My last outing, A Weekly posting |
My last outing, A Weekly posting |
May 1 2011, 04:55 PM
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#1
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Rock Bar! Group: Members Posts: 637 Joined: 5-April 11 From: All of Colorado Member No.: 15,615 |
Looking for Amazonite and Crystals
It was suspossed to be a real cold & crappy day around here according to the weather station so I was all set-in for a boering weekend. . I got up and it was cold but clear. Then I listened to the weather report again and it said the snow should start falling around noon. I figured I had about 5 good hours of usable time so I headed up to the local spot in the hills. I wanted to work a spot that I had found the week before and know there is still some "items of interest" left in it. It was a little chilly but that hill will turn up the heat quick. I never made it to my intended spot. As usual, I don't take the same path up the hill twice. I kind of zig-zag up it to the height I want to be at then shoot straight accrossed. This time I stumbled into a different area that hadn't been worked and showed good amazonite. I figured to shoot my entire 5 hour wad at this new sight and call it a day from there. But the expected fowl weather did not set in as expected. So after working that area for awhile I set off in another direction. This time I went prospecting for crystals. By prospecting I mean, randomly digging a small hole here and there and see if something looks good. I trapsed up and down the hillside and found two more spots that had been worked for Amazonite but did not look promising for any good grade specimens. One hole I dug did produce some crystals. I brought back around 70 bits and pieces. All in all I was very satisified with my Saturday. I got to put in around 10 hours of hill time on what was suspossed to be a crappy day and found more areas that need worked. In the pic you can see the Amazonite clearly but the other crystals are, well kind of lumpy. I believe they are "Pseudo-morphed" or something. Not sure. Anybody got any guesses?? Later, Woody -------------------- Proud CP Lifetime Member
(currently working hard in the procurement department) |
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Jun 6 2011, 10:14 AM
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#2
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Rock Bar! Group: Members Posts: 637 Joined: 5-April 11 From: All of Colorado Member No.: 15,615 |
Had an opportunity to check out areas 17 and 18 this weekend. I wanted to explore some areas that I had never been before and this location fit the bill. I had my stepdaughter and her friend along for the camping trip so I was not expecting to do any heavy gold panning. Both area reports and directions were well defined and easy to follow/find. The roads were well maintained and 2wd vehicles should do fine in good weather.
We first visited LM area 17. We took a long hike up the hill that lasted most of the day. It was a great time to be up in the high country. Wild flowers were in full bloom and temperatures were excellent. This place offers many different experiences and is close enough to the main roads that it would be a great place to host a large family outing. We saw a lot of wildlife sign. Evidence of deer, elk, and bear were everywhere and even with 3 people and a dog we were able to get close to some deer. It was the neighbor kids first time being out in the Colorado Mountains so I was glad she was able to see some animals. This area is a little too dry for my style of gold prospecting. I did not find water in the area. I have never had an opportunity to do any dry washing and am very unfamiliar with the required technique. I intend to someday broaden my horizons and learn this method but for now I had to pass. I think this area is however well suited for rock hounds. I found a lot of material that would probably make great polished slabs. I found several different locations were people had dug material out of the ground. I wasn’t quite able to work out what they were after. I don’t think it was gold but they put in a lot of effort getting after something. I would like to return at a later time when I am more focused and able to explore at a slower pace. Next we went to area 18. I was looking for an area that had water close by so I could hang out with the kids but still play in the dirt. We never made it. As it turned out the road was closed at the point where it crosses into NFS land for the second time. The sign says something like “Closed seasonally from 1 April to 15 June for Elk Calving”. Being as this is a trophy hunting area, “Area 49”, I fully understand the necessity to close it off and we were not upset. There was a nice little spot close to the gate so that’s where we set up camp. Again no water so I just left my gold panning tools packed up for the week end. We took several hikes in the area and the views here are truly remarkable. I took lots of pictures but the smoke in the air from all the wildfires burning kind of messes up the picture. Early the next morning I hiked up to a hill top to try to get a pic before the smoke set in. As I was climbing up the hill a Cow Elk came running right at me and the dog. She got to about 20 feet of us before she veered off to the right. Gave the dog a good jolt. She is not yet two and this was her first encounter with up close wildlife. The Elk circled back and started barking at us. “That’s right, I said Barking”. Her body language told me she had a calf close by so we changed our direction of travel and this seemed to settle her down. I made it up the hill and got the shot I wanted. Had a great time in these two areas and can’t wait to post some pics. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be back soon. Have a good one, Woody. Pics coming soon~ -------------------- Proud CP Lifetime Member
(currently working hard in the procurement department) |
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