The Henry Mountain Field Trip
April 4 thru 9 2007
Spring weather in all its excitement threw the "cabin fever" doors off the hinges for all the Beehivers who came. People arrived at different days, some due to travel and trailer or vehicle problems were there later than they hoped. In all there were 22 associated with our club ( Laws, Noorlander, Silers, Rutledge, Woodwards , Berrys, & Wythes) and of those 15 came out to the areas and at the times we chose to go. Other clubs were there from New Mexico, Durango, CO and the Golden Spike Club. Some of our club members joined in searching for "goodies" with the New Mexico club and some had other plans. People also went home different days.
Memorable events for our club included: (1) The Laws overnight stay near Green River working on the vehicle; (2) The Berrys working on their trailer until late and then after a few hours heading out in the wee hours of the morning; ( 3) The Noorlander brothers tenting down by the highway; (4) Dan Siler, our President, limping around from a very recent operation - then seeing him coming up a bid hill to see the exciting find of 2 "cycad type" plants by the Woodwards in the Hansen Creek area ; (5) going down the infamous "Toilet Paper" Hill into the upper canyon off of the Clay Point plateau where a large, knotted petrified tree piece was hauled up about 100 feet with a dolly and muscles of 4 Woodward kids and their parents + "Rocky Ray". "Rocky" and a nearly lost dog was relieved to be able to drive back out of there.; (6) The prize find on Saturday was of a colorful petrified tree piece of about 90-100 lbs found down in Hansen Creek Canyon by "Rocky". This piece would still be there if our "strongman" Dick Woodward hadn't hauled it on his shoulder up about 250-300 of elevation up out of the canyon. This find made some of us late for the Saturday night dinner together at our campsite with the New Mexico club, which Kay Berry had arranged. There were about 10 people from the New Mexico group
.
Other things found of interest included: coprolites found everywhere in the Morrison Fm - but the best were south of the Shootering Canyon area; "Devil's Toenails" (Gryphaea) found in areas where the lower Mancos Sh lays on the Dakota Ss.; and other agates (chalcedonies), gypsum plates, etc in addition to the Diorite Porphyry of these famous "Latholithic" intrusive mountains.
Report by "Rocky" Ray Rutledge