So what started as a trip south turned into a trip to Utah when the weather got too warm. Boy am I glad it worked out that way! What a great trip it was! I drove over 1000 miles in about 4 days and had some great times.
This is a great time of year in Utah. The leaves are changing at the higher elevations but it is still warm enough to camp comfortably each night.
I have seen many deer/elk up here in the past but I didn't realize they also had pronghorn at these higher elevations (this picture was taken at about 9500 ft). These are often mistakenly called antelope, but N America has no true antelope.
A friend of mine bought property this year near Duck Creek. This picture is taken from Strawberry Point and my friends property is just above the cliffs in the background (the central set, not the far set of cliffs). I camped a night on his property and it was gorgeous up here!
Utah is a stunningly beautiful state. I went to Bryce Canyon for the first time. It was crazy busy, but I had never seen it so I stopped in. I will spare you a rash of photos from there and just post one. A guy could devote and entire website to photos of places like this!
Another interesting thing about Utah is that it is a great State to just wander aimlessly through. Almost anywhere you go you find cool little bits of history tucked away. This example is a small town that you would never pass through on the way to somewhere else. You have to either be going there or just wandering (like I was). At the corner of Center and Main in Glenwood, Utah (pop <500) stands this structure. A small plaque on the side of the building tells the history. It was basically an experiment in socialism tried by the local Mormons that didn't really pan out.
Also, the Mormon temples are always beautiful buildings, but the one in Manti, Utah stands out. It is almost hard to take a bad picture of this place!
I had a great view of the lunar eclipse on Sunday evening. Unfortunately I was experimenting with my photos and I'm not happy with any of them from the eclipse. My favorite shot of the moon was from the next night. A full moon shining through the tree and some orange glow highlights from my campfire. This is my new desktop image.
The highest point I went to on my trip was the summit of Brian Head Peak. But there is a nice dirt road that goes right there. Even a guy in a wheelchair with a Toyota Corolla could enjoy this spot so its nothing to really brag about.
I did put together a panoramic shot from the summit. Because it is a wide photo I won't post it here, instead here is the link and you can go look at it if you are so inclined (be sure to look at it full size). It spans about 180 degrees and you can see Cedar Breaks to the left and Brian Head Ski Resort directly below.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/ToTheSummit/UtahTripSept2015/BrianheadPanorama_zpsifa5fijl.jpgOK, so lets get to the rocks. First up, agate from Brian Head. This picture shows the peak (see the little building on top from the previous photo) and the dirt road that goes to the summit. Right where you see a small stream cross that dirt road you can park. You walk up that little stream a couple hundred yards and the entire hill is littered with agate.
In fact as you are making your way up the stream your first inkling for what you are about to find up the hill is the fact that all the boulders in the stream are giant boulders of agate!
I tried to be selective and only bring home about 25 pounds of rock from here. It would be easy to load up at this spot! Here is what I brought home. Shown wet.
I stopped at one spot looking for septarian nodules near Alton, Utah. Found lots of broken bits but nothing worth mentioning. I grabbed on piece just to remind me of the stop.
At another stop just outside Marysvale there is this really interesting banded rhyolite. I grabbed a piece to add to my yard rocks.
But the real reason to stop and search the rhyolite is that as you break up the boulders you find amethystine quartz druzy in the vugs. And to top that off there is also bixbyite crystals to be found (the black crystals). Makes interesting specimens for collectors. This picture is dry, in sunlight. Not a great macro shot, but you get the idea.
At another stop I mined wonderstone. This was just south of Salina, Utah. I have never worked so hard in my life for a few pounds of rock!! I spent hours lying on my side in the dirt chiseling at the bottom of a cliff to extract rock from a vein. I also discovered these interesting nodules in the cliff face. Here are two videos that tell the story of this stop better.
I recommend you dont skip these videos. They tell the story of this stop well.
https://youtu.be/vXReOf1Eno4https://youtu.be/LbiKDkkvFaoThis is what it looked like where I was mining the wonderstone vein. Took this pic just as the largest piece came out.
And here is the rock retrieved from the stop. First the wonderstone. Hardest-earned rock ever for me! Thats only a 14oz rockhammer for size comparison. Shown wet.
And here is the strange little nodules. They are very hard (cannot scratch with a hardened chisel). Not super colorful, but some nice patterns in the ones that broke. I'm excited to cut some of the whole ones open, like that nice dark one at the bottom. Shown wet.
But my best stop of the trip came from a flyer that was given to me in Richfield. I got talking rocks with a guy and he said "Here, take this flyer. Everyone I ever send here thanks me for it." I can't even tell you how right he was!! The flyer lead me to a very out of the way spot south of Marysvale. Even with the flyer it was a little tricky to find. It is out in a lonesome valley, many miles off the highway on dirt roads. Basically it is just a ranch house where an old rockhound lives with his family. His passion for geology encouraged him to start a rockshop in his basement to share his love of rocks with anyone who would make the trek out to his place. I pulled up unannounced and Keith met me at the door. He invited me in. We went to his basement and he showed me his collection (lots of nice stuff). Then we walked his property and he talked about all the different rock he had in piles around the place. His love for geology just oozed out of him! It was inspiring. Then, to top it all off, he jumped in his truck and had me follow him out a few miles into the valley to show me some spots to collect material. One thing I had been wanting to collect was opal and Keith showed me where to get some. My wifes birthstone is opal and I wanted to make her some pendants. The opal here is not precious opal with fire in it, just common opal. But it is opal nonetheless, and some pieces are banded and will make lovely pendants. Then, back at Keiths home/rock shop he drew up some maps for me to go look for other materials. It was an absolutely fantastic experience with an old rockhound who has a true passion and loves to share. If anyone is ever in that part of Utah I highly recommend stopping in to visit with Keith! Here is a link to the flyer if you would like to see it. And I will happily share more info if you need it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/ToTheSummit/UtahTripSept2015/Flyer_zpsjez0dtoh.jpgAnd here is the opal I brought home. Shown wet.
So that about sums up my trip to Utah. A very successful and fun trip. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Author
Topic: Utah Rockhounding Trip Report (Read 12452 times)