INVITE - Annual pilgrimage through NY

[Darktooth]

Honestly DSR is big enough to handle quite a few people it is bigger than it looks at first glance.

[Kane]

10 hours ago, Darktooth said:

Honestly DSR is big enough to handle quite a few people it is bigger than it looks at first glance.

I need extra space to swing my hammer and excavate.  

[Al Tahan]

11 hours ago, RandyB said:

Looks like quite the excavation party... I would be interested in driving up Saturday if the logistics work out so the sites don't get overwhelmed.

I can guarantee deep springs rd won’t be overwhelmed!! There soooo much there. There is actually a good 40 feet of section exposed in the hillside at different levels. We would need a bulldozer do leave a real mark! Although I hear Kane has earned the nickname “human backhoe” lol

[Al Tahan]

16 hours ago, DevonianDigger said:

So this has grown into something big! Big enough that we are going to have to modify our Saturday plan. Because of the number of people joining us--possibly 20 at this point--we have to adjust for the size of the site at DSR. That being said, is there anyone going who is particularly familiar with Cole Hill site that would consider volunteering to help split the group between the two sites? I figure that some of us can start at one and some can start at the other and we can float between the two so that people aren't stepping on one another while trying to dig. Thoughts?

 

I can help. @Darktooth hey Dave if you need another person to help you guide a second group to CHR let me know. 

[DevonianDigger]

13 minutes ago, Al Tahan said:

I can guarantee deep springs rd won’t be overwhelmed!! There soooo much there. There is actually a good 40 feet of section exposed in the hillside at different levels. We would need a bulldozer do leave a real mark! Although I hear Kane has earned the nickname “human backhoe” lol

 

Last year within the first 30 minutes, we had removed a section of rock about the size of a refrigerator, lol.

 

That being said, I am open to the will of the group. Kane and I had discussed the fact that the hill might get overrun, however, if people don't think that will be the case I am but a facilitator, not the boss!

[Al Tahan]

@DevonianDigger I could be underestimating your power 

[DevonianDigger]

Edited for higher quality gif

 

[Kane]

46 minutes ago, DevonianDigger said:

Edited for higher quality gif

 

 

LOL, good times.  We eventually did send that one rolling down the hill once I could get in behind it. Not pictured is all the stuff we moved on top of that slab. 

[DevonianDigger]

I think there was about 3 feet of rock above that. This was the last real pull of the day. I think we kinda fell back on breaking apart bits and pieces after this slab.

[Mediospirifer]

DSR is a big enough site that I don't think 20 of us would overrun it. Mr. Spirifer and I enjoy splitting rocks, but don't often go in for major excavating. Speaking only for the pair of us, of course. The concern I would have is the question of who's splitting rock uphill from me, and where are they tossing their spoil? (And of course, checking for who's downhill from me when I'm discarding spoil.)

 

That said, if the owner has misgivings, I really think we need to be prepared to accommodate her preferences. Can someone talk to her and make sure she's OK with the bunch of us before we come? Make it clear that we'll accept and work within any restrictions she wants to place? The last thing we want is for this trip to be the last visit by anyone to that site!

 

My personal preference in hunting is to pick one location and spend the day there. I'm more of a night owl than an early riser, so with a two hour drive to reach the site it'll probably be 11:00 or so by the time I get there. I'll be happy to hunt at either site, although I'd need directions to Cole Hill.

 

I'll go along with whatever plans everyone else agrees with. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!

 

[Mediospirifer]

20 hours ago, Darktooth said:

Maybe someone will be nice and bake a Birthday cake for us Birthday boys complete with balloons  and party hats.

 

 Party balloons with flying chips of shale.

 

We won't make the P-D trip (we have plans in Geneva that day), so it'd be a day-after-birthday party.

 

[Coco]

Hi,

 

5 hours ago, DevonianDigger said:

 

 

Wouah ! Who is this Hercule ?

 

Coco

[Peat Burns]

10 minutes ago, Mediospirifer said:

DSR is a big enough site that I don't think 20 of us would overrun it. Mr. Spirifer and I enjoy splitting rocks, but don't often go in for major excavating. Speaking only for the pair of us, of course. The concern I would have is the question of who's splitting rock uphill from me, and where are they tossing their spoil? (And of course, checking for who's downhill from me when I'm discarding spoil.)

 

That said, if the owner has misgivings, I really think we need to be prepared to accommodate her preferences. Can someone talk to her and make sure she's OK with the bunch of us before we come? Make it clear that we'll accept and work within any restrictions she wants to place? The last thing we want is for this trip to be the last visit by anyone to that site!

 

My personal preference in hunting is to pick one location and spend the day there. I'm more of a night owl than an early riser, so with a two hour drive to reach the site it'll probably be 11:00 or so by the time I get there. I'll be happy to hunt at either site, although I'd need directions to Cole Hill.

 

I'll go along with whatever plans everyone else agrees with. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!

 

I agree with all of this. 

