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Colorado Prospector - Gem and mineral prospecting and mining forums _ Prospector's Outings and Adventures _ My last outing

Posted by: Woody May 1 2011, 04:55 PM

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


 

Posted by: golden_journey May 1 2011, 05:45 PM

awesome. what will you do with it?

Posted by: Woody May 2 2011, 09:26 AM

For the most part I just put them out back and watch my Rock Garden grow. I do have a nice “indoor” collection of materials that I have collected since I was a child but most of the stuff I find does not measure up. I have quite a collection of odds and ends out back. At times I ponder selling the lot to a rock shop or possibly donating some of the material to a local Science class. The main enjoyment is in procuring the specimens. I wish I was set up with a saw and cabbin machine. Maybe someday if I retire? Till then I will just keep bring home more stuff for the wife to throw at me. Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: Woody May 9 2011, 09:56 AM

Drew a blank on prospecting this weekend.

I was intending to get up around Taylor and sniff for some of that elusive yeller stuff but once I got there I found conditions unfavorable. In some places the snow was still 4 feet high. It is way too early to hit the high stuff. There seems to be a very late run-off this year especially on the western side of the hills. The Front Range area looks to be melting nicely but west of Salida and Buena Vista the mountains are still holding there snow pack. I will have to try a little lower next time.

Continuing on my trip, I went to Blue Mesa and spent some time with my family over there. We caught a few from all the main food groups; Rainbows, Brownies, Kokos, and Big Macs. Sometimes a person has to take advantage of what nature offers. This time of year is excellent for fishing. Later, Woody

Posted by: Woody May 17 2011, 10:04 PM

Nasty weather again this weekend. Not much chance of getting high up in the hills so I settled for getting muddy, wet, and cold closer to home. I went back up to the Pikes Peak area and sniffed around looking for Crystals. Didn't have much luck until just before dark and I tried one last spot. I found a handful in a little pocket that was only about 2 inches from the surface. Nothing too fancy, but a little something for my efforts. I keep looking for that elusive doubble terminated opaque Smoky snuggled comfortably in a bed of Amazonite. Till then, I will take what comes up and be thankful for it.

I am still keeping an eye the high ground and will soon focus my efforts to Gold prospecting. I was able to get down the dredge this weekend and gave it a check-up. I am happy to say it now has a Clean Bill of Health. Good luck to you all, Woody.

Here is a pic of the three biggest crystals. (Sorry, I do need to get a better camera).


 

Posted by: mikeybrew May 23 2011, 09:15 PM

Some nice amazonite in that first pic, if all that was found in a half day of poking around, you're doing alright! Must be a pretty decent locale. Congrats on the finds!

Posted by: Woody May 25 2011, 12:07 PM


Thanks Mikeybrew,

Location, location, location. I just started going to this spot about 2 months ago, “been away for a long time”, and every time I end up finding more and more places where people have dug to get at the Amazonite. Some of the places are very old and done a long time ago, in other areas the material is laying everywhere. I spend a lot of time working near some of these areas looking to see if there is still any left others may have overlooked. I’m looking for what I call, “Wild Amazonite”, stuff nobody has ever seen before. I tend to pass on most of the tailings of others as I figure they surely got the better pieces. I have pulled some basketball sized chunks of rocks out of the ground that were about half Amazonite but they were mostly of poorer quality. Low Quality Amazonite crumbles easily in hand. It would be more correct to say it “Cleaves” much like Mica but in bigger slabs. Hopefully one day I will find a sample that has good color and is combined with Smoky Crystals.

This last weekend I had family come down so I never made it out prospecting for gold like I wanted to but did manage to hit the hills on Sunday looking for crystals. I found one area that the Amazonite is clearly visible in a vain about 1 foot wide and 20 feet long. It is on the side of a small cliff face and it has been worked for many years. I took a couple of whacks at it myself but after about 2 hours I was satisfied that it contained only low quality material as well. I continued to scratch around for other items and did find some Fluorite with a faint color of purple. Most of the stuff I found was not very big and I would love to post some pics but I really, really need to get a camera that does macro. Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: Woody May 27 2011, 09:40 PM

27th of May, 2011
Finally able to get out and start prospecting for gold today. I’m usually not one to sit behind the wheel and go nature viewing, “I prefer getting off the roads”, but this morning Mother Nature was just throwing it at me. On the way out of town I seen the customary Mule Deer & Antelope then a little ways further I spotted two different groups of Cow Elk and thought to myself, “well at least it starts nice”. Then I was actually looking on the side of the road where I had seen a Badger several years before and from out of the blue, here comes a Bear. It took me a few seconds to get stopped and get the camera out but I did manage to get a picture. I was having a great day all ready. I also seen another small heard of Elk and this time there was three Bulls in Velvet. I stopped and watched them for a few seconds and noticed that the biggest Bull had a broken hind leg. It swung from side to side and was totally useless. I might be mistaken but that ol’ feller probably won’t be around to see the end of summer. I wish him luck.
Anyway, back to panning. I only ran a couple of buckets through the sluice but it was enough to know I was in an area that might reward someone if they worked hard at it. My intent was to check out the entire area and not get to involved with just the stream. There is still a fair amount of snow on some of the slopes in the high country so I did not stray too far. I found color in both the stream and hillside. Nothing very big but I was satisfied, “the pic I took is the first one I ever seen that makes small specs look big”. It was spitting rain and snow with high winds & Cold temperatures so I did not stay very long. I shall return another day with heavier equipment like a high banker or dredge.
I then headed over and checked out an area that I heard a person could find Trilobites if he looked hard enough. It was about 70 miles away and by the time I got there the weather had changed to mostly sunny. I didn’t find any at first and was about to give up when I figured out the secret. Just like gold, you got to find the right depth.
So me and the dog had a nice day. We found some color, some Trilobites, and got to see some awesome sights. The best part of it all is, the weekend just started! Woody.







 

Posted by: Woody May 27 2011, 09:44 PM

More Pics




 

Posted by: Woody May 27 2011, 09:48 PM

27th of May, 2011




 

Posted by: swizz May 27 2011, 09:55 PM

Woody,
Wow! What a great adventure and thanks for sharing those pics. Pretty rare to see a Bear out and about like that. We see them here but only the ones that come into town and raid everyone's trash, which is different.
I really like the Trilobites, rare finds indeed and interesting reddish matrix. happy088.gif
...and Gold!!
What more could you ask for?
Kudos!!

Posted by: ColoradoProspector May 29 2011, 08:38 AM

Awesome day indeed! What a great adventure, thanks for sharing the pics. I really like the trilobites in redish sedimentary material, nice finds!
happy088.gif

Posted by: mikeybrew May 31 2011, 09:37 PM

Great trilobites, I didn't know 'bites of that quality could be found in Colorado. Would you be willing to share the location? If not, completely understood, but never hurts to ask!

Posted by: Woody Jun 1 2011, 10:52 AM

No problem,

Just shoot me an email and I will fill you in. This is also fairly close to area I do my rock collecting in also so you might want to make a day of it. The invite is open to come out with me anytime. Here is my E-mail address; Badger4life@q.com I will not post specifics on line but I don't mind sharing the experince. Later, Woody.

Posted by: mikeybrew Jun 2 2011, 09:17 PM

QUOTE (Woody @ Jun 1 2011, 11:52 AM) *
No problem,

Just shoot me an email and I will fill you in. This is also fairly close to area I do my rock collecting in also so you might want to make a day of it. The invite is open to come out with me anytime. Here is my E-mail address; Badger4life@q.com I will not post specifics on line but I don't mind sharing the experince. Later, Woody.


Thanks Woody, I'll touch base with you via email. My collecting days are limited this year as we have a baby in the house this year, but I'll get out there a few days for sure, and always interested in new sites and material. Thanks!

-Mikey

Posted by: Woody Jun 6 2011, 10:14 AM

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~

Posted by: Woody Jun 6 2011, 08:21 PM

I don't normally post family pics but these guys strong-armed me. The second pic is of an Iris and another flower that I am unfamiliar with.




 

Posted by: Woody Jun 6 2011, 08:27 PM

The first pic has an Elk in it. Can ya see her? She stood there for a few seconds barking at us. The second pic is one of the best views I've seen in a long time. It was a short hike from where we camped. Have a good one, Woody.




 

Posted by: swizz Jun 6 2011, 09:23 PM

Woody,
Great report and another worthwhile adventure (I like the barking Elk story). You are definitely blessed with two beautiful kids and a nice ol pup! happy088.gif
Those are some good pics. I was able to spot the Elk but had to enlarge and still struggled for a few... good one. wink.gif
Thanks for the scouting on LM17. I need to expand my horizons and get over there sometime myself (dang fuel prices, grrr).
Keep up the good work. I'm enjoying your explorations vicariously as my work schedule has begun to tighten up a bit!
I had a very close Bear encounter camping last week... but that'll have to be a campfire story for another time. ohmy.gif happy070.gif ohmy.gif

Posted by: russau Jun 7 2011, 05:46 AM

Woody that flower looks like a dwarfed Iris,according to my wife!

Posted by: Woody Jun 7 2011, 12:21 PM

Thanks for the encouragement Swizz. I sure enjoy getting up in those hills. I usually go at it alone but anytime the young’ens want to tag along I don’t mind. It looks like next weekend I will be taking my Stepson and one of his friends. I’m not sure what areas I will try, I want to get up high but don’t think conditions warrant the effort right now. Will have to wait and see. I can't wait to hear that Bear story.

Russau any idea what that yellow flower would be. I’ve seen them often but don’t know what they might be called.

Here is another flower that I have seen frequently in the hills but don’t know the name of.



 

Posted by: russau Jun 9 2011, 05:57 AM

id have to ask my wife!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jun 10 2011, 05:52 PM

Fantastic update, and Im really enjoying the photos! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Happy looking family!

There is definately so much to enjoy out there, one just has to open their eyes to see it. Good eye Woody! happy088.gif

I know Im not Russ's wife giggle.gif , but I thnk it might be a Sego Lily. happy.gif
Here is a picture I took of one with a visitor on it at the 07' rally.


Posted by: Coalbunny Jun 13 2011, 02:09 AM

Looks like a Sego Lily to me.

Posted by: Woody Jun 13 2011, 08:51 AM

Thanks for the info on the wildflower guys. Now I have a name to match the face and I see some amazing pics when I search for it on google. Woody.

Posted by: Woody Jun 13 2011, 08:56 AM

Headed for the high country this weekend.

I went out with my brother this weekend and we finally got the dredge out on a creek. I wanted to get a little higher but as you can see by the first pic the weather was still a little unfavorable. We settled for going back down the mountain a bit lower. There was still ice on the ground each morning when you woke up but we waited for the sun to come out and thaw things out nicely before we started playing in the water. Even with a wet suit on it was still very chilly. This area is not one of the club spots but it is a known gold producer and has been well worked historically. We had never worked the area before so we hand panned until we found some color and just went from there. The first day was spent poking a hole and cutting into the bank. On the second day we tried to figure the gold out. By that I mean we did not know if the gold was better deeper, coming from the bank, or just mixed in with the top overburden. We decided to dredge straight down in the small hole we had created the day before to see what that looked like. All the gold in the second pic was the total take from the first day of dredging. Going straight down produced absolutely nothing. This was not considered a total loss and would be valuable information to someone who was really trying to figure the gold out. It meant the gold was either located in the bank or coming from the recently deposited top layer of sediment. In the end, we closed the book on this chapter believing the gold was only in the very top layer from recent run off action. Finding a spot that had never been worked would probably produce good results but the area we were in was pretty much played-out. We will have to find a different location next time.




 

Posted by: Woody Jun 13 2011, 09:01 AM

Here are some pictures of the dredge in action.




 

Posted by: Woody Jun 19 2011, 10:50 PM

I went to the Western Slope this Fathers Day weekend.

I had a real great time this weekend. I went up to the Grand Mesa with one of my brothers and my father. We kicked the ATV’s out at a parking spot only about 7 miles from my dad’s house. We then rode for two hours on the bikes to a really cool spot on the southern end of the Grand Mesa. We use to go here a lot when I was younger but I have not been to this part of the Mesa in over 30 years. My family had recently been fishing in one of the many lakes that are found here and done every well. In one of their outings they only caught 4 Brookies but the smallest was over 18 inches long. Imagine that, only catching four fish but each and every one of them qualify for a Master Angler Award. So we pitched a tent at one of the lakes and settled-in for a three day camping trip. I didn’t care that it rained almost the entire time, or that we did not catch any of those trophy Brookies. I still had a great time. Maybe it was the right time of the year or just the sharing of good company but this place is amazing. The wild flowers were in full bloom. You could smell them in the air almost every time you took a breath. It really felt good to be back in my old stomping grounds. In the end we departed Sunday morning and made plans to do a pack-in hunt in this location for Archery Season. I can’t wait to go back.

Happy Fathers Day Dad!







 

Posted by: Woody Jun 19 2011, 10:58 PM

Lots of different lakes in the area






 

Posted by: Woody Jun 19 2011, 11:05 PM

The wild flowers were in Full Bloom>






 

Posted by: Woody Jun 19 2011, 11:08 PM

More flowers.




 

Posted by: Woody Jun 19 2011, 11:10 PM

Since it was Fathers Day I had to post one of good ol' dad. Happy fathers Day.


 

Posted by: swizz Jun 19 2011, 11:45 PM

Woody,
Awesome trip reports and pics!!!!!
To me, this is the best time of year... and Happy Father's Day!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jun 20 2011, 12:53 PM

Always great to hear about your outings Woody, and the pictures are great! The wildflowers are always a pleasure to see, and you show some good ones. greensmilies-012.gif smiley-clapping.gif

This one that you showed is really cool.....


It's a Ballhead Waterleaf (Hydrophyllaceae), and is said to be the only Hydrophyllum which has flowers located below it's leaves. happy.gif
They usually grow in river bottoms, prairies and open woods from low to medium elevation.
Very pretty flower!!


Thanks for sharing with us, and I'm glad to see you had a good Fathers Day (Happy Fathers Day!).
smile.gif

Posted by: Woody Jul 6 2011, 11:43 AM


My fourth of July Weekend.

Went up to Northern Colorado this weekend and visited a claim owned by Chris, aka Swizz. I had an awesome time and was introduced to a part of the state I had never seen before. The views offered in this area are unlike anything I imagined. I always thought the border between Colorado and Wyoming was in a flatland type area like the corridor of I-25. It was a pleasant surprise. Colorado never seizes to amaze me.
When I got up to the claim the first thing I did was have a look around. Historically there has been a lot of mining activity at this claim location. Deep holes, tailing piles, and large sections of metal can be seen throughout the claim. Water is at a premium so large amounts of effort must have been consumed in getting the material closer to the main stream. We spent a lot of time in the evenings poking around in the campfire and discussing theories but some secrets are lost to the mountains forever.

Digging in the soil quickly produced an assortment of aggregate with lots of Quartz, heavy material, and black sand. The amount and size of Garnets found here are worthy of mention. I think someone skilled at working small stones might be interested in this as well. “Hint-hint, Mrs. CP”. In some areas there was a fair amount of overburden, in others the colorful gravel was laying on the ground like topsoil. Lots of the material comes out of the ground as if it has been recently run through a rock crusher. The edges are sharp and jagged. Occasionally a fist sized stone will pop-out with perfectly rounded sides indicating geologic activity has been selectively kinder to that one. I think there is a good, distinct representation of at least two separate glacial activities found here as well with several inches of material between the two layers.

It was difficult to keep my nose out of my screenings and focus on production. In the end I failed at that task, just way too many sparkly, shinny things to distract a person. At first it was a crap-shoot at finding the yeller stuff. But we soon settled into an area and started to work the side of a bank. I did not run a lot of material but collectively we found several nice pickers and most of the gold was chunky. This place has much potential. We sampled only a small area and different minds will come up with different prospecting styles. There is room for that here. So if anyone is interested, check out Swizz’s thread in the member’s area. I’m sure you will find it interesting. Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: Woody Jul 6 2011, 11:47 AM

A pic of some chunky Gold. Even the small ones have depth.


 

Posted by: Woody Jul 6 2011, 11:53 AM

Here are a few pics of the surrounding area and I have to throw one in of some neat wild flowers I found.






 

Posted by: swizz Jul 6 2011, 05:16 PM

cheers.gif

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jul 7 2011, 07:34 AM

Chris is a great guy, Im glad you two were able to get together and enjoy the weekend. happy088.gif
Sounds and looks like it was a great time Woody! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif It's always a pleasure reading about your adventures.
Very nice looking gold you recovered. Were you panning or sluicing? Inquiring minds want to know. biggrin.gif

I love finding the Garnets in the concentrates.....especially the larger ones! I find it's easier to get them out when the concentrates are dry.
They make great critter eyes in the smaller rock sculptures I create. wink.gif

Looking forward to your next outing update!
smile.gif

Posted by: Woody Jul 7 2011, 10:08 PM

Mrs. CP,


We did very little panning. Almost all of our test areas were small bucket loads ran through the sluice. The stream has to be modified to even get a spot deep enough to pan. The bank is that dark black, clayish, bog stuff in a lot of places and can easily be cut into a perfect mold for the sluice. Which is a good thing because it takes almost every drop of water that brook has to be able to run your material. Most of my gold was recovered right off the black mat. I was able to pick 5 pieces up by fingertips and place them in my sucker bottle. The picture does not do these flakes any Justice. The biggest would not even fit in the tube of the sucker bottle. I really think in just a short time Ol' Chris will be into the good stuff. As for the garnets, there was some that were too big to fit through the #8 screen. How big do they have to be for you to be able to work them on a polisher? Maybe next time I go there I, "or Chris", can save you a sample. Woody
.

