Richard, that looked like some natural triangular bracing of two limbs into that reiteration. I love that stuff (if that's what it is). If it isn't, I still love it. I've come across two trees recently, and each had limbs that fused into another and then lost the connection to the parent, so there were deadwood stubs sticking back toward the previous attachment point. Really wild.
I keep hearing and seeing so much about the West Coast trees. I really have to get out there.
Thanks for posting!