Thursday June 14, 2012

Headed to Ryan's to meet up before going to the KOA for breakfast. He was still sleeping so we hung out on his deck and read for a while. Got to the KOA 3 minutes after they stopped serving breakfast (whoops), so came back and went to the Cedar Pass Lodge instead. John met up with us to eat, and over breakfast we made a new plan for the afternoon: we'd all go rock hunting together. First, Ryan, Amanda, the kids, and I packed some food and water and hopped in Ryan's truck to go hike Notch Trail. I never did get over there during my residency, and was hesitant to do it alone with the kids since parts are a bit treacherous. We had a great time, and navigated the tall log and steel cable ladder without losing a kid. Ran into a group of park rangers doing wilderness rescue training, and stopped for Ryan to talk to a couple friends. They had a stretcher with them, so I asked Ryan how they deal with that, do they call a helicopter or would they take the stretched back down the steep ladder? The answer is the ladder, unless the injury is severe enough to warrant air lift. Crazy. After our hike, we drove to John's place in Interior and checked out his new goats. He's been making cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. John followed us in his truck out to a spot in the grasslands that Ryan thought would be good. John had a different idea, and suggested that since the recent rains this area might not be great. Instead we drove out through Scenic, along Bombing Range Road, and down into Indian Creek. This is national grasslands area, so you can keep a small number of rocks and fossils that you find, provided you follow the laws around fossil collecting. John picked a spot where we stopped and headed down into the creek bed. Spent a couple hours walking along the creek bed, looking at rocks. I focused on fossils, keeping my eyes open for that mother of pearl glint that is evidence of shell. Found lots and lots of little bits of shell, clam, baccalite, and more. After a while I realized I should change my focus to the tall wall of Pierre Shale I was walking next to. Many areas were freshly collapsed, meaning new fossils are likely to have been exposed. Everything in the creek bed was in small fragments, having fallen down from the creek wall. So I started hunting in that wall of loose, dark gray rock. Pretty soon I found some things, and continued hunting along that same horizon. Pulled out a couple mostly intact clams, and found some very large fossils that were too big to warrant keeping. Pretty sure one was a large ammonite, maybe about a foot in diameter. Found half of a medium sized baccalite with shell, still imbedded in a large rock. Eventually caught up with the others when they turned around, and told them what I'd been up to. They followed me back the same way, all of us hunting in the creek wall. Found more interesting things, but the highlight was the last object I picked up, and the thing I had been hoping to find all day: a decent sized, mostly intact ammonite with all the shell present. It is spectacular. Photos will be on a separate post, and don't begin to do it justice. The iridescent colors on this ammonite are incredible. Absolutely made my day, and was the best birthday present ever! No, today's not my birthday, it's on saturday. After hiking out of the creek, John headed back to Interior and we continued down Indian Creek, into the South Unit. This is the same route Ryan drove me on our first visit to the South Unit. Many steep and bumpy ups and downs into the creek, winding two track road, washed out areas, and mud and creek to drive through. The kids spent the drive laughing over all the bumps and swerves, “Hee hee, my head hit the window again! Hee hee.” We saw a couple burrowing owls at one of the small prairie dog towns. Ryan's freshly washed truck came out of the day looking quite the dirty mess. Evidence of having had a really good day! Got back to Ryan's and hung out for a while. Eventually Ed came by, and I showed him my ammonite and other finds. He was impressed by the ammonite, and said he was a little bit jealous since mine has something he has always wanted to find: evidence of having been eaten! Yup, there are puncture marks, and the living chamber is missing. Somebody ate my ammonite. Possibly a mosasaur? Or so think the kids. There's also a small spot on the back of the ammonite where a tiny bit of shell is missing and you can see a dot pattern underneath. Ed said this is the tube that runs the length of the ammonite that helps control balast. Cool! We all went down to Wagon Wheel for dinner and stayed for several hours talking. It was a good day, with promise of more good times to come.

Heading out of the housing area, looks like my
favorite buttes became geologically active!

Heading in to Notch Trail

Ryan, Amanda, and my kids hiking out to Notch Trail.

Bird nests (cliff swallows?)

The fun log and steel cable ladder. Deceivingly mild at
the base, it goes vertical about half way up.

View from the top.

Following the trail markers.

Sign to the right tells hikers to stay right of the sign.
Ryan said the first time he came here, it was snowy/icy,
and he hiked left, not realizing. Quite treacherous!