Posted by: swizz Jul 8 2011, 07:45 PM

Woody,
Here is a pic of some of my Gold after clean-up from our trip last weekend. Like you said... chunky. Mostly larger pieces and barely anything in the "flour" category from this sampling.
Most pieces in this pic are between #12 and #30, not much smaller.. which is GOOD! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif ...especially since we technically did not move an awful lot of material.


Casa De Woody


Nice n peaceful


Good times. cheers.gif

Posted by: Woody Jul 8 2011, 08:36 PM

Nice pics Swizz thanks,

Glad to see you came away with some good looking color. How does it compair with that sampling you did with the dredge. See, thats another part, getting that dredge set up on the main creek is bound to produce. Just got to figure out what depth the color is. You might be mindful and check if the water flow has changed since last weekend. If so, I have a couple of other stratigies that you might consider.

That tent looks like it is calling my name. Have a good one, Woody

Posted by: swizz Jul 8 2011, 09:05 PM

I was never able to get the dredge going, pump mucked before she sucked. There actually may be Gold in my pump... need to de-muck and pan it.
Everything I dug at the head of the main pond was by hand. I think the stuff we were getting from Bear Sh!t Creek was larger but I still want to continue my sampling at the pond, there was some nice stuff there also.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jul 9 2011, 12:05 PM

Sweet update, and great looking finds Chris! Don't you just love finding gold in all the spots you test? thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Makes me think of being in a chocolate factory...........too many choices, but enough time to test it all!
Sweet being a claim owner isn't it Chris?
smiley-clapping.gif

QUOTE
As for the garnets, there was some that were too big to fit through the #8 screen. How big do they have to be for you to be able to work them on a polisher? Maybe next time I go there I, "or Chris", can save you a sample. Woody


Sounds great Woody, even the smaller chips can be worked into a project, even if its too small to polish. If I can fit it on my finger tip, I can polish it. biggrin.gif I was going to use unpolished Garnets for the snowman's eyes I made, but decided not to. Dan said it looked best just as it was, so I went with his oppinion. I do have a larger snowman in the works made of Colorado white banded agate that I was wanting to use Colorado garnets for, and those sound perfect! What colors of Garnets have you guys been finding? I can see them in the pictures, but can't really tell the colors well.

Thanks for offering Woody! What would really be cool is if I could get up there and find some for myself. emoticon-misc-004.gif happy.gif
Looks like were missing out on some good times, great people and sweet finds!

Posted by: swizz Jul 9 2011, 03:11 PM

QUOTE (Mrs.CP @ Jul 9 2011, 12:05 PM) *
Sweet being a claim owner isn't it Chris?


Very sweet. happy088.gif
Your chocolate factory comment was spot on!
Short mining seasons and still MUCH sampling to do. signs026.gif emoticon-misc-004.gif ...my kinda work though.
It is VERY nice to have mineral rights indeed.

Posted by: swizz Jul 10 2011, 08:22 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ Jul 7 2011, 10:08 PM) *
As for the garnets, there was some that were too big to fit through the #8 screen.


Here are some of those crunchy Garnets.


Posted by: Mrs.CP Jul 10 2011, 11:10 AM

Sweet Garnets and great color!! signs021.gif Very cool indeed!

Posted by: Woody Jul 10 2011, 10:40 PM

Sunday, July 10th.

I Had a Great day digging Crystals this weekend. In fact, it was possibly my best day ever. I had to stay in close to home because I had to turn in my truck on Sunday for more repairs. “Hopefully all that mess is over with soon”. I had spent about 5 hours up in the hills and was just about to stop and call it a day. A strong rain storm was moving in and I was working a spot right on the crest of a high mountain. I hadn’t found much and was kind of disappointed. I was beginning to think all my prior visits had cleared this hole out. Then my workings broke through into a cavity. At first it was only a small Mouse hole. I stuck my finger in and could not feel the end. I worked the edges a little and was able to sneak a peek inside. I could see the sparkle of crystals inside and I could tell the hole widened out. I was like a kid in a Candy Store. Could it be I finally found my first Crystal Pocket? I quickly broke the edges away some more. I stopped only for a brief moment to take a couple of pics with my phone camera. “Just my luck I forgot my camera in the truck”. Crystals quickly started popping out with ease. Soon I was able to get my entire hand inside and could feel no end to the back of the pocket. More pics, more breaking away at the edges. Every time my hands go into the pocket crystals seem to just fall into them. Sometimes I had to let go of one or more of the crystals in order for my hand to fit back through. I am reminded of a story that my dad told me;

During the Vietnam time frame, my day was stationed on an island in the South Pacific somewhere. He said that the locals would catch Monkeys by making a Monkey Trap. They would drill a hole in a tree and widen out the hole. Then they would place a Peanut inside the hole. When the Monkey would grab the Peanut, its closed fist would be too big to come back through the hole. The monkey would not let go of the Peanut even when someone approached. “Good to know if you’re ever in the Jungles of the South Pacific.”

Now with all of its fury, the storm starts to cut loose. No way am I stopping for just a little Downpour. But the Lighting is getting super-close. I have to concede that I soon must seek shelter. The rain is coming down in buckets. The Lighting is so close that there is no space between the flash of light and the Crack of the Thunder. Now I am able to put my arm into the hole up to about my mid-bicep. I can’t feel any end with my fingertips, only the smooth sides of crystals. I work feverishly to stuff handfuls of material into my backpack.

That’s when I had to stop and have a good chuckle. I was out of control! No way should I be doing it like this. I was poorly prepared at best. I didn’t have wrapping paper to protect the good ones. I was throwing everything into the same pocket of the backpack. I was breaking up clusters as I was bringing them out and not paying attention to what went where. Yes this was really cool, and yep that storm was getting dangerous, but that did not mean I had to grab it all and run. So I had to make a hasty retreat. Before I left I stuck my arm in as far as I could and still felt more crystals. I then hid my Crow Bar as I did not want to carry around a Lightning Rod at the moment and beet-feet off that hill top. Only after I was about half way down did I reanalyze I had made yet another mistake. I forgot to block the hole. No chance of anyone hurting themselves in it but anyone will take one look at that now rabbit sized hole and say, ALLLLL RIGHTTTTT!

And I have to wait until my truck is finished before I can go back up there. I will not sleep well tonight. Have a good one, Woody.







 

Posted by: Woody Jul 10 2011, 10:50 PM

Sorry the pics are poor quality. I only had my Cell phone at the time.

When I left the hole was still going deeper than I could stick my arm in. It wasn’t quite up to my shoulder but I would have to open up the entrance to allow for better body position. This is a pic of some of the larger ones that I did a quick clean up on. There must be over 100 of the littler pieces. ~

I can't wait to get back.






 

Posted by: Woody Jul 10 2011, 11:05 PM

Nice Pic of the Gernets Swizz. It sure looks to me like those are big enough to work. Now it will be extra hard to keep our noses out of the screenings. LOL.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jul 11 2011, 06:13 AM

Oooooh crystal digging!!
Sounds like you had a blast Woody. Nice finds! Those will clean up nicely with a little warm vinegar I bet. happy088.gif
It also sounds like a good place to look for Fulgurites. giggle.gif

Thanks for the report!

Posted by: swizz Jul 11 2011, 06:40 PM

Definitely very nice pocket you revealed there Woody, and great story!
I wanna see some pics of those puppies when they're cleaned up. Definitely try the vinegar soak and maybe a stiff bristle toothbrush.

Posted by: Woody Jul 12 2011, 11:30 PM

Another Crystal run,

I just got my Truck out of the shop right after work this evening, "still one more visit left", and had to go back up on the mountain to see if anyone had found my hole yet. Of course by the time I got to the top it had started to rain again but everything was just as I left it and I quickly shoved my arm inside the hole. And for the next 2 hours I was that kid in a candy store again. I was pulling larger crystals out than the last time. All the work was done by hand. You could feel around inside the hole and removed whatever you grabbed onto without much effort. The opening of the hole was difficult to enlarge so I concentrated on removing everything I could at arms length. Big sections of crystals and Microline came out along with the occasional nice semi-smokie crystal. I removed handful upon handfuls of crushed rock type stuff. Mixed in with this material was nice larger plates of crystals. Some of the plates even have Rhombus shaped Fluorite on them. Of course I am hoping it will start to show Amazonite in with the Microline.

The hole is probably more like a crack along a vug line than a hole. I can feel spaces going down between sections of plates and sometimes a small rock will fall between one of these sections and I can hear it continue falling several feet below me. Who knows what this little bitty hole might produce. The opening still stayed about the same size but inside I removed enough material to fit as many as three basketballs and it is longer than my fingertips to the end of my shoulder.

As it got dark I once again had to leave my little Rabbit hole and I know there is still good stuff left in there. I could feel a bigger plate with nice smooth sections on it. This feels to be the biggest crystal piece yet.

I'm going to have to leave it alone for a while and hope no one else stumbles on to it. My evenings are filled up from here to the weekend and I am going to leave for that Lifetime Outing trip this Friday night. So if anyone goes out looking for my secret spot, let me give you a hint;

It is north of the equator! Have a good one, Woody.~

Posted by: Woody Jul 12 2011, 11:35 PM

Some pics of my workings.








 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jul 13 2011, 02:33 PM

Little rabbit hole indeed Woody! giggle.gif Wow! What a sweet combination find in that last picture!! smiley-shocked003.gif
There is a little ding on the Fluorite to the bottom right, but it's still a great piece!
That one is definately going to clean up nicely! I can see several nice Fluorites on the Microcline, and I bet more pop in as you clean it.....maybe even some smokeys?! smiley-cool14.gif thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Im looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up!

Posted by: swizz Jul 13 2011, 04:17 PM

I have a feeling there's gonna be some cool show-n-tell pieces at the outing this weekend. smiley-clapping.gif

Posted by: Woody Jul 18 2011, 07:40 PM

I did not make it up to the Club meeting this weekend. Last minute change of travel plans and both me and my travel partner having to work late meant I opted to stay closer in to home and hopefully reschedule. I spent most of the weekend rafting down the South Platte River. I was able to get up to my Rabbit Hole for about 3 hours but still did not get to the bottom of it. I opened the opening up quite a little and then cleaned up everything that my new opening allowed me to reach. With my entire upper torso inside the cavity I was able to work the hole by hand in four separate directions, hard left, upper left, straight ahead, and hard right. Hard left and upper left are easy working but seem to have long stopped producing crystals. Straight ahead looks like it is going to “peter-out” quickly into straight hard rock. The right side however is still producing, I just need to widen out the hole again and get better access so I can continue down that way and see how it goes. Some of the crystals come out shinny and smooth and clean up is fairly easy. However most of the material is covered by what could be best described as a hard encrustation. I have found nothing that is effective in removing this outer layer. Soap, hot water, and a stiff bristle plastic brush works the best so far.

One thing that I am kind of excited about is the possibility this pocket or vein will start producing Amazonite Crystals. That is the reason I started to scratch around in this spot in the first place. About 5 yards in front of where I am working is an old outcropping of Amazonite. It has been well worked-over but I thought I would go below it a little bit and see if there were any good leftovers. That’s when I found this pocket. Maybe I will get lucky yet. Later,Woody.

Posted by: Woody Jul 18 2011, 07:48 PM

1st pic is of the hole and straight ahead. The next is a picture of how the walls looked inside of the hole and still do on the right side. It also shows three nice cubes of Fluorite. I can’t wait to get them out. The next one is an enlarged pic of the straight ahead area. The last picture is of the roof area in the cavity as it turns hard to the right.








 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jul 21 2011, 07:49 AM

Great update Woody, looks like you hit a sweet vug! extra_happy.gif Nice how it's not too far from the surface either! greensmilies-012.gif
I really like your underground working pictures!

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Jul 23 2011, 06:40 AM

Nice finds Woody for sure! I'll be looking forward to seeing some pics of those cleaned up later too, the fluorites are going to look awesome I'm thinking.

CP

Posted by: mikeybrew Jul 24 2011, 07:56 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ Jul 18 2011, 08:48 PM) *
1st pic is of the hole and straight ahead. The next is a picture of how the walls looked inside of the hole and still do on the right side. It also shows three nice cubes of Fluorite. I can’t wait to get them out. The next one is an enlarged pic of the straight ahead area. The last picture is of the roof area in the cavity as it turns hard to the right.


Wow, that's quite a productive hole, congrats on the finds! Some really nice plates in there still, good luck getting them out!


Posted by: Woody Jul 25 2011, 11:05 PM

Thanks Mikey,

I did get back up there this weekend and cleaned out the hole as far as I could. It is still producing but I need to do a little hardrock mining and move about a foot of rock out of the way. I now am able to work inside the hole with nothing sticking out but my backside. However I have cleaned out everything I can access and the "good stuff" seams to be going straight away from me. The best stuff I have gotten out so far has been small plates of fluorite. Some mixed on combos of Microline. Maybe Feldspar is the correct name, "I'm kind of shakey on the seperation of the two sometimes". I will post up pics tomorrow of my finds and will be looking for advice on how to get them cleaner. Woody.

Posted by: Woody Jul 25 2011, 11:08 PM

Here is a little Teaser!

 

Posted by: kmontoya911 Jul 26 2011, 10:49 AM

Woody,

I have really enjoyed your thread. I am jealous of how much you are able to get out there. I think it would be funny to be hiking, and come across a hole with someones back side sticking out of it.

It will be cool to see these specimins cleaned up.

Thank you.

Posted by: Woody Jul 26 2011, 09:15 PM

kmontoya911

I know what you mean. Trust me, due to recent events I am a little Heebe-Geebe from time to time working the hole that way. When your inside it seems like an amputheater, all sounds are amplified. I take a lot of breaks and come up for air often. But that would be spooky as heck to come up and see someone standing there looking at you with a half-crooked grin.

Posted by: Woody Jul 26 2011, 09:18 PM

Well here are only a few of my picks, way too many to post them all. There is really not a lot of Fancy grade stuff here. A few well defined Smokies but mostly the pieces are only half dark at best. Some are only one or two sided. The Fluorite came along and kind of stole the show. Some of the specimens are very easy to clean and others will retain their secret identity for ever. I am not able to get the hard crust off any of the feldspar plates. I really had high hopes for these as they look awesome with some purple outlined Fluorite clusters on them. I tried the soaking in warm vinegar. Is there a certain type of vinegar one should use? Mine did not do much. I was told about some sort of micro-steam cleaner I can try but don’t remember quite what it was. I was also informed that using a weak solution of Muriatic Acid will also help. I have tried this method years ago and did not have good results as I ruined my specimens. I haven’t given up on a favorable outcome just yet. I really need to get set up with a rock cutting outfit. I have a nice Dremmel but don’t know what tools to use with it. I’ve decided to get a cut-off wheel and give er’ heck. I’m going to attempt to cut out some of the Smokie pieces and see what happens. I will practice on some of the less attractive pieces. If I get any results I will wait until winter and then try to make something. I can’t imagine it will look very good as I am horrible at such displays of art. I have often said that I don’t have a Gay bone in my body and it shows whenever I try to make something look nice. Oh well, We shall see. Woody.

 

Posted by: Woody Jul 26 2011, 09:26 PM

Here is a few pics of some of the individual pieces. I have gotten out maybe 20 or so of these so far.

 

Posted by: Woody Jul 26 2011, 09:31 PM

Lots of common stuff. Some of it even looks like it was been Heat-discolored.

 

Posted by: Woody Jul 26 2011, 09:37 PM

Here are some of my favorite pieces. They all contain fluorite.





 

 

Posted by: Woody Jul 26 2011, 09:40 PM

This last one must of had a wild and crazy time last night. When I found it this morning, it had glitter on its face.

Enjoy, Woody.

 

Posted by: swizz Jul 26 2011, 09:42 PM

Woody,
Those are definitely some worthy specimens. Have you tried soaking them in a solution of Super Iron Out? It can be purchased at the hardware or sometimes grocery store. Strong stuff and works really well. Otherwise, I would try hitting them with a textile cleaning gun. Next time we meet up at my claim or Dreamtime Mine I can bring mine and happy to loan it to you if you'd like. happy088.gif
Those two things can do wonders.

Posted by: Woody Jul 26 2011, 09:45 PM

Thanks Swizz,

That is what I was talking about, the Textile cleaning gun. I will look into trying to get one. I'll ket you know how it works.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jul 27 2011, 12:24 PM

Very cool specimens and pictures Woody! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Here is a link to the http://www.coloradoprospector.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2708. I think your pieces are perfect for a super iron out soak, especially if the warm vinegar didn't do much to them. After the iron out treatment and time soaking in water, then blast them with the textile gun. It does wonders! happy112.gif

info_grin.gif Always remember to use distilled water, as tap water will leave mineral deposits on the specimen in the iron out.

Posted by: Woody Jul 31 2011, 06:12 PM

Did the family outing thing this weekend,

Loaded up the trailer, family, & the dog and headed to Pueblo Lake for the weekend. This place is located very close to the Front Range but still offers everything from hunting small game in the winter to jumping off the cliffs in the summer. It also has several hidden talents as well. If a person knows where to look they could easily find fossilized Clams as big as Cantaloupes, a wide variety of Shark teeth, and even some Crystallized Iron Pyrite. This Pyrite is every interesting. It is commonly found in these thick layers of shale as a rusty inclusion that can be solid or crumbly. But occasionally it is a perfect round ball and solid pyrite inside. It seems that only the round ones are solid pyrite and the ones that are not perfect spheres are crumblier or only about half pyrite. I read or heard somewhere that the pyrite formed in deep, oxygen depleted seas. Interesting!

This set of pics shows the size of the clams and also shows some of the Pyrite inclusions.

Have a good one, Woody.





