Woody,
That was an awesome tale and you had me on the edge of my seat there for a minute! I thought for sure she was gonna get a shot off. Really glad that you had time to take the kids out and definitely sounds like they had a good time. I cannot think of a better guide than YOU.
Thanks for taking us along (vicariously) for that adventure!

This week I was able to get back up to the spot where I have been doing some rock hounding at before the snow fell. I continued working the seam of Amazonite I had started earlier. After a short while the green Amazonite started to transition into harder bits and pieces. There was even the occasional showing of smoky Quartz. I dug around that seam for several hours and found some samples that looked like they would clean up nice.
I had been in an uncomfortable position for a long time and decided to try a different approach. So I dropped down hill a couple of yards and started to dig in the scree. I quickly uncovered some nice large sections that at one time had good crystal growth on the top sides. That indicated to me there was once a shelf protruding out of this spot with good Amazonite. I continued to dig in the alluvial decomposing granite and found enough large pieces to encourage this method of searching. I wish I could have seen these sections of rock before Father Time took a little off the top, so to speak.

Now everything is covered in about 10 inches of snow and might stay that way for the winter. I am so glad I shifted some priorities around and took the time to go on what might be my last opportunity to dig in the ground for a while. I will still get out, I just have to change my plans to accommodate winter. Stay warm everyone, Woody.

Here is a pic after I did a quick clean up. I still have not got around to buying the right cleaning accessories that everyone keeps telling me about. Hopefully I will soon and can make a winter project out of cleaning a lot of my rocks.

The last pic shows two of my best pieces ever. I did find one rock that was too large to carry out whole and I might save that story for another time.

Fantastic finds Woody, you definately hit a good spot! Maybe you can sneak into the kitchen and "borrow" some of the vinegar for cleaning them up a bit till you can get some SIO.



I'm seeing a baby blue color Woody........... Maybe we should ask CP or Swizz what color they see?

aqua!

Thanks Mrs Cp,

and Swizz I think Aqua fits nicely in the realm of possibilities of color. Sometime I will have to do a line-up and show the full spectrum of colors I have of it so far. Quite versital. This spot should give me pleanty of oppertunities to get out of the house anytime I am feeling bored. Hopefully the snow will not be too bad and I can get to it this winter as well. woody.

This weekend was kind of nasty around here. The recent snows have pretty much melted and left the foot hills in my area muddy. I decided to head south a bit and take the stepson Rabbit Hunting. Living on the Front Range of Colorado does have its drawbacks, including having to drive for over 60 miles just to hunt a rabbit. Back home I can drive 4 miles and get my limit without putting in a full day of work. Here I’m lucky to get two but you know how it goes, …. “If you can’t be with the one you love….
Any way we did have a good day of it. We saw 5 rabbits and got three. It was some tuff hunting. The ratio was one to one. For every mile we walked, we saw one rabbit. For now I’ll take those odds and be glad to have them. It had been a long time since I was able to get out hunting small game, I think three years now.
The first rabbit jumped up and took off at around 60 yards. I threw some lead at him but he was never in any real danger. I used the excuse that I had to knock some of the rust off of me. I’m pretty sure I heard the rabbit chuckle but I think the stepson bought it. The next rabbit jumped up in front of the youngster and he yelled, “Rabbit”! But it was too late, I done rolled em’. Uh, the rabbit that is. Not the youngen’. We seen another Fleabag streak across the prairie but he was about two counties away and just outside of my missile range. The next rabbit popped up and started boogieing off to my right. I just sort of Flat-Lined him right there and put an end to all the drama. Then we walked for at least two more miles and didn’t see a thing. Just before we got back to the truck we were fairly worn out and my ol’ butt was draggin. I was plodding along and snapped back to the living when I heard the crack of a shotgun. Mason bent down and picked up his rabbit and came up with a big ol grin on his face. It was a long walk but it could have been longer. That was the first rabbit he ever got all by his “onezies”.
After that we went to another location and did not see a thing. We were in an area I knew well and I called a halt for lunch in a spot that looked promising for what I was after next. As we ate our sandwiches I started poking around in the rocks and in just a short time I had found what I was looking for. Sharks Teeth! And quite a lot of them at that. Spent maybe an hour playing in the rocks but came away with a nice haul. You just got to love good old Colorado. Where else can you go Rabbit and Shark Teeth hunting all in the same day? Have a good one, Woody.

