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Post by Michael John on Dec 3, 2008 15:10:57 GMT -5
I'm going up to my Chrysocolla mine tomorrow, near Pahrump, Nevada. Short notice, but hey, if ya aint doing nothing else, you're welcome to join me. If you can't make it tomorrow but you could on Friday, I'd consider putting it off for a day. You keep all you mine and carry down. I can also put you up for the night in the guest room if you don't want to drive home at night after the all-day adventure.
FYI ... I'm taking my new little camera up there with me (sitnwrap ROCKS), so there WILL be never-before-seen GOOD pics!
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Post by Bejewelme on Dec 3, 2008 19:08:25 GMT -5
Where's the plane ticket?  ? I would do anything to get out of here, even hike  |
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CUL-Ann
spending too much on rocks
rock lover~
Member since September 2008
Posts: 380
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Post by CUL-Ann on Dec 3, 2008 23:48:59 GMT -5
If only Nevada wasen't so far from here !!!!
get a LOT of photo's please;-))))
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Post by Michael John on Dec 8, 2008 4:41:33 GMT -5
Finally back on. Came down with a NASTY flu just a couple weeks after a bad cold. UGGHHH! I'll still be going up to the mine in a couple days, when I feel decent.
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Post by sandsman1 on Dec 26, 2008 0:35:38 GMT -5
im realy intrested in seeing your pics man -- i think Chrysocolla is like my second fav rock haha
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Post by Michael John on Dec 26, 2008 15:17:17 GMT -5
Unfortunately, weather has been prohibitive since I last posted here. It's been raining, snowing, and muddy. There's no precipitation in the forecast for the next five days, so hopefully the ground will dry-out so that I can get up there.
Catmandew PM'd me, saying that he MIGHT be able to make a side trip out here in about a week. I PM'd him back suggesting that we go up to the Blue Mule if weather permits, but haven't heard back from him yet. Maybe he'd rather go out to Owl's Hole ... I dunno. Either way, I'll be going up soon, as I have people waiting for the Chrysocolla.
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Post by sitnwrap on Dec 26, 2008 17:15:29 GMT -5
Seeing what you pull out of that Blue Mule mine, I'ld give my eye teeth to be there. Hope it dries out enough for you.
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Post by Michael John on Dec 26, 2008 23:16:25 GMT -5
Lori, don't worry, I have my trusty camera to take up there! ;D Every trip up there is a bit of a mystery. I never really know what I'm going to find because the material in the vein varies greatly, vertically, horizontally, and in depth. A few inches one way or the other can be completely different stuff. I pulled some wicked-looking unusual stuff out of there over a year ago (when I took my uncle up there) and haven't been able to find any more of it yet ... this stuff:  Here's a cab that Ralph made for me out of it:  I know the approximate area it came from, and that's probably where I'll work when I go up there. There are veins running through the entire mountain, but the only one that has lapidary quality gemstone is right at the peak. This stuff came from up there, about 10 feet from the peak, on the opposite side of my first main dig. It's NOT fun climbing up there, and it's LESS fun climbing back down, with a backpack full of stone. The next 5 days are predicted to be dry, with the temps getting progressively warmer. I'll be watching the ground in my yard, and when it's finally dry, I'll be going up there the next morning. It's only about a 20 minute drive from my house. |
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Post by sitnwrap on Dec 26, 2008 23:36:16 GMT -5
That is beautiful rock you hauled out a couple of years ago. That cab reminds me of a topographical (is that a word?) map. Or what a view from an airplane would be with a little bit of cloud cover.
Hey is that yellow stuff in the rock what I think it is? If so, I'd be up at the tipity top every day. lol.
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Post by frane on Dec 28, 2008 12:53:16 GMT -5
I sure hope you get to go soon and find a really good vein! This is so beautiful and one of my favorites to look at. I am looking forward to the pictures!!!