 

I have a 10-hour drive to get there, and though I've never been there, I know my tendancies well-enough to know that if you give me a 2m-square area to work, I can be happy for hours.  When I've gone to Penn Dixie with the Dry Dredgers, I typically set-up camp in somebody's spoil pile while everybody else spends hours removing a slab in an attempt to get that perfect prone Eldredgeops. I'm perfectly content with brachiopods, obscure inverts, and rollers and usually end up with greater quantities in people's spoil piles (cherry pickers, lol).  I could change my mind / tactic when I learn more about the nuances of the site, but my initial reaction is just plop me in a small spot over which I can have temporary dominion 

[Mediospirifer]

1 minute ago, Peat Burns said:

I agree with all of this. 

 

I have a 10-hour drive to get there, and though I've never been there, I know my tendancies well-enough to know that if you give me a 2m-square area to work, I can be happy for hours.  When I've gone to Penn Dixie with the Dry Dredgers, I typically set-up camp in somebody's spoil pile while everybody else spends hours removing a slab in an attempt to get that perfect prone Eldredgeops. I'm perfectly content with brachiopods, obscure inverts, and rollers and usually end up with greater quantities in people's spoil piles (cherry pickers, lol).  I could change my mind / tactic when I learn more about the nuances of the site, but my initial reaction is just plop me in a small spot over which I can have temporary dominion 

 

I tend to wander and surface collect for a while, then settle on a spoil heap and split rocks. The difficulty for me in a crowd will be that I won't be able to leave small piles of "things of interest" all over the place to come back to; I'll have to carry something to flag them so that it's obvious (to everyone) which piles are mine! Which isn't much of a "problem" at all.

 

34 minutes ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

 

Wouah ! Who is this Hercule ?

 

Coco

 

That's a good demonstration of how Kane got the nickname of "Human Backhoe"!

 

[Pagurus]

35 minutes ago, Coco said:

Wouah ! Who is this Hercule ?

 

I suppose you're talking about Kane, lifting a ton of rock, and not me in the yellow raincoat. Oh well.

[Coco]

Thanks Mediospirifer for this major information !

 

@Pagurus The video is so small and my old eyes can't see really well you, but you are so great in my esteem !

 

Coco

[Al Tahan]

@Mediospirifer I like that idea!!...but that could also open can of worms leaving flags on piles of interest ....depending on group size of course.

[Darktooth]

Ok, so here is my 2 cents. I know there is concern about there being too many people for the site to handle. As I stated before the site is much bigger than you may remember. The last time Jay, Kane and Deb came to DSR, the group that was present tended to hunt in a close group as opposed to some other TFF hunts that I had experienced at DSR where everyone was more spread out. This may have given the illusion  that the site is small, but it is not. The true purpose of TFF Group hunts is for members to have a chance to meet up and get to know one another during an activity we love and enjoy. As a great TFF member has said a few times " Its the People first, fossils second" or some such nonsense. While I am not opposed to leading a group hunt to Cole hill at some point, I think at this time we should consider keeping the group at DSR. There will be members who have never met anyone before, so splitting the group will prevent Interactions with others. Secondly I really want and need to discuss with the owners of the Cole Hill property what is acceptable to them in the way of who accesses the property and how they go about it. This is not only for the benefit of TFF, but also for my local club who also wants to do a group hunt there at some point in the future. Unfortunately I am not quite sure that I will be able to get out there to talk with them before April 27 Due to my schedule but i will try my best. While individuals or a small group of 2 or 3 people probably wouldnt be an issue (as long as you get permission) I think any larger group would need to be OK'D in advance, not on the day of. I believe this is very important to remember that this site is a classic, which has been around a long time. It is becoming more known to people. We do not want this site to be closed to us so that needs to be considered. If you will bear with me I will get the answers as soon as I can and maybe a group hunt can be planned there for another time. 

 

Dave

[Al Tahan]

@Mediospirifer I like that idea!!...but that could also open can of worms leaving flags on piles of interest ....depending on group size of course.

 

I second @Darktooth Dave’s notion. I can also be of help as I live 38 min away from the Cole Hill site. 

[DevonianDigger]

@Darktooth, as I said, I'm fine with whatever. I agree that the point is to have people meet up, I was just going with the flow. I'm fine with everyone staying at DSR. I have never been to Cole Hill, so it will give me something to do another time, and I do not know the owners, so I can't be of any help there. 

[Darktooth]

No matter what, we are going to have a great time. These group hunts are always a blast. 

[Mediospirifer]

11 minutes ago, Darktooth said:

No matter what, we are going to have a great time. These group hunts are always a blast. 

 

Seconded!

 

I'm planning to bring my magnification visor this time. I've always ended up with cool smalls, without recognizing in the field exactly what I have. This time, I want to see what I have before I decide what to keep!

 

Maybe I can find a Longispina mucronata with both sets of spines intact this way.

 

[Al Tahan]

It should be a fun time . Due to my easy access to the site I will gain more pleasure helping others fill their bags as opposed to my own. I’m lucky to live close by (relatively close lol...50 minutes). Excited to meet all the great people from the forum 

[Kane]

16 hours ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

 

Wouah ! Who is this Hercule ?

 

Coco

Nous buvons la même potion qu'Astérix avant de creuser.  Voici notre druide: 

 

[Mediospirifer]

If anyone wants a PDF copy of well-illustrated fossil guide that's now out of print, PM me. I'm talking about "Devonian Fossils of New York" by Linsley. Until very recently, it was available on the website for PRI, but it's not there now.

 

The book in question is one of two that I rely on for ID-ing bivalves and brachiopods.