Living proof!

I'm living proof that you can

pick an unreasonable goal and succeed!

The Washington state women's kayak trip that's been in the planning stages for over a year finally happened (no, that's not the unreasonable goal), and since I've decided to multi-task on my trips, I wasn't going to let 6 days in the Pacific Northwest pass me by without at least one fossil expedition.

Here I am, in the San Juan Islands, in the driver's seat of a 22' tandem kayak.

I skipped the selfie after I finished paddling 25 miles coz I wasn't smiling anymore.

The problem with combining activities

when you are also navigating the vacation schedules of 7 other people is that

something has to give.

I regret that I missed out on some of the group activities to Vancouver (bicycles and wineries: need I say more?) but I'm also thrilled with the fossils I found and wouldn't trade them for anything,

which brings me back to my opening statement.

I now know, after a few tries, that if I write to fossil and mineral clubs in the areas I will be visiting and ask for info to an easy site where I can find even one little fossil to take home,

I will receive a letter of acknowledgement and then never hear back again.

These trips are time sensitive material!

(The notable exception is the wonderful person in MN that gave me detailed directions to the staurolite crystal area.)

I'm not asking for state secrets or a free pass to anyone's private honey hole; I just want a fossil...

any fossil.

To put it in perspective for us Florida fossil hunters, how many times have you directed people to Venice Beach for some basic shark teeth? A lot, right?  And I've even sent satellite pics to people to explain how to get to Apollo Beach.  All I'm saying is...

Share the love!

So I got one useful reply from all my queries and it was from a member of the fossil forum who directed me to an area where he used to look for palm frond fossils, albeit 30 years ago.

Good enough for me.

I loaded up my tools.

(when in Washington, right?)

But I also loaded up one of my friends who is not a fossil hunter.  She thought it would be interesting and I didn't put anymore thought into it.  We drove about 30 minutes to the town of Bellingham and then watched the odometer to take us 11 miles to the target area.

Hmmm...a narrow, winding road with a steep foliage-clogged incline on one side and a steep scary drop-off on the other.  I found a turnout, parked, and started bushwacking and climbing.

And that was the problem.

I didn't think to advise my friend to dress in old clothes OR to bring something else to do, and I didn't even have any tools for her to use.  I was happily splitting rocks, hoping to find a fossil while she was sitting and staring at this view:

It's an amazing view

 but there are no walking paths and after 2 hours of just sitting there, she was done, and of course, I was just getting started!  Hopefully I can go back some time.

Here's what I found once I figured out what kind of rocks to look for...

Positive and negative of a large leaf inside a small rock.

Fir needles!  So cool!

I believe this is a type of evergreen.  Small and delicate.

And then there was the perfect leaf

that I found inside a piece of very hard rock and against all better judgement and experience, 

I tried to take some of the surrounding rock off with my hammer, to make the piece easier to transport.  I broke it.

I promise, I have learned my lesson!!!

(Fool me once, yada yada yada...)

I packed my fabulous finds in a collection bag, skidded back down the slope to where my friend waited, and celebrated in town with clam chowder and a fabulous Washington micro-brew.

Stay tuned for part 2 of Living Proof!