Sunday, January 13, 2019

Hounding The Wash

After lunch Gene, Barbara, Duane and I headed out into the desert around Saddle Mountain  for an afternoon of rock hounding.  Gene drove us to his favorite wash where

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Barbara found a warm spot out of the wind

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while Gene instructed Duane and me how to spot Apache tears (rounded pebbles of obsidian—black or dark colored natural volcanic glass) in the caliche (hardened natural concrete of calcium carbonate binding gravel, sand, clay or silt).

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We found them by looking for dark, rounded rocks with a hint of glint.

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I found a tiny bit of one which I chiseled out

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to find that it was quite large.

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After three house of walking and digging in the beautiful afternoon sun we drove back down the dirt road, joined the paved road, and an hour later arrived home.

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Our treasures included a pocketful of Apache tears (the dark one has no caliche on it), and some pieces of cholla (choya) skeleton.

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Fun times with friends.

Louise and Duane

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