The family and I took a trip to a friend of ours claim.
He has found some great things such as large smokey quartz crystals, Goethite, large fluorites, Amazonite and much more. Most all have come in combos also. Very Nice!!
Here are some pics of Dan and I digging our own hole there.
We got down about 9 feet then we hit hard rock finally.
It was a little bit more of a tight hole for Dan though.
The kids sure loved playing in our tailings pile.
We put in a couple of stairs................. ...............but watch out for that last one, it's getting to be a doozie.
Eventually we will get deeper, and lazy and add a rope like Quentin did in his 18-20 foot (so far) hole. Now that steps a doozie!!
We had a great time, and next time we go, I will take more pics.
you need to frame those walls before going ANY deeper!
AWESOME.......I want to play in that hole, I can tell that the dirt is so solid that collapse is not possible ( you can't make a smooth wall in the second photo with loose pack )
BUT precaution is always the better part of thinking when your looking at a few tons at minimum above you.
I've got a climbing harness, lets play
Rp
Cabin fever is setting in! I know im ready to hit the hole. How about you snowdog?
Redpaws bringing the harness.
I'm R_E_A_D_Y, would like to see what's under that rock that's in the bottom. The only thing we need to harness is the rocks to get them out! Then keep on diggin
I'll bring the shovels! I was thinking that maybe we could leave that rock in there for a ledge to put all our wonderful finds on before we get them out of the hole.
We could just start cutting into the left more and start stepping it down again.
There might even be something like this under our rock.
This was one of Quentins last finds.
hmmmm..... What will they find next?
A huge smokey quartz, some Amazonite, Goethite, or maybe more Fluorites?
Quick..... Get me a pick and shovel, the suspense is killing me.
Here is a pic of what Timmy found the other day.
Thats my boy!
what a cool pic of tim!happy as can be!
This is a pic of what Anita found in her dig spot.
These are some beautiful fluorites! They refused to be square, they took on a more square tip and round sides look. Guess mother nature was thinking outside the box when these were made.
Purples, blues and even some clear like ice.
Nice score Anita!!
Here is a pic of the baseball sized one all cleaned up with a few smokeys decorating the matrix.
This one was from a few digs ago found by Quentin.
Another fun day at the digs!
!?!?!?!?!?
Ohhhhh! That's Dan....ok! For a moment there I though bigfoot had raided your camp!
Carl
carl, your cold!!!!
now now denise!! haha
hehehe
Ok Russ.
Quentin and Anita migth have their specimens at the Pikes Peak Gem and Mineral show in Colorado Springs on June 17th-19th at 10AM-5PM. I will find out today.
Here are a few pics of Mike and I working on our hole at the Dreamtime.
Here is when Mike jumped into the hole to dig some more....
Hes thinking..... "Did you want this hole big enough for a person to fit in?"
Mike is going to get pics of Snowdog and Dan in the new hole they are starting.
always fun being a gopher isnt it, but what i really want to know is................
is that the first time those legs seen sunlight this year?
Gopher's dont get alot of sun on their legs.....
i suppose your right
A little miners yoga anyone?.......
This is a picture Mike took.
Here is a pic Mike took of Snowdog in the new dig.
SD is half armadilo and half backhoe. Joe
im not even going to ask , which half is which
We talked to Quentin the other day, and he says the snow and ground is warm enough that he has been out digging already...hehe
Here is a pic of Jason last year on his claim "The Blue On Black", after pulling out a Smokey quartz on Amazonite.....MMMMMMMMMMM...I had great timing with my camera.
Do you have the need to get out and dig as bad as I do?...
Hi denise, You got plans to get out digging soon.
They sure are pretty rocks
Hi Alan. Nothing in the plans as of yet. We have been enjoying being in a gold bearing area again.
I cant keep from crystal digging long though... Especially knowing there is a baby blue fluorite just waiting for me to find it.
Here is a pic of several smokey quartz crystals about 7 feet in the hole.
The one on the right is about the size of a human head.