 

Posted by: Woody Jul 31 2011, 06:23 PM


Here are a few Clams and some casts. Inside one of the casts I placed one of the pyrite spheres. Although rare, some of the spheres have little crystals on their outer shell, this one is like that. The next pic shows how the balls look inside the thick layers of shale.





 

Posted by: Woody Jul 31 2011, 06:28 PM

This last pic shows several pieces that I collected years ago and one that I broke in two. The pyrite is really bright in the perfectly round ones.


 

Posted by: Woody Aug 8 2011, 10:36 PM

Returned to the Chris’s Yooper Gold Claim this weekend.

Left out Friday evening and spent the weekend hanging out with Chris at his Gold Claim. I took my brother, “Steve”, along for the ride and he was able to get in some swinging time with his detector. We arrived around 630 that evening and before the sun had gone down, Steve had all ready found a nice piece of gold with his detector. Nice way to start the outing.

The next morning I did a little exploring, as is my general nature, and got to know the place a little better. I decided to do some digging and testing about ¼ mile away from where we were camping. I figured we all ready knew there was gold in the immediate vicinity and wanted to see if it could be found in other places as well. Turns out it can be. I worked an area that was void of any running water but showed where a trickle does run during runoff or heavy rains. I quickly found some nice pieces of color and by the end of the day I had found the biggest “Flake” I have ever found. I have found heavier nuggets, but this was a true flake and it was between 3/8 and ½ inch. I did not find much else, maybe a total of 7 pieces showed up in the black mat of the sluice. I did a fast pan of the cons and did not see much. This place does not have a lot of fine, flower gold. It is either go big or go home it seems.

The weekend was a terrific success. The only negative thing is the drive. I always seem to get caught up in that nasty traffic on I-70 coming out of Denver. It has a tendency to put a dark cloud on things. But I am sure in a couple of weeks I will be chomping at the bit to get up there once again.

Thanks once again to Chris for allowing us to come hang with him. I am very envious of his little slice of heaven. He has got a good thing going there. If anybody is thinking of taking a trip up there I’m sure you will find it enjoyable as well as I have. Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: Woody Aug 8 2011, 10:41 PM

Breakfast of Champions, oh they were sweet. Who brought the Ice cream. If I had the time I could of picked a whole gallon full.




 

Posted by: Woody Aug 8 2011, 10:44 PM

Here is an unknown item I found while poking around a bit. Anyone got a clue as to what it could of been used for??


 

Posted by: Woody Aug 8 2011, 10:49 PM

Here is a pic of Steve hard at work. You can see there is not much bare ground. A little water slowly started to appear as we dug, but getting enough to run any material through a sluice would be difficult.


 

Posted by: kmontoya911 Aug 9 2011, 10:13 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ Aug 8 2011, 11:44 PM) *
Here is an unknown item I found while poking around a bit. Anyone got a clue as to what it could of been used for??

It looks like an old cable spool from that picture. is the metal tube open on both sides? Usually the spools used wood between the wheels, but they could have used metal. My first thought was an old outhouse.

Posted by: Woody Aug 9 2011, 10:28 AM

My first thought was for it being an old spool, "the type us batchlors used as a Coffee Table", but after looking at it, that metal center piece is WAY too heavy. I think it might have been used as some sort of Pully System like a Drum for a Winch or something. But you could be right, we may never know for sure.

Posted by: Woody Aug 15 2011, 11:03 AM

Alas my “Rabbit Hole” has played out. It is not so much that it stopped producing as much as the crystals were very small and encrusted with a hard overgrowth. It is almost as if the rocks got a little too close to the fire and got burnt or melted. I’m sure if someone was to put several hours into removing a lot of overburden and gaining better access they could find some interesting items. The Fluorite left the show completely. If it were still popping up every now and again I would still be working the area. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

So just to get my spirits back up, I went to one of the known locations and dug for Amazonite. I kind of use this place as an, “Old Faithful”. Found lots of pieces of around an inch in size. Some showed good hexagonal shape to them. One day I will figure out how to work lapidary equipment and probably wish I spent more time here. Who knows?

I spent the entire day up in on that hill, Sunup to sundown. Before I left I scouted around to find a couple more spots that looked promising and will need more investigating. That’s the way I like it, always have a spot in mind that I can turn to in case a day of prospecting starts to turn uneventful. Sometimes it makes it easier to continue to prospect knowing you have a back-up plan. Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: Woody Aug 20 2011, 08:13 PM

Aug 20th, 2011

Got out today with some friends and went rock hounding. I also brought along my Step-Daughter. It’s her birthday and she is now 14. It was very difficult to keep her attention focused on collecting minerals when she knew there was cake waiting at home, “a lesson learned on my part”. I wish I could have stayed longer as I’m sure the best was jet to come. I can’t wait to hear back from the rest of the folks and see how they fared. Although I did not stay long, I managed to find some of the best quality smokie Crystals that I have found so far. Here is a pic of a Smokie that looks like it ate a Christmas tree. I’ve never seen one with that kind of coloring.
The day may have been short but I got to met some great people, learn a thing or two, and did not have to spend the day bushwhacked in the lowlands. Thanks guys for the invite and I am looking forward to future endeavors, Woody.



 

Posted by: leonard Aug 23 2011, 11:34 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ Aug 15 2011, 10:03 AM) *
The Fluorite left the show completely. If it were still popping up every now and again I would still be working the area. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.


If you haven't seen this, you might like it.

http://golddredger.com/fluoritemine/fluorsparmine1.htm

This is an old mine near Jamestown.
Leonard

Posted by: Woody Aug 24 2011, 07:23 AM

Thanks Leonard,

I did see that several months ago along with the video. I would sure like to get up there sometime. I am sure I will it is just a matter of when. Thanks for the reminder, woody.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Aug 24 2011, 07:38 AM

Great smokey Woody, love the way it shows the colors. The one you gave us with the layers of white microcline overgrown on the smokey quartz is really cool as well. I will have to get a picture of it and post it here. You definately find some cool goodies out there! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Thanks for sharing them with us. happy088.gif

Cool video Leonard, I never get tired of looking at Fluorites......especially the purple and baby blue ones. The baby blue ones are my favorite.

Posted by: Woody Aug 24 2011, 09:52 AM

That special time of year,


Anyone remember how excited you got as a kid during Christmas? The family gets together, the house is full of wonderful smells, just an all around time of joy. Well today starts my “Kid-Christmas”

I am all packed up and I leave tonight for the high country on a 12 day Archery Hunt. It is a long way away from civilization and way up on Grand Mesa. Although I have a tag for Deer, Elk, and Bear the success of the hunt will not necessarily be based on how many animals are taken. Just being out there is the main reason. If I don’t get anything it will not be the first time. Sure I enjoy every outing I do all year long but hunting camp is exceptional. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of the entire family coming together and heading to the hills. Even when I was too young to tag along for the hunt I enjoyed the thrill of hanging around the camp. Now it is an annual ritual that unquestionably ranks as one of my highest priorities.

So if you happen to be up in the hills in the near future and you see some ol’ feller grinning from ear to ear, don’t worry, it’s just me. And in the back of my mind I’m just running around the house in my pajamas with my teddy bear under my arm with all the other kids, in total amazement of all the bright colors and can’t wait to open up those presents.

To all the hunters out there, Happy Kid Christmas. Be safe and have a great hunt, Woody.

Posted by: kmontoya911 Aug 24 2011, 10:27 AM

Good luck to you Woody. I hope you have a great trip. I couldn't agree with you more. I still have some time before my trip in late october. 10 days in a wall tent is my annual heaven. The being there is what recharges all my batteries for the day to day here in reality. I can only wait til my kids are old enough to come enjoy it with me.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Aug 31 2011, 07:09 AM

I hope all is going well for you Woody! I can almost hear you now, "ssssssh, be very very quiet, Im hunting elk". biggrin.gif

Here is that really cool smokey crystal that has the strange over growth that Woody gave us. Not something I see all the time, so it stood out to me.
It's fantastic Woody, good job on the sweet find! emoticon-misc-004.gif extra_happy.gif






thumbsupsmileyanim.gif



Posted by: Woody Sep 6 2011, 08:57 AM

Thanks Mrs CP,

That material is what I have been calling Banded Black Fluorite. I get it in one location by the bucket loads. I always thought it was fluorite because it was softer than I would expect from Quartz. I will have to do some more checking and see if maybe I was wrong. Hope you can do something nice with it. I can always get you some more. Later, Woody.

Posted by: Woody Sep 6 2011, 09:03 AM

Back from my hunting vacation.

I had an excellent week in the western mountains of Colorado. My two brothers and myself drove two hours on ATVs and set up hunting camp in a real nice, remote area. Just being far away from all the hassles and grind of the day to day normal life makes this time of year a pleasure. It is truly the peak of my year. I did harvest an Elk, but the success of the hunt was measured in so many different ways. I could go on and on about the entire week but will end by saying it was all that I could hope it to be and post up a few pictures of the adventure. Have a good one, Woody.


The first pic shows the 4 Wheeler all packed up and ready to head out to start the trip.

The second pic was home for 8 days. It rained almost every day but dried out nicely by noon.




 

Posted by: Woody Sep 6 2011, 09:12 AM


The next pic is one I took on opening morning as I hiked up the hill. So much area that I had to cover but I knew I had several days so I did not have to rush anything. My camp was somewhere down below and the view from up here was outstanding. The second pic shows how much the landscape can change. It can go from high mountain slide rock to cedars and sagebrush in just a short while.




 

Posted by: Woody Sep 6 2011, 09:24 AM




Here are a few pics of some of the critters I met along the way.

-A Cricket, This type can be a real problem in some areas. It is called a Mormon Cricket.
-A Moth that is tailored made for the Aspens.
-A wasps nest, they are quit common up here. I have never seen one like this on the side of a tree before.







 

Posted by: Woody Sep 6 2011, 09:31 AM


Here is a rather unfortunate spider. It was on the inside of our tent and when I tried to move it to the outside it dropped to the floor and hundreds of tiny babies started to scatter. It looked like ripples on water. I say unfortunate because at that point, they all had to go.


 

Posted by: Woody Sep 6 2011, 09:37 AM



Here is the pic of my Elk. It was the biggest Cow I have ever shot. It was right before dark and the next morning I spent a long time packing it out.

The last pic shows a storm coming in one evening. It looks like a waterfall from the heavens complete with mood lighting.





 

Posted by: swizz Sep 6 2011, 11:06 AM

Woody,
Congratulations on the huge cow!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Excellent pics and really good to hear that your annual trip was a success on many levels.
These are the good ole days! cheers.gif

Posted by: Woody Sep 14 2011, 07:07 PM

Weekend Prospecting,

Headed up north again this weekend and did a little poking around. Did not spend much time processing material but rather did some research on foot surveying the place. It took me the better part of the day to be satisfied with what I was doing. The drainage I was looking in has very little to no water. I have been doing some work in the high end of it and must hand carry my buckets a short distance to the wheelbarrow, then it is about a ¼ mile hike to the creek. I need to look seriously at getting or making some kind of recirculation highbanker system. For the rest of the year however I have conceded that I will just have to be content to be a Mule.

I managed to find time to run 8 buckets of unscreened dirt through my sluice. The first two buckets were from the same spot I was working before and showed fair color and nice large Garnets.

The next two buckets came from a new test hole. I took this sample from about 20 inches below the ground surface. I found no garnets of any size and absolutely no color at all.

I went back to my first spot and took two more buckets. This time I made an effort to make sure all material came from deeper than the normal layer of material I was working in. Again, Zilch! Nothing! No color and no sizable Garnets.

I then took my last two buckets from only an inch or so below the surface. Immediately I found nice sized garnets and color.

All in all I really didn’t find much in the way of color but when you consider that it all came from only 4 unscreened buckets then I was very satisfied with the results. Also I determined that it was not necessary to dig any deeper than just a few inches down and will use this information to the full extent as I continue to work the location. I’ll be back as soon as I can and will let you know how it goes, Woody.

Posted by: Woody Sep 14 2011, 07:09 PM

Getting ready for the night, just had to make a little bite to eat first.


 

Posted by: Woody Sep 14 2011, 07:11 PM

Here was this nights sleeping arrangements. Aspen looks like she is going to try to take up all the room for herself. It got fairly cold and there was some frost on the ground when I got up at daybreak. Winter is just around the coner.


 

Posted by: Woody Sep 14 2011, 07:13 PM

Here is a pic of the Garnets and gold. Nothing great but not too bad for just a few buckets.


 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Sep 17 2011, 06:31 AM

Great Garnets and gold Woody! Looks like you found a sweet spot. happy088.gif Your dog Aspen is beautiful and she looks like she really enjoys the outings with you.

wacko.gif You and those nasty spider stories Woody! smiley-shocked003.gif Better in your tent than mine though. tongue.gif

Posted by: Mrs.CP Sep 18 2011, 07:56 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ Sep 6 2011, 08:57 AM) *
Thanks Mrs CP,

That material is what I have been calling Banded Black Fluorite. I get it in one location by the bucket loads. I always thought it was fluorite because it was softer than I would expect from Quartz. I will have to do some more checking and see if maybe I was wrong. Hope you can do something nice with it. I can always get you some more. Later, Woody.


I did a hardness test on that piece and the darker is definately quartz, but the over coating is softer. Im thinking the softer coating is Microcline. I won't be working this piece other than to clean it up a bit more. I love the crystal points, which also indicates it's a quartz crystal.

Now to figure out if its an Epimorph or a Perimorph.... research.gif I always get them confused. blush.gif

Posted by: Woody Sep 18 2011, 07:12 PM

Ah yes! Epi or Peri the age old question.


I'm going to leave that to you because that is above my pay-grade of thinking. I get it from an area that has it in abundance. It occures in thin streaks or lines mixed in with the matrex. Occasionally it also has some purple hues to it. I mentioned to Dan that I would send you some pictures of some of my better specimens. The next time we meet, I will set you guys up with some better pieces. Have a good one, woody.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Sep 20 2011, 07:29 AM

Thanks Woody, that sounds great!! happy.gif

Posted by: Woody Sep 27 2011, 10:03 PM

Hi all,

It’s been a very busy couple of weeks as of late. I filed a claim on Monday and am very excited. There was a lot of work involved and it took me a couple of “at bats” to get it right but I am now much wiser. I shall grant the same privileges to lifetime members that as Swizz does at his claim.

I was up there all weekend long and did some more poking around. I ran about 12 buckets total of material. Some showed good color and others showed nothing. It is a lot of hard work. From my collection point to my wash point is just under a half mile. I screen my buckets to around ¾ mesh at my collection point into 5 gallon buckets. Then carry the buckets about 50 yards to a wheel barrow. Then it is down the trail and off I go. Four buckets of dirt is about all I can handle in the wheel barrow, at times it is kind of steep. The place I am working has lots of thick clay and is a pain in the keyster to wash in the sluice. It takes me a long time to complete the entire process one time. In a full day of working I can make two runs or 8 buckets easy enough but another run to make a total of 12 buckets in one day has not happened yet.

Over the winter I will be building some form of recirculation sluice and it will greatly increase my production. I know winter is just around the corner and my area will be snowed in soon. Before I left, I loaded up 6 buckets of material and brought it home with me. So when that Cabin Fever kicks in and I start going through withdrawals around mid-December I can get a temporary fix. As I mentioned before, not every bucket produces gold, but the pieces that I do get are well defined and chunky.

I am including a picture of some of my best gold to date. I call this picture, “Gold, the other Eye Candy”. Most of this gold did not come from my new claim, but some of it, including the largest flake on the face of the dime, did.

I have many people to thank for helping me along with this filing process. I could never have done it on my own without the help and guidance of my fellow prospectors found here on this website. Special thanks go out to CP and Chris. Thank You, Woody.


 

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Sep 29 2011, 09:21 AM

That's awesome Woody, CONGRATULATIONS!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif You are very welcome, I'm honored to help and glad to hear you got the new filing completed and now you are claim owner!! extra_happy.gif

Thank you very much for inviting the Colorado Prospector lifetime club members to your claim, very generous of you and sweet gold too! happy088.gif I'm sure there will be some members contacting you in the future for a visit.
Sounds like a unique kind of spot and a bit of extra work maybe needed for the prospecting process but well worth the effort.
I know we'll be up to visit soon as we can again next year.....it's a beautiful spot up there!

CP

Posted by: swizz Sep 29 2011, 07:58 PM

Major kudos Woody! sweet.gif
Your persistence, hard work, and due diligence has come to fruition in the form of a productive claim. research.gif emoticon-misc-004.gif signs026.gif info_grin.gif
Also most generous of you to offer access to CP Lifetime Members! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Feel free to copy and use my existing claim lease form for issuance if you'd like. If you think any changes should be made to it, let me know... otherwise tailor it to your needs.

Posted by: colo_heff Oct 1 2011, 02:43 AM

Woody... ditto on the congrats as a new claim owner... that area is definitely an interesting puzzle, thanks for great offer to allow LT members to prospect... I'd like to offer my help on your recirculation sluice, although I've only got up to Chris's claim once to try mine it definitely is a back saver...

Posted by: Woody Oct 2 2011, 07:47 PM

Thanks guys,

Looking forward to seeing you folks up there sometime soon. Hopefully before the snow sets in or it sure as heck won't be until around mid-spring. Woody.

Posted by: Woody Oct 2 2011, 07:53 PM

Had to stay closer to home this weekend,

So I went up to the local mountains around this area and did some poking around. I was looking for some different areas closer to home that might be accessible during the late fall/early winter months. I have a few places already picked out but it never hurts to find some more.

