Oh-Man Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 UPDATE: date set for Oct 18. Locale: the Waco Pit. Sorry for the delay folks, we evacuated in front of Ike and got back to no power and no bandwidth. Finally got them both back up this morning. Meeting place, directions, etc. will be forthcoming. Roger, please offer more details on the spillway - what and where? Thanks Otherwise I have a spot near Crawford that is worth the group at least checking out to see if there is anything there. 550 acres backing onto the Middle Bosque River. Not sure if there will be access to gravel beds, but there is the possibility. The location also has an old flooded quarry covering a couple of acres. Water is low due to a leak in the dam so there may be some stuff to find in the exposure. forward to hearing from the group. Oh-Man Interested parties: Oh-man (Hou) MikeD (Hou) JohnJ snakekeeper64 (DFW) danwoehr (Hill country) Roz Morgan(DFW) Lance Hall (DFW) fossil man (OK) Fruitbat Bowkill (although it may be a haul from Kansas) Mike Murphy (s. OK) Evans (Hill country) Roger (DFW) grommit (DFW) PaleoRon (VA) What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 How many Texas Forum members are there? I like the idea. If we went to the Whiskey Bridge, I know that MikeD and I could put everyone on some Eocene shark and fish teeth. I'm open to other public locations. We could also bring some stuff to show and ID. It could be an interesting gathering. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 How many Texas Forum members are there? I like the idea. If we went to the Whiskey Bridge, I know that MikeD and I could put everyone on some Eocene shark and fish teeth. I'm open to other public locations. We could also bring some stuff to show and ID. It could be an interesting gathering. I like the Idea of the Whiskey Bridge, it seems that the area could support the hunting pressure.It seems like most people on this forum are pretty guarded about their self found locations,so a public location seems like a good plan! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Whiskey Bridge sounds good to me. It's public and some have probably never been there and it would be a good place to meet. It can also support a potentially large group. It is also kind of centric to several cities on this side of the state. I'm sure there are some other potentially good sites in the greater DFW area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Yeah that site would be productive rain or shine, even if a whole bus load of college kids went the day before. That's because you have to dig and bulk sample for the better stuff, not just surface collect. It isn't hard digging though. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Sounds like a good trip, I have only been there once. I think there are squid beaks there too! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil man Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 i would love to participate, it would be great to get to meet some people from the forum. So count me in and let me know to i need to do, i dont have the knowledge that most can bring to the table but i would be gald to help if i can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I doubt if I could make it, but you never know. Where is it from Dallas? I'd like to see how far of a drive it would be for me. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I doubt if I could make it, but you never know. Where is it from Dallas? I'd like to see how far of a drive it would be for me. From Dallas to Bryan Tx is about 165 miles.I have never been to the Whiskey Bridge, but it is very close to Bryan. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I doubt if I could make it, but you never know. Where is it from Dallas? I'd like to see how far of a drive it would be for me. Bowkill, It is on Hwy 21, where it crosses the Brazos River, a few miles west of Bryan/College Station. A pretty good drive from Kansas. If anyone wants to see some info on the site, go to http://www.hgms.org/, click on "Field Trips" at the top right of the page, and scroll down to the bottom of the Field Trips page. There is a section on Whiskey Bridge. The "Fossil Guide" has some nice pictures of fossils that can be found there. I typically just take a 5 gallon bucket to carry everything (or to carry out bulk samples), containers for fossils, a bricklayers trowel, aluminum foil for the delicate fossils and plenty of water to drink. You might also want your rock hammer, various hand tools such as dental picks, brushes, a small pick or shovel (although some have used large picks and shovels), various strainers for sifting rocks or sand, or whatever does it for you. Roz, yes, squid beaks can be found there. Petrified wood can also be found nearby and occasionally at the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Bowkill, It is on Hwy 21, where it crosses the Brazos River, a few miles west of Bryan/College Station. A pretty good drive from Kansas. Bowkill, if you decide to come down and come by way of HWY 75.I live in Richardson which abuts Dallas and would be happy to drive you down there as I'm sure you would be pretty tired.Gas cost would be gratis as I drive a company vehicle!Just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone who is coming from north of Dallas.I have room for one! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Hey Barry With your free gas and company vehicle, feel free to detour over to San Antonio and pick me up too, hahaha. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Man, I'd love to come down, but it's a little too far for me. I am an insurance adjuster, and I may be coming down that way anyways though, for Ike. I guess we better keep our fingers crossed that I don't have to come down!! For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Hey BarryWith your free gas and company vehicle, feel free to detour over to San Antonio and pick me up too, hahaha. Ok, lets see! It's 271 miles to San Antone from Big-D which would be 106 mi out of my way being that bryan is 165 mi from Dallas! So, with a round trip estimate of 212mi out of my way......I respectfully decline,,,,,,unless there is a free Mastodon tooth thrown in for good measure! Muahaha! Anyone know of a good hotel, not motel in the area? I might come down a day earlier and just make a weekender out of it being that it is a pretty good shlep from here. thanks B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 B Just checking to see how far your generosity extends...As for weekenders, why don't you follow my lead and just sleep in the car then let the sheriff wake you up at 3 a.m.? Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 BJust checking to see how far your generosity extends...As for weekenders, why don't you follow my lead and just sleep in the car then let the sheriff wake you up at 3 a.m.? #1 too frigging hot for me! #2 too friggin hot for me! I like it so cold that you stick your foot out from under the covers as a thermoregulator! I'd love to hear the story about the Sheriff, sounds interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Well he didn't notice the pistol in the car with me, but did notice the little handprint on my back window. I had to explain that I had taken my boy to the coast fishing the previous weekend and he had been swatting at skeeters with suntan lotion on his hands...sort of hard to remember at 3 a.m. with lights in your face. Consider his perspective though...a grown man in the middle of the night in his vehicle near a stream, little handprints on the windows, banjos playing in the night air.... Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Murphy Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I would definitely consider making the trip to see everyone and get out and do some more collecting. I have not done much this year because of work and I still have 4 weeks of vacation to schedule between now and the end of the year. It would depend on when the trip is scheduled (as long as it is not at the end of October. I don't miss Fossilmania). Any of these localities would be great (Lake Texoma, North Sulphur River or Brazos River/Little Brazos River localities). Has anyone considered trying to set up a trip to the Lake Waco Pit to collect from the Del Rio...that would be another possibility. Put me on the list, anyhow! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-Man Posted September 9, 2008 Author Share Posted September 9, 2008 I would definitely consider making the trip to see everyone and get out and do some more collecting. I have not done much this year because of work and I still have 4 weeks of vacation to schedule between now and the end of the year. It would depend on when the trip is scheduled (as long as it is not at the end of October. I don't miss Fossilmania). Any of these localities would be great (Lake Texoma, North Sulphur River or Brazos River/Little Brazos River localities). Has anyone considered trying to set up a trip to the Lake Waco Pit to collect from the Del Rio...that would be another possibility. Put me on the list, anyhow!Mike Mike - I don't know much about the Waco pit. Can you tell us more? If we ended up there I could get us onto 550 acres of unexplored land on the Middle Bosque R. I'm also considering trying to get us into Midlothian - Ashgrove and TXI quarries. Does anyone know the contacts there? Thanks Owen What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I have contact info for the Corps of Engineers office at the Waco Pit. We'd need to call them ahead of time, arrange for a group permit, and somebody would have to pick it up during their business hours M-F. This makes it sort of hard for working stiffs to play by the rules for a weekend trip as it is hard to catch anyone in the office by the dam on weekends. I've taken starfish and brittlestar material, shark and fish teeth, echinoids, and tons of pyritized micromorphic amnmonites at this site. The Fossilmania crew likes to make an annual trip to this site at the end of Oct, so I'd suggest doing the "Whikskey Bridge" trip first then follow up at Waco a rain or two later. I am a very opportunistic collector, so if I were trying to do a solo trip to the Waco Pit, I'd go right after a rain before the big clubs get a chance to track the place up and unload all the loot. As for the 550 acres, do you know if there is bedrock exposed there? Could range from Duck Creek through Eagle Ford with overlying Pleistocene sprinkled with Waco Sinkers and other Injun artifacts. Do you know what formations are mapped in that area? If not, feel free to PM the location and I'll tell you what formations might be exposed there and what fossils to expect. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh-Man Posted September 9, 2008 Author Share Posted September 9, 2008 Dan, I could likely get to Waco during the week to pick up a permit since I like to take the "long way" from Houston to Dallas on business trips. If you think we could get the permit then that sounds like a good and unique option. As for the Waco spot I mentioned there is a good amount of exposed limestone in a couple of area. There is also a 2-3 acre quarry that is now a pond, but the dam is leaking so the water level is down several feet from usual. Formations should be Weno limestone and Duck Creek limestone depending on the location on the property. Lots of QT overburden otherwise. There may also be some access points into the Middle Bosque that could lend itself to gravel bed hunting. Might be a good opportunity to burn a couple of days exploring. O What is geology? "Rocks for Jocks!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Murphy Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Owen: It may also be necessary to check in with the Strecker Museum at the Mayborn Musem Complex at Baylor (Ellie Caston or Tom Proctor) as they periodically have research excavations ongoing in areas of the "pit". Typically, they have their research areas cordoned off and associations and collectors are asked to stay out of those areas. The Paleontological Society of Austin has a field trip scheduled for 9-20-08 to Canyon Lake State Park and 10-25 and 10-26 to the North Sulphur River. Dallas Paleontological Society has a field trip to Jacksboro scheduled for 9-27 and a trip to the Possum Kingdom area on 10-10 through 10-12. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Mike I've probably been to the pit 8-10 times in the last 5 years and have never seen anything marked or roped off. It has always been wide open, unrestricted collecting in my experience. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Wow, this is getting better every day! I have never been fortunate enough to fossil hunt in a quarry.It would certainly be a first for me!Giddy with excitement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil man Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I would definitely consider making the trip to see everyone and get out and do some more collecting. I have not done much this year because of work and I still have 4 weeks of vacation to schedule between now and the end of the year. It would depend on when the trip is scheduled (as long as it is not at the end of October. I don't miss Fossilmania). Any of these localities would be great (Lake Texoma, North Sulphur River or Brazos River/Little Brazos River localities). Has anyone considered trying to set up a trip to the Lake Waco Pit to collect from the Del Rio...that would be another possibility. Put me on the list, anyhow!Mike hey mike if you think you might be interested and the dates are good for both of us and the trip is at whiskey barrel, i would be willing to split the gas with you ( i live in comanche OK). I just figured with gas at the price it is everyone can always use help with gas. If you think you might be interested let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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