thank you all for the positive comments. I don't post on here as much as I used to but I like to think that when I do, it's good quality. :)

 

 

Female Pronghorn eyeing me up at the Turritella site near Wamsutter.

4.jpg

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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On 10/24/2016 at 11:52 AM, snolly50 said:

I very much enjoyed your account. Nice photos of your finds, but I especially enjoyed the landscape images. Thanks.

 

Thanks @snolly50 Here is another one that you might like. Looking across a part of the Great Salt Lake.

 

41.JPG

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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21 hours ago, Canadawest said:

Great trip report!

Enjoy all the locales...been to some and not others.

My favourite of them is Great Basin in Nevada. I've camped and hiked in the area a few times.  Visited the cave...amazed by the black soot of the candles on the cave ceiling where they used to have dances.  However, hi-light was the Bristlecone Pines.  I planted  one the next spring in our Calgary garden.

 

The great thing about doing a tour is your return expedition. Once you have a feel for the more well known sites, you can wander off a bit and do some exploring.  Its a big, big area with endless possibilities.

 

Thanks @Canadawest I did snag a cone or two that had fallen from the pines as a memento. They are really gorgeous to behold either living or dead.

88.jpg

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Kane Regular Member

Kane

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Weighing in quite late, but what a fantastic trip! Just about every picture - be it fossil or awe-inspiring landscape - is like a top candidate for a great desktop background! In fact, you probably have enough excellent photos here to assemble together into one of those photo montage coffee table books! 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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16 hours ago, Pagurus said:

I greatly enjoyed reading about your adventure, Dave. It's been more than 50 years since I've been out there collecting geodes and leaf fossils. I'd love to collect at Kemerer some day. It still might happen. Your photos are terrific and I can feel your sense of awe at the landscape out there. There's so much light pollution here in the East nowadays, I really miss seeing the stars the way I did as a kid. Seeing the universe like that helps keep us humble and grounded.  I'd be ecstatic, though, to find insects like yours (the fossils, not the flies on the ranch). I'm real glad you were able to get out there for a memorable trip. Thanks for sharing it.

 

Mike

 

 

@Pagurus Plenty of time to get out there, Mike, and plenty of fossils to be found. Kemmerer and Douglass Pass are my favorite spots to hunt out there. I always come away with something new and different.

 

Here's another leaf I found that has some rock on it still. Not sure if it's all there either, may be missing part of the right side.

IMG_20160901_152317777.jpg

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Shamalama Regular Member

Shamalama

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6 hours ago, Kane said:

Weighing in quite late, but what a fantastic trip! Just about every picture - be it fossil or awe-inspiring landscape - is like a top candidate for a great desktop background! In fact, you probably have enough excellent photos here to assemble together into one of those photo montage coffee table books! 

 

Haha, Thanks @Kane I try to post only the best photos but I took perhaps 1000 pictures while I was on the trip. Many of them were composed into panoramas like this one of the Hogback road cut west of Denver on I-70.

 

Hogback Roadcut.jpg

-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 McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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