Return to the Rockhound Rambling Center.
You may also go to the VGMS Home Page.
The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)
Rockhound Rambling
October 1999.
Table of Contents.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.
Our annual VGMS Barbecue was held on September 18th at the home of Red and Nancy Jioras. A word of thanks go out to Red and Nancy for a great event with excellent food. Thank you for all those who helped with the event. Our "White Elephant" auction was a great success due to the efforts of Jay Baumler and all those who donated items for the auction.
Several of our members volunteered their time while helping out at the VGMS booth at the Heritage Valley Festival in Santa Paula on September 25th & 26th. We met with over 1000 festival participants, encouraging all to join our club. Our volunteers prepared and distributed over 750 free gifts which consisted of a sample of serpentine, "The California State Rock", with an identification label, information about VGMS, and membership application. We received a warm reception from all those who visited our booth. I am confidant that we will have many new members joining our club because of our representation in this event.
The "Gem-O-Rama '99", sponsored by the Searles Lake Gem & Mineral Society was held on the weekend of October 9th & 10th. Several members attended this show. On Saturday October 9th, Erwin Maas led us to an area near Trona to collect blue chalcedony. Those who participated in the field trips to the "dry" lake came home with many beautiful minerals such as hanksite, halite, trona, sulfohalite and borax. Examples of all of these minerals will be shown at our regular meeting on October 27th.
The nominating Committee is currently accepting nominations for next year's slate of officers for our club. Please notify Eleanor Rising or Richard Bromser of your choice of officers either before or during our October meeting.
The workshop at our museum, scheduled during October has been canceled. A work party will be needed to clear out and sort rocks and minerals that have been donated to the club in recent time. Please plan on helping the club with this project. The date of this work day will be discussed during our regular meeting.
Steve Mulqueen,
President.
![[TOC]](../imagebtn/uarrow.gif)
Table of Contents.
PROGRAM FOR OCTOBER 27, 1999,
Tracking The Anasazi.
Our guest speaker will be Dick Flaharty. His program will be "Tracking the Anasazi". He will be presenting slides and talking about Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, the Lowry Ruins, Monument Valley, and Canyon de Chelly. This is a very interesting part of our country and we can do the traveling with a minimum of effort. Just come to the meeting. The stories and speculation regarding the Anasazi are intriguing. Come share your thoughts, ask questions, and learn a lot.
Kathryn Davis,
Program Chairman.
Table of Contents.
FIELD TRIP REPORT.
I had hoped for a November trip to the Page Museum but it wasn't to be. It seems the observation area closed for the season mid-September, and all but one excavation area are closed for renovation, so we'll reschedule for as soon as possible. All is not lost though with the potential trips to Horse Canyon November 13th and Stone Canyon, November 20th. (See accompanying article in this bulletin.)
Speaking of field trips, it's that time of year again and I happen to be on the committee to nominate Board Members for the new year. So if anyone would be interested in heading up field trips (or it could be a committee if several people are interested) give me a call at 647-9214, and remember, as field trip chairperson you get to choose the trips and go where you want.
Happy Hunting,
Greg Davis,
Field Trip Chairman.
Table of Contents.
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING,
August 22, 1999.
The regular monthly meeting of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society was called to order by President Steve Mulqueen at 7:35 p.m., on Wednesday, September 22, 1999, at the American Legion Hall, 83 S. Palm, Ventura, CA. The group was led in the salute to the flag.
Sharlyne Holloway introduced guests Jim and Nancy Thompson, Charlie Uvari, and Steve Campbell. Sharon Cunningham said she had received a membership application from Ferenc Guntai.
Steve Mulqueen updated the group on the Heritage Valley Festival to be held August 25 & 26 in Santa Paula. A sign up sheet was made available for volunteers to work at the booth and maps to the Festival were located at the door. The club will sell grab bags for $1.00 each, and Steve will give away samples of serpentine. Volunteers are asked to bring specimens to exhibit.
Mulqueen announced that the date of the Board meeting will be changed to Wednesday, October 6, 1999, at 7:30 p.m. at the museum. One of the topics on the agenda will be the security system for the museum/workshop. The next workshop will be held on October 16, 1999 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
The field trip to Ray and Jo Anna Ritchey's home in Monrovia was very pleasant with good company and a welcome fried chicken lunch provided by Greg and Vali Davis. VGMS members lightened the Ritchey's rock load by about 500#.
