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So in late June early July my wife, 2 boys (8 & 2.5), my father in-law and mother-in-law and I are going to take a 2 week road trip around the US.  We'll be leaving Maryland and heading down to Memphis, Tennessee followed by Nashville then on to Texas and ending up in Albuquerque, New Mexico at my brother-in-law's for a few days, then off to the Grand Canyon, up to Dinosaur National monument, over to Hot Springs, South Dakota to the Mammoth site, Mt Rushmore, and Crazy Horse Monument, then to the Badlands in South Dakota, and then start making our way back to home.  

We're taking some new paths and going back over some previous ones.  

I am interested in doing 1-2 hour fossil and/or rock and mineral collecting leg stretches not terribly far off US 40 between Memphis and Albuquerque.  Honestly anywhere else near the places I listed and anywhere along US 90 back to Chicago and down to Indianapolis, then US 70 the rest of the way east towards home.  

I'm hoping if I ask on here I can get a handful of options for the trip, we may only do two or three depending on time, weather and general feedback from the rest of the family. 

I have messaged PFooley about the Albuquerque/Rio Puerco area.  

After we get back I will have to make a write up of the adventure, it should be a great trip full of geologic and paleontological fun. 

 

 

Thanks for any information,

Adam

 

 

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Good luck with this, Adam (what a great name), can't help but i wish you well, especially travelling with one's in-laws. 

Look forward to the reports of great success later next month. :)

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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2 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Good luck with this, Adam (what a great name), can't help but i wish you well, especially travelling with one's in-laws. 

Look forward to the reports of great success later next month. :)

Thanks.  Luckily my in-law's are great, so it will be a trip with good company.

 

Adam ...it is a pretty good name except when there was 4 others in one class :ighappy:

 

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Good luck on your quest! Sounds like this could turn out to be an epic adventure. Sorry I can't help with any info but I will be waiting to hear about this one. Make sure to take a lot of pics!

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I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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Sounds like you are making a big loop around me.  If you have a change of plans and come across Kansas on I-70 let me know.

 

Ramo

For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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I will predict that you will take I-90 Home when leaving South Dakota. That would take you through the driftless area of SE Minnesota SW Wisconsin, the area that I hunt in frequently. I would be able to escort you to some nice Ordovician formations if you would like. Just let me know if there is interest and I can provide options for you to choose from. Have a great trip!

 

Mike

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I can imagine how many fossil sites there are along that route. I'm jealous... After joining this forum I've been thinking more and more how great a trip around the continent would be (across Canada and the US) if one could afford it... It ain't getting any cheaper, with gas the way it is.

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1 hour ago, Wrangellian said:

I can imagine how many fossil sites there are along that route. I'm jealous... After joining this forum I've been thinking more and more how great a trip around the continent would be (across Canada and the US) if one could afford it... It ain't getting any cheaper, with gas the way it is.

I'm sure we will pass by/through quite a few along the way.  The question will be how many can squeeze in along the way.  To be honest if we could find an ammonite, fossilized wood and a dinosaur bone fragment or tooth that would be awesome.  I'm pretty sure we can accomplish at least the first 2, anything else would be bonus points.  We're a bit of a driving family. We drove to Disney 4 years ago when our oldest was 4. Our honeymoon was out to Western South Dakota and then down to New Mexico, then Grand Canyon and then back home.  And then we drove out to Red Lodge Montana and back for my brother-in-law's wedding.  With driving you get a chance to see things that you wouldn't when flying... plus I have never flown and honestly don't have a desire to. :shrug:

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3 hours ago, Ramo said:

Sounds like you are making a big loop around me.  If you have a change of plans and come across Kansas on I-70 let me know.

 

Ramo

Yeah it will be a big loop. I will keep you in mind if we do change course.  

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2 hours ago, minnbuckeye said:

I will predict that you will take I-90 Home when leaving South Dakota. That would take you through the driftless area of SE Minnesota SW Wisconsin, the area that I hunt in frequently. I would be able to escort you to some nice Ordovician formations if you would like. Just let me know if there is interest and I can provide options for you to choose from. Have a great trip!

 

Mike

If we stick with the plan we will be traveling through there.  I will have to check to see what our schedule will be.  I believe after we leave the Sioux Falls area we're not doing much sight seeing / tourist type stops, so it might be a welcome break.  I will keep you in mind and let you know one way or another.  

 

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Sounds like you will be driving right through the petrified forest.  Of course collecting there is strictly not allowed, but if you stop along some less traveled roads outside the park, you can probably pick up small pieces from the road ditches. My family did that a few years ago, and I still have bags of wood that need tumbled.

 

Ramo

 

(Oh, if I were you I would definitely drive the section of Route 66 in Tijeras that has rumble strips that make your car sing "America the Beautiful")

For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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2 hours ago, Adam86cucv said:

fossilized wood

Outside of Joseph city AZ there is an area that is open to collecting. It is part of the chinle formation (same as the petrified forest.).

There is also a mississippian formation on top of the sandia mountains just east of Albuquerque.

Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Adam86cucv said:

I'm sure we will pass by/through quite a few along the way.  The question will be how many can squeeze in along the way.  To be honest if we could find an ammonite, fossilized wood and a dinosaur bone fragment or tooth that would be awesome.  I'm pretty sure we can accomplish at least the first 2, anything else would be bonus points.  We're a bit of a driving family. We drove to Disney 4 years ago when our oldest was 4. Our honeymoon was out to Western South Dakota and then down to New Mexico, then Grand Canyon and then back home.  And then we drove out to Red Lodge Montana and back for my brother-in-law's wedding.  With driving you get a chance to see things that you wouldn't when flying... plus I have never flown and honestly don't have a desire to. :shrug:

I have flown more times that I ever expected to, and will do again to Oregon in July, but I agree, by driving you get to see so many things and can stop or detour whenever you want... if you have that luxury. Driving is involved in getting to just about any fossil site, anyway..

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  • 2 months later...

I need to do a post trip recap of the fossil/geologic fun we had.  I also will have a few museums to add to our "A trip to museum" section of the forum.  It was a fun and memorable time had by all...please feel free to poke me I don't start loading up some pictures and stories.  

 

 

First geological stop was Palo Duro Canyon in Texas...which by the way we stopped in Amarillo at Blue Sky for some amazing burgers. 

 

 

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View from the top

 

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The road down in the canyon.

 

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The moon rising as we were driving back out of the canyon

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9 hours ago, Peat Burns said:

Poke :popcorn:

 

:)

2 minutes ago, ynot said:

Poke two!:D

:ighappy:  

 

I plan on adding some more during my lunch hour.  I did add a few to this thread: Rio Puerco Valley

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So I kind of skipped earlier stops on our trip due to them being not fossil or geological in nature.  The thought has since occurred to me to give a brief reflection on them as well.

So our first official stop was to see where the Grand Ole Opry House is in Nashville...turns out everyone thinks of the Ryman Theater downtown, not the Grand Ole Opry House sitting out in a parking lot near a mall and convention center...we didn't bother to go downtown. Oh well.

We stopped in Jackson Tenn. to see the Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum.  It was a pretty neat little museum with an old locomotive and a few rail cars outside it. 

Next stop was the Children's Museum of Memphis.  This was an awesome children's museum with a huge variety of things for the boys to do, including a splash park outside.  

We stopped to see the Woody Guthrie statue and murals in Okemah Oklahoma.  My oldest was excited because his class sang "This Land is your Land" in the school music program.

We stopped by the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, it was an experience, my wife and I were still kids in school when it happened, and to be there and tell to your 8 year old what happened there...man, that's tough.

Next was the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.  It's a pretty neat place with a lot of western art and artifacts.  

After that was the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, OK.  It's a pretty nice Air & Space Museum, not as big as Smithsonian Air & Space, but still worth the visit.

Then a quick stop to see the Conoco Tower Gas Station in Shamrock Texas.  It was inspiration for some of the buildings in the Disney Cars movies.

Then it was on to Palo Duro Canyon. I forgot to add my little friend I found there. 

 

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First day in beautiful New Mexico we went to the New Mexico Natural History Museum in Albuquerque.  It is a very nice museum, we loved it.

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and a few more...

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Afterwards we enjoyed a good meal and a good beer at the Ponderosa Brewery. 

 

The following day was our fossil hunt out in the Rio Puerco Valley with PFOOLEY as mentioned above.

When came back from our fossil hunt the boys were in for a surprise, my father in law had scored a bargain on a couple of metal dinosaur sculptures at a nearby shop.

 

 

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The two metal dinos have since been seen lurking here: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/84430-show-us-your-plastic-dinosaur/&do=findComment&comment=939678

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Ok so more New Mexico fun...we also went to Tractor Brewing Co and sampled their brews we wondered around and shopped in Old town ABQ.  We went out to Choco Canyon, the final 10 or 12 miles are worse than he roads @PFOOLEY took us to go fossil hunting, but it was worth killing the suspension on the rental. :hearty-laugh: We did see some rock there that appear to either have fossils or are suggestive weathering and erosion.  It's amazing to think that the buildings in Choco Canyon were built around 900-1200 AD with out the wheel or iron tools.

 

 

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We also visited Sky City Acoma Pueblo on our way out of New Mexico.  We visited there 12 years ago on our honeymoon before they built the big visitor center at the bottom.  We actually decided to nix the Grand Canyon so we wouldn't have as long of a drive up to Moab. I will have to resize some more pictures before I post anymore up.  

 

-Adam

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*poke*

 

I've been wondering about your trip...gonna need you to resize those photos right away. ;)

 

(Now that you know you will have to do this all over again when the youngest is ready, make sure you block some time for another adventure in the Puerco.)

 

 

"I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?"  ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) 

 

New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins    

 

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2 hours ago, PFOOLEY said:

*poke*

 

I've been wondering about your trip...gonna need you to resize those photos right away. ;)

 

(Now that you know you will have to do this all over again when the youngest is ready, make sure you block some time for another adventure in the Puerco.)

 

 

Oh trust me we're going to head back to New Mexico again.  Dakota was asking when we could come back out for another fossil hunt before we even made it to Utah. :D

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Arches National park was amazing, we went around 7:30 in the morning to avoid the crowds.  We definitely will visit again in the future with plans to hike the trails and check out the other national parks in the area too.  Lots of signs of wildlife around if you were looking for it. 

 

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