I love documenting the landscapes and fossils of the North Sulphur River, in Fannin County Texas. It is one of the best places to find Cretaceous (70-million-year-old) marine fossils. It is often where I like to go when I want to get away from everything.
My children and I used to go to there to look for fossils when they were young, so it a place that is dear to my heart and evokes unforgettable family memories.
This creek used to be part of the original Sulphur River, before the Corps of Engineers redirected its flow a long time ago. Now, this is a tributary that feeds into the current North Sulphur River.
There are no easy ways to get to this part of the creek; it is a far walk from the bridges that are easily accessible. Thankfully though, the land owner was kind enough to let me go through his pasture to look over the edge of the embankment. There was no path to get down into it that I could find, and if there used to be a path, it was so full of poison ivy and overgrown vegetation that I couldn’t see it.
I plan on returning here as soon as the weather permits, to see if I can find my way down. The creeks and river are not accessible when it is full of water.
The clay sediments in the river seem to get finer and finer as you travel west. When it is dry, the river bottom feels like you are walking in kitty litter, but, if the ground is saturated, the riverbed has the consistency of chocolate pudding! If you step onto the wrong surface, you can sink knee deep, and you will have a heck of a time getting out of it without losing your shoes. I have had to use my tripod many times as a crutch to get myself out of the mud!
I imagine it will be February or March before I can think about hiking the west end of the river. It is a good thing I have plenty of indoor projects to work on in the meantime!
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022 Dana Ann Evans