When 1+1=6: More Rocks

We went all over the state looking for rocks this weekend. We got some good looking specimens to finish Kade's rock collection.
By the end of the day, however, the kids' desire for collecting rocks was waning. Burke and I were still going strong and were game to look for some more goodies, but succumbed to the whining and begging to go home.
Kade's collection looks pretty darn good if you ask me, and was hard won.
Burke and I both reminded him to make sure he tells his teacher he personally picked up every rock and crystal in his collection.
He rolled his eyes, but acquiesced.

Here are some pictures of the action.
This is where we found some beautiful agate.

This is where we found some obsidian. In the book we consulted, they were called "Apache Tears". The pieces were just lying all over the hills. It was a little depressing to think of them as tears.

Next, we stopped at my personal "Moby Dick".

25 years ago, I went to find treasures with my own family. My dad took a "shortcut" and we got lost.
It wasn't a pleasant experience, especially for my mom, who ended up in the back seat with my two carsick siblings. It was a barfin' good time for her. I never wore the blue coat again--thank goodness. (Any member of my family will now be remembering looking for shepherds to help us find the road. And remembering how "hungry" Rebecca was.)

This was the first time I had been back since then. I didn't let Burke take any shortcuts, and we did find some pretty clear-colored topaz lying all over the ground. We didn't find any of the golden or sherry colored topaz or garnets that we were looking for. After doing some more checking at home, we think we may have missed the exact area we needed to look in for the good stuff. Oh well, maybe we'll go back ...in another couple of decades.

Burke and the boys had the camera and hiked all over the mountain looking for the white stone that was supposedly hiding the goods. He never found it, but took this picture of the girls and I walking around at the base of the mountain. I'm the little speck to the right of our van.The girls had both followed the boys up the mountain, but were unable to get down. This was the end of the day, and they both got very upset when they found themselves bodysurfing. Having had that unfortunate experience myself, I ended up carrying Adrienne down, and helping Annika. By the time we got to the bottom, Adrienne was calling it "Pokey Mountain" because of all the stickers she got on her hands and ankles.

By the end of the day we had found some really interesting rocks.
One of my favorites was this: Isn't it pretty? There was a huge pit of the stuff. It had lots of different colors ranging from the pinks and whites here to golds and browns. I would love to have a countertop or floor made of this. Unfortunately, it is very brittle and feels a lot like sandstone. Definitely wouldn't hold up around my house.Fool's Gold. Technically, we didn't find this one on a mountain, but in Burke's old school stuff. He dug it out while trying to find a rock hammer he made in shop class in jr high. Along with his old pinewood derby car (first place, as he proudly informed us), his scout belt loops, and his slingshot. Didn't find the rock hammer. Ended up not needing it anyway.

Here is the final product of several weeks' rockhounding:

I don't think Kade is as proud of this collection as I am.
I have to say, rockhounding turned out to be really fun. I think we will be doing some more in the future, even though the project was due today. Maybe Burke and I can convert the rest of the kids.