As I was walking up the mountain I noticed something shinning in the sunlight about an inch above the ground. I looked closer and found that it was wet Pine Sap and it was caught in a Spiders Web. This was a fair sized glob and I was surprised that not only could a spider web be woven so tightly as to catch a semi-liquid, it could also hold a large amount of it. Then I had another thought, one might say this was a Spider Trap, in a Spider Trap.

I continued walking around the mountain side and made a real cool discovery. I found a spot where the Amazonite was laying right on top of the ground. It wasn’t much, only a thin layer of about 2 inches high by about 5 inches long. But I could see that it was the beginning of a seam. I quickly got to work digging left and right of the exposed material and before long I had the seam uncovered for at least two feet. I continued to work that section back into the hill side for a couple of feet. It was very low grade and crumbled easily. It pretty much stayed on the edge of a section of decomposing granite and didn’t harden up any. There was hard rock close by but this material never made the transition into it. Rats!

For a while there I was really excited. That seam could have opened up and became mixed with a harder host rock and that would have been real nice. It is still there, I gave up on it after about 4 hours of working and it was just as crumbly as when I first started. I may come back to it from time to time and work it some more but I don’t think it will ever get better. I was able to find a couple of pieces good enough to take home with me, and I had fun working the seam, so not all was lost. After that I spent around 3 more hours poking around up on that hillside but did not find any more areas to dig. Have a good one, Woody.








 

Posted by: russau Oct 3 2011, 04:38 AM

Being observant and knowledgeable can pay off at times!

Posted by: leonard Oct 3 2011, 08:28 AM

QUOTE (russau @ Oct 3 2011, 03:38 AM) *
Being observant and knowledgeable can pay off at times!


Here's a picture of "Santa" on a prospecting outting. I didn't get any pictures of him in the water.
Leonard


Posted by: Mrs.CP Oct 3 2011, 09:54 AM

Congratulations on the new claim Woody, definately sounds like a great score! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Great report! Im wondering what else came out of pic #3 that you just posted....I'm seeing a really cool looking stained up goody just waiting to be pulled out and cleaned! Did you get it? eating-popcorn-03.gif
(To the right of the Amazonite piece in pic #3)


Great picture Leonard! biggrin.gif It doesn't take a "rocket scientist" to see that there is a safety issue going on..... poke.gif unsure.gif
Sooo Santa is going over to tell him to "use this for a chopping block, and get some real shoes on those feet or im going to put you on my naughty list."

smiley-laughing021.gif Sorry guys, I miss being able to pick on you more often. biggrin.gif

Posted by: leonard Oct 3 2011, 03:44 PM

Here's a video I made of sitting around the campfire.

http://golddredgervideo.com/prospecting/laborday2011.wmv

Leonard

Posted by: russau Oct 4 2011, 04:41 AM

Twas a good time dredgeing on the Arkansa River with Leonard!

Posted by: h20prospector Oct 4 2011, 09:09 AM

I second that wink.gif ! Good to put faces to seen screen names thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Had a good time happy070.gif out too.
Pat

Posted by: colo_heff Oct 5 2011, 03:16 PM

My daughter and I went to one of our favorite places to hunt rocks yesterday and I thought I'd share what we found.... very diverse in just a short distance...

Pic 1 has petrified wood, picture jasper, smoky quartz crystals, topaz, and amazonite...

Pic 2 is topaz, clear with some impurities but look dark due to the background...

Pic 3 are the quartz crystals, usually worn edges from stream abrasion

And Pic 4 shows the Amazonite my daughter found... I had isolated the layer in the creek bank where the quartz crystals where (probably from the Devils Head area) and showed it to her, she leaned forward and plucked out the Amazonite, pretty wild...



 

Posted by: Woody Oct 5 2011, 07:30 PM

Cool Finds Colo-heff,
That area up there in Franktown is interesting. A few years back, one of my brothers and I, found a very large section of petrified wood. It was real neat Marbled Agate. I did not know there was Topaz in that area. I may have passed over it many a time thinking it was clear quartz. The Amazonite form Devils Head is very well known. I myself have never found any outcroppings in that area but it has been years ago since I was there. If you ever wish to do some kicking around in this area let me know. I can pretty much guarantee that you will go home with your pockets full.

Hi Leonard, Russau, & Pat,
Looks like you guys were seriously getting after it on that outing. A group of Ol' Pros just hanging out and having fun. I bet there was a lot of young Whipper Snappers stopping by, seeing how it is done, and keeping an eye on you. I would of liked to stop by myself and visited with you guys a while. Maybe next time.

Mrs. CP,
Yep! I grabbed all that stuff. After I cleaned it two days later I looked it over again. I re-evaluated my opinion about it only being low grade. Some of the pieces show fair crystal form and don't break apart easily. I will most certainly be back there soon.

Talk to you guys later, Woody.

Posted by: Woody Oct 23 2011, 10:52 PM

Hi everyone,

Sorry about my absents. I’ve been extremely busy for the past several weeks and have not had much time for my postings. Three weeks ago I started prepping and getting things together to take the kids Elk Hunting. Normally I am very good at not pushing that kind of stuff off till the last moment but this year it sure felt like I did. We headed out that Friday after I got off work and did not get to our spot until after midnight. We got up super early to finish getting ready. And for the next two days everything on the earth was once again just fine. All my cares and worries seemed to just drift away. I think that Mother Nature is truly the best medication in the entire world.
I was taking my two step kids hunting. “I hunted Archery so I did not have a tag”. This was the first big game hunting trip for both of them. We rode the 4 Wheeler for about a mile, then hiked for about another mile. I left the 16 year old boy, “Mason”, in a nice spot overlooking a meadow that had a pond and provided quick access to the dark timber that elk so dearly love. Me and the 14 year old girl, “Caitlin”, continued heading down the draw to a place where I had been successful several times in the past. The plan was to walk along about half way up one side of the steep draw and keep our eyes peeled for elk moving in the dark timber on the other.
As we were nearing the end of the draw we started to hear an elk bugle. The elk bugled again and it was obvious he was in the draw and heading up. We began to work our way down into the drainage to a point where we could see better into the timber on the other side. Just as we got to about the right level we saw movement coming up the draw. This hillside was so steep it was very difficult for us to sit without sliding. I sat in front of Caitlin and tried to give her a shoulder for a rest or at the very least stop her from sliding. Finally we got to a spot where both of us were stopped. Caitlin held her composure very well as 3 elk walked past us at a distance of about 50 yards. It was two Cows and a Spike Bull. After they pasted I told her to wait a minute because that spike was not the one we heard bugling.
Just as we were trying to shift to another, more comfortable position, we saw another elk coming right up the same path the others had used. This time it was a legal bull. Caitlin put the 30-30 on my shoulder and waited for the elk to move into a perfect open spot on the other side. The bull was taking his time and in no hurry. I whispered to Caitlin that it was a “Shooter”. I felt her pull the hammer back and take the safety off. Just as the bull stepped into the tiny open area, I felt Caitlin slip a bit. As she readjusted her aim the bull stopped and sniffed the ground. He was very interested in what the tracks of the others might have to say. Caitlin steadied her aim and leveled her gun out and right as I was expecting to hear a loud bang, ….. I slipped a little. Not much, but enough that it messed up her aiming. The bull still stood there, broad side, sniffing the ground less than 50 yards away. As she again tried to steady her aim neither one of us could find a secure position. We probably slid less than 6 inches total but it was little bitty, herky-jerky, movements all the way. And the Bull just walked right out of sight. At first I was worried she would be mad that she had lost such a great opportunity. But she took it very well and for the next several hours she just fed off of that moment.
We continued to walk down the draw and stopped at some nice wallows. We spooked one more elk that day but never seen much of him. Mason also had some luck that day. Just before sunset, he looked up and there was a 4 point bull standing broad side about 60 yards away looking right at him. He tells the story all calm, cool, and collective however his shots were anything but true. It appears he suffered a severe case of Buck Fever. we had to leave on Sunday evening and got back home around midnight ready to start a very busy work week again.
So no more meat for the table from this hunt but I now have two young hunters that are all ready chomping at the bit and making big plans for next year. I can’t blame them.

Good luck to all you guys and gals in the hills this hunting season. Hopefully your hunt and time in the field is enjoyable even if you don’t fill your tags. Woody.







 

Posted by: swizz Oct 24 2011, 06:00 PM

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! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Woody Oct 27 2011, 10:11 AM

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.







 

Posted by: Woody Oct 27 2011, 10:20 AM

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.





 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Oct 30 2011, 10:07 AM

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. music037.gif biggrin.gif

QUOTE (Woody @ Oct 27 2011, 10:11 AM) *
After a short while the green Amazonite started to transition into harder bits and pieces.


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

eating-popcorn-03.gif


Posted by: swizz Oct 30 2011, 03:41 PM

aqua! ph34r.gif

Posted by: Woody Oct 30 2011, 11:26 PM

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.

Posted by: Woody Oct 30 2011, 11:32 PM

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.






 

Posted by: Woody Oct 30 2011, 11:40 PM

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.




 

Posted by: swizz Oct 31 2011, 10:11 AM

Woody, I am definitely awestruck at your Shark Teeth! jawdrop.gif Just..... WOW, nice stuff there. worthy.gif
I posted a classic just for you in the Jam Sessions category to go with your Rabbit hunting adventure. char092.gif happy088.gif
(I accidentally added it to Denise's "Love Shack" thread.... oops, n00b blush.gif )

Posted by: Mrs.CP Nov 4 2011, 07:05 AM

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

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

Great song Swizz!!

Posted by: Woody Nov 6 2011, 09:46 PM

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.

Posted by: Woody Nov 6 2011, 09:50 PM

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.





 

Posted by: Woody Nov 6 2011, 09:53 PM

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.


 

Posted by: swizz Nov 7 2011, 08:15 AM

Another great looking cache there Woody. happy088.gif
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!

Posted by: Woody Nov 14 2011, 01:06 AM

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.






 

Posted by: swizz Nov 15 2011, 07:51 PM

Holy cow Woody, looks like you are into some BIGGER crystals now. Nice! Any plates or combos... or are you finding mostly stray points?
Also.... any luck cleaning the previous specimens with SIO yet?
Inquiring minds want to know. chin.gif

Posted by: coloradorocket Nov 22 2011, 08:34 PM

QUOTE (Woody @ Oct 30 2011, 10:40 PM) *
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.


I've been interested in finding shark teeth for a long time. I'd love to learn where to find them. I've searched around the Springs and all I found were a ton of leaf fossils in shale.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Nov 27 2011, 08:51 AM

Some fantastic finds there as always Woody! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif You definately have an eye for the good spots!!

smileywaving.gif Hi coloradorocket and welcome to the CP forums. Make yourself at home here, we have a very friendly and helpful community here.
Leaf fossils in shale are great finds, we all would love to see some pictures if you have them. Colorado has some great fossils thats for sure!

Posted by: Woody Nov 27 2011, 09:55 AM

Hi Guys,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Yes Chris those crystals are starting to get some nice size to them. I have been out a couple different times since I last posted and continue to find specimens that are about as big around as an apple and fit nicely in hand. As for any combos? The best combos so far have been the occasional crystal with a little Microline attached to it. This Microline can be kind of "showy" by its self. It is commonly found throughout Colorado but in its best form it has a nice semi-crystal shape and is very blocky. It has a wide color range. I have seen it in White, Brown, Red, Pink, Marbled, and Metallic. I will try to get some pics posted so you can see.

As for the crystals, they are still only half-translucent at best. Some have maybe three good sides with a hint of Smoky Quartz throughout. I will post up my results for cleaning a little later on. I have figured out that the Amazonite is better found on one side of the hill and the crystals are on another. I need to find a happy-medium. I always have fun getting out and digging in the dirt so I will keep after them.

Hello Coloradorocket,
If you are a mind to, I can take you on an outing sometime and show you what to look for. I would be glad to have the company. Shoot me an email and we will see what we come up with.

Have a god one, Woody


Posted by: Woody Nov 28 2011, 11:42 AM

[ Have a god one, Woody )

I ment "good" one.


Posted by: Woody Dec 4 2011, 09:42 PM

Nothing exciting happening this weekend,

With daytime highs only in the 20's and winds that just would not let up I choose to stay indoors this weekend. I should of been out hunting a rabbit or something but I whimped-out. It was the first weekend I have sat at home in a long time. I went through a lot of my rock specimens and set some aside for test cleaning. Now that I have the SIO I need to put it to good use. Hope everybody had a good, warm weekend and I will talk at you later. Woody

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Dec 5 2011, 08:56 AM

Very glad to hear you decided to stay home this weekend since it was so nasty and dang cold. We also had nasty winter weather...snow and winds with wind chills below zero. An excellent weekend to stay home and work on specimens, post up some pics when those purty's get cleaned up too.


Posted by: colo_heff Dec 19 2011, 07:51 AM

Woody... looks like you've been finding quite a variety of of some nice looking stuff... if you ever have a hankering for some company or in need of a hunting partner I'd like to come along... Chris was kind enough to allow me to prospect once again on his claim this year so hopefully I will get a chance to meet up sometime this upcoming prospecting season if not sooner...

Posted by: Woody Dec 20 2011, 12:37 AM

I would enjoy the company Colo-Heff,

If I am still around here come spring I'll stop by and you can ride with me up to the claim areas. Also if you ever wish to meet up locally let me know, I get out pretty much every weekend. The recent snows will keep me from my usual digging spots but there are other areas I know that should be free of snow to find goodies. The last couple of weekends I have been getting out in the hills and kicking around but I did not post anything up. The areas that I really want to get at are under snow so I have revisited some of my old dig sites. The finds have not been very exciting but at least I am getting my exercise. Drop me an Email if you are ever available. Later, Woody

Posted by: Woody Dec 23 2011, 09:12 AM

To alll my fellow Prospectores;


We are all brothers united by a common bond. Every man, woman and child has a place that they call home. If it is not a solid, touchable item that we can see with our eyes, then it is a cherished dream that we hold in our hearts. May all your endeavors and deeds serve you to bring good fortune and peace into your home during this Holiday Season.
From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Woody.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jan 2 2012, 08:35 AM

Happy New Year Woody! smileywaving.gif

Posted by: Woody Jan 8 2012, 11:54 PM

Had a little fun out playing in the snow this weekend,

I went over to my brother’s house and he was just finishing up making another Boomer rang. He made this last one considerably larger than any he had made before. He has a knack for these things and does a good job at it. He makes throwing them look easy. I on the other hand, am lucky to just not injure myself. We had a lot of fun and it was a great way to spend a bright, snowy morning.

Here are a couple of videos. The first one is of Steve doing a nice job of throwing the smaller rang. Then he gives a lesson on how to launch them. In the third video you can see how dangerous I am with these things.

Have a good one, Woody.

Ok, so I will need a class on how to up load a video. Can anyone help??

Posted by: swizz Jan 9 2012, 07:35 AM

Interesting.... I'd definitely like to see the vids.

I might be able to help you post them.
Need to know where the vids are currently stored first: hard drive?, camera?, memory card?, already uploaded to youtube or other vid hosting site?
Just need to know where they are coming from before I can help post them here.

Posted by: Woody Jan 9 2012, 09:07 AM

Thanks Swizz,

The videos are on my computer desktop. I right click on them and the properties show that they are an AVI file. Normally they open up with the VLC player screen but , I can right-click on them and open them up with Windows Move Player but just can't figure how to change the format to save them.

Hope this is helpful to others who are just learning as well.

Posted by: swizz Jan 9 2012, 09:18 AM

The AVI file doesn't need to be changed.
In order to post it on a forum site like this... the simplest path would be to upload it to a video-hosting site first, like youtube. Then you can post a link to it, which will play the vid here.
1. Open a free account at youtube
2. Follow their instructions for "Upload Video", youtube will accept AVI files

Once it is uploaded and stored on youtube it is easy to link here.

Posted by: Woody Jan 9 2012, 09:37 PM

Ok,

I done did all that. Now, How do you "link here"?? Woody.

Posted by: Woody Jan 9 2012, 09:43 PM


Here is a video of steve throwing a small homemade Boomerang. I hope this works.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Vy0N17_qg

Posted by: Woody Jan 9 2012, 09:48 PM

Ok that seems to have worked,

Here are two more. The first one is his larger varrity. He shows us how it should be done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wOLyEcuuE


Did you notice the part where he got out of the way? Well as you can see in this video I had problems with that part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su9SgF7d_d0

Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: swizz Jan 10 2012, 08:01 AM

Great job of posting the vids up Woody!

Hmm... fast flying objects + danger = FUN
this is right up my alley! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Bring one out to the claims this spring!

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Jan 10 2012, 08:01 AM

OUCH! That might have left a mark! smiley-shocked003.gif Move when it's coming at you. HEHE
Glad you got a handle on link posting and vid uploads, good job and thanks for sharing the vids.
When we used to have a boomerang we would throw it parallel to the ground which makes it arc up instead of around sideways....Not sure but I think that is how they were used to hunt small game. Does not make catching it any easier though. smiley-laughing021.gif DUCK!! biggrin.gif

Posted by: leonard Jan 10 2012, 11:18 AM

QUOTE (ColoradoProspector @ Jan 10 2012, 07:01 AM) *
OUCH! That might have left a mark! smiley-shocked003.gif Move when it's coming at you. HEHE
Glad you got a handle on link posting and vid uploads, good job and thanks for sharing the vids.
When we used to have a boomerang we would throw it parallel to the ground which makes it arc up instead of around sideways....Not sure but I think that is how they were used to hunt small game. Does not make catching it any easier though. smiley-laughing021.gif DUCK!! biggrin.gif



All I can say is this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoBXAUNU1HE

Leonard

Posted by: russau Jan 11 2012, 05:40 AM

only Leonard could have comeup with that video! haha, yep i remember it also!

