elementary
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Post by elementary on Jan 4, 2012 1:49:04 GMT -5
The American Agate/Jasper Index 2nd Edition Update The Index is undergoing a massive revision at present. It’s been almost two years since the first volumes came out and I’ve learned much on what works and what doesn’t. I have already gathered images from a number of new sources and the quality of images should be increased tremendously. But there are more fundamental changes in the works: 1) The new edition is gathering more states together in each volume. Volume One will cover Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. I’m in the middle of editing it and it has already reached over 150 pages of material. The side effect of this effort is that the files are much larger than before. Previously the largest files reached 20 MB. The new volumes will be over double this. 2) The new edition no longer divides material by state. Instead it gathers all related material in a region together by type for easier reference. For example, all the thundereggs in Volume One will be listed together. Dugway Geodes from Utah will be listed in the same section as Baker Eggs from New Mexico. This will help with identification of material as it means the reader doesn’t need to bounce between states to match a specimen to the photos. 3) There will be a long index at the end of each volume that lists the contents by state and by location. This will help people who are using the index to research the type of material found at a specific location. 4) There is a special volume that will be an overall index to the entire series. In addition to this, it will provide a visual glossary to the various types of agates and jaspers covered in the series so newer people to this hobby will be able to use it without too much trouble. Mel Hixson has written the definitions so you know they will be accurate. 5) There will be a list of missing material in each volume so collectors can know what they can provide to update the index. For example, at present, Volume One is missing Del Norte Thundereggs from Colorado as well as Mulligan Peak agates from Arizona. 6) In the previous series, I mentioned that we were hoping to produce a white background version of this series for printing purposes. Due to the immense amount of time it takes to put one of these together, that had to be put on the back burner. I would love to still do this, but I can’t guarantee it will be done. I've logged over 35 hours on this first volume and I'm still not done with it. Still - if I there is a loud enough clamor for a white background version, I'll probably do one.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Thank you all for your support and interest in this endeavor. This project would be worthless without the rockhound community supporting it. Together the first 11 volumes have been downloaded collectively over 2400 times by over 300 individuals. If you add the 4 Artists in Agate volumes of Bob Rush, Dan Heuer, and Steve Haynes, you can add another 500 downloads to that total. This total won't get us on the New York Times bestseller list, but it tells me people find these books interesting at least. And there is a certain type of person who is more important than anyone else for that success. I believe the backbone of this publication is the local collector. In Volume One it would be people such as Brian Sellers and Don Hixson in AZ, and Lynn Dalton and Don Bagshaw in Utah, who show better than any outsider what their own backyard produces. Thanks again to Mel Hixson as my quality control department. Without his input and oversight, this Index would not exist. I doubt I know anyone else as knowledgeable as him in this matter, and I am blessed by his friendship. And finally, as always, thanks to Steve Holmes for that post two years ago that lead to the discussion that birthed this Index that eats up my time. I could have included him with the other collectors above, but I saved his special spot here.
Thanks to all!!! I wish you all an excellent New Years!!!
Lowell Foster
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Jan 2, 2012 13:36:06 GMT -5
Ah - to have the time to roam the earth and rip it apart for its glorious treasures!!!!!
Before my lil one was born, I was able to sneak off and do 4 day hunts. Now I'm fortunate to make it out a day out.
Thanks for sharing. Love the loot!!!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Jan 2, 2012 13:28:11 GMT -5
Hey Steve,
Love the dino bone.
There's something about working on the remains of the dinosaurs that's intriguing...
Everything else is awesome as well.
Hey - did you ever make it out to California - you were going to be working in Barstow if I remember right...