Fran
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Post by Michael John on Dec 28, 2008 17:44:09 GMT -5
Lori, the beigy-yellow stuff is Limonite, but there are areas in this material with a "sandy" gold-colored sparkle. Opinions have varied, whether it is or isn't gold. If I find more, maybe I'll look into it further.
Weather update ... there's "supposed" to be a high of 52 today, but it's only 45 out there right now (2PM ... aint gonna get much warmer). Calling for high of 56 Monday and Tuesday, 58 Wednesday and Thursday.
Mud update ... flat ground is taking it's time drying out. Some dry patches, but still very muddy, especially in low spots.
Unless there's an unexpected change for the better, it looks like Wednesday or Thursday will probably be my best opportunity. Even with a "high of 58", it'll probably be like 40 up on the mountain (brrrrrr), but at least the ground will be a bit more dry. Slipping and sliding on mud when climbing up there (and down) REALLY sucks ... not to mention digging in mud to expose the vein. Shame it isn't 20 degrees colder up there in the summer!
Also, accessing the mountain can be done from two directions, which I refer-to as "the front way" and "the back way". The front way means driving-down and parking-on a road (no tire damage risk), then there's about a mile's hike and a long, difficult ascent up the mountain. The back way means driving out into the desert a little ways (some possible tire damage risk due to mesquite thorns) then about a 2 mile hike down washes, but then a much shorter/easier ascent than the front way. Alone, and given the temperature, I'd prefer to go the back way this time, but if it's muddy, that won't be possible.
So, I'm keeping an eye on the situation and playing it by ear.
I have a few other "reasonably close" possible hounding locations that I need to check-out, too, out near Amargosa...
One is the old, long-abandoned Greenwater mine (Google Earth 36°11'44.13"N / 116°28'19.93"W). The hills near there look bluish-purple on GE (?). According to the little useful information I've found, Malachite is present there. Since this was a copper mine, and Malachite is there, my deduction is that there's likely to be other copper-related stuff there. Also, about 3 1/2 miles northwest of there, is a big "reddish patch". I have no idea what it is, but I'd like to check it out if I can get to it by truck.
Another possibility is a strange-looking area just north of Bat Mountain (Google Earth 36°21'49.10"N / 116°28'22.16"W ... "dark area" about 1500 ft S of there and "dark area" about 1500 ft N of there). Presence of dirt roads and previous digging site patches indicate that there's probably "something" there. I figure it's worth checking-out since it's kinda close to the Greenwater.
Again, these locations are just outside of the Death Valley border.
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NorthShore-Rocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,004
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Post by NorthShore-Rocks on Dec 29, 2008 14:26:19 GMT -5
MJ...I love your style of hounding! Hardcore!!!
I plan on coming. I needed to get a shake down cruise on my new old truck. LOL! 1300 miles with about 200 in 4WD to Indiana & back. It did well!
I need to let the financial part of X-mas ease a bit. End of January first part of Feb?
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Post by Michael John on Dec 29, 2008 15:11:08 GMT -5
Ahhh ... cool ... you have 4WD! Yeah, we can definately do some serious rockin. There are some places I haven't gone yet because my truck is 2WD (and a POS), but would be a piece of cake with 4WD.
End of Jan / beginning of Feb is smack dab in the middle of winter, so it's gonna be cold. However, that's not generally when we get much precipitation. For our purposes (hounding), cold is much better than wet. Rain / snow / MUD pretty much means no hounding here, since odds are that you'll get stuck on the desert "dirt" roads ... 4WD doesn't always get you out of the slick mud out here. No tow truck will go out in the desert to get you when it's muddy, either. You'd have to hike out, then go back to get the vehicle once the ground is dried-out. Not really worth that risk.
I'm ready whenever you are! Bring lawyers, guns, and money LOL.