Posted by: leonard Jan 11 2012, 09:06 AM

QUOTE (russau @ Jan 11 2012, 04:40 AM) *
only Leonard could have comeup with that video! haha, yep i remember it also!


I thought you might. Most of us really old timers remember it from when it was a big hit.
Leonard

Posted by: leonard Jan 11 2012, 04:10 PM

QUOTE (leonard @ Jan 11 2012, 08:06 AM) *
I thought you might. Most of us really old timers remember it from when it was a big hit.
Leonard


You really have to watch out for them "backless boomerangs"
Leonard

Posted by: Woody Jan 12 2012, 12:25 AM

I guess getting hit in the back-side is not the worst that could happen. Everytime I listen to that song Leonard I can't help but compair it to another oldie, "Please Mr. Custer". I know the two are not related but for a second they sound kind of simular.

Posted by: russau Jan 12 2012, 09:58 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ Jan 11 2012, 10:25 PM) *
I guess getting hit in the back-side is not the worst that could happen. Everytime I listen to that song Leonard I can't help but compair it to another oldie, "Please Mr. Custer". I know the two are not related but for a second they sound kind of simular.

Please Mr."Custard"(:) i dont want to die! yep i remeber that one also! hey, your talking about getting hit in the backside, we all ought to be getting used to that every year from the IRS and obama!:):)

Posted by: leonard Jan 12 2012, 10:47 AM

QUOTE (russau @ Jan 12 2012, 08:58 AM) *
Please Mr."Custard"(:) i dont want to die! yep i remeber that one also! hey, your talking about getting hit in the backside, we all ought to be getting used to that every year from the IRS and obama!:):)


More useless stuff I seem to remember.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0nHWAoIfxo

Leonard

Posted by: russau Jan 13 2012, 07:40 AM

kind of a catchy tune! i wonder if it would make the top 10 tunes for 2012 if reintroduced?????:)

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jan 16 2012, 08:34 PM

Awesome work on posting the videos and linking to them Woody! smiley-clapping.gif
Ouch! wacko.gif I was thinking what fun till I saw you get nailed by it. Maybe fun just watching you all throw it. laugh.gif Even the dog backed off when it saw it coming!

Too funny Leonard! There seems to be a good tune for every occasion.
giggle.gif

Posted by: Woody Jan 17 2012, 10:05 PM

Hi again,

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I have been out and about several times lately but it wasn’t very exciting.

I went fishing on the Arkansas and caught a couple of stockers but nothing more. The fair weather made the trip worthwhile just to be out. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time on the water and most of the trip was spent driving. I should have devoted additional prep-time the day before and made this trip more enjoyable.

Last weekend I went for a long hike up in the hills. There was several inches of snow on the ground and I did not mean to be out for long but that turned into a 5 mile/8 hour trip. I just had to see what was over the next ridge. All in all it was great exercise and that is a good thing this time of year. Here is a pic of Aspen after the long day. She looks happy to be headed home.



 

Posted by: russau Jan 18 2012, 05:35 AM

sounded like it was very enjoyable! take advantage of times like this,and enjoy the memories while your young because sooner than youd like, old age/injury will hit you and that will be all folks! im living proof of that!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jan 18 2012, 11:09 AM

Sounds like a great day to me Woody! Winter hiking is a blast and a great workout. Aspen had a good time going as well I'm sure! She's probably just wanting the seat in the truck next to the heater on the ride home. biggrin.gif

Posted by: Coalbunny Jan 18 2012, 07:08 PM

QUOTE (leonard @ Jan 12 2012, 09:47 AM) *
More useless stuff I seem to remember.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0nHWAoIfxo

Leonard

I used to have that on a 45 record. You know, those totally unheard of phonometric vinyl disks....

And it sounded far better than the YouTube. Actually had more rear sound effects.

Posted by: swizz Jan 21 2012, 09:01 AM

Hi Woody,
Aspen definitely looks a little tuckered in that last shot, haha. give her some good scratchins for me! Awesome dog.

Posted by: Woody Jan 29 2012, 08:59 AM

I was out playing yesterday with my new camera. It was bitter cold and I did not find much for my efforts but still managed to get in a little digging time. Here is my first attempt at making a video of me digging for crystals. I did find two specimens that I brought home however I have not washed them off yet so don't know if they will be keepers. Again, it is my first attempt at setting up the camera while I was working the ground so don't expect much. Poor quality, and poor results but it does leave room for vast improvement. Woody

http://youtu.be/CHorwPx5uQQ

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Jan 30 2012, 08:37 AM

Talk about a terminal case of dig fever!! smiley-shocked003.gif thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Dang that must have been chilly.
Looks like you had a great time though and thanks for sharing the vid, everyone loves to see the field trips.

Posted by: Woody Jan 30 2012, 03:41 PM



Here are two more videos. These are from a much better camera and have good quality. The first one is from this Sunday while I was out looking for Amazonite. The second one shows the results from both Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy, Woody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx0y-UXZv6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6MAxfWgyU


Posted by: Mrs.CP Feb 2 2012, 10:29 AM

Very cool videos Woody. Sure makes me want to get out there and dig!!!! excited.gif emoticon-misc-004.gif
Great finds, you sure seem to be digging in a sweet spot. Love the green and purple Fluorites!! Aspen cracked me up, I think she thought you were talking to her and showing her your finds. She was very interested. giggle.gif

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
happy088.gif

Posted by: swizz Feb 6 2012, 05:48 PM

Hi Woody,
You were right about the first vid being a little rough but still good.
The second two that you made were top notch in quality and definitely top notch in finds!!
Very enjoyable to watch and I appreciate you sharing those. Aspen is a show-stealer, give her some scratchins for me. smiley-chores016.gif
Keep up the great work Woody! cheers.gif

Posted by: leonard Feb 6 2012, 06:20 PM

QUOTE (Woody @ Jan 30 2012, 02:41 PM) *
Here are two more videos. These are from a much better camera and have good quality. The first one is from this Sunday while I was out looking for Amazonite. The second one shows the results from both Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy, Woody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx0y-UXZv6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6MAxfWgyU



Here's a link to a flourite mine I visited about 10 years ago. It's been closed and buried now. Heve to keep things safe for the beginners.

http://golddredger.com/fluoritemine/fluorsparmine1.htm

Leonard

Posted by: Woody Feb 25 2012, 09:54 PM

Hi all,

Well I haven’t posted much as of late but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been out and about. It just means I’ve been lazy. I had a couple of good outings digging Amazonite and today I went back up there. I wanted to remove some dirt and expose more of a rock wall that had yielded some good specimens the week before. I got down to the level I wanted to get and found a nice seam of color. This place has much potential and more digging is needed. I’ve been getting some help as of late. Colo_heff (aka Bill) came up with me last week and looks to be meeting me up there I the morning. Wish us luck.

Here is a video of the seam I exposed today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7o2pguvTPk

Posted by: Woody Feb 28 2012, 01:08 PM

Weekend update,

It took me a while to get this posted. I had a big write-up from the whole weekend but somehow I lost it. So here is the condensed version.

I met back up with Bill on Sunday and he and I worked that seem a little more. It was a little bit of work getting down to where the good stuff is at but well worth it. Once you get pasted the overburden you can start to see individual crystals mixed in with the scree. We have come to realize that the best pieces are coated with a fine, red layer of material that has a consistency comparable to flour. The red is bright enough that it stands out nicely against the rest of the debris. Anytime we find this reddish material work slows down and we start to be more observant.

Here is a picture of the exposed seem.



 

Posted by: Woody Feb 28 2012, 01:13 PM


Some of the material we were finding is large enough to slab or carve. As you get down closer to the seem the pieces get bigger.


 

Posted by: Woody Feb 28 2012, 01:18 PM

At last I finally found my first true Combo of Smoky Quartz and Amazonite. It is not a beauty like some I have seen but it is my first.

I am looking forward spending more time in this hole, Woody.



 

Posted by: Woody Mar 11 2012, 08:55 PM

Headed up on the hill again this weekend.
Myself and Bill was eager to continue the string of good luck we were having in this spot. At first it seemed likely that the good luck would continue but at last I am afraid that this spot is no longer in its prime. The brighter and larger pieces were a little below of what we are now working and the rock wall is about to end. There is still a small section we have not touched so we will still be able to get at least one more good working out of it. Here is a posting of a video from the last time we were up there, Later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lofR92J-n0

Posted by: Woody Mar 19 2012, 08:33 PM

Hi All,

Well this weekend I went on another Amazonite dig. I chose a slightly different spot than I had been working recently. It was an area that I had visited many weeks before and at the time I was finding better material in a different location. This time I had intended to just walk past it in route to another spot I wanted to further prospect but something caught my eye and I scratched around a little bit. Boy was I glad I did. Within a few minutes I was finding some really nice material. I even found a few low-grade combos. So here is a short video that is titled, “My Best Colorado Amazonite”. Enjoy, Woody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4G4IQwveA

Posted by: mikeybrew Mar 19 2012, 10:09 PM

QUOTE (Woody @ Mar 19 2012, 09:33 PM) *
Hi All,

Well this weekend I went on another Amazonite dig. I chose a slightly different spot than I had been working recently. It was an area that I had visited many weeks before and at the time I was finding better material in a different location. This time I had intended to just walk past it in route to another spot I wanted to further prospect but something caught my eye and I scratched around a little bit. Boy was I glad I did. Within a few minutes I was finding some really nice material. I even found a few low-grade combos. So here is a short video that is titled, “My Best Colorado Amazonite”. Enjoy, Woody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4G4IQwveA


Looks like you found yet another great spot Woody, you've got quite the knack! Some really nice pieces of Amazonite you recovered there!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Mar 20 2012, 07:05 AM

Fantastic finds Woody! Definately sweet looking Amazonite!! Thanks for sharing the video with us. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: swizz Mar 20 2012, 08:28 AM

Woody, those look great! Can't imagine what you've got hiding in that backpack. hmmm chin.gif
As always, love the video too! Aspen looks good and healthy. smiley-chores016.gif

Posted by: Woody Apr 2 2012, 05:59 AM

This weekend I went fishing with a buddy in his new boat. The fishing started out fairly well, within 5 minutes I caught a really nice Walleye and soon we both had 2 fish a piece. We decided to move to another location and on the way over he wanted to see what the new boat could do. So with the new boat at its top-end, “which is around 65”, we rounded a Conner and ran right into some ruff waves from another boat. The first wave launched the boat skyward and when we came down the next wave sent the boat into an unexpected hard let turn. This left turn created enough G-Force that it tore my grip from the Oh Jesses handle. I went flying through the air in the Superman position and my unprotected ribs on my right side landed squarely on the Conner of the driver’s console. This turn of events put fishing for the rest of the day very low on my priority list. I was in a heck of a lot of pain and finally conceded that I need to go to the Doc’s. 5 hours later the Doc said everything was still intact which surprised me but hey, I’ll take it. Which brings me to what I did on Sunday;

Not being able to get around much I had a nice specimen of material that I was saving for just such a rainy day. It showed great potential for having lots of hidden Shark Teeth still inside the Sandstone matrix. I intended to completely take it all apart and see how many teeth I could get from just this one little piece but it seems to look best with just a little off the top. Most of the teeth break up during the removal process so I did not wish to damage any more. There is close to 50 teeth and fragments visible in this one section of rock. It took me a long time to do it but for the first time in many a weekend, I had a lot of time on my hands. Have a good one and watch those ribs, Woody.






 

Posted by: swizz Apr 2 2012, 06:53 AM

Woody, that is AWESOME (not the ribs part)!
That's an incredible specimen and I agree that cleaning it up rather than extracting is best for that piece... it is excellent, I haven't seen a cluster like that.
I feel for ya on the ribs. During my skiing career I had many odd injuries... broke nose twice, split chin, two thumb separations, both wrists, etc. By far my most memorable, painful, and recurring injury was two fractured ribs which I will never forget. Keep your ribs wrapped tight (I used a neoprene rib brace with velcro) and don't sneeze, yawn, or cough for while. OUCH!
I feel for ya buddy, nurse those ribs... they can take a long time to heal. Watch yourself after they heal also, my injury partially recurred years later when I aggravated the same ribs while just leaning over the edge of a stone parapet wall on a building. Not as bad, but it still hurt again for a coupe of weeks.
Stay away from slow horses and fast boats? haha
Coincidentally, I also was fishing and fossil hunting yesterday and did well on both counts! Not as exciting as your find or adventure but I will add some pics to my Leaf Fossil thread later today.
Take care of those ribs, we'll be mining together again here soon I think.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Apr 4 2012, 08:17 AM

Awesome finds Woody! Most people didn't even know they could find shark teeth here in Colorado. signs021.gif

I really like the last pic you posted. That clump filled with teeth is awesome!! I would just clean that one up a bit and leave as is.
Great finds and thanks for sharing your trip adventures with us.
greensmilies-012.gif Love em'!

Posted by: Woody Apr 7 2012, 08:07 PM

QUOTE (Mrs.CP @ Apr 4 2012, 09:17 AM) *
Awesome finds Woody! Most people didn't even know they could find shark teeth here in Colorado. signs021.gif

I really like the last pic you posted. That clump filled with teeth is awesome!! I would just clean that one up a bit and leave as is.
Great finds and thanks for sharing your trip adventures with us.
greensmilies-012.gif Love em'!


Thanks,

All those pics are of the same rock. I had intended to take it all apart and see how many I could get out of it. Once I reached this point I had to stop. I agree it looks just fine that way it is. Also most of the teeth I did extract broke in the process. So I did not want to risk it any more. later~

Posted by: Mrs.CP Apr 22 2012, 09:22 AM

I hope your ribs are healing up nicely!! I miss reading your digging updates. sad.gif

Posted by: swizz Apr 22 2012, 09:38 AM

QUOTE (Mrs.CP @ Apr 22 2012, 09:22 AM) *
I miss reading your digging updates. sad.gif


Me too... you better not be just sitting on the couch and eating bon-bons Woody.

Posted by: russau Apr 23 2012, 07:09 AM

in Manhatten KS. theres a fossilized shark in the rock bank that got washed out after some flooding years back.

Posted by: Woody Apr 25 2012, 08:48 AM

Thanks guys,

I’m excited about getting out this weekend. I’ve been cooped-up way too long. Russau you mentioned they found some shark fossil out by Manhatten, KS. I’ve actually done a bit of poking around in that area myself. I used to walk the Kansas, Republic, and Blue Rivers looking for fossils. Mostly found old Buffalo bones. I spent many a night fishing Milford and Tuttle Creek as well.


The first pic is a Buffalo Vertabra. Very old but not quite a fossil. The second pic is fossilized and I can only guess what land creature it might have belonged to. The third pic is...... well now I'm just bragging lol.






 

Posted by: swizz Apr 25 2012, 09:37 AM

I think that Cat is older than those bones, holy cow!

Posted by: Woody May 13 2012, 10:57 PM

Hi All,

Been awhile since I was able to get out and do much. I can't belive I haven't been out and about for over a month. I'm starting to feel like a City Slicker. This weekend I was suspossed to head up north and do alittle digging in the dirt at the claims but the forcast was not looking favorable. Turns out it wasn't too bad up there after all. But I made my choice and on Sunday I went south to do a little fishing.

Can you say, "Nice Crappie"!




 

Posted by: swizz May 13 2012, 11:01 PM

Nice "paper-mouth"!
Glad you had a Crappie day!! tongue.gif

Posted by: Woody May 13 2012, 11:02 PM

Here is my hand for compairison. The smallest was just under 13 inches. None made it to the 15 inch mark. Fishing on Mothers Day is allways exciting.


 

Posted by: swizz May 13 2012, 11:04 PM

smiley-shocked003.gif
Those are honkers... I say you need a couple on the wall.

Posted by: russau May 14 2012, 10:52 AM

or in the frying pan!

Posted by: Woody May 23 2012, 07:41 AM

I went fishing this last weekend with my family at Pueblo Reservoir. I must say the fish did not let us down. Don’t recall the total number of fish caught but we were mainly after Crappie and the limit is 20 apiece, and we returned many back to the water. We also caught lots of Bass and some Walleye but not many would measure up. Spent that night on the bank hoping to catch a Catfish or two but none showed up, only a few small Walleye. Had a great time with family and am headed over to Blue Mesa next weekend to hopefully do the same over there.

If anybody was waiting for the right time of year to take their kids fishing, “or go themselves”, this is it. But you will want to hurry as the temps and Mosquitoes are only going to get worse. As a rule of thumb after Memorial Day, I head to the high country.


First pic is of Aspen wanting to know if I was going to answer that bell.

The next two is Steve working two rods at once on a rare double hook-up and these two Crappie show the average size of what we were catching.

Remembering all who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom… Happy Memorial Day, Woody.







 

Posted by: Woody May 29 2012, 10:59 PM

Memorial Day weekend has kind of been an unofficial family reunion for the past several years now. We seem to gather at Blue Mesa and spend long hours fishing, visiting, and hanging around the campfire. This Memorial Day we had 15 family members which I believe was the biggest to date. We had a great time even though the fishing was slow and the wind was fast. A couple of neat things happened worthy of mention;

My middle brother, “Eddie”, caught a Yellow Perch that was 13 inches plus. For those of you in the know that’s a heck of a fish, worthy of a Master Angler Award.

The Kids were playing one evening and they rolled a large log of driftwood crossed the small creek where we were camping. The sand was very wet and muddy because the lake had gone down quite a bit recently and tracks were easy to see. I got up before the sun and walked over to the lake and discovered that a Bear had walked a crossed the log they put down. I couldn’t wait to wake them up to show them the tracks and tell them they had built a Bear Bridge.

