Back camping in SLV

[RGINN]

My son came down from Wyoming this week so I took him down to Penitente Canyon with the wife and me and we did a lot of hiking in Penitente and Witches Canyon and we camped there for three nights. We were in Penitente Canyon one evening and this guy came up and asked us if we had spotted a snake as one had been reported in the area. I told him no, but you're in a lot trouble, cause you're barefooted and wearing shorts. We laughed him off, same as all the people we saw in flip-flops and shorts on the trail. That guy cleared out pretty quick. Next evening, my son was looking for snakes along the trail in Penitente and spotted a young prairie rattler right along side the trail. Two elderly people had passed by already and managed not to notice or to step on it. Another guy and his son were coming along and Walt told them, hold up, there's a rattler right here. Guy said are you sure it isn't a bull snake, and Walt said, pretty sure it's a rattler, hold on. My son scooped it up in his hand and moved it farther off the trail. Guy was amazed and asked him how he could do that, and Walt told him he used to manage the snake lab at Oklahoma University, has some published research, so has a little experience. Guy told his son, don't you ever do that. Just a cool moment, and yeah I expected that but still was a little amazed too. Included a pic of the son in Penitente Canyon.

 

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[tamrock]

That's cool. I find a lot of flakes and some artifacts over along the Blue Mesa reservoir almost all made of that same fine grain quartzite material.

 

[Fat]

...that lithic is Spanish diggings, it originates from Wyo..

 

[RGINN]

...that lithic is Spanish diggings, it originates from Wyo..

I was almost thinking that was red jasper, Fat, and there's a quarry over in the Trout Creek area. It is brought in though. I spot yellow and definitely red jasper flakes that were imported in that area. There's a gray material they were using that I'm not sure about, maybe Troublesome chert or from down in New Mexico, and they were doing some work with the quartz that occurs naturally in that area. Haven't spotted anything I could ID as paleo yet, but it's down there.

 

[RGINN]

And I was hopin somebody would agree with me that that was a Massasagua, so I could have some ammunition to argue with the expert.

 

[Fat]

...I have trout creek in my collection too. There are a lot of different lithics from that area. Kremlin chert is another..
I can’t put an I.D on that piece. It’s tough to call it from 1 pic and broken. Preform/knife is an easy guess a lot of the time. I’ll looksee massasauga type a little more. Take a pic in natural sunlight both sides for a little better look.
The Loveland archeology society show is at the Budweiser Ranch complex in couple weeks. I’ll try and post the poster.

Edit. Make pics of your artifacts and post. Plan a day to Loveland for the show and let me know. I will go for the afternoon on sat the 25th.

 

[Fat]

Spanish diggings

 

[Fat]

....Hahaa, I crack myself up mostly... the snake a M. IDK. You took the snake expert, lol. A belly laugh every day is good for me..
. I’m just learning about them myself. I have heard of after looking up..
..That would be a great artifact type name too..

 

[newnan man]

Good you just moved the snake. Most people want to kill every snake they see. We had a rat snake get in the house last week. My wife saw it as we were getting ready to go to bed. The cat was stalking it so I scooped it up and put it back outside.

 

[islamoradamark]

some snakes are camouflaged really good

 

[RGINN]

We don't ever kill them. I don't approve, but I don't condemn or preach to people who do. You wouldn't want this in your yard where your kids play. The trail is right in front of this guy's nose, and it's a narrow trail through chokecherry bushes, and my son was concerned there might be an unfortunate incident with a hiker or their dog, cause somebody would eventually step on it and stir it up, and still quite a few hikers. What I will preach to people about is this is not the type of country to be hiking around in shorts and sandals, or barefooted. And for God's sake pay attention to where you're stepping. Bad things can happen real quick. But people will dress how they want I guess, haha!

 

[newnan man]

There are the invasive Burmese pythons here in Florida. I have no issues with those being hunted to eliminate them. They are wreaking havoc with the ecology of south Florida. They are hard to hunt in the dense swamps and about the only thing that preys on them are large gators. They have special hunts and are coming up with ways to eliminate them.