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 31, 2011 12:53:14 GMT -5
My Dad and I got into Blythe about 9:30 on the evening of the 28th. We hitched up our shoes and set the alarm. Morning came and we met up at the Denny's for introductions and plans. I drew up maps for Tony and Christopher and brought in Delmer Ross's GPS Guide to the Wiley Well Region. We had Christopher (Bakersfield) and Tony (Idaho) from RTH. With Tony was Blake - a knapper and great guy with an excellent sense of humor. From Brenda, AZ via Ventura Ca was Ron - my club's Field Trip Leader and my usual partner in crime, and his wife Jean. My Dad - Ev - came in from Redlands, Ca. My father - years ago - worked for San Bernardino County and his supervisor was Joel Hauser - the finder and promoter of the Hauser Beds. When I started hunting 8 years ago and found out who my dad's former boss was, I had to ask "Why didn't we ever go out hunting with him?!!!" and my dad said he just wasn't interested... Oh well. In the past, I've met Joel Hauser's widow and his son's and they've opened their house to me in the past - so I've seen samples of material that was taken from the Hauser Beds back in the 1930's. They're a great and generous family. Anyway - this place is dug and dug and dug - so I never promise massive specimens - but I do promise a fun time roaming. We took off from Denny's - remet at the Rest Stop at Wiley Well Rd. It's by the Max Sec. Prison. My favorite sign: "Don't pick up Hitchhikers". We drove the 10 miles down Wiley Well Rd to the turnoff onto the Black Hills Road. This first dirt road is - as my dad says - the smoothest dirt road you'll ever see. From the intersection we drove 5 miles to Middle Camp. I need to mention that there were more people roaming around this area than I've ever seen before...easily several hundred between the two main campsites and all the roadside camping going one. A lot of them were newbies out here. More about that later. We headed south from Middle Camp - if you headed straight west you would have had another choice between the Hidden Saddle Beds and the Straw Beds - both of which I've had little experience with - except for a black agate nodule field. We did not hit this area. Heading south I showed them both the road into the Potato Patch and then curved around to the Cinnamon Beds. Since Christopher and Tony had never been through here, I wanted them to get a feel for the roads around the area. Once you get the roads down, which can be confusing at first, getting around is easy. At the Cinnamon beds we met the Shooter family from El Paso, Texas. They were wondering where to go and what to see. They had come in with a class C motor home (as my dad called it - it looked like a camper on steroids to me). Anyways, after a brief talk, I offered them to come with us. The mother and daughter piled into my truck. The father and son climbed in with Tony (a big thanks to him for sharing space.) We headed out to the Southern Hauser Beds. This place looks like artillery rounds landed on the hillside slopes. You can still find small to tiny geodes in the diggin's where prior people tossed away their discards. Broken geodes can be picked up by the bucketful, if that is what you want. I've dug next to the road here and pulled out a bucket of baseball sized t-eggs in an hour. It's a game of hunt and peck and luck. I had been told of a relatively recent strike which had produced some softball sized ones, but I couldn't find it. The group hit the slopes and pecked around. The daughter of the shooters (a youngin' that has run marathons! She was like a billy-goat out there...) began poking around the gully below the hillside I was searching and yelled out "I found one." I went down there and pried out a whole geode just shy of volleyball size. She took off running to show her dad. A little later, as I poked around the white agate t-egg slope (dozens of quarter sized geodes - piles of broken ones - but no good glory hole to dig out...) she came running up. Her father had broken open the t-egg revealing a crystal-lined hollow taking up about 1/4 of the geode's interior. She was all smiles. It was the best thing any of us found at the southern beds. Christopher did hit a small seam that popped out maybe 5 or 6 geodes before we left. We gathered back at the car and ate lunch and took photos - lots of photos. Everyone had a camera it seemed. note diggins on hillside behind... From Left to Right: Me, Ev (my dad), Jean and Ron, Blake behind, Avery (mountain goat) in front, Christopher and Tony in RTH shirts (gotta get me one), then Jackson and his mother Kim. Rob is taking the photo. Rob and his son then began digging in one of the many holes and pulled out a couple fist sized nodules and a few smaller. Here's a shot of the road that runs literally right by the southern bed. Right before we took off I met Nat - a man who brought his camper in from the south. He had "maybe 5 gallons left" and wondered how to get to the freeway from this place. I drew him a map. He had come up from Yuma. Then, another couple came by in their vehicle. This was Karen from Simi Valley, CA - just down the road from Ventura, and her husband. They were here for the first time too. I worried that our group was going to bet larger and larger. They had topography maps and I pointed out where they were. Finally we heading out again. We stopped at the Corn Field for nodules and random pieces of float. Our caravan parked: Our group spreading out:Potato patch diggins in background A shot another direction showing the cinnamon beds in the background: I found a large chunk of blue-green material I gave to Christopher as he found a small piece early on and I thought he'd like a larger piece. We'll see what it looks like cut. Could be good or could be bad... We then headed up to the Cinnamon Beds where the best luck was hit. I hunted until I found a recent dig site and I pulled out 3 quick nodules the size of my fist or slightly larger. Ron and my dad hunkered down and cleared out another dig a little lower on the hillside. Ron hit gold. I don't have the photo - I see if I can get one later - but he pulled out two geodes that he could barely lift. They were basketball sized/more or less. My dad pulled out a few smaller ones and another the size of a volleyball. It was the last spot of the day. Tony and Blake took off. Then the Shooter family drove off in their desert behemoth. Then Christopher, my dad and I, and Ron and Jean rumbled out of the desert. It was a great trip. Tony learned how much I talk (and talk and talk and talk) and I kept asking if everyone was having a good time. I worried as Tony didn't pull out much - but then - as he says - he has enough rock. Maybe we'll do the Cady's next year. I loaned Christopher my Wiley Well guide and he might be heading back there in a couple weeks. I wish him luck. Ron and Jean went back to Brenda, and I'm hoping to visit them, and by default Qtzite in a couple weeks... We'll see. Thanks for reading my little book. Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 31, 2011 12:03:13 GMT -5
Of everything, it was the stories on this trip I enjoyed hearing. Tony has a fun one about crossing state lines with grapefruit and I can't wait to hit up Christopher and see what's up by Last Chance Canyon...
