Today was also clear and cold, and after eating breakfast Chuck and Becky convinced me to go check out the spot Skip had told me about. ?I had planned to leave around noon anyway, and they said that they could find the spot at Maury Mtn. where we dug on Wednesday, so off I went. ?Chuck and Becky were going to go on to Hampton Butte and then Stinkingwater Pass, returning home on Tuesday the 15th.
I arrived at the location Skip told me about and put on my boots. ?The blisters were still a little sore, so I left most of my gear at the truck and headed into the hills for a short hike. ?Skip had indicated that there were blue limb casts in these hills.
The hills of Central Oregon.
It didn’t take me long to find material.
This is a combination of petrified wood and agate.
This petrified wood has quite a bit of crystal on it.
I added a few of these pieces to my bag and continued on my hike. ?I was just about to give up when I noticed a bright yellow piece of jasper laying on the ground.
This piece of yellow jasper caught my eye.
Finding the material was a surprise, and I temporarily forgot about my blisters and started to search the surrounding area more thoroughly. ?It didn’t take me long to start finding more jasper.
More jasper pieces laying on the surface.
I spent about an hour scouring the hillside and filling my bag with this interesting material, before finally calling it a day and heading back to the truck. ?Here is what the material looks like after it is washed.
The haul from Skip"s spot.
A close up of some of the material.
A polished cab.
This is one area that will require a more thorough search, although it will have to wait for another trip. ?I packed up all my stuff and headed home.
Thanks for joining me.
chasfire
Glad to see you made it over to the bluelimb spot. I thought you might like it.
Looks like I missed a piece or two.
If I saw that piece with all the druzy quartz on it, it would definetly gone in my pack!
Didnt see the jasper either, I must of been looking to the left instead of the right then.
Id like to be in early spring after a gully washer or two as I think the materials here would really pop out then.
Also, get a bottle of “2nd skin” from the pharmacy.. Ive used it for years.
Kind of a paint on bandaid and works miracles on blisters and cuts.
Stings abit from the antiseptic in it for a moment but makes the blisters feel much better.
Skip: I had a great time at this spot, and would have liked to spend more time scouting around. I wasn’t sure if the wood pieces I found were the same as what you found, but they were interesting so I hauled a few out. I think the jasper pieces are part of a log. I did find a couple of nice petrified logs, but my bag was full. So much material, so little room. The jasper was located at least a 1/4 to 1/2 mile south of where you gave me the coordinates to. I also found one piece that had a nice fossil enclosed in the jasper. It is the one in the lower right corner of the picture showing the entire haul. It is the yellow jasper with a black fossil in the upper right corner. I will have to get me some of the “2nd skin” for future trips.
chasfire
Richard,
It is always tuff when it comes to the last planned day! When it arrives, it always seems, “Where did the week go so fast?” This means you enjoyed yourself with others and our great rock hounding hobby! You never want it to end, but unfortunately, one mustcome home to attend duties and chores.
Dean N.
Dean: The end of our trips are always sad, but there is always the anticipation of the next trip to tide me over the duties and chores.
chasfire