I stumbled on this brier the other night walking in the woods near a creek. I have no idea what it is going on here? The best theory I have is that it is Crown Gall but I don't think that is a rose stem. Would anybody have a guess?

Hi reubenjet,
Hopefully someone will recognize it right off and be able to offer an identification. Can you give us an idea of the area (state) where this plant is growing? That could help narrow down a more exact ID. Did you by chance get photos of the leaves and of the entire plant from a distance?

My first thought was possibly a Thistle of some sort but I'm really not sure what it is. The gall looking thing at the top of the stem may be a seedhead/seedpod.