Great Western Adventure Part V

[Jeffrey P]

From Florissant I drove straight out to Limon, Colorado, spent the night. Saw this sunset. The wind and cold plus the constant loud traffic on the nearby interstate made my stay camping there barely tolerable. 

[Jeffrey P]

I was headed back east. On a whim, I decided to stop at the Sternberg Museum in Hays Kansas. I visited there 45 years ago on my very first trip out west. The museum then was in a very tiny building in the middle of a small college campus and it had one room devoted to fossils, mostly from the Kansas Chalk collected and prepared by Sternberg. The collection left me awed and so I decided to visit it again, especially now that it is housed in a big modern building. One added benefit, there was a new temporary exhibit on fossils from Morocco. The trilobites were real, but the skeletons were casts. Still, very impressive. In the center of the museum is a depiction of Kansas during the Cretaceous times including underwater and along the shoreline. Another benefit- a live collection of all twenty species of rattlesnakes that inhabit the U.S.

[Jeffrey P]

Three days later, including a stop to visit family in Kentucky, I arrived back in New York, Despite the one potential setback, the whole trip was for me, one enormous success. I want to give a big thank you to jpc and Tom K. for all of their help making it successful. I want to return next year. We'll see. Until next time, take care, best wishes, and happy trails.

[frankh8147]

Completely AWESOME Jeff!! You truly are a great explorer! I don't even know which fossils I like the best - everything is amazing!

 

Congrats buddy!

Edited July 11, 2022 by frankh8147

[FossilNerd]

I’ve been patiently waiting for the end of the report, and what a report it was! Thanks so much for sharing Jeff. Looks like you had one EPIC road trip! 

The Graf fossil site was amazing. I’ve never seen so many nautiloids so densely packed (except maybe some Moroccan material). Even the sites here that I would consider nautiloid heavy couldn’t hold a candle to that site. Wow!

 

I’m also rather fond of the plant material you were able to dig up. Very cool! 

[Jeffrey P]

Hello Everyone. In my haste to get out this report and pictures I left out a few which now I feel should have been included to tell the whole story. They all are of gastropods. The first are gastropod internal molds collected from Rockford Fossil and Prairie Park, Upper Devonian, Lime Creek Formation, Cerro Gordo Member, Hackberry Group:

 

[Jeffrey P]

These are Euspira obliquata, gastropods from the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale:

[Jeffrey P]

Finally, Gyraulus florissantensis, a freshwater gastropod from Florissant Fossil Quarry, Colorado, Eocene.

[Fossildude19]

Fantastic report and journey, Jeff.  
Congratulations on all of your great finds!

[Ludwigia]

Great report! Thanks for sharing your adventures.

[Darktooth]

Wow! What a trip Jeff! I am totally  Great report and pictures. Thanks for sharing this. Some really great finds.

[RandyB]

I love these kinds of trips and greatly appreciate the mix of scenic, site and find pics that accompanied your posts. Congratulations on a great haul. I admit my favorites are the cretaceous plants, though I would have been very excited by many of your other finds as well.  I am glad you were finally able to go, I know you were waiting a while, but it definitely seems to have been worth the wait.

[Tidgy's Dad]

On 7/11/2022 at 4:40 PM, Jeffrey P said:

Some representatives of my finds there:

1.) Pseudoatrypa devoniana- a species I have found in New York's Middle Devonian. The rest were new for my collection 

2.) Cyrtina iowensis- very tiny- less than half an inch across.

3.) Spirifer whitneyi- the most brachiopod I found.

4.) Spirifer whitneyi productus- the only specimen of this subspecies I found.

5.) Sulcatostrophia camarata- these were very tiny- less than a half inch across

6.) Spinatrypa rockfordensis

7.) Spirifer hungerfordi

8.) Cyrtospirifer whitneyi- the one on the left was the largest brachiopod I found.

9.) Platyrachella macbridei

10.) Cranaenella navicella

11.) Rugose corals- Homalophyllum- the biggest is an inch and a half. 

What an absolutely incredible adventure and field report! 

Where do I start? Wonderful museums, some of the classic USA hunting grounds, incredible fossils and tortoises, real and fossil. Wow. 

You are quite correct that I would love to visit, though i doubt it will ever happen .

But, hooray! Only last week I received a parcel of Cerro Gordo brachiopods from the marvelous Mike @minnbuckeye! 

One or two corrections to your names which I think are current : 

Spirifer whitneyi is now Cyrtospirifer whitneyi.

Spirifer whitneyi productus is just an intraspecific variant of Cyrtospirifer whitneyi and not a subspecies. 

See https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250070613_Revision_of_selected_North_American_and_Eurasian_Late_Devonian_Frasnian_species_of_Cyrtospirifer_and_Regelia_Brachiopoda

And Spirifer hungerfordi is Theodossia hungerfordi. 

I'm not sure, but I think Platyrachella may now also be Cyrtospirifer, but I need to confirm this. 

Lovely specimens, it would be hard to drag me away. 

 

[JimB88]

Awesome trip Jeff! Those plants are amazing! And that Oreodont skull! You did really well!

[Agatized Deinonychus]

Thank you for sharing your adventure with us! I love the oreodont skull, the leaves and those insects. I would love to collect in the White River Fm. but it seems nearly impossible. 

 

I'm hoping to make a trip next year.  I have a question: Did you find the insects at the paid site off Teller County Road? At another paid site or private land? You found all those insects in one day? How were the results last September? They seem to be easier to find than I anticipated. Would that be accurate?

