I usually take Bobbi fishing on Labor Day, but the fishing has been tough lately on my home lake. I thought maybe I could find a better fossil bite. But my usual spots are too high water and/or too muddy, especially with Bobbi coming along. So I decided to make a drive to west Texas. We stopped and had a nice breakfast on the way, then drove on to a site that is Finis Shale. We hunted it long enough to gather up quite a bit. Here is the first snail I spotted, an ammonite piece, and Bobbi on the hillside above the outcrop.

Here is what I gathered from the site.

We made a lunch stop after we left the site, then drove to the Mineral Wells Fossil Park. It was after 1:00 when we got there, and getting pretty hot, so we just spent an hour and a half or so hunting the park, then fled the heat and headed home. There were only a couple of other vehicles in the parking lot when we arrived, but another half dozen or so pulled in while we were there. I was surprised at how many people brought small children to the park on such a hot afternoon. Here is what I gathered there.

These three trilobite pieces were the highlight of my day. None are complete, none are in great shape, but they are the first trilobites I’ve ever had my hands on, so I was excited to find them.