We, Brian and Clare, took a side trip in the mountains during the day Friday, between wedding ceremonies. We’ve never seen so much limestone! Beautiful area.

First, we found the dinosaur footprint site that Brian had discovered on the internet before we came to France.

The age of the tracks at this site is close to the Jurassic side of Dinosaur Ridge, where Clare worked for 10 years. The interpretation is quite different. Here, they believe that each trackway (for an individual animal) was made between high daily tides rather than high monthly tides, as at the Cretaceous side of the Ridge. The area where the footprints are appears to have been a limestone quarry.

Before we actually found the footprints, we were misled into a lovely walk through the adjacent forest.

Next, we tried to find some of the waterfalls (cascades in French), that make the Jura area famous. First, Cascade de la Billaude.

Next, Cascades et gorge de la Langouette.

Than the most famous, Cascades du Hérisson. Our friends later explained to us that the cascades were not as full this year due to lack of rain and snow.

We did not see all the separate waterfalls at Hérisson – we were running out of time and needed lunch. But, it was worth seeking it out.

Then crêpes for lunch! From a street vendor in the town of Cogna.

Our friends brought us to their daughter Audrey’s house, where many family members and close friends were gathered. They had rented another house close by for nine of them to sleep.

The houses are on top of a limestone plateau adjacent to a small church and cemetery.

I love how French people mix old and new, hanging laundry next to a centuries-old building.

Later that evening we went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant in Lons-le-Saunier. Twenty three people!

The next morning was the official marriage ceremony, the civil part. Only about 30 people came. Very special. Hêlene whispered some translation for us. The mayor and the town clerk officiated the ceremony. The mayor knows the bride and groom well, so he told many stories. The clerk recited the official responsibilities that the new couple were accepting by getting married. Hêlene said most of the couples nodded, realizing that the responsibilities had not changed since they were married. The clerk gave the couple a book with their names, the date and an official seal of marriage. Hêlene explained that every family in France has a book like that.

On Thursday morning we went to the Lyon airport by bus and tram (navigating though the large Part Dieu train station) to pick up a rental car. Because we are going to return the car in Switzerland, the company rented us a minivan with Swiss license so we do not have to pay the tolls to drive there.

So many sunflowers! Fun to see them facing in the same direction.

We drove on small roads to see more of the countryside. More time, but more fun as well.

We stopped for lunch in a small town we recognized from previous visits, Perouge. The flags indicate a party that evening for Bastille Day. We were serenaded by the bells on this tower (below the clock face).

Lons le Saunier is the town where we will meet our friends and sleep for one night. A flea market showed clothing for sale.

In a walk in a lovely narrow park, we saw lots of flowers, plants and people.

We texted our friends, who wanted to pick us up soon, so off we went!

The presentations of interest to Brian were scattered throughout the day, so we stayed relatively close to the hotel and conference center. This gave us time to fix the blog (sorry I got so mixed up on the days! I blame jet lag.)

Fortunately, he had a long time slot in the middle of the day, and we found a five-star restaurant for lunch on the other side of the park. Another lovely walk through there!

Usually we don’t take photographs of food, but this exception is because, well, it’s pretty. But mostly because Brian said he would try to make something similar at home sometime. (I’m holding him to that!)

On the way back through the park, we met a friend of Brian’s who he met at a previous Goldschmidt conference field trip in 2007. Her outfit beat Clare’s for science and style because the pattern of the cloth is from a photograph of a thin section of a meteorite! She said it is from a company in the UK where she lives now. Clare hopes to find something like that someday. Thanks Heather!

There are some narrow arms of the lake, some suitable for paddleboats.

On the science side, Brian posted a press release for the macOS version of the USGS model PHREEQC; this was completed just prior to the meeting and is a available for free from his company, Visions of Quality.

Although the Goldschmidt Conference continues through Friday, we are leaving Lyon for the Jura region of France to meet our friends.