Mulqueen appointed a committee consisting of Eleanor Rising, Sharlyne Holloway, Jay Baumler and Greg Davis to make the nominations for the VGMS Board for the year 2000.
It was m/s/c to hold the Christmas party on Wednesday, December 8, 1999, at the American Legion Hall; to hire the same caterer; purchase the same poinsettia table decorations which could then be repurchased by club members; to play Bingo; to have the same entertainment and the same CFMS member to install new officers.
Greg Davis thanked the Jioras' for their hospitality in hosting the club BBQ last Saturday. Richard Bromser announced that the White Elephant Auction netted the club $340 and the meal netted approximately $35 bringing the total profit for the day to $374.75, a huge increase over last year. The fossils donated to the sale by Bruno Benson brought in $108.
Richard Bromser then gave the monthly Treasurer's Report.
A slide show, "Diatoms to Dinosaurs: An Introduction to Fossils", prepared by Bruno Benson and Red Jioras from Bruno's slides was presented to the club. Along with many other fascinating pieces of information the club learned that foraminifera are used as indicator fossils to help determine the age of formations. They also learned that fossil identification can be aided by comparing present day animals with fossil remains. At the end of the presentation Bruno and Opal admitted they have been collecting fossils since 1928.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned to refreshments at 9:05 p.m.
Respectifully submitted,
Nancy Jioras, Secretary.
Table of Contents.
PROGRAM NOTES FROM SEPTEMBER 22, 1999.
The program "Introduction to Fossils" was presented by Red Jioras. He used the slides and knowledge provided by Bruno (and Opal) Benson. Bruno started collecting fossils in 1928 and the slides covered a range of time.
Fossils can be a very large or microscopic in size. Mineral material can survive a petrifaction process unchanged. Organic matter which decays forms casts. With a sudden covering by ash or mud and the absence of oxygen there can be replacement of organic materials as by silica. This can occur at a cellular level providing a great deal of information.
Frequently paleontologists use modem day species to help identify fossils. The importance of the fossil record is that it is a record of life on earth over eons of time. Fossils provide information about specific plants and animals and about how they lived and died. Fossils help date and increase the understanding of geological information. They help locate important resources, such as oil.
Do take care of the fossils you find. Stabilize them. Clean and prepare them. Do drawings. Take pictures. Make notes about where you found them. By doing so the fossils become even more valuable.
Contributed by:
Kathryn Davis.
Table of Contents.
ARE YOU READY FOR Y6B?
According to the estimate by the United Nations the World population will reach 6 billion on October 12, 1999. This is the Year of 6 Billion, hence Y6B. This is a much more serious problem than Y2K and will take much more effort and time to reduce the problem. Most of us are aware of more crowded schools, traffic congestion, urban sprawl, increased crime, etc. Much of this World has problems of food and water shortages than can directly be linked to overpopulation. No one knows just where this 6 billionth baby will be born. It could be in China, India, Africa, or right in your own neighborhood.
Nearly 20 years ago the World population was growing at a rate of 2.2 percent annually and at present has dropped to about 1.3 percent annually. This is encouraging but is not near enough. Slow growth is still a long way from no growth. Some 51 countries in the World have slowed their population growth to near zero. They represent about 15 percent of the World's population. The United States is not among this group as our growth rate is about 0.7 percent a year or about 2.2 million people. Keep in mind however that over half of this growth is from legal and illegal immigrants.
This is a golden opportunity for all of us to take a closer look at the big quality-of-life issues that face our families, town, country, and planet. It is readily apparent that population growth is a basic cause for food shortages, water shortages, pollution of all kinds, global warming, waste disposal, corrosion, energy shortages, endangered wildlife, fisheries depletion, destruction of rain forests, etc. There is even a link of population to wars and armed conflicts. Special attention is urgently needed to lower birth rates over the entire World. Not only do individuals need to be involved but private organizations, businesses, and government agencies need to establish firm programs and policies for lowering birth rates. Objections to abortions is not a good reason to throw out all forms of family planning.
Contributed by:
Wayne Ehlers.
Table of Contents.
