Rock Hound Adventure Club

[blueerica]

So, maybe it's not swanky, but I'm into the whole idea of treasure hunting. At this point, not for profit, and I certainly have a LOT to learn about it, but I'm definitely in the mode for it.

Here are some pics from our latest adventures in opal mining. We intended to take more pics, but goddamn it, we were just so into doing it that we kind of forgot to take a lot of pictures, and our video camera went unused.

The view we arrived to. Quite splendid. Though I admit we actually took this picture well after our arrival, during another 'event'.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n263/blueerica/Pond.jpg

Here's a picture of J inspecting some of the tailings from what we'd picked off the side of the mountain. There were a couple of other pics, but none nearly so good...
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n263/blueerica/JFind.jpg

Our campground. Can't see it here, but there's another pond back there, and the toads, crickets, and birds sang us a soothing tune as we sought sleep after a hard day's mining.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n263/blueerica/CampNight.jpg

A blow'd out tire we got on the way out of the Sheldon Natural Wildlife Reserve. Fun? Not so much.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n263/blueerica/OldTire.jpg


Luckily, we make such a great team!
I hold the camera and take pictures while he does all the work...

Okay, not really. I did take this picture, but I've changed plenty o' tires in my time and knew how to organize our efforts. I just stopped to take this, since it seemed we hadn't taken very many pictures on our trip.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n263/blueerica/TireChange-SexyBack.jpg

So, there's our trip.

I have a feeling that turquoise in Utah may be in our somewhat near future, as well as other trips in California, Oregon, and Arizona.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Very cool! We love to go on adventures like that.

[Not Afraid]

But, did you find any gems?

[Alex]

Am I the only one seeing completely empty spoiler boxes (except for the last one which has text but no picture)?

[Puff Nuggets]

The second picture is of me hoping to find some of my pride, which was getting lost in the rocks as eight year old boys and girls were shouting, "Look dad! Black Opal!" over and over again. While in the meantime I was finding dirt in my eyes and rocks in my knee pads.

All in all though, adventurous and fun. I'd do it again.

[MouseWife]

I see wonderful pictures.

I watch some show on the Travel Chanel about finding treasure.

On the coast, there is a place called 'Jade Cove' and you can actually climb down the cliffs to a beach where you can find jade. It doesn't look like an easy climb nor can you take more than you can carry but it does look interesting.....

http://www.hikinginbigsur.com/hikes_jadecove.html

http://www.campone.com/

It seems the first link gives guidelines about what you can and can't take and.....we missed the turn off last time we were on the coast but we do intend to go someday....

[blueerica]

Am I the only one seeing completely empty spoiler boxes (except for the last one which has text but no picture)?

Hrmm... I am seeing all of them on a different computer. If anyone else is having this problem, I can give some linkages. They were posted on photobucket first....

But, did you find any gems?

Yes. We'll be cleaning some of it up this weekend.

As it turns out, it takes a bit of doing it before you get the hang of it. As of the time I took that pic of J looking at a specimen, we still really weren't sure what we were doing. In fact, it was only at the end that we had a full grasp of it, but by then we were exhausted.

A few hours into it, I realized I was tossing items that were actually a kind of opal that's brownish. I didn't realize that to get some of the fire out, you need to soak it a bit... yikes! I did, oddly enough, find a pretty good sized milky rose-colored stone in some old tailings from who knows when that had been pushed off to the side. I can't wait to get some shine on it, to see what I really have with some of the stones. I got mostly pinks, taupes, a little white, and I think a green specimen (which I'll determine whether or not it's opal after we clean it up).

We'll definitely be going again.

[blueerica]

I see wonderful pictures.

I watch some show on the Travel Chanel about finding treasure.

On the coast, there is a place called 'Jade Cove' and you can actually climb down the cliffs to a beach where you can find jade. It doesn't look like an easy climb nor can you take more than you can carry but it does look interesting.....

http://www.hikinginbigsur.com/hikes_jadecove.html

http://www.campone.com/

It seems the first link gives guidelines about what you can and can't take and.....we missed the turn off last time we were on the coast but we do intend to go someday....

I think we're talking about the same show... Cash and Treasures. We found out about the opals on that show and have been jonesing to go for the past year and a half because of it. Hopefully we'll get to do some of the others. Maybe we'll even have to hook up with our Aussies and do some hunting down undah!

[Snowflake]

Totally cool! Please do post pics of your cleaned up finds. Opal is my birthstone and I love em!

Count me amongst the group wanting to do this. I also saw the same show on the Travel channel (tourmaline mines near San Diego) and I was itching to get some knee pads on and start digging.

[Capt Jack]

excellent. yeah, Im hoping to do this at some point. where or looking for what Im not sure, but yeah...I think I gotta do this.

thanks for the pics

[blueerica]

I'd love to have more people along. I'll bring the bacon and the harmonica.

[MouseWife]

Yes, Cash and Treasures is it. Wow, sure gets me hyped up to get out and hunt!!

I missed the tourmaline one in San Diego....

Something we enjoy is the fossil hunting....not sure where it is legal, though. :rolleyes:

[Capt Jack]

http://www.u-digfossils.com/

[MouseWife]

Oooo!! Thank you, Capt! Favorited!

[blueerica]

http://www.u-digfossils.com/

J has been to this place... it's not too far from us. Few hours, but after this trip, it doesn't seem far.

Let me know if you ever come out here for it! I'd love to go along...

[Brigitte]

Oh! A thread after my own heart! My family loves that Cash and Treasures show! The show they did about sapphires was filmed about 4 hours from my house. We intended to go to those places in the show next week on my vacation and find sapphires in Montana, but the financing for that trip went out the window. We are instead going to go looking for garnets about an hour and a half from here instead. Idaho is the Gem State after all! Any tips? Wait, I'm taking a 5 year old and 11 year old, I won't have time for tips ;)

[Capt Jack]

just sayin...for those treasure seekers unable or unwilling to go pound ground...there are easier ways.

Gemstone Bag mining (http://www.goldngem.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1)

[Snowflake]

just sayin...for those treasure seekers unable or unwilling to go pound ground...there are easier ways.

Gemstone Bag mining (http://www.goldngem.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1)

Maybe the Lashpair can pack some bags of Australian opals and spread them around the cabin at Yosemite, then we can dig up the garden?

[Brigitte]

For those interested, here are the photos (http://www.icehouse.net/bjensen71/garnet/index.html) from our garnet excursion! I'll have to get a pic of the actual garnets once they're cleaned up a bit.

[Snowflake]

For those interested, here are the photos (http://www.icehouse.net/bjensen71/garnet/index.html) from our garnet excursion! I'll have to get a pic of the actual garnets once they're cleaned up a bit.

Cool! And wonderful pics, too Brigitte! :snap:

[Capt Jack]

what a great looking site! nice soft grass to set the tent on...critters and greenery. not to mention treasure!!

awesome shots! thanks

[blueerica]

For those interested, here are the photos (http://www.icehouse.net/bjensen71/garnet/index.html) from our garnet excursion! I'll have to get a pic of the actual garnets once they're cleaned up a bit.

Where did you guys do this at?

Looks like you had a wonderful time!

[Brigitte]

Emerald Creek Garnet Area (http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/rec/activities/garnets/index.html), it's about 2 and a half hours south of me. It's between Moscow and Coeur d'Alene, but off to the east a bit on some smaller highways.

It was fun and we'd totally do it again. It was neat to see the kids finding them too. I think we'd aim for a cooler weekend though, it's hot and dirty work.

[blueerica]

Looks like fun, and possibly a future trip for J & I!