DR. OMED'S ILLUSTRATED WALKING NEWS:
WALKING ON BURNT GROUND
On a fine sunny Sunday early in March, Annie Beagle and I returned to the area we had scouted a couple of weeks earlier (Read the post HERE.) When Anne and I reached the railroad, the fossil bearing road cuts of which being our goal, we found that the ground south of the tracks had been charred by a wild fire as far as I could see. To the north, all was normal, late winter NE Oklahoma landscape.
Here in Oklahoma, as some pilgrims and seekers may know, drought conditions have prevailed for months, and there have been many wild fires. This is why you see signs like THIS on the highways. The local land owners I suspect aren't too happy about it, but their ill wind blows the fossil fossicker some good. The ground cover has been reduced to black stubble. This exposes the rocks.
As you can see.
This fossil has a rather medusoid aspect. I have no idea what it is.
Fossil Rice Crispies.
Actually, I think I know what these are, but I cannot retrieve the name and particulars from my un-defrag-able wetware. I would describe them as super-sized cyanobacteria (algae) on steroids. Someone will hopefully correct me if I just made a fool of myself.
Fossil gumbo.
See the bits of Crinoid and other things?
The landscape is not completely dry, but this little stream is probably spring fed. On the hike back to the parking lot abutting the sewage pond, not far from where I took this picture, Annie and I flushed an armadillo. I haven't seen an armadillo in years, and that was in southern Oklahoma. I wasn't able to get a picture of it, as I had to restrain Annie, and the little sucker moved fast once it got the wind up.
1:29:41 AM 
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