Pictures posted soon...
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 31, 2011 12:00:32 GMT -5
Thanks for posting the photos. It was a great time.
I'll be posting my photos momentarily.
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 31, 2011 11:27:08 GMT -5
Brian,
I have a couple fossil nuts in my club over here - I'll shoot them the picts and see what they say.
They'll at least give you the species.
Lowell
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by elementary on Dec 28, 2011 20:01:42 GMT -5
Roger,
Always love seeing your material. Always wish I lived closer.
I have a question regarding using your photos for the Index - your place names are great, but is there a way you can label the sites by nearest town?
I know you have roadside fancies, mayday dig, birthday hill. among other wonderful names - I even remember the ones you found digging through the roots after a tree fell over. Do you mind providing a city/town placenames? I'm not looking for mileage or anything like that - only a proximity to maybe show the color/pattern differences for different locations.
Thanks!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 25, 2011 12:53:51 GMT -5
Merry Christmas to all
and to all a good night!
Great news! I got rocks in my stocking!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 23, 2011 23:23:07 GMT -5
Hey Mel --- is this Yermo the same as Mule Canyon - or from another nearby locality? I know you can get palm from several areas, and I just want to make sure I know the best reference for it.
Thanks,
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 23, 2011 19:00:37 GMT -5
Ohhhh!
That's awesome material!
May I poach your photos for the Agate Index. I'd love to show a sample of that! (Actually all your Red Bluff material would be great...)
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 20, 2011 15:42:52 GMT -5
Regarding this trip:
I will be staying at the Motel 6 in Blythe the evening of Dec. 28. I may be getting in late in the evening.
In the morning I will be having an early breakfast (6:00/6:30 am at Denny's) and then heading out to the beds. Once in the beds, I don't stay in one place too long as I usually like wandering and exploring as well as digging. I will PM tony and chris with additional information for contact.
I hope you see you out there!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 14, 2011 14:20:28 GMT -5
Mel's donations to my class have been invaluable in both stoking the student's interest in science and helping motivate them towards certain goals. Here's a couple older photographs of the display I set up using the material donated by Mel. This is from 4 years ago. I am now in a new classroom teaching 6th grade (science focus = geology), but the set up is the same. Display case with rough and polished samples. Pinned on board above, the selection of rocks the students are able to pick from for various actions. At one point, I had 70 different types of stones represented. Presently, my current board is down to about 35. I haven't been tumbling lately and Mel's hoard from a couple years ago in CA, I believe, was pared down for his move - so he doesn't have some of the stones available he used to. As for science and teaching and the school system - I wrote a big long response and then got depressed and deleted it. I'll only say that the drive by school boards and politicians to educated students and meet the demands of no child left behind has led to rigid, very strict guidelines that cater to the least able teachers rather than the most able/imaginative ones. I developed a system that forces students to learn their multiplication facts. I'm in 6th grade. Times tables are 3rd grade. Only 6 out of 35 usually pass my 1st mult fact quiz at the beginning of the year. Over 25 pass by October. It takes 5 minutes a week to do and the paper to print the quiz on fridays. No real cost. No real class time. I shared it with other teachers and they got the same results when they followed my guidelines. I've been doing this for 5 years now and each year validates the system (Admittedly it's a boring system but by 6th grade I have other things to teach besides mult...but without mult the students can't work fractions or ratios or % which make up the core of 6th grade math.) So I showed another teacher at a different school. She showed it to her principal, and the principal said "NO. It's not part of the adopted curriculum. You can't do it." I could have fallen over. Principals are so concerned about sticking to the system they are blind to innovation unless it's paid for and given the stamp of approval by the district. From my experience - yes there are bad teachers, and I know a couple, but there are many who are great but buried under the cr*p that the district throws on them - such as combo classes. With so many teachers cut, we have 3 of them at our school. (Combo - two grade levels in one class). My language class has been interrupted 8 times this year for photos, assemblies, Police Displays, ELD testing, fluency testing, and other things. Teaching non-english proficient students better english has led to classes that combine three grade levels and have 13 students while english proficient