It doesnt get much better then this.
Here is a pic of the proud claim owner.....
Nice claim you have there Quentin!
wow, thats huge denise. is it in your hole?did you dig it out yet.Wheres the pics
You gotta go over and get digging.
I wish it was my hole.
Actually its Quentins hole. Amazing to see how they look in the ground still before they pull them out and get them all cleaned up. Gets the adrenalin flowing thats for sure.
The jack must be for the mini mucking cart in there.....rats a flat.....
Check out this nice find! Sweet purple fluorites.....
Here are a couple pics of a square faceted smoky quartz from the Dreamtime mine.
Faceting and pic are done by Ed L.
Very nice work Ed! Thanks for sending the pictures out and we can't wait to see the next pieces you work on.
CP
Fantastic work Ed!
Here is a smokey I have been working on for Dans birthday.
Its a little over 2 inches long, and over 1/2 inch thick.
Its not done yet, but so far I have ingraved from the backside (CP),
and have polished it up a bit. Im going to set in gold he has found into the letters.
Think he will like it? I'll post a picture of it when Im done.
There sure are some amazing crystals in Colorado.
and a pic not so close up.
Some amazing things being pulled after the tractor work! Huge combos of all kinds.
man what an adventure. i would have loved to been there.
.
Looks like you'll be getting that chance Jim.
Its going to be a blast! You are going to love this place!
Here are a few pics of more things found in the Teller area.
Purple Fluorites on Microcline. This piece is bigger than my hand.
For those of you who like a little blue in your specimen world!
Specimens of Amazonite. Some great twins!
Not all the Amazonite found is specimen quality like these....But definately makes great material for making into jewelry. I find small pieces all over the ground.
This is gonna be the first real dig that I've ever been on. Man am I ready!!!!!!
It will also be the first time that I ever went gold prospecting. It's gonna be sooo much fun.
Got a date set up for that, Denise? Or is it by invite only?
Date will be Monday May 26th. We have more info about it in the Spring Fling thread if your interested Carl.
More pieces to add to my Microcline collection.
They should clean up nicely.
Here is a nice smokey quartz. I put my fingers in the picture so you can see the size of the crystal. Still pretty dirty now, but will clean up well.
Very cool indeed. I ended up getting a number of plates like that Denise. I also came home with a good double hand full of smokies.Some of the smokies are facetable. The trip was something that will always stand out in my mind. It was a blast. Jim
Very cool Denise, really like the Amazonite.
Very cool Jim... We are very glad you had a good time while here in Colorado! I would love to see some pics of your finds since I wasnt there that day!!
So you like the Amazonite eh Sean?
There are some amazing specimens coming out of that area.
Here is one thats larger than a softball. Lets see who knows their stuff...hehe
Can anyone tell me what the white stuff is on the Amazonite?
I know the answer, I just want to see who paying attention, and would love to see more feedback in the CP forums.
You never know, the first correct answer could win someone a piece of Amazonite.
The answer is Clevelandite...on the Amonzonite
From Ruby
Colorado
Fantastic Ruby, thats correct! Looks like you just won yourself some Amazonite.
I'll be contacting you for mailing info soon.
btw.......Welcome to the CP forums.
Timmy is a miner if I ever saw one!!hehe
hehe Yes he is Jack!
Here is what we will be sending you Ruby......Its not softball sized,
but it will fill the palm of your hand. You will enjoy it im sure.
Sorry for the fuzzy pic, it sure doesnt do this specimen justice.
Sorry about bumping this one back up but great thread! This is the place Jim had told me he went to. Does somebody own this claim and let other dig on it for a fee? I saw the first pics and was wondering where the backhoe was as digging down 10 feet is mighty tough work but then I saw later in the thread the backhoe I guess the owner uses.. The piece the guy is holding to the camera with the single smokey attached to the amazonite is an awesome spec.
Sorry? What fer'! This is one of our favorite threads. No problem at all.