Whenever I am out camping I have to go hiking around in the hills. My dad and one of my sisters accompanied me and we headed out for a look around. We were just about to turn around and head back when I started to find some interesting pieces of rock. At first I thought it was just a small piece of druzzy quarts from a seam. Then I started to find more and the pieces started to have bubbles on them. I quickly realized that what I was finding was Common Opal. This excited me greatly. I have never found Opal in Colorado except in Petrified Wood but this was not from anything like that. It was a layer or seam that rested on top of a piece of common Rhyolite rock. I gathered everybody around and explained to them what was happening here and up the hill we went, looking for the source. The higher up the hill we went the bigger and more abundant the Opal became. My sister was the first to find a large host outcropping. The coloring was wonderful. Just about every color you could think of except very little blues and no greens. One of the first bigger pieces found was kind of blue and for a while there I was thinking it might be Lapis but now I am sure it was just a bluish piece of Opal. I worked my way above that and found many more seams. I did not find any more host outcroppings but am sure there must be more judging from the amount of material found.
We carried some good specimens back with us and the next day we went back for some more. I am fascinated by the Strawberry, Cream colored pieces. I can’t wait to see what these would look like when cut and polished.

More pics will follow of some of my favorite pieces but for now here is a few I took this weekend. First is the Bear Bridge, Next is a piece of Bubbly Opal I removed from a seam, and the last is a small shot of the outcropping. Take care, Woody.








 

Posted by: swizz May 30 2012, 06:28 AM

Awesome outing Woody! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Love the Bear bridge.
Also looks like a great mineralized area. Blue Mesa Res is in the Curecanti National Recreation Area (CNRA). Do they allow prospecting and/or mineral collection? or.... look but don't remove? Hope you were legal in your endeavors. CP readers should know before planning an Opal hunt there... what is the current land status where you were collecting? Is CNRA land open to prospecting.... or were you outside of their jurisdiction on BLM or NFS land? I'm assuming that you called CNRA prior if you were on their land.

We have Arapahoe National Recreation Area (ANRA) here in Grand County... unfortunately they chose not to allow prospecting or collection on ANRA land (since it is a designated recreation area where 1872 mining law rights don't apply). This sucks because we have some exceptional fossils, agates, geodes, and petrified woods sitting on the ANRA land surrounding the lakes and reservoirs that I would love to collect... but it's all 'look but don't collect'. kick_can.gif
All designated recreational areas have different regs... maybe CNRA allows it as a recreational activity? confused0082[1].gif

Posted by: swizz May 30 2012, 08:21 AM

Found this map, maybe Gunnison National Forest north of CNRA? http://www.coloradodirectory.com/nationalparks/images/bluemesa.pdf
I don't know what the designation or status of the white-shaded land is on the map.

Posted by: Woody May 30 2012, 08:23 AM

This is well outside of CNRA and is on BLM. To be fair, I did not check with the county seat and specifically check this exact location for land status. I am quite sure it is open as I have frequented this area for 40 years. There is really not much to mention as far as prospecting for minerals go. Even this Common Opal is just that, Common. Doesn't shine much.

Posted by: swizz May 30 2012, 08:30 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ May 30 2012, 08:23 AM) *
This is well outside of CNRA and is on BLM.

Good

QUOTE (Woody @ May 30 2012, 08:23 AM) *
To be fair, I did not check with the county seat and specifically check this exact location for land status.

Bad

QUOTE (Woody @ May 30 2012, 08:23 AM) *
I am quite sure it is open as I have frequented this area for 40 years.

Ya never know...



Posted by: Woody May 30 2012, 08:39 AM

Nice jab Chris-

Posted by: Mrs.CP May 30 2012, 08:49 AM

Very cool finds Woody, but I believe what you have found is http://www.mindat.org/min-960.html. We have found lots of it here in the San Luis Valley. One piece I have put aside has the same strawberry tint to it due to the matrix under the Chalcedony layer on top. Love those bubbles! Many pieces we find are layers on top of Agate. Makes for some really cool pieces, especially cut. Doing a hardness test will answer that question as Opal is alot softer than Chalcedony. Chalcedony is a 61/2 - 7 on the hardness scale.

Always remember that reverifying land status before venturing out is always important, as a claim may have been filed on that land at any time of the day.

Posted by: swizz May 30 2012, 08:52 AM

I'm not jabbing and apologize if that's the impression.
Just don't want to send CP readers to CNRA or other lands without checking land status prior. Initially you didn't state that you were on BLM land. It would be easy for a reader to assume you were hangin out at the CNRA Blue Mesa beach and just wandered up the hill and started picking rocks. I'm glad that wasn't the case.
Sorry, but I'm a stickler regarding land status.

Posted by: Woody May 30 2012, 10:17 PM

Will try to do better next time.

Posted by: swizz May 31 2012, 09:47 AM

Hi Woody,
Sorry, my intention wasn't to discredit you or put a speed bump in your great thread (and I love this thread!).
I'm a bit passionate about research and land status. Blue Mesa drew a red flag and I thought readers might think it's ok to prospect there as to how your post was worded.
I sincerely apologize and wasn't doubting your research or status knowledge, more-so I was concerned with the wording as many novices and beginners read the threads... you can beat me up at the CP mtg this Monday. I really meant nothing personal. cheers.gif

Yours truly,
The Land Status Nazi

Posted by: Woody Jun 1 2012, 08:54 AM

Actually Chris you raise a good point.

If someone heads out on a planned prospecting outing then obviously they have done a good land status research. However a person does not think about including land status in their daily routine. Especially in a spur of the moment event, but they should. It should never be an afterthought, but rather more planned and less impromptu.

I, "especially as a lifetime member", should show more discretion in my actions and possible include how I came to know the area was open for prospecting. If we are not leading the way on this how can we expect others to follow? If we could include a couple of examples of outings where good research was conducted prior to going out in the field it might make it easier for others.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Jun 2 2012, 10:30 AM

happy088.gif Good post Woody, and reflecting that in your thread more would be great! People are always willing to follow good examples when they see it leads to good honest things like the goodies you are prospecting for. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

That is exactly what the CP researched areas are are all about. The Past Colorado Prospector events listed on the "News And Events page" shows some great examples also. It definately pays to do the right research.

Keep up the good work and we all will continue learning together.
smiley-clapping.gif

Posted by: swizz Jul 3 2012, 06:03 AM

Woody,
.... ya haven't posted a weekly outing update in a while, hopefully you've been getting out and the fires haven't kept you down.

Posted by: Woody Sep 15 2012, 05:23 AM

Haven’t posted much lately, been suffer’n from a bit of writer’s cramp it seems.

Last week I was able to get back up to my Crystal hunting spot. I found an area that had good potential and started digging around a bit. I did not really find a lot of items but did find several big chunks of fluorite. As these pieces were coming up out of the ground they did not look like much and I could have easily tossed them aside without paying them much attention. However there shape immediately gave them away. When I find fluorite in this area it normally has a square, kind of a blocky, shape to it. Think of a section of Lego’s that a child has put together. They start off with a good thick base and stack different sizes and shapes of squares and rectangles on top of it. Whenever I see this stacking of squares effect I instantly think, Fluorite! When I got them cleaned off at the house they looked a lot better. The light green color with just a hint of purple now and again is typical and allows one to look deep into the rock.

So this morning I got up 3 hours before sunrise and am looking forward to another day spent playing in the dirt. Hopefully I find some more chunky pieces of fluorite. Have a good one, Woody.







 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Sep 15 2012, 06:06 AM

Fantastic finds Woody! I can definately see the Fluorite shapes. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Have fun and stay safe out there today!

Posted by: leonard Sep 15 2012, 09:01 AM

Speaking of florite! This place is now buried thanks to renovation.

http://golddredger.com/fluoritemine/fluorsparmine1.htm

http://golddredgervideo.com/prospecting/floritemine.wmv

Leonard

Posted by: swizz Sep 15 2012, 10:01 AM

Wow Woody, VERY impressive specimens!
Good luck out there today... weather looks perfect. I'm going to be out turning some dirt today as well. emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: Woody Sep 28 2012, 10:03 PM


Too bad they clapsed that mine Leonard, looks like there was still a lot of collectable material to be had.

Here is a nice shot of a couple of pices of Fluorite I found about two weeks ago. I found around 10 pieces and was very satisfied with my day of digging. It was one of the few times I set out to find Fluorite and actually found it. As the winter months set in, I will be focusing my efforts more and more on local outings and that mainly means digging for crystals.


 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Sep 29 2012, 07:39 AM

Those are beautiful Woody, good job!! Looks like you found a great place to locate Fluorites! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
chin.gif I bet you trained Aspen to help you sniff out the Fluorites, didn't you? biggrin.gif

Thanks for the finds update Woody. I always enjoy seeing your finds and hearing about your adventures!!
eating-popcorn-03.gif

Posted by: Woody Sep 30 2012, 01:55 PM

Here is a couple of videos from my last two wekends. I like that these pictures really show the difference between what they look like comming out of the ground and then after clean up. I haven't used any chimicals in the clean up process. I am fearful that the first thing to go would be the delicate purple colors.

I belive this hole has pretty much played-out. I managed to find around 20 pieces so I certainly can't complain. Have a good one, Woody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ybhXkAZT34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CDyuSJXvwc

Posted by: Mrs.CP Oct 13 2012, 08:04 AM

Great videos Woody! It might not be played out, dig deeper dig deeper!.....hehe excited.gif
Aspen always looks so happy to be out with you.
smile.gif

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Oct 17 2012, 07:08 PM

Nice videos and finds Woody, thanks for sharing the adventure. With our lack of field time this year it's always nice to see your adventures.
Looks like you found some nice fluorites and smokey's....you said "uninteresting" in the vid but I'd say there could be very interesting things on those....especially if you might of happened upon an enhydro. smiley-shocked003.gif
Quartz and fluorite combos aren't very common either, if you have found some nice quartz with fluorites on them, those would be sweet ones as well.

Check em' out and look close, could be some micro specimens that are killer too, we've got some really neat micros from that area.

Enjoyed the journey and look forward to the next one.

Posted by: Woody Oct 22 2012, 11:15 PM

Thanks for all the words of encouragement from everyone. I guess I will have to keep getting out there and doing my part.

This last time I really intended to go deeper like MRS CP suggested but it seems like I am finding goodies right close to the surface and the material kind of drys up just a foot or two down. I would like to be able to dig several feet down for sampling but so far havent made it.

Here is a video of this last weekend. I was able to follow some bits and pieces uphill and found thier sorce. It is on the side of a small cliff. of course the video did not last long enough to get the best crystals on camera, so I will post some pictures after I get them all cleaned. It is the best Smokey crystals I have found so far. Woody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3j1MBlJfe4

Posted by: jim Oct 23 2012, 06:22 AM

It definately looks like you are on the trail of a vein! I hope you covered you find up. You are liable to go back to find someone else has dug all the killers out. When I got to go out to the dreamtime with Dan it was the red clay that was a main indicator on a vein. Man I can only wish that I could get back out there with you.

Posted by: swizz Oct 23 2012, 06:49 AM

Incredible hole and another great vid Woody! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Looking forward to seeing your cleanup of those pieces. I always take a squirt bottle of water along when I'm fossil hunting.. cuz sometimes I just can't wait. excited.gif
Good stuff!!

Posted by: Woody Oct 23 2012, 08:57 PM



Here is a short video showing a few of the items I recovered last weekend. They have not been completely cleaned, only lightly brushed. The entire cleaning process could take a while. I hope you enjoy the music, Woody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN7AoK90PrA

Posted by: swizz Oct 24 2012, 07:31 AM

Woody,
Really, really nice finds. worthy.gif
I think a little S.I.O. would take care of that iron staining.

Posted by: Woody Oct 24 2012, 10:26 AM

I agree Chris,

I have high hopes for what SOI will be able to do. I have three “test” pieces soaking in it right now. I think I will inspect them after 24 hours and see how the process is coming along and increase the time/strength as needed. It is a very, very weak solution but I want to start off that way. I can always increase the amount if I need be. There is some little Iron cubes on some of the microcline that I am fearful will be eaten away if I use too strong of a mixture. Not sure if current outside temperatures will have an effect on this process or not. Will have to wait and see. I'll post pics in the Crystal cleaning fourm if I have any success. Later

Posted by: Woody Nov 30 2012, 11:42 PM

Hi All,

I haven’t posted up in a while but have I have been taking advantage of this unusually warm winter and have managed to get out in the hills every weekend. When I last left off I had discovered a new area that was producing some promising crystals and rough combos. Well I have continued to work that pocket and continue to be amazed each time I go back. It started out with some rough surface crystals and then it became a spider-hole and it just seems that it never stops producing. Even the Microcline plates are amazing. I have found many smokies and a few are in great shape, some of the crystals are larger than a football. So much material has came out of this hole I that I am unable to carry it all back and have a nice rock collection right there on the side of the hill. Last weekend it finally started to give up Fluorite. It is very colorful and even shows up on some of the combos. The pictures do not show the same color as what the material looks like in your hand. In the pics it looks green, but in hand it has a very soft blue to it. When I left on Sunday I could look way back in the top of the hole and still see more fluorite. Some of the smokie crystals are very pale and I am not sure but I think they might be showing a slight tint of Amethyst in them. I am sure I see purple in some of them. I can’t wait to get back up there in the morning and hit it again. I am taking my niece and nephew and hopefully make a day out of it.


I have taken a huge amount of pictures, way too many to post up. Here is just a few.
Later, Woody.







 

Posted by: Woody Nov 30 2012, 11:56 PM


Here in this next picture you can see some purple on the smokies to the left. There just might be amethyst in there somewhere. Also in the same picture is a small piece of microcline that is red or pinkish. I wonder if there might be some Rhodocrosite, (sp?) in that hole as well.

The next two pictures are of that fluorite. They just don’t look as green as it seems in these pics. Some of these are real nice display pieces. I’m going to need a bigger cabnet.

I think I will call this hole, "The Spider Pocket". It has been very memorable and worthy of being named. Have fun, Woody.






 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Dec 3 2012, 08:28 AM

Sweet finds Woody!! Love the smokeys and the Fluorites. "The Spider Pocket" giggle.gif , you crack me up. Congrats on the great pocket! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Woody Dec 22 2012, 11:36 PM

I had to get out today and take advantage of this nice December weather we are having. It was chilly to start with but soon warmed up to freezing. I actually started out trying to do a little small game hunting but seen no birds or rabbits so that didn’t pan out. On the way back to the truck I saw a spot that looked like it would produce some Septarian Nodules. I just had to check it out and am glad I did.

Here is a video about Colorado Septarian Nodules. Happy Holidays Everyone, Woody.

http://youtu.be/tbrVE3Xel2Q



 

Posted by: swizz Dec 23 2012, 07:27 AM

Great vid Woody. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Not sure about others but that was really educational for me!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Dec 23 2012, 09:09 AM

Sweet finds Woody! They should glow under a UV light. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Some of those are pretty big, are you planning on cutting a few open or keeping them whole for show? Great picture of Aspen on the big one! happy088.gif

Posted by: swizz Dec 23 2012, 10:18 AM

QUOTE (Mrs.CP @ Dec 23 2012, 08:09 AM) *
Great picture of Aspen on the big one! happy088.gif

That's a nodule too?
I thought Woody was giving Aspen too much fiber.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Dec 26 2012, 08:51 AM

laugh.gif Chris........ Aspen is really fun to watch in the videos. She seems to get almost as excited as you do Woody to see what has been pulled out. biggrin.gif

Hope you had a great Christmas and are staying warm.

Posted by: Woody Feb 9 2013, 07:30 PM

Deviated from the norm a little bit and spent the day playing with the new detector.

After a long awaited “saving” period I finally got another detector last week. I did a lot of looking around and decided that the AT Pro was the correct choice for me. I have owned two previously so I pretty much knew what I was looking for. But of course you never know what you got till you take it out in the field and put it to the test. I must say that I was impressed from the start. This detector has great depth capabilities and it finds small stuff that my older ones just couldn’t. It doesn’t pin-point as well as one I had in the past. I have to dig bigger plugs and spend more time searching for the item than what I was used to but hopefully that will improve with time.

This detector is mainly for coins, jewelry, and relics. It will find gold but the better gold detectors operate on a different frequency. It has been my experience that if you try to use a gold detector to find coins you dig mostly trash. A good coin detector is better suited to sort out the junk. It can even indicate what the coin type is before you dig it; new penny, old penny, nickel, dime, quarter ect.. ect… unfortunately there is still a lot of trashy items that fall into theses same categories. Pull tabs and bottle caps are the arch enemy of the metal detector and lots of people get discouraged because of how many they dig. However, they register in the same range as nickels and jewelry so if you are finding tabs & caps you are actually doing it right.

Last weekend I found a 1941 wheat back penny and a 1940 Colorado License plate. There is a vacant field behind my house and it used to be a small farm. “I even boarded three horses there myself at one time”. The house was built in 1914. It stood tall and proud for a long time but a few years ago they bulldozed it all down and sold the land to a developer. They are going to hack it in pieces and put houses on it as soon as the economy gets better. So that field will be my honey-hole until they do. This weekend however, I went to the city park and spent most of the day digging in the still frozen ground. Did not find anything old but still got some cool finds. The best was $1.05 in clad, a silver necklace, and a ring that really had me going there for a minute. Coming out of the ground it looked 100% gold but after I looked at it I could tell it was only plated. The inscription reads, “18K elect pltd”. Still a cool ring and the stones look shinny, probably real garnets. Have a good one, woody.









 

Posted by: swizz Feb 11 2013, 10:39 AM

Wow... really cool finds Woody!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Feb 15 2013, 09:39 PM

Nice finds Woody! I really like the "Hello Kitty" character necklace. biggrin.gif

Posted by: Woody Apr 10 2013, 07:07 PM

I haven't posted up much as of latley because it is mostly a wash, rinse, and repeat cycle of what I did exactly this time last year. Don't want to sound like a broken record and keep repeating myself. I never knew I was so perdictable until I started looking at my previous posts.

