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Post by paulshiroma on Jul 31, 2012 0:06:43 GMT -5
My boys have been asking to go on a rockhounding trip for the past few weeks so we finally booked Saturday, July 28 as the day. They, again, picked Yermo as the location - Andrew because of the easy pickin's and Nathaniel because it's next to Calico Ghost Town and the Marine Corp Logistics Base so there's a chance to see armored vehicles ;D I told the boys to get right to sleep Friday night so we could leave as early as possible Saturday, before it got too hot. Great guys that they are, they went out and were up before me Saturday morning so we actually hit the road at 8:00 AM. Pretty early considering we typically don't get going until 9:00 AM or so, LOL! First stop, the "dig site" near the dump: After an hour or so and filling two five gallon buckets with rocks, we went off to Calico to get lunch and do some sight-seeing: What the boys do while waiting for their food: We got home early, around 3:00, in time for dinner with some out of town friends. Sunday we got to cut a few of the rocks: Sample 1: Top view: Cut end: Slab: Sample 2: Top view: Slabs: Sample 3: Top view: This one was interesting. I cut one corner and found a solid white interior with a reddish area. Nothing to write home about so I reversed it and cut the other and came up with an entirely different look: Side one: Side two: Anyway, the boys had a great time although it was on the "warm" side! We've got the rest of the rocks soaking in some soap and water to clean them off. I'm sure we picked up lots of leaverite but they're learning to identify the good from the rest. Thanks for checking out the thread. Paul
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2012 6:57:51 GMT -5
Great time with the kids, great finds, it doesn't get any better than that. I am sure it would have been a good trip if all you carried home was leaverite. I am a few years older than the boys and I still get home and say to myself "why in the hell did you bring that piece home?". Jim
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Post by helens on Jul 31, 2012 8:12:07 GMT -5
What a lovely trip Paul!! The kids are so cute:).
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Post by paulshiroma on Jul 31, 2012 10:16:26 GMT -5
Jim - you're very right. Just getting out and hiking, sight-seeing, and relaxing AWAY from the office is a great time.
Helen - thanks - we had a great time!
The boys are getting so big so fast. Andrew will be 10 and Nathaniel 6 this year and it seems as though the days are flying by. It reminds me to spend every possible minute with them and my wife as the days are short and you only get to go around the calendar one time. I look at old photos and think "Gosh, they were so small...".
Thanks for checking out the thread. Paul
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Post by jakesrocks on Jul 31, 2012 11:09:27 GMT -5
Great report Paul. Sure brings back memories. On the way back from our honeymoon to South Dakota, we stopped at Calico since my new wife had never been there. On the way out of Calico, we stopped and explored the desert floor for a few minutes. I found a nice fist sized chunk of gold moss agate. I still have that piece of agate, and a cab I made from it for my wife.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jul 31, 2012 11:16:53 GMT -5
Great trip report, Thanks!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2012 12:11:30 GMT -5
That looks like you guys had a ton of fun. Even the leaverite will be something to cherish!
There is some amazing marble/onyx/travertine not far from Calico. Maybe take a side trip next time.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
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Post by LarryS on Jul 31, 2012 14:35:31 GMT -5
Just remember, the older they get, more expensive they are to keep around. Soon they'll be asking dad for new cars.
Great trip report & pics. Just ignore the $100 gasoline bill it cost to go out there and keep them coming.
Major thunder storms out there in the past few days. Good time to go gold panning.