Yes that is a claim that one of our friends owns called the Dreamtime mine. Many world class pieces have been mined there.
The combo piece Jesse is holding is a killer one which is from a different claim nearby called the Blue on Black.....also well known for many fine pieces.
We did have the privilage of digging there last year for the spring outing when Jim visited but that was a specially arranged dig and at this time we don't have another in the planning............yet.
Just amazing how many different things can be found around that area.
Dang it! Everytime I read this thread I just wanna' head off diggin'! But can't!!
I don't know how many good places you guys have to dig out there but I must say I am blessed by living where I do in ATL because I have access to all these awesome places to dig within 3 hours of me at bthe most. That includes North carolina too. I am sure CO has more places than you can count, though
lol dan. yep the day at dreamtime will be a day remembered for a long time. maybe at the spring fling next year we can go again.
it makes me happy to see that the Dream Time mine is doing so well after the "rocky" start he had with the gubermint awhile back in getting him up-n-running! SALUTE!
The Dreamtime has always been just that, a dream of Quentins. If one doesn't give up on their dreams, anything is possible.
Keep shooting for the stars Quentin, your almost there!
Here is a pic of a few more goodies mined in the past from the Dreamtime.
Picture with my hand to show size comparison.....
What a SWEET sight!
I thought someone would say something about those amazing Smokey Quartz crystals.
Maybe a huge Goethite will get a reply. This has got to be the largest Goethite I have ever seen! Another sweet find from Quentin.
Jealousy often inspires a tight lip and I am certianly jealous. (I want some), Woody
It is a great claim, Quentin is a very lucky man!
Here is a picture of me digging after he loosened the dirt a bit for me with the tractor.
Dan pointed out to me that it looks like I have a big vug under my butt.....
Are they gonna do that again this summer?
The Colorado Prospector club members do have an invite to this claim this year yep and the details on that will be posted soon. We'll all have to pin down a date for that as well. Check the protected club members forum section for those updates soon.
The Dreamtime mine has produced some sweet specimens and continues to give up some world class mind boggling pieces too. Everyone will have a great time!
I wonder if he ever dug that vug out that I was sitting on.
Its an amazing claim, and so far several people are planning on attending. It's going to be a great time exposing those specimens to light for the first time. Its like watching a baby being born , screaming included.
For those club members who do wish to attend this year........check the protected forum section thread for details, it's time to make/finalize your reservations, or contact me directly to set up your reservation if you wish.
CP
Updates have been posted for this gathering, check the protected forum section for details.
This is a Colorado Prospector club members invite.....DON'T MISS OUT!
CP
Maaaaaan I am seriously jealous of those smokies, I really oughtta find a site where I could hounding for those in.
This thread sure gets the blood pumping! Colorado has some amazing things to dig! Those huge smokeys pictured in this thread are from a friends claim. He definately has some sweet smokeys!!
I like this thread too. Some HUGE smokies and killer combos!
Any chance of another CP crystal dig outing again this year? I would do a pay-to-dig or maybe a good NFS or BLM researched area? I had a great time, met fun people, and learned a lot last year for sure.
Also got some nice specimens!
I don't know of a crystal pay-to-dig in that area. Getting together for a crystal dig day would be great! With the proper research, one would be surprised what's open still to prospecting. Just having another opportunity to show some of the members what to look for when prospecting for crystals, how the crystal are dug and the tools used would be great.
Very cool thread! I'd love to find a sweet combo like some of those! I've found smoky and I've found Amazonite, but never the two together. But then I've only been looking for a year or two, so hopefully the smarter I get, the better chance I'll have!
Keep digging Crusty and you will find that combo soon.
They sometimes hide in all that dirt coating so be careful when cleaning them up.
This thread always makes me want to dig bad!!
Here are two cool pieces found in the same area, Microcline and Amazonite (a variety of Microcline). Amazing what a variation in the mix will do!
These are keepers!
Yes, I've looked at this several times already, Mrs. CP.
Wish I was there for that, I'm free labor - just want to learn.
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