MINUTES OF BOARD MEETING,
October 6, 1999.
The regular monthly Board meeting of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society was called to order by President Steve Mulqueen at 7:30 pm., on Wednesday, October 6, 1999 at the VGMS Museum, 5019 Crooked Palm Road, Ventura, California.
From Steve Mulqueen: Steve passed out the itinerary for the Tucson shows and maps and fliers for the Trona show.
The club sold 62 grab bags at the Heritage Valley Festival on September 25-26. Club members passed out 750-800 samples of serpentine as well as a good number of membership applications. It was m/s/c to approve payment of expenses related to the festival in the amount of $12.27. Those club members working at the booth felt the weekend was successful and recommended doing the same type of thing at the Ventura Street Fair in December and/or Ventura's "First Sunday in the Park". Remaining grab bags will be kept at the museum for future events.
The nominating committee for next year's Board has not yet met, but consists of Greg Davis, Jay Baumler, Eleanor Rising and Sharlyne Holloway. Eleanor is chairperson.
Richard Bromser reported that estimates from the Radio Shack catalog indicate that it would cost approximately $1,008 for 3 wireless cameras and a recorder for the museum security system. Greg Davis commented that monthly fees with a security company would be quite expensive. He also observed that since the police get so many false alarms from security systems, those calls are very low on their priority list. The Radio Shack catalog was given to Red Jioras so that he could examine the security options in it and give his opinion.
The Christmas party will be held at the American Legion Hall, at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, December 8. The meals will be provided by the Legion Hall caterers. Attempts are being made to book Kay Hara's group for entertainment. Each member should bring a prize worth $5 for the Bingo games to be played at the end of the evening
From Jay Baumler: At the first show meeting the following decisions were made:
Yard signs advertising the show will be made and distributed to club members;
Brett Breton will be asked to contact the schools regarding the show;
Bonnie has made food coupons for the Friday dinner which will be given to dealers and exhibitors. For the rest of the weekend the food will only be for club members;
The Country Store will be moved to the McBride Building;
Demonstrators will be located in the main building;
Clint Berkheiser will serve as donation awards chairperson and will be given $100 to spend on prizes at Quartzite. Donation award tickets will also be on sale at the Country Store.
From Richard Bromser: Corrections to the minutes of the September Board meeting: the date of the Board meeting was 9/2, not 9/3. The financial report should have indicated that it was m/s/c to approve for payment checks #596-602.
For the current period it was m/s/c to approve for payment checks #603-611.
From Sharon Cunningham: It was m/s/c to approve memberships for the following applicants:
Steve Campbell,
Jim and Nancy Thompson,
Ferenc Gutai.
It was m/s/c to extend the new memberships to 2001.
It was suggested that new members should receive a membership directory along with their membership cards. It was also suggested that the directory contain a special listing of Pebble Pups.
Additional from Steve Mulqueen: Steve and Susan were invited to attend a meeting of Boy Scout Troop #3136. Susan took her display of walking stick bugs, and Steve presented the troop with a VGMS check in the amount of $20 as club support for the troop.
From Wayne Ehlers: Tim Vient, son of Bill and Marian Vient, gave their lapidary equipment to Wayne so that he or the club could sell it for them. One club member has already expressed an interest in it; but if he decides not to buy it an ad will be placed in the bulletin to sell it.
Wayne then asked if he should conduct a lapidary class in the Fall. Greg Davis and Bob Spjut offered to help him with an evening class on Tuesday or Thursday evenings beginning in late October. A sign up sheet will be passed around at the October general meeting.
At that time Jay Baumler suggested selling off some of the club's old equipment and using the money to buy a couple of new Pixie's. Red Jioras suggested resolving the security issues, then purchasing new equipment, then conducting classes.
It was m/s/c to sell the hard wheel aluminum carbide grinder and to keep the expanding drum machine. Ads will be placed in the bulletin and Red will be in charge of the sale.
It was m/s/c to purchase diamond belts for the expanding drum machine and to purchase one new Pixie machine. Jay Baumler will be in charge of the purchases.
Wayne reported that he and Marie had purchased a video tape on the gems and jewels of Russia while they were at the Denver Gem Show. He felt the video would make a good presentation at one of the club meetings.
