A Really Lucky Day - Isalnd Hopping
Sept 13, 2014 18:38:42 GMT -5
Thunder69, snowmom, and 1 more like this
Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 13, 2014 18:38:42 GMT -5
Today was another one of those beautiful early autumn days that you don’t miss a rock hounding opportunity because one day the weather will turn. We also are a few days after a full moon which pulls the tides lower than normal. With this in mind, Laura and I drove to Parrsboro, NS for a crossing to Two Islands.
Here are a few location photos of distant rock hounding spots as viewed from Two Islands. This is Clark Head way off in the distance. It is a contact zone with evidence of faulting and bedrock collisions and the resulting pseudomorphs and metamorphic rock.
Clark Head, a little bit closer, at low tide.
McCoy Brook formation. Some of the earliest sedimentary rock from the Jurassic period. Fossils record evidence of the first life to evolve after the mass extinction between the Triassic and Jurassic periods.
McCoy Brook formation, a little bit closer, at low tide.
Wassons Bluff. The red rock is McCoy Brook formation, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the significance of the fossils. The black rock is North Mountain Basalt full of zeolite filled vugs.
Wassons Bluff, a little closer, at low tide.
McKay Head. One of my usual hikes for blue chalcedony, agate and jasper.
This terrain makes you feel small. Laura joined the hunt today in spite of the need to switch from hiking boots to flip flops and back again (twice) for the wet portion of the crossings. The crossing is about 600 yards and takes about 10 minutes as you hop over the clam and mussel beds. We had about a 2 hour window to collect on the islands before the water would return.
Laura hunting in the basalt rubble beneath the cliffs. Should have worn shorter pants for the crossing.
All in all, today was a really good day if you appreciate life’s simple pleasures.
1) Spent a wonderful afternoon on a beach in the sun rock hounding with my best friend.
2) Found a few jaspers, agates and some SW fluorescent Hyalite Opal.
3) Met a 3rd generation local who graciously gave us some of his second rate agates after an hour chatting about local collecting. Now have a lead on a boat for charter, a lead on an “old stock” collection of his grandfathers, and a new rock buddy.
4) Offered new rock buddy $20 bucks for his agates that he refused. Took the $20 to the local rock shop and put it towards a new shelf specimen. Chatted with the store owner, Eldon George who is a local legend that won’t be with us for too many more years. He reminisced about his appearance on The Nature of Things, his three contributions in National Geographic, his Governor Generals Award, etc. We both wished we had more time to spend with him.
5) Had a simple fish and chips dinner at a local “Ma & Pa Diner” in sight of the boats that landed the fish that very day.
6) Best of all … Laura wants to know when we are going to the islands again. I’ll have to check for the next new or full moon, hope it falls on or near a weekend, and keep my fingers crossed for another warm sunny afternoon.
Darryl.
Here are a few location photos of distant rock hounding spots as viewed from Two Islands. This is Clark Head way off in the distance. It is a contact zone with evidence of faulting and bedrock collisions and the resulting pseudomorphs and metamorphic rock.
Clark Head, a little bit closer, at low tide.
McCoy Brook formation. Some of the earliest sedimentary rock from the Jurassic period. Fossils record evidence of the first life to evolve after the mass extinction between the Triassic and Jurassic periods.
McCoy Brook formation, a little bit closer, at low tide.
Wassons Bluff. The red rock is McCoy Brook formation, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the significance of the fossils. The black rock is North Mountain Basalt full of zeolite filled vugs.
Wassons Bluff, a little closer, at low tide.
McKay Head. One of my usual hikes for blue chalcedony, agate and jasper.
This terrain makes you feel small. Laura joined the hunt today in spite of the need to switch from hiking boots to flip flops and back again (twice) for the wet portion of the crossings. The crossing is about 600 yards and takes about 10 minutes as you hop over the clam and mussel beds. We had about a 2 hour window to collect on the islands before the water would return.
Laura hunting in the basalt rubble beneath the cliffs. Should have worn shorter pants for the crossing.
All in all, today was a really good day if you appreciate life’s simple pleasures.
1) Spent a wonderful afternoon on a beach in the sun rock hounding with my best friend.
2) Found a few jaspers, agates and some SW fluorescent Hyalite Opal.
3) Met a 3rd generation local who graciously gave us some of his second rate agates after an hour chatting about local collecting. Now have a lead on a boat for charter, a lead on an “old stock” collection of his grandfathers, and a new rock buddy.
4) Offered new rock buddy $20 bucks for his agates that he refused. Took the $20 to the local rock shop and put it towards a new shelf specimen. Chatted with the store owner, Eldon George who is a local legend that won’t be with us for too many more years. He reminisced about his appearance on The Nature of Things, his three contributions in National Geographic, his Governor Generals Award, etc. We both wished we had more time to spend with him.
5) Had a simple fish and chips dinner at a local “Ma & Pa Diner” in sight of the boats that landed the fish that very day.
6) Best of all … Laura wants to know when we are going to the islands again. I’ll have to check for the next new or full moon, hope it falls on or near a weekend, and keep my fingers crossed for another warm sunny afternoon.
Darryl.