students have been funneled into classes with 43 students at the same time. Yes, non-english students need to be educated, but at the cost of having 43 students in a class? Talk about burning out a teacher. And don't get me going on time to teach science or social studies. With all the other mandated class I have to teach, I only have 4 1/2 hours a week to teach either PE/Writing/Social Studies/and Science. We're given a books for Social Studies and Science that are designed for a 55 minute class a day - each - for the whole year - and I have enough time to really only teach one of them...unless I slash 1/2 or more of the curriculum... Also, in my school we have 3 six grade classes. In the last 3 years we've had 7 teachers rotate through. In 5th grade, we've had 8. With the no hiring of teachers, these spaces are filled not with permanent teachers but with teachers with their credentials who are not offered permanent status. Each year these teachers migrate to another grade level. It takes time to fully understand what and how to teach the standards of a new grade level. Every time you shift a teacher to a new grade, you essentially have created a new teacher. And don't get me going on some of the parents I run into. You definitely can see the students who have no structure or discipline or responsibility at home. I love my job. I believe all my students can do better. I treat them that way. I also tell them that there are expectations for their academic performance and there are expectations for their behavior. I tell them it is not by their words that they are assessed, but by their behavior - in both areas. I treat them with respect until the point by their actions they lose it, and then I let them know. We elect presidents in my class and people lose the ability to vote or hold office if they break the rules of our classroom society, and the presidents can be dropped if their behavior does not fit the status of their elected position. But if there are consequences for actions there are also rewards. Some are intrinsic, but I also use extrinsic incentives. I will give stones or homework passes or a pass to read a book to a 2nd grade class. We can be so concerned with the negatives that we lose sight of giving attention to the quiet great students we have that don't eat up ten or 15 minutes of out time each day. You gotta get the students to 1) trust and 2) believe you believe in them. You gain so much from that... dag-nab-it... There's times I just don't feel respected by the public. (Not talking about Mel...we've had this discussion before...) And so, uh...I did it again...wrote a long post... I guess I've been feeling frustrated at work lately and I chose here to vent. I apologize for venting...I'd erase this again but I'm sure my fingers will just reinvent what I deleted. Merry Christmas everyone. Awesome job, Mel. I'm also impressed how much you give to the kids and teachers. (oh - and rocks and minerals are directly taught in 4th and 6th grade) Thank you, Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 11, 2011 20:32:37 GMT -5
I was running through Carlos' history looking for Zapata agates when I saw this posting.
I heard a story recently that might add a different spin on this.
At a show a while back I was talking to a vender who has a lot of connections and we wound up talking about Bots for a few minutes. I said it was annoying that they only export semi-polished stones now. He indicated that I should watch for sources coming from China. He said Botswana brought in a large amount of Chinese construction companies to do infrastructure work and that these groups exported quite a few barrels of unworked Bots back into China.
I have no other source other than this dealer, but it was an interesting conversation.
As Rod Serling said so well: For your consideration...
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 11, 2011 13:55:12 GMT -5
To all,
I'm heading to the Hauser Beds Dec 29th. I'm trying to get a two dayer out of the trip but family obligations are intruding and I doubt I'll be able to get a day 2 from it.
I believe I will be staying at the Motel 6 in Blythe the night before - hitting a quick breakfast around 6:00 am at Denny's and then heading out to the beds. I plan to hit several sites during the day - mostly in the southern Black Hills - and several are up steep hillsides.
If you want to come, please let me know - but I will let you know - I will be nice and tell you about each of the places as we go through, but I'm on a mission to dig and collect and do a little exploration for some new places to hunt, so I won't be staying in one place too long. If you find you like a place to dig and want to stay, I'll say "I'm happy" but I'm moving on to the next spot. Hope I don't sound too bad saying this, but I haven't had a day out there in over a year and I get bored if I stay in one spot too long. Though you don't absolutely need 4 w Drive, I recommend it. Also, if you want to go to all places, you need to be able to climb steep hills a bit. If you don't want to climb the hills, we will be next to places where you can park your vehicle and dig. These roadside sites are very much kid friendly - just watch for holes.