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Post by Michael John on Dec 29, 2008 15:23:06 GMT -5
Welp, just checked the weather predictions again. Now they're saying high of 58 tomorrow with virtually no wind, 56 Wednesday, Thursday predicted to be about the same as tomorrow. Decisions, decisions.
The ground is taking it's sweet time drying out. The overnight lows just below freezing aren't helping that situation.
I'd REALLY like to go up there tomorrow rather than wait til Thursday, but ... hmmm.
Guess I'll see what the ground looks like at about 4-4:30. If it dries-out considerably more, maybe I'll go for it tomorrow.
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NorthShore-Rocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,004
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Post by NorthShore-Rocks on Dec 29, 2008 15:48:39 GMT -5
Sweet! Cold is relative!
My wife thinks I'm nuts but she probably isn't surprised! Hehe.
I won't have to be back any certain day. Plan a few things out. We'll adjust to the hand were dealt and rely on your experience. Don't worry about being too physical, cold, sleeping in a truck or tent, or whatever. Just let me know what gear I need to bring.
Do you need any Northern Minnesota rocks?
Steve
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Post by Michael John on Dec 31, 2008 3:31:56 GMT -5
Well, whatever tools you normally hound with, bring 'em. A good backpack or two. I kinda doubt we'll do any overnighters out in the desert, since it'll definately be too cold. If you happen to have a hand-held GPS, that would be WAY wicked!
I'd love some Minnesota specimens for my meager little display. It's a shame that fresh-caught Minnesota fish won't keep for 2000 miles! LOL
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fanatic
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2007
Posts: 233
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Post by fanatic on Dec 31, 2008 10:19:41 GMT -5
Anytime you want to find out if thats gold dust or not send me a piece of it. I'll crush it and pan it out for you and return any gold thats in there. Gold is normally associated with quartz and theres a huge variety of colors of quartz that can contain gold, not just the white quartz that you normally see as specimens. I've seen quartz in Alabama that was a nasty brown color, but it contained gold. A sopt I've been to in NC the gold is contained in a grey colored quartz.
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Post by Michael John on Dec 31, 2008 10:53:42 GMT -5
Well, I plan to be headed up there tomorrow. If I find more of that stuff, or anything that I suspect might have gold in it, I'll send you some and you can keep it, regardless. I hadn't thought of testing it that way, and it's a cheap, simple way to check! Really appreciate the idea and offer ... thank you!
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NorthShore-Rocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,004
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Post by NorthShore-Rocks on Dec 31, 2008 12:54:22 GMT -5
Sounds great!
I'll have 2 gps's with. A Garmin Nuvi for the truck and a Garmin handheld for the field!
I hound Glacial deposits here. About the only thing I need is a pack and maybe a screwdiver if the ground is froze solid or the rocks froze together. Do I need a rock hammer?
Did I read on here somewhere you are also a musician?
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Post by Michael John on Dec 31, 2008 14:23:49 GMT -5
Hehehe AWESOME ... GPS might allow us to do some new exploration if we're up for it! It's easy to find stuff on Google Earth, but not always so easy to find it when you're wandering in the general vicinity out in the desert. Celestite will be a definate possibility with GPS.
In my truck, for hounding, I have a shovel, pick, standard claw hammer, chisel, hand axe, sledge hammer, 24" pry bar, ropes, 4" paint brush, old tooth brush, 5gal buckets, 1gal ice cream buckets, etc. Depending what I'm hounding at the time determines what I carry with me to hound. Prybar is the #1 tool, which doubles as a "walking stick" for climbing hills and mountains ... "never leave home without it". Hammer and chisel are #2 & 3 ... I prefer this combo over just a rock hammer.
I use 2 litre pop bottles for water ... lots of them. They're lightweight, if one breaks, you have others, no loss if you drop or lose them, and you can leave excess at places for future possible usage and/or emergency. I often clean stones in the field to best ensure I don't carry junk for miles, while leaving good stuff behind.
Yeah, I've played guitar and bass since I was a little kid.
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