 

Thank you in advance

Edited July 14, 2022 by Agatized Deinonychus

[Jeffrey P]

13 minutes ago, Agatized Deinonychus said:

Thank you for sharing your adventure with us! I love the oreodont skull, the leaves and those insects. I would love to collect in the White River Fm. but it seems nearly impossible. 

 

I'm hoping to make a trip next year.  I have a question: Did you find the insects at the paid site off Teller County Road? At another paid site or private land? You found all those insects in one day? How were the results last September? They seem to be easier to find than I anticipated. Would that be accurate?

 

Thank you in advance

Those are from the Florissant Fossil Quarry, the site where you pay $15 an hour. Yes, all of those insects were found in one day though at least one of those is the part and counterpart, so it looks like I found more than I did. Insect fossils are indeed fairly common there. You have to have a good eye, because they are often very tiny. Plan on spending at least four hours. I found two last September when I was there, but a lot more leaf fossils. A few minutes after I arrived, a boy on a school outing found a spider. Definitely a worthwhile stop if you're anywhere in the vicinity. The only other spots I know of where insect fossils are relatively common are two Green River sites in western Colorado and eastern Utah.  

[jpc]

Great report, Jeff.  Glad we were able to salvage the eastern WY portion of the trip.  (yes, I did give Jeff the OK to  mention that I got the covid disease).  Looks like you did OK at the ammonites sites as well as the White River.  And, wow, some excellent Big Cedar Ridge plants.  

 

And it was nice to meet you, even if it was for a much shorter time period than planned. 

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by jpc

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/11/2022 at 5:23 PM, frankh8147 said:

Completely AWESOME Jeff!! You truly are a great explorer! I don't even know which fossils I like the best - everything is amazing!

 

Congrats buddy!

Thanks Frank. It was especially interesting comparing Wyoming's Upper Cretaceous fossils to those from the Upper Cretaceous of New Jersey that we collect. 

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/11/2022 at 6:07 PM, FossilNerd said:

I’ve been patiently waiting for the end of the report, and what a report it was! Thanks so much for sharing Jeff. Looks like you had one EPIC road trip! 

The Graf fossil site was amazing. I’ve never seen so many nautiloids so densely packed (except maybe some Moroccan material). Even the sites here that I would consider nautiloid heavy couldn’t hold a candle to that site. Wow!

 

I’m also rather fond of the plant material you were able to dig up. Very cool! 

Thanks Wayne. Yes, I made a special point of stopping at Graf for the uniqueness of its nautiloid death assemblage. And those plants from Big Cedar Ridge were also unique. Great additions to my collection. 

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/12/2022 at 11:10 AM, Fossildude19 said:

Fantastic report and journey, Jeff.  
Congratulations on all of your great finds!

Thanks Tim. Hopefully we get to do our own western road trip together someday. 

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/12/2022 at 2:17 PM, Ludwigia said:

Great report! Thanks for sharing your adventures.

Thanks Roger. many opportunities for adventure in Germany I'd love to revisit some day. We'll see. 

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/12/2022 at 2:36 PM, Darktooth said:

Wow! What a trip Jeff! I am totally  Great report and pictures. Thanks for sharing this. Some really great finds.

Thanks Dave. Glad you enjoyed it. You owe us another central New York outing. Hint, hint....

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/12/2022 at 3:42 PM, RandyB said:

I love these kinds of trips and greatly appreciate the mix of scenic, site and find pics that accompanied your posts. Congratulations on a great haul. I admit my favorites are the cretaceous plants, though I would have been very excited by many of your other finds as well.  I am glad you were finally able to go, I know you were waiting a while, but it definitely seems to have been worth the wait.

Thanks Randy for your comments and appreciation. Your help with the Big Cedar Ridge site I definitely appreciate. I thought BCR would be a one time experience, but I'd love to return there and dig again- a great place!!!!!

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/12/2022 at 6:24 PM, Tidgy's Dad said:

What an absolutely incredible adventure and field report! 

Where do I start? Wonderful museums, some of the classic USA hunting grounds, incredible fossils and tortoises, real and fossil. Wow. 

You are quite correct that I would love to visit, though i doubt it will ever happen .

But, hooray! Only last week I received a parcel of Cerro Gordo brachiopods from the marvelous Mike @minnbuckeye! 

One or two corrections to your names which I think are current : 

Spirifer whitneyi is now Cyrtospirifer whitneyi.

Spirifer whitneyi productus is just an intraspecific variant of Cyrtospirifer whitneyi and not a subspecies. 

See https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250070613_Revision_of_selected_North_American_and_Eurasian_Late_Devonian_Frasnian_species_of_Cyrtospirifer_and_Regelia_Brachiopoda

And Spirifer hungerfordi is Theodossia hungerfordi. 

I'm not sure, but I think Platyrachella may now also be Cyrtospirifer, but I need to confirm this. 

Lovely specimens, it would be hard to drag me away. 

 

Thanks Adam for the appreciative comments and your help with the Cerro Gordo brachiopod IDs is especially appreciated. 

[Jeffrey P]

On 7/13/2022 at 10:36 AM, JimB88 said:

Awesome trip Jeff! Those plants are amazing! And that Oreodont skull! You did really well!

Thanks Jim. Hopefully our adventures together will be the subject of future reports.