If you want to do more than one day - roam around with me the first day, and then head back out the next. The roads are not excessively bad, and once you've driven them, they aren't too hard to follow. It's the first time out that you need to learn the layout of the land.
Oh.. and don't pick up hitchhikers as you pass the state prison..
Is there anyone out there who might want to come, please let me know.
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 2, 2011 22:32:27 GMT -5
Much thanks !
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 2, 2011 22:31:45 GMT -5
Wow! Great images! Thanks for adding them all.
I'm looking forward to revamping your whole section of country with what you've added.
The Agate Index is best when local collectors show off material from their neighborhood. You've done much to improve it!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Dec 2, 2011 22:26:39 GMT -5
Wow, guys!
I've never been up there. I didn't know how productive it would be with the new park boundaries and collecting limitations.
As for the photos - great shots (and material I don't have a ton of for the Agate Index, so if you don't mind, I'll be poaching the rock images...)
Makes me want to head up there for a day of exploration.
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 30, 2011 22:46:17 GMT -5
Thanks for posting these!
It's always great to see material from lesser known locations,
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 28, 2011 22:52:38 GMT -5
Last week I was waiting on a chance to go rock hunting in the Northern Cady's. At first we were going to be heading in a large group, then things looked to be cancelled, then the location changed, so I wasn't sure until Friday I was going at all. (Apologies to Christopher1234 at the Oxnard Show a week ago as I told him about the trip but couldn't lock it in until way late Friday.) So finally it was just my friend Ron and myself. We headed out late friday, spent the night in Barstow, then headed out early to Basin Road off the I-40, the access point for the North Cady's. We threaded our way through the mining road, railroad tracks, and off-roaders and plunged into the long 10 mile sandy drive to the hunting spots. The main landmark here is nicknamed Pepto-Bismol Hill - you can see why it's named this - it's much pinker in person... Closer look: We started by driving about 2 - 3 miles past the pink hill to a side canyon. We had been here before and found a hill - we call it Flattop - which is covered in agate nodules, some with white fortification, some with sagenite. I gathered a small bagful for kicks and grins: I found the opposite pieces of a couple nodules that broke apart. Here's one where the pieces were 20 feet apart: About 100 yards farther along was a hill I had dug a bunch of angelwing and plume out of a couple years ago. We decided to roam around the hill to find more outcrops of agate. Along the way we grabbed a bunch of small crystal plates and pieces for prizes in March's Gem Show we run: My daughter insisted on showing them off, but was unhappy she couldn't take them all: And a bunch of small crystal pieces for our grab bags: We dumped the finds back at the car, then decided to hike past the plume hill and see what we could find. We pushed on about another 1/2 mile and found another seam-crossed hill, this time the colors of the seams ranged from white to blue to pinkish to purple. I filled a bag with tumbling sized pieces along with some larger plates. Then, on our hike back, we found a small mound littered with hundreds of purple agate pieces - most fractured, but some good enough to take. I worked one seam while Ron started picking at the ground. He hit a seam a couple inches wide and we followed it for 3 or four feet, prying out what we could: We washed a piece or two and though some looks a little grainy, I'm hoping this stuff polishes: We returned to the truck, tried to follow the road through a narrow canyon, but the sides had collapsed and our wheelbase was a little wide to pass without possible issues. We returned to P-B hill and went about a 1/2 mile south. Two canyons over is an old mine that dumped a bunch of bright green fluorite with its tailings. The mine is closed, but people love digging for the green material. Some pieces are large enough to make things with. We weren't after the fluorite. I wanted to hit a travertine spot that also produced a jasper I nicknamed "Psychedelic Jasper" cause to me it looks like the swirling patterns on 1960's rock posters from San Francisco. (Mel's plume jasper is up beyond the mine somewhere, but I've never traveled that far). So here is the jasper I pulled out. You gotta hunt for solid pieces. We then had to head out and drive the 225 or so miles back home. On the way we passed a car being towed out of sand, a car stalled for lack of coolant, a truck with an engine fire, and miles of Las Vegas traffic pushing back to Los Angeles. It was a fun trip out, and I look forward to heading out there again. Next up- Hauser Beds in December. Thanks for looking, Lowell
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