Thread by @JohnRMoffitt

Loading the bus for my annual three day paleontological field trip with the kids. Some rain forecasted. Wish me luck.

Back in time across #Texas ... almost 35 years doing this.

Heading out to the first stop, the Eocene on the Brazos River.

We survived the Eocene ... kids got lots of fossils. The bus is now heading back in time to the Cretaceous (120 million years ago). First a fossil oyster reef, then a pit with lots of echinoids. Dispite weather reports full of dread, we're in the sweet spot.

Collecting in the Eocene this morning at the famous Stone City bluff on the Brazos River. Lots of fossils and no mud.

Today on Saturday, we've selected locality #4 about 350 million years in the past. Most of my day had 23 kids showing me brachiopods and ordinary rocks asking, "Is this a trilobite?" We found no trilobites at this locality.

Weather continued to be perfect for this entire trip.

Gathering to head over to locality #5 having found no trilobites at #4.

I did plant a Sahara desert trilobite for a young lady and got a teacher excited for 2 seconds. She turned and looked at me. My smile admitted my mischief.

She kept the bug and I identified it for her.

The kids got a bit more serious at locality #5 today. Lots of great fossils included about 8 rare Carboniferous trilobites. Then we took off south to Llano #Texas

On the way to pizza dinner in Llano, we stopped at the geographical center of the state of #Texas on highway 377.

All the kids went up in the tower there for the million dollar view.

Humorous explaining a plane lamina to 4th graders.

Finally did get rain in Llano. Our backup for Sunday was Natural Bridge Caverns.

That was a good visit, but back home now to rest up for next year.

Showing locality #2 ... collecting on a Cretaceous oyster reef. The kids especially enjoy the scorpions under each chunk of reef.

Center of Texas.