Anywhay this weekend I did do something new, I was finally able to get that boat out on the lake and try out the new motor. This was only the 3rd time I've had it out. I've spent all winter trying to get a rebuilt motor put in it. The weather was very warm this Saturday so I grabbed all my gear, "including the dog", and spent the night on the lake. Worked great. We caught a lot of stocker sized fish, nothing to bragg about, but this time of year I'll take it. Can't wait till the weather really warms up and the fishing gets better.

Here is a picture of Aspen. She liked riding on the engine cover. Easy for her to see all around. Have a good one, Woody.


 

Posted by: Woody Apr 20 2013, 11:28 PM

In spite of the recent snow fall I had to get out and take a walk in the hills. I figured the ground would be covered but I could use the time to relocate some tools for future endeavors. As I left the truck the ground was pretty much covered by snow but there was an occasional bare spot. So I chose to pick my way along hitting as many of these bare spots as I could. There wasn’t much open ground but I was rewarded nicely by some awesome surface finds. I didn’t have to dig an inch. These obviously slid down from higher and I will have to do some more scouting around once the ground clears.

I ended up going back to the spider pocket and spent about 4 hours digging some more in that hole. Found some nice Microcline and smokie combos in there as well. I got to say, for it being a snow-day I did alright. Have a good one, Woody.

Here is a few pictures of my surface finds.






 

Posted by: Woody Apr 20 2013, 11:32 PM

Here is a nice combo from the spider pocket.


 

Posted by: Caveman Apr 25 2013, 05:11 PM

Wow!

Posted by: Caveman Apr 25 2013, 05:11 PM

Very nice, Woody! I wish I could find something like that on the property. So far, all I have found are some degraded white quartz chrystals, and some -50 gold. (with Andrew's help). Can't wait to really prospect it this summer.

Posted by: Woody Apr 30 2013, 07:51 PM

Saturday was a rare warm sunny day and thankfully so. I had met up with another member and we headed up to that Spider pocket. I removed a fair amount of material the weekend before and left a section untouched to welcome my visitor. This pocket still has much to offer and it did not disappoint. Riley pulled an excellent crystal plate out with little to no damage. One of the best I have ever seen. As Riley worked that pocket it freed me up to do a little prospecting in the immediate vicinity. I found some chips of quartz that had the tell-tell signs of crystal formation on them and followed them up hill to the source. All I had to do was zig-zag up the hill and stay in the quartz debris and it led me to a mound that had some crystals showing right on the surface. At first I thought it was going to be a real great find but the crystals did not hold together very well the further down you dug. Right under the surface the crystal bearing material transferred into decomposing quartz host rock and you could break apart the material by hand. Still there was a few nice pieces, one crystal was about the size of a Nerf Football. I'm glad for Riley, he got something nice for his efforts and got to see a little of what Colorado has to offer.


The first picture is the Smokie Crystal Plate Riley pulled out. Hope he gets a chance to show it off once it is cleaned up. The second pic is what was showing on the surface of that mound I dug into.




 

Posted by: swizz Apr 30 2013, 08:12 PM

That is an awesome Smokey combo in the first pic, excellent specimen. What is the material on the right in the second pic? Very interesting looking.

Posted by: Woody May 1 2013, 08:41 PM

That is just broken chips of common white quartz. I see where it looks like it has a bluish tint to it in the pic but it was nothing special in its self. That triangle shaped piece also on the right side shows what I was finding as I was walking up the hill. It has one side that is very smooth and shinny. That’s the “tell-tell” signs that indicate to me there might be something worthwhile in the area and exploratory digging might be in order. Here in this picture is what I was finding just below the surface. I was thinking it was going to get better but the good producing layer quickly faded into poor quality quartz. Still lots to explore! Have a good one, Woody.


 

Posted by: CoKid May 2 2013, 06:43 PM

Hey thanks again woody! Had a blast with you and learned a bunch more.

Here's a few shots mid cleaning. Sweet finds.





Posted by: Woody May 3 2013, 09:29 AM

Thanks for posting those pics Riley,

That sure is a good looking Smokey combo and one of the best single crystals of microcline I know of. I see where you are going to have a problem with that Smokey combo. It is wet in the picture and it is already starting to show that white coating that can completely cover it as it dries. That stuff is a pain. I don’t know how to get it cleaned off very effectively. I have had some success in the past with a tooth pick and scratch the stuff off but that takes hours of intense micro-work. Maybe try soaking it in a vinegar solution. Super Iron Out does not seem to be very effective. If you come up with anything let me know.

I will probably go back up there this weekend if you are a mind to come along let me know, Woody.

Posted by: Dypheron May 4 2013, 05:42 PM

Took Woody up on an offer to go out digging with him today, had a blast hiking, chasing my thermos down a hill, and of course prospecting. Didn't find anything spectacular like his previous finds up there but I still think it's very exciting to pull a tiny crystal out of the ground that no one has seen before.

Most of what I packed home, some of them were Woody's finds.
[attachment=6019:20130504_172118.jpg]

And the best find of the day by far! smiley-laughing021.gif
[attachment=6020:20130504_172242.jpg]

I spent a good ten minutes digging that little guy out of the roof of the spider hole. There was another one with it but it was on the edge and landed in a pile of debris when I got it loose.

All in all I think it was a great day, now I understand why he finds all this great stuff because of the location. Trail? What's that? thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: swizz May 4 2013, 06:00 PM

NICE!!!!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Woody May 5 2013, 10:06 AM


Unfortunately I believe the Spider Pocket has at last dried up. We worked the last two areas of that hole I thought would produce and got very little. Everything transitioned into hard rock mining and the crystals went away. But this pocket has been the focus of my attention since October of last year so I have certainly had some fun. Strangely, I kind of don’t mind that it played out. I have several other places in reserve and am always interested in finding new ground. I think this pocket went a long way to raise my expectations and in the future I will be looking for better quality material and not spend so much time on areas that only produce poor specimens. So this defiantly wasn’t the end of the book here, just the turning of a page. Woody

Posted by: Woody Jun 25 2013, 07:42 PM

So even though I am out in the California desert on official business that does not mean I still can’t find a little time to myself before lights-out. When I get the chance I take a walk and go rock hounding. I have been pleasantly surprised by what I have fond so far.

1st pic is a good indicator of just how large and dry this area is.
Next pic is a good sample of the California State Rock, Serpentine.

Also in some of the areas I am finding some really neat Agates. Seen herre in the last picture. They come in several different colors. So far I have found Clear, Amethyst, and one super nice deep Blue.

Hope to be home soon but making the best of things while I am away, Woody







 

Posted by: Crusty Jun 26 2013, 03:25 AM

Not sure how I missed this thread, but I just read it front to back and all I have to say is, I WANT TO BE WOODY WHEN I GROW UP!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

After 11 months restricted to looking at gravel on roads (and still managing to find some interesting rocks) I can't wait to get home!! Woody, if you're looking for company, I'll drive, buy gas, dinner, coffee, wine, or wimmin' to get the chance to learn from you! excited.gif


QUOTE (Woody @ May 2 2011, 08:56 PM) *
For the most part I just put them out back and watch my Rock Garden grow. I do have a nice "indoor" collection of materials that I have collected since I was a child but most of the stuff I find does not measure up. I have quite a collection of odds and ends out back. At times I ponder selling the lot to a rock shop or possibly donating some of the material to a local Science class. The main enjoyment is in procuring the specimens. I wish I was set up with a saw and cabbin machine. Maybe someday if I retire? Till then I will just keep bring home more stuff for the wife to throw at me. Have a good one, Woody.


For me, the cool factor of being the one to have actually found or dug the stuff out of the ground far exceeds the "quality" of the find. Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to find a Smithsonian quality smokey/amazonite combo, but I am tickled to just find a small crystal or chunk of low-grade amazonite. I've got piles of rock I've collected travelling around the world over the years (the movers HATE me! lol) and one day will come up with something cool to do with them.

I'm retiring in the Springs and look forward reaching Woody status and staying active by hitting the hills as often as I can.


QUOTE (Woody @ Jul 13 2011, 11:00 AM) *
Another Crystal run,

The hole is probably more like a crack along a vug line than a hole. I can feel spaces going down between sections of plates and sometimes a small rock will fall between one of these sections and I can hear it continue falling several feet below me. Who knows what this little bitty hole might produce. The opening still stayed about the same size but inside I removed enough material to fit as many as three basketballs and it is longer than my fingertips to the end of my shoulder.

As it got dark I once again had to leave my little Rabbit hole and I know there is still good stuff left in there. I could feel a bigger plate with nice smooth sections on it. This feels to be the biggest crystal piece yet.

I'm going to have to leave it alone for a while and hope no one else stumbles on to it. My evenings are filled up from here to the weekend and I am going to leave for that Lifetime Outing trip this Friday night. So if anyone goes out looking for my secret spot, let me give you a hint;

It is north of the equator! Have a good one, Woody.~


I have a spot like that; the one I dug those big smokies I posted pics of. It has been dug before, so I hope I don't come home and find out someone else got some good stuff out of it. There is more back in there, I'm just too much of a rookie to figure out how to get to it. The hole goes back about 6', but only 3' of it is wide enough to crawl in to. The vein goes down in to the side of the mountain, so I'm not quite sure how to open it up without damaging the good stuff that might be in there. Right now all I'm using is a rock hammer and a chisel set I bought at Harbor Freight.

QUOTE (Woody @ Jul 27 2011, 08:48 AM) *
Well here are only a few of my picks, way too many to post them all.


That is an awesome problem to have! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif


QUOTE (swizz @ Oct 31 2011, 09:41 PM) *
Woody, I am definitely awestruck at your Shark Teeth! jawdrop.gif Just..... WOW, nice stuff there. worthy.gif


WOW!! smiley-cool14.gif

I'd have never know there was some cool stuff like that in our neck of the woods! Will definitely have to get more info on where to find something that awesome to add to my collection!


QUOTE (Woody @ Nov 14 2011, 12:36 PM) *
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.


YES PLEASE!! smileywaving.gif


QUOTE (Woody @ May 14 2012, 10:27 AM) *
Can you say, "Nice Crappie"!


Another thing about Colorado Woody has enlightened me on! I loved crappie fishing when I was stationed in Missouri; they were the only fish I'd catch and actually keep/eat! Those are some nice sized ones!

QUOTE (Woody @ Feb 10 2013, 07:00 AM) *
Deviated from the norm a little bit and spent the day playing with the new detector.

After a long awaited "saving" period I finally got another detector last week. I did a lot of looking around and decided that the AT Pro was the correct choice for me. I have owned two previously so I pretty much knew what I was looking for. But of course you never know what you got till you take it out in the field and put it to the test. I must say that I was impressed from the start. This detector has great depth capabilities and it finds small stuff that my older ones just couldn't. It doesn't pin-point as well as one I had in the past. I have to dig bigger plugs and spend more time searching for the item than what I was used to but hopefully that will improve with time.


I have a decector as well... Can't remember the brand/model; probably not anything too high speed, as my wife bought it for me for my birthday 10 years or so ago. Only played around with it a few times on the beach (28¢), in a park (45¢), and in a campground that was closed for the winter (biggest score.... 84¢! I gave up and hiked up in to the hills and found a nice piece of white quartz lol).

QUOTE (Woody @ Apr 11 2013, 06:37 AM) *
I haven't posted up much as of latley because it is mostly a wash, rinse, and repeat cycle of what I did exactly this time last year. Don't want to sound like a broken record and keep repeating myself. I never knew I was so perdictable until I started looking at my previous posts.


KEEP POSTING! Folks like me who can't get out in the hils are living vicariously through you!


QUOTE (Woody @ May 1 2013, 07:21 AM) *
Riley pulled an excellent crystal plate out with little to no damage.


That is a pretty awesome piece!

Posted by: Woody Jul 3 2013, 12:34 PM

Thanks Crusty for the kind words and encouragement.

Maybe when you get back I’ll show you a few places around here that you might have missed. I’m going to head out this weekend and scout some new ground. This summer I am trying to prospect a few areas for crystals and see if they warrant putting a claim on them. I might could use some help working them. I’ll warn you right now though the access will be difficult to brutal. Hope they have a nice gym over there so you can keep in shape. Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: Crusty Jul 3 2013, 09:49 PM

QUOTE (Woody @ Jul 4 2013, 12:04 AM) *
Thanks Crusty for the kind words and encouragement.

Maybe when you get back I'll show you a few places around here that you might have missed. I'm going to head out this weekend and scout some new ground. This summer I am trying to prospect a few areas for crystals and see if they warrant putting a claim on them. I might could use some help working them. I'll warn you right now though the access will be difficult to brutal. Hope they have a nice gym over there so you can keep in shape. Have a good one, Woody.


I'm up for the challenge! Luckily the altitude here is 3600', so the altitude won't be too hard to get used to again. I'm guessing a good deal of the easy spots are pretty well picked over, but with all the land out there, there's gotta be plenty of hard to get to spots that have some good stuff waiting to be discovered!

Posted by: Woody Jul 5 2013, 11:42 PM



Here is a video I made this weekend. It was an attempt at showing what I look for as I am out walking in the hills. I had to follow the trail about 70 feet until I found the source. At first all the pits and pieces were close to the surface and loose in the scree. That’s what I call float. Meaning it did not originate there and over time leaves a debris trail that may extend many yards down hill. When I left the hole was still producing so I need to return soon. Have a good one, Woody.

http://youtu.be/67px1vQfJGo

Posted by: Crusty Jul 6 2013, 02:20 AM

QUOTE (Woody @ Jul 6 2013, 11:12 AM) *
Here is a video I made this weekend. It was an attempt at showing what I look for as I am out walking in the hills. I had to follow the trail about 70 feet until I found the source. At first all the pits and pieces were close to the surface and loose in the scree. That's what I call float. Meaning it did not originate there and over time leaves a debris trail that may extend many yards down hill. When I left the hole was still producing so I need to return soon. Have a good one, Woody.

http://youtu.be/67px1vQfJGo



Will have to check it out when I get back to me room... can't wait to see another Woody Production!

THat's how I got hooked... was hiking along Bear Creek and found some Amazonite. Surmising it came from up the hill, I climbed the scree field, finding more, until I got up to the source. The next time I found the pocket of smokies in my photos. Being an amatuer, as Dypheron said, a lot of the stuff someone only looking for the "good stuff" threw out in the tailings I thought were pretty darn cool!

Posted by: russau Jul 6 2013, 06:10 AM

Woody now you need your own tv show!

Posted by: Woody Jul 7 2013, 03:44 PM

Ha ha, My own TV show.

I don't think the world is quite ready for that yet but it would be cool getting paid to dig for rocks in the ground. Here is the conclusion from that weekend. My camera batteries died before I was finished and then I returned to that same spot the next day. It also shows the Fluorite I was finding. Some of the crystals where clear Smokye but most only had 3 or 4 good sides at best. But the mountains where a lot cooler than sitting around the house doing nothing so it was fun. Hope everyone's Fourth of July was enjoyable as well, Woody.

http://youtu.be/X8AFdbcJDMc



 

Posted by: Crusty Jul 7 2013, 09:02 PM

Haven't been able to get YouTube to load for a week; stupid internet here is always doing crazy random stuff like there. :(


Look forward to seeing what you've found; that photo is a nice teaser!

Posted by: Caveman Jul 8 2013, 08:47 AM

Woody, thanks again for coming out, it was a lot of fun. Definitely going to investigate that one seam next to that coyote hole where you found the tool. I don't know when - some year when I get caught up around here. I will let you know when I start. Too bad we didn't find any crystals here, it would have been great to have you find something to take with you. I think that green stone is epidote. As you saw, lots of it here, and if that is what they found in crystal form in that coyote hole, it may be worth investigating again. I don't think they did, or we would have seen some sign of it. Again, it was fun, and I would like to get out with you in your neck of the woods. Those vids you made are amazing, worthy of your own TV show, as Russ suggested. It would be way better than what we have seen with the other shows so far! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Woody Jul 10 2013, 08:56 AM

The pleasure was all mine Caveman. I enjoyed poking around on your side of the mountain.

Ha Ha, Funny! My own TV show……. Not! I don’t see me ever being that motivated, let alone being financially funded.
That might be more headache than I want to encounter.

Now scratching around in the dirt and making a video now and again, Ya I can handle that. Woody.

Posted by: Caveman Jul 10 2013, 10:38 AM

I hear that. I will let you know when I get to that Quartz seam.... that was worth finding. Probably nothing, but it would be cool if it turned rosy! Too bad I can't bust into that epidote seam, It's just too far off the line. I'll try to get with the landowner over there and see if I can just clear it out to see what they were looking at back then. I'll have to contend with that badger and the harvester ants if I do, though, but it would be worth it. Let me know if you'd be interested in that - might find some more cool broken worn out tools! happy088.gif

Posted by: SParker Jul 15 2013, 08:21 AM

woody,
new to the game!
seems like your a person willing to share some of your knowledge.
would like to spend some time with you.
would be willing to drive and provide lunch
i have been hunting all summer with the family and have not found a thing. a few shards
i see you also enjoy hunting and fishing also .. im big into the archery and ice fishing .. used to be big into fly fishing but to many people here for me!
please send me an email so we can hook up.
shawnparker45@gmail.com
really looking forward to hear from you.

Posted by: Crusty Jul 15 2013, 10:11 AM

QUOTE (Crusty @ Jul 8 2013, 09:32 AM) *
Haven't been able to get YouTube to load for a week; stupid internet here is always doing crazy random stuff like there. :(


Look forward to seeing what you've found; that photo is a nice teaser!