In these first few pics you can really see how different some of the teeth are. But they are all from Sharks of one type or another.

Look at how well preserved some of these are. You can still clearly see the serrated edges still on the teeth in the next pic. The last pic shows mainly the teeth from a type of Crusher Shark. It has a funny name. Something like Whipple-lot-alus.

Woody, I am definitely awestruck at your Shark Teeth! Just..... WOW, nice stuff there.
I posted a classic just for you in the Jam Sessions category to go with your Rabbit hunting adventure.
(I accidentally added it to Denise's "Love Shack" thread.... oops, n00b )

Very cool shark tooth finds Woody! It amazes me all the different things one can find here in Colorado while out prospecting.

So what do you do with the rabbit pelts Woody Fudd?....hehe


Great song Swizz!!

So what do you do with the rabbit pelts Woody Fudd/?

For the most part, shooting them with a shot gun is not the best option if you are going to skin them out. Occasionally I will get one that is just head-shot and take the time to dry the hide. As anyone can tell you that has ever tried to tan a bunny hide, it is very thin and tears easily. So I dont even try it unless I have a good hide to start with.
However, I did reciently read that artical on how to make a Bunny Blanket in the survial section of this forum. I don't think I will ever get 50 pelts But I might find something in that section that catches my eye. Woody.

This weekend I tried to get up to my spot for digging Amazonite.

I found that is was covered in snow and tried looking in a different area instead. All the slopes that faced towards the Northwest had a fair amount of snow on them. I saw one that faced more southern and was able to hike over to it. I had been walking for over an hour, scratching here and there with no results, and was starting to not expect much from this trip. Then I found an area that had small, chunky pieces of Microline mixed in with the scree. I started scratching around in this area and soon found some crystals. They were in a spot that was very easy to get and looked great in hand. I could tell that I was digging on the edge of a granite outcropping and the dirt at the edge was where the crystals were. I took home somewhere around 100 pieces. Most are not much to look at but I always take enough to study later on at the house. When they come out of the ground they are covered in mud and kind of hard to tell if there is any other mineral associated with them. So when I am in a new spot I take enough study later on until I am certain exactly what I am looking for in that spot.

As they were coming out of the ground I was hoping they were of the smoky variety but as I cleaned them up the crystals didn’t look as well as I was hoping. There was smoky quartz in the crystals but they had a lot of secondary growth on them and were not very see-through. I even went to Home Depot to buy some Super Iron Out but they did not have any. I will keep checking other hardware stores in my area until I find some. Once I do, I will post up some pics of the finished product. If they turn out well that is. Have a good one, Woody.

Here is what they look like after I clean them with a brush and water. I will get some Supper Iron Out and see if it gets rid of the rust.

Another great looking cache there Woody.
Try giving them a 24hr soak in vinegar while you're trying to locate the Super Iron Out.
I had my local mom & pop Ace Hardware order it for me and they had it the next day, not expensive.
Git you one of them textile guns this winter too, highly recommended as you know!

Went out on Saturday and worked my way back to the same hillside I had been digging for crystals previously. The weather was nice to start with but soon became extremely windy. It was windy enough that I could not focus on the hole I was digging. I could hear trees falling in the distance from time to time and I always kept one eye on the trees that were surrounding me. Even my dog was uncomfortable just sitting there. “It was so windy that the paint job on my truck was damaged on two sides when I got back”.

I verified that there was still interesting material left in this hole and devised a plan. I wanted to waste some time by hiking from my current location to a spot I had stashed some slabs of Amazonite before. I was hoping the wind would die down by the time I got there.

The wind never quit and I never made it to my intended spot. Along my route I kept poking here and there and before long I found another location that held crystals. I worked in this new spot until the sun went down and had to return home. This new spot seemed to produce crystals that were a little clearer and I must return soon.

If anyone is interested in heading out for a little digging in the dirt please let me know. I will be glad to have the company. Have a good one, Woody.