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Met Mark renz today!


Peace river rat

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I live in arcadia fl. I have been noticing a good size group digging south of HWY 70 bridge on the peace river. I went and talked to em several days about finds.

 

Today I talked to a nice fella, conversation turned to a book I own "fossiling in Fl. A guide for diggers and divers" He asked me how I liked it? I said it was a good book!

 

He goes in his truck and produces a book, he shows me a picture and asks if it looks familiar? I sais that is you!

Yep, Mark Renz in the flesh! A small world!

He gave me 2 books of his, Giants in the storm and Desert sharks. His wife Marissa is a true artist! She painted the cover of Giants in the storm and did 99% of the illustrations in the same book!

 

I have talked to him several times and had no idea! He is a very generous, and humble man!

I feel honored to have met him!

 

If you need a guide on the peace, I highly recommend Mr. Renz!

 

 

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Fossiling in Florida was the first book I read on the subject, it taught me a good bit too:)

Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there!

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2 hours ago, jcbshark said:

Fossiling in Florida was the first book I read on the subject, it taught me a good bit too:)

It was the second book I read, taught me a lot as well. I am reading Giants in the storm now, it is a very good read! Might have to drag some of my unknowns to the river today and see if he is there!

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Yup. Met Mark some 10 years ago now and he was the one who opened the door to the Peace River for me. He's a heckuva great guy to chew the fat with for a while. I did two of the Mosaic mine quarry digs a number of years back. Never found much other than broken megs (fraglodons) but went just to spend some time talking with Mark. I meet-up with him now and again when I'm out hunting and it is always nice to catch-up with him. Since learning from him I've built and optimized my river gear and now I'm a lot more efficient than most of his first time fossil hunters. I'd pay to go back and dig with him but we'd likely work harder and find more than most of Mark's clientele and that might cause his customers to feel they didn't get the best experience (when in fact they are really just learning the ropes) so we instead just bump into him now and then.

 

He's got great stories and is one of the most easy going and cheerful guys you'll ever meet. He enjoys nature photography as much as he does fossils and that is another interest we share.

 

Glad you got to meet him.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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3 hours ago, digit said:

Yup. Met Mark some 10 years ago now and he was the one who opened the door to the Peace River for me. He's a heckuva great guy to chew the fat with for a while. I did two of the Mosaic mine quarry digs a number of years back. Never found much other than broken megs (fraglodons) but went just to spend some time talking with Mark. I meet-up with him now and again when I'm out hunting and it is always nice to catch-up with him. Since learning from him I've built and optimized my river gear and now I'm a lot more efficient than most of his first time fossil hunters. I'd pay to go back and dig with him but we'd likely work harder and find more than most of Mark's clientele and that might cause his customers to feel they didn't get the best experience (when in fact they are really just learning the ropes) so we instead just bump into him now and then.

 

He's got great stories and is one of the most easy going and cheerful guys you'll ever meet. He enjoys nature photography as much as he does fossils and that is another interest we share.

 

Glad you got to meet him.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

He was there again today, I took a few of my unknowns for his opinion, he was very informative. I talked to him 3 times but was brief, he has customers and I respect his time.

Found a complete tooth I would of guessed was camel or lama.

 

He was generous enough to identify it for me as bison premolar.

 

It would be hard to meet a nicer man!

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I thanked him for his expert analysis, he told me he was not an expert. I thought to myself, he has wrote at least 3 books that have taught me a lot, if he is not an expert, he will sure do till a real one comes along!

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13 minutes ago, Boneheadz said:

I need to head down to Florida and meet up with him again, its been years

Come on down, the peace is waiting for you!

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9 hours ago, Boneheadz said:

Hows the water been this year? Low?

 

Where I am digging, it is rarely above my knees, been digging almost every day since November!

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8 hours ago, Boneheadz said:

Any suggested areas? I usually just go near the bridge in Wachula.

I do well in Arcadia south of SR 70 bridge. Found a complete bison premolar. Next day, a complete (deer ?) incisor.

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The first couple of times I went out on the Peace was with Mark. He is a great guy and has a wealth of knowledge on the subject. I can't say enough good things about him. I just got his Desert Sharks book and am eager to read to it. 

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 I met him once at a fossil show in Florida years ago... bought a cast of the claw from his Arcadia creek Eremotherium find, as a display aid to go with my partial Eremotherium claw from the old Caloosa Shell pit. A really cool guy!

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5 minutes ago, DinoMike said:

 I met him once at a fossil show in Florida years ago... bought a cast of the claw from his Arcadia creek Eremotherium find, as a display aid to go with my partial Eremotherium claw from the old Caloosa Shell pit. A really cool guy!

I agree, he is also a very good author who you puts in the drivers seat of his adventures and makes for great reading. He never bores you with technical jargon.

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