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Post by paulshiroma on Jul 31, 2012 17:02:06 GMT -5
Don: That's a cool story - thanks for sharing that! Shotgunner: Yeah, I keep thinking about the old marble quarries out near Stoddard Wells. We'll have to make a trip out there one of these days as well. And yes, the leaverite hold sentimental value as something my boys collected! I've never had the heart to throw it out so whatever leaverite they bring back ultimately becomes yard decorations "so that they can show their friends what they've collected". Larry: Yeah, no joke. Nathaniel was asking to buy a Jeep the other day ... he has a very defined sense of what constitutes an "off-road vehicle". To him, anything other than a Wrangler need not apply LOL! The saving grace about the Intrepid is the 28 mpg that I get on the freeway. Getting off the freeway and down dirt roads ... that's an entirely different, slow, and careful proposition. Thanks for checking out the thread, guys! Paul
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rockingthenorth
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Post by rockingthenorth on Jul 31, 2012 19:35:36 GMT -5
Looks like you all had fun your boys are cute. last time I went to Cali to visit family (2006) I think we had gone to Calico. We used to go there all the time when I was younger. I am hoping to go to Cali sometime within the next month or two to visit again my sister lives in daggett and one brother lives in barstow and one in Hinkley in the house I grew up in.
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deedolce
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Post by deedolce on Jul 31, 2012 22:42:51 GMT -5
Nice trip! I wish my kids would ask for rockhounding trips when they were small...do they each have their own tumbler?
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petthefish
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Post by petthefish on Aug 1, 2012 4:12:54 GMT -5
looks like a great day!
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Post by johnjsgems on Aug 1, 2012 9:09:33 GMT -5
Saturday I worked outside on my tractor until noon and thought it was pretty cool for end of July. I made a drive to fill my gas cans about 4:00 and the car thermometer read 105. October will be a better month for collecting around here. Maybe we can get together when it cools off a little. With two or more vehicles the Intrepid would be able to get back to some more choice areas without worrying. Green Ash Hills is pretty easy access as are most areas along Mule Canyon Rd. The Stoddard Wells tricolor marble was a pretty good road last time I went but that was a long time ago.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2012 14:10:51 GMT -5
Paul, the stuff I mention is on the east of Calico Town. On the same mountain. Beautiful lace onyx and other too.
Stoddard is great too, verde antique and tricolor have easy roads.
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Post by jakesrocks on Aug 1, 2012 14:44:24 GMT -5
Scott, the place you're talking about is silver onyx. Don't know what the status is now, but it used to be a pay to dig site.
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Post by johnjsgems on Aug 1, 2012 15:25:30 GMT -5
The silver lace onyx claim was owned by two of the Diamond Pacific Depue brothers. They were pretty much forced out by the BLM. They were made to cave in the claim so most of the vein is under 20 feet of overburden. You can still find a few pieces below the mine where they pushed their tailings over. When they caved in their claim they pretty much brought down the honey onyx above too. I saw a nice piece of honey onyx that was found in the tailings once.
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Post by paulshiroma on Aug 1, 2012 21:47:37 GMT -5
Thanks, Tammy! If you have time and schedules can be arranged, drop a PM or start a thread. Maybe we can get a group together and head out!
Dee - yup we all have our "own" tumblers! LOL! Andrew's actually helped me cut a few slabs but the patience required for tumbling is a bit beyond both of them right now although they're both into the finished results.
John - Yeah, it was getting reasonably hot at 10:00 when we arrived so by 11:00 they boys were beginning to wilt a bit. That, and I think they wanted to go out to eat at Calico. It would be great to get together and caravan out AFTER it cools off some!
Never had a chance to check out the Stoddard Wells site (although we drove up there for the Tailgate Rockhound show which was really cool) and it's too bad about the BLM forcing the closure of the pay sites.
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Post by johnjsgems on Aug 2, 2012 7:47:42 GMT -5
Pay collecting ended a long time before due to liability worries. While the claim was active you could find pretty decent materials below the mine on BLM land. The road to that area has some deep moguls from the offroad crowd. Your car may be able to make it if you go very slow but you may leave your bumper behind.
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rockingthenorth
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Post by rockingthenorth on Aug 2, 2012 15:50:05 GMT -5
sounds great Paul I am working on the 27th of aug. to the 7th of sept. will find out in the next few days on flights. I would love to me you and your family. Maybe we can get johnsgems to come too.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2012 19:57:48 GMT -5
Paul, the tailgate you went to was directly under the verde antique quarry! You can look up the hill and see it!
John I was not aware the honey and lace onyx sites were destroyed in anger. The guys in our club still bring it in to work on. I just assumed they recently collected it.
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