WOO HOO, I finally got to watch the videos. Nice finds Woody!


QUOTE (SParker @ Jul 15 2013, 08:51 PM) *
woody,
new to the game!



Welcome smileywaving.gif

Posted by: Caveman Jul 16 2013, 09:13 AM

QUOTE (SParker @ Jul 15 2013, 09:21 AM) *
woody,
new to the game!
seems like your a person willing to share some of your knowledge.


Shawn, welcome to the club! sign0016.gif Woody is indeed a great guy, and an incredible font of knowledge. He's an outstanding representative for the Club. When you two meet, you will have a great time. Woody, I say "when" because I know you will somehow find the time to meet up. Thanks for all you do, you do us proud.
Take care and Have Fun Out There!

caveman.gif CP_Member.gif

Posted by: Woody Jul 22 2013, 08:05 AM

This weekend I was able to get out and do a little mineral prospecting in an area that I had not been to before. I did an extensive research on the LR2000 web site and I had been in touch with a few of the locals and was advised as to where the existing claims were located. My attention would be focused well beyond these areas. Still I was careful to look for any postings in the field. I had a large area to cover and figured to get up in the hills early Friday after work. As soon as I found a comfortable parking spot I headed out on a hike. I was sure I would be back in plenty of time to finish setting up camp. Wrong!

True to my nature I just had to see what was over the next ridge. I did a lot of poking here, prodding there, but nothing really caught my eye. I did spend about an hour digging into a quartz seam I found but it never transitioned into anything interesting. There was the occasional one sided crystal and I kept thinking “maybe just a little deeper”. By the time I gave up I knew it would be a race to reach the truck before dark. I got there with about 15 minutes to spare. I would not have had a problem just laying out on the ground but it looked to coming on to a storm so I set up a tarp for cover. The mosquitoes were a bit troublesome but the tap, tap, tap of a gentle sprinkle put me into a coma until sunrise.

Saturday I broke camp early and headed over to meet a fellow club member. I had talked previously with Shawn and we decided to spend the day rock hounding and picking each other’s brain. I met Shawn and his son and spent a few minutes exchanging formalities before we took off on our 4 wheelers for a short drive. We stopped at a well known collecting spot and dug around for a few quartz crystals. They were not very large but they were crystal clear and gemmy. Shawn and I took a short walk up the hill and soon I found an outcropping of rocks that looked promising. They were only about four or five of them but they were aligned in such a way that it suggested a seam of sorts. At first glance nothing looked interesting but then a little sparkle caught my eye. Looking closely I could just barely make out that it was dark green in color and nestled nicely in liken that was growing on top of the rock. It was a quartz rock that was about half the size of a basketball. I pulled it up and could see more of the same on the underside. I figured it to be Epidote and could see more dark green on some of the rocks still in the ground.

That’s about all it took. Quickly we were two juveniles digging a hole looking for that shinny green stuff and at the moment nothing else mattered. The biggest crystals were only about ½ inch but they sure are nice and gemmy. I think we left a little in that hole and might set up a time to give it a closer look. As always I brought home a few extra pieces from the field to sample and am surprised to see how well they turned out. Hopefully Shawn was able to take home a few nice collectable pieces as well.

It was kind of funny. I can’t recall ever finding it in Colorado before but twice this month I have been on the trail of what I believe to be Epidote. I was out to Caveman’s spread two weeks ago and we found what we think must have been a small mine shaft dug looking for Epidote and this week I stumbled onto it yet again. Just a coincident I guess.

Shawn it was great to meet you and your son. You guys are great company and hope to get out with you’ens again soon. Maybe we can give the invite to anyone who wants to come and have a little get together down in my neck of the woods. Have a good one, Woody.






 

Posted by: Woody Jul 22 2013, 08:16 AM

Don't know if these pieces can be cut and faceted but they look pretty cool.






 

Posted by: swizz Jul 22 2013, 08:37 AM

Woody,
Very cool adventure! That point you found looks nice... almost an amber or peach tint to it. Neat that you whipped up that tarp pup-tent for shelter too. I've had to do the tarp-taco a few times, I can relate.
Good stuff!

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Jul 22 2013, 10:43 AM

Welcome to the forum Shawn, make yourself right at home browsing the entire website. Since these guys welcomed you to the club so friendly like, here's a link to the club membership page should you wish to join in the future for more knowledge/learning and fun with the club members.
http://www.coloradoprospector.com/membership.html

Very interesting finds Woody, sounds like you had an excellent adventure this weekend.
That's awesome of you to take some new folks out to show them a bit too CP_Member.gif , I'll bet they had a great time! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Caveman Jul 22 2013, 10:44 PM

Great finds! Too bad the epidote on my property isn't crystal, but it is a nice green. Maybe I can find another seam....

Posted by: Crusty Jul 23 2013, 02:57 AM

great finds Woody!! We are a lot alike! More than once I've pushed my timeline just to go over "one more ridge" or "just 15 more minutes" and end up hauling ass back to the car before it gets dark (though I also cary the essentials for being stuck out at night, just in case!)

Posted by: Caveman Jul 23 2013, 09:26 PM

Done the same elk hunting - got caught by an evening thunderstorm which forced me to hunker down, and a few bolts came really way too close for comfort - had sparks raining down on me! Felt them too... no shock, but eerie just the same. 2 hour, cold, wet, uphill hike back to camp in the dark to boot. Now, I carry some sort of shelter, just in case...

Posted by: lostnewb Aug 4 2013, 10:13 PM

Woody I am new to this and am looking to learn... Well the family is looking to learn. If you would like to go out sometime and wouldnt mind sharing some knowledge let me know. I am willing to drive anywhere and pay for lunch, dinner, and gas or whatever else is needed ie beer. Let me know what you think. If you are interested PM me.

Thanks,
Chris

Posted by: Dypheron Aug 5 2013, 08:29 AM

QUOTE (lostnewb @ Aug 4 2013, 11:13 PM) *
Woody I am new to this and am looking to learn... Well the family is looking to learn. If you would like to go out sometime and wouldnt mind sharing some knowledge let me know. I am willing to drive anywhere and pay for lunch, dinner, and gas or whatever else is needed ie beer. Let me know what you think. If you are interested PM me.

Thanks,
Chris


Hope you like hiking, Woody doesn't exactly believe in trails, he really embraces the "road less traveled" idea!

Posted by: Woody Aug 5 2013, 10:10 AM

Hello Chris,
I’m not sure how the PM thing goes but I think we can get you and your family on the right track. There is merit to what Dypheron was saying and I would first have to understand what your comfort level is. A lot of times it is not the toughness of the hike per say, but rather just being out in hills all day long. Now I understand most folks have a life and it can be difficult to devote the entire day I just figure if I am going to hike up any hill I plan to stay a while. Met up with a feller named Shawn this weekend, we stayed out 12 hours on Saturday and 10 hours on Sunday. He was a real trooper and I was very impressed but I have learned the hard way that I need to be mindful of peoples comfort level and stay within those boundaries. So Email me and we will chat. Hope to hear from you soon, Woody.


Posted by: Caveman Aug 5 2013, 04:17 PM

Chris - I can tell you, Woody is amazing to watch and learn from. He has a darn fine eye for spotting things. Woody - the dark crystals you found here is hornblende, and the very red formation you found is orthoclase. I took the samples to the rock shop in town. He might make some cabs out of the epidote I took to him, too. If he does, I'll try to get some pics from him and post them.

Posted by: Woody Aug 6 2013, 08:09 AM

I sure would like to see those cabs. That color you have in the epidote there is good quality. If you can find a piece thick enough to make a cabochon it should be a treasure. Orthoclase on the other hand is common Feldspar and is normally uneventful. If I am remembering correctly the only difference between Orthoclase and Microcline is that Microcline has crystal, blocky structure to it. Still might look good polished up. let us know how that goes. Have a good one, Woody.

Posted by: Caveman Aug 6 2013, 10:33 AM

If and when he cuts some, I'll let you know.

Posted by: Caveman Aug 6 2013, 04:13 PM

He does not have a slab saw, but he is going to tumble all the pieces - even the larger ones! I still have more if anyone has a slab saw and wants to cut some cabs - or even hearts - Denise, are you listening? - I also have more interesting things that have washed down the hill due to our storms - even some grey volcanic stuff that has mica and tiny garnets (garnets are a maybe - but they flash red). Large chunks of ugly quartz and some nice sized chunks of pink feldspar, plus more epidote and unakite. There is rose quartz too, but very fissured and fractured, with feldspar and other inclusions. It's not the pretty rose color either - just an ugly dirty whitish and uneven pink. I kind of want to polish the corners of some of this stuff, but I don't have anything to do it with. Oh well, I don't have the time to do it anyway.

The offer's there - anyone want some epidote rock samples to cut and polish?

Posted by: Woody Aug 20 2013, 12:02 AM


I had another nice adventure this weekend out looking for crystals. It saved a lot of time back packing in and staying the night rather than making the trip up and down the mountain every day. I started a hole a few weeks back when I was making a video about how to find a crystal pocket and it continued to produce nicely. The main items found in this hole have been just Smokey Crystals and Fluorite. There is still one small spot left to poke around in but for the most part it has dried up. Some of the crystals found in this pocket were as shinny as glass. Most however were typical of this area and only had two or three good sides. I’ll have to post up some pictures after I get them all cleaned up some of the fluorite really came out nice. Hope you enjoy the video, Woody.

http://youtu.be/SVJC3q-vH0M

Posted by: Caveman Aug 20 2013, 09:47 AM

Great video, Woody! I have to find time to get out there with you.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Aug 21 2013, 07:40 AM

QUOTE (Caveman @ Aug 6 2013, 04:13 PM) *
He does not have a slab saw, but he is going to tumble all the pieces - even the larger ones! I still have more if anyone has a slab saw and wants to cut some cabs - or even hearts - Denise, are you listening? - I also have more interesting things that have washed down the hill due to our storms - even some grey volcanic stuff that has mica and tiny garnets (garnets are a maybe - but they flash red). Large chunks of ugly quartz and some nice sized chunks of pink feldspar, plus more epidote and unakite. There is rose quartz too, but very fissured and fractured, with feldspar and other inclusions. It's not the pretty rose color either - just an ugly dirty whitish and uneven pink. I kind of want to polish the corners of some of this stuff, but I don't have anything to do it with. Oh well, I don't have the time to do it anyway.

The offer's there - anyone want some epidote rock samples to cut and polish?


Sounds like you have alot of the same stuff at your place as we do ours Caveman. We have 2 barrels ready for tumbeling. One has Unakite and the other is filled with Epidote. We also have several larger pieces that we are planning on slabbing and working into cabachons and hearts. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif The Unakite is really cool stuff! If you needed any of yours worked into cabachons, just let us know.

I'm really bummed that you weren't able to make the members outing like you had planned Woody.
sad.gif

Posted by: Caveman Aug 21 2013, 08:11 AM

I'm thinking that some heart epidote earrings and an cabochon pendant would look nice on Mrs Caveman!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Aug 21 2013, 08:20 AM

I bet they would! smile.gif

Posted by: Caveman Aug 21 2013, 08:50 AM

I will have to find some more stones with good color, then. I'll let you know!

Posted by: Woody Sep 8 2013, 10:33 AM

Hi All,

I’ve been absent for a while, out trying to poke an elk with a stick. Although I did have a nice shot opening morning on a 6X6, things just weren’t meant to be. It was only 47.5 yards away but at an extreme angle. I would say about 50 degrees downhill. My rangefinder does not have ARC, “Elk hunters will know what I mean by that”. So I had to guess as to the shot placement. And it appears I guessed wrong. I then spent the next week running up and down the mountain side in hopes of another encounter. Didn’t happen! We did have a Bear come in to camp one day while no one was there. He kind of made a mess of things and seemed to have a taste for Sent-Away-Spray and hand soap.

Our hunt was a pack-in trip so everything me and my two brothers brought with us came in on our backs. Of course food and water was a main concern. But a knowing person can lighten the load a bit if they plan ahead. Water can be one of the heaviest items to bring. We overcame this obstacle by camping next to a known good spring. The water coming out of the ground at 9000 feet tastes better than bottle water any day. I know there can be lots of risks due to Beaver Fever and what not but this spring has been a good source for many years. (You ever look at the source of bottled water? The one I have in front of me says, “Denver Public Water Supply”).

I continued to enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer and man the timing could not have been better for the Fall Harvest. Everywhere I looked was an abundant supply of succulent editable items, everything from Rose Hips to Salmon Berries. There is several ways to prepare the Rose Hips but nothing wrong with eating all the berries right off the bush. Ripe Rose Hips are great eaten raw or I also like boiling them with a little water and making a kind of Mush out of them.

Here are some pictures of the Berries and Hips.





 

Posted by: Woody Sep 8 2013, 10:39 AM

Red Currant Berries and Goose Berries.




 

Posted by: Woody Sep 8 2013, 10:43 AM

Another good tasting berry. Service Berries, also called June Berries.


 

Posted by: Woody Sep 8 2013, 10:45 AM

This is a picture of a Salmonberry. It resembles Raspberries but has a different taste. Still great to eat.


 

Posted by: Woody Sep 8 2013, 10:49 AM

Put them all together and you have a nice tasty little snack.


 

Posted by: Woody Sep 8 2013, 10:51 AM

Who knew this is actually Bear Attractant. The Bear also however was true to his nature and ate the bottle of Grape Jelly.


 

Posted by: Woody Sep 8 2013, 10:54 AM

This last picture is of the Spring. Now I got to get back to digging in the hills. I hope all the hunters have a great and safe season, Woody.


 

Posted by: Caveman Sep 9 2013, 09:28 AM

I am going to have to polish up on my stick bow skills and get ready to head out next year! Got new, lighter shafts, so I have to work up the proper point weight also. Did your shot go over that elk's back? I found out the hard way that on uphill you aim the same as you would for downhill shots (my rangefinder doesn't have ARC either). Counter intuitive, that is. greensmilies-025.gif

I thoroughly enjoyed the class on finding your food in the local environs. Very cool!

Posted by: traddoerr Sep 10 2013, 10:19 PM

Woody, maybe that bear was trying to get rid of it's bad breath smiley-laughing021.gif , we got up for 5days and seen many elk but only one of us got a shot(he missed by a hair) all but one of us shoots trad. bows. I'll try to post pic's in the living off the land section. Best, Dennis

Posted by: Woody Sep 12 2013, 09:18 AM

Well Caveman actually the shot was low. It was about 50 degrees down hill at 47.5 yards away and I guessed 40 yards. The arrow left the bow and for a split second I was very excited as all looked well. But then I saw the arrow start to fall prematurely and my heart sank with it. It is one of those things you will relive for the rest of your life. Thinking what if I would of done this or maybe done that. Sometimes I recall all the animals I have successfully harvested throughout the years and occasionally it is hard tro remember them all. But I can readily recall each and every one of the missed opportunities and this will go down as one of those. My season is not over yet and I should be able to get out at least one more weekend so who knows.

Still part of the enjoyment is getting away from it all and for a day or two just being able to mentally relax. I may not have got an elk that outing but I still had a great time. Hunting Grouse with a Wrist Rocket is always exciting. I even took some time away from hunting to do a little rock hounding. I know of several layers of material around 10,000 feet that produce great marine fossils. I found some pretty cool bone segments that just fascinated me. One of these days I hope I take time and do a pack in trip just dedicated to exploring those fossil bearing areas. Lots of questions fill my mind about these fossils and it just seems natural to dig in the ground to answer them.

For the most part our lives seem to be dedicated to the work we do as if that was the main reason for living. Sure I agree that when you hire your hands out to accomplish a task you aught to do the best job possible. But I don't think that alone should define who you are. I guess there are a few lucky ones out there that get paid to do their life's passion but for me my tail wagers come mostly from times when I am off the clock. My goal is to be savvy enough to identify and enjoy the Pearls of life when I have them and adopt a motto that embraces the practice of working to live, and never living to work. I think that would make me a winner in life. Woody
.

Posted by: Woody Sep 12 2013, 07:33 PM

Here is a pic of some of the Bone fragments,


 

Posted by: Mrs.CP Oct 31 2013, 07:52 AM

Yummm, mixed berries! Those have to be the biggest rose hips that I have ever seen Woody! smiley-shocked003.gif They make great jelly!

Have you been out hunting or are you still getting more prospecting time in? Hope all is going well your way, you have been really quiet lately. Hope you have a Happy Halloween today!

Posted by: Crusty Feb 18 2014, 04:23 PM

Anyone heard from Woody? He hasn't visted the board since Nov.

Posted by: Woody Mar 12 2014, 02:30 AM

Gastroliths, Stomach Stones, “commonly known as Gizzard Stones”.

Gizzard Stones can be found in many parts of Colorado. They occur frequently in soil and rock that is rich in fossil content. However Gizzard Stones are also still used today by many of our bird and reptile animals, like Ostriches and Crocodiles.

Different groups of animals used these stones differently. The most common use was in animals that needed assistance in gridding up the tough fibrous food they ate. The gizzard is normally assigned this job but somehow, somewhere along the way, a few animals decided that swallowing stones greatly helps this process. Even farm raised chickens are given Grit as an alternative to pecking in natural dirt. Other animals, such as Alligators, use Stomach Stones for ballast. It has nothing to do with digestion but it has great value for weight in some aquatic or marine animals.

There is a third use for these stones that I am familur with. I'm not going to give you the answer right away, but I will tell you it has something to do with Native Americans. Good Luck guessing.

If you are out and about hiking in the hills keep your eyes open for Gizzard stones, they’re out there. Here is a short video that I made a few days ago while out looking for Agate and Jasper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEYUvYdl3OY


Happy hunting, Woody.

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