From Red Jioras: A new box trailer to store the show equipment would cost $4,500 - $6,000. On Thursday Red will put in a request for military surplus from Port Hueneme.
There will be two CFMS field trips in November:
11/13 - Horse Canyon, led by Steve Ivie;
11/13 - Stone Canyon, led by Steve Blockage.
Members should contact Red Jioras if they are interested in either of these trips.
With the agreement of the Board, 3rd Saturday workshops will be suspended until after the first of the year because the workshop is so full of rough rock and extra equipment that it is unsafe to work in. Due to the fact that two shop stewards have resigned the club is in need of two new shop stewards. Interested persons should contact Red.
Red urged members to look for legal sources for plastic milk crates to store rough rock at the museum. Chase Bros. Dairy is asking $5 per crate which could get very expensive given the number of crates needed.
The Oxnard and Conejo club boards have agreed to a joint meeting to be held on December 11, at 10 a.m., at Sport Chalet in Oxnard. The agenda will be based on the items that members of all three clubs wish to discuss. Red asked all club members for their input.
From Bonnie Demianiw: Deadline for the bulletin is October 10.
From David Mautz: Dave asked if anyone attending the Trona show would be willing to purchase more drawing prizes for him. Shirley Layton volunteered.
From Nancy Jioras: It was m/s/c to approve the expenditure of approximately $20 for vinyl to recover the table in the office.
Bruno Benson has donated about eight more cartons of books for the club library.
From Greg Davis: As a member of the nominating committee, Greg asked Steve if he would serve again next year as President of the club. Steve agreed. The following members also agreed to serve in the same position next year: Nancy Jioras, Secretary; Richard Bromser, Treasurer; Bonnie Demianiw, Bulletin Editor.
Greg noted that the Oxnard club received a substantial donation with which they have purchased three new Genies, a polishing arbor, and a flat lap.
The active excavation and cleaning operations at the Paige Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits will be essentially closed down for the season beginning in October. It was recommended that a field trip there should be postponed and that members might want to join either of the CFMS field trips in November instead of a club field trip.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Jioras, Secretary.
Table of Contents.
WAY BACK WHEN.
In the course of setting up the club library, I've run across some great historic treasures of the club in the form of old minutes, etc. In the past, Inez Shakman has written about members of our club and detailed their activities as club members. I felt as I hope you will, that it would be interesting to revisit the "old times" when our club was just getting started with bits and pieces from these old documents. I know that all the old history has not been captured in the minutes, old letters, etc., so I'd love to hear some of the stories our long-time members recall. Please give me a call anytime if you have something you'd like to share.
In the early years of our club, history was recorded in the form of an annual summary of club activities. These quotations were taken from Carlton Carson's "History of the Ventura Gem and Mineral Society" which spans the years 1944-1961.
"Mrs. P.M. Woodside and others tried to get a group of people together to start a mineral club sometime shortly before 1944, but there were not enough collectors nor interest to get the organization underway so this early effort failed."
The first V.G.M.S club meeting was held in the rumpus room of "Westy" Hertel on December 27, 1944; there were only about seven people in attendance. "It seems probable that we will never be exactly certain who was in attendance the first two meetings." We are fortunate though, after 55 years to still have two of the founding families in our membership: Eleanor Rising and Dorr Thayer.
"The outstanding events of the first year were founding of the Club, the adoption of a constitution at the November 10 meeting, the removal of gasoline rationing..." "Dues the first year were $1.00 with 25 cents being payable each quarter." (We've come a long way, Baby!!)
Submitted by:
Nancy Jioras.
Table of Contents.
FOR SALE.
Covington Dual 8 Inch Wheel Grinder, near new silicon carbide wheels included. Here's your chance! Used equipment is hard to come by. Get started in lapidary at home. Efficient and inexpensive silicon carbide. I use one myself. First place lapidary case 2 years in a row at the Ventura county Fair and all done on silicon carbide wheels and belts.
This is VGMS equipment. The club has several and is selling this to make room for more variety of equipment.
So make us an offer and call Greg Davis at 647-9214.
Submitted by;
Greg Davis.
Table of Contents.
1999 CFMS CLUB SHOWS.
OCTOBER 23-24, EL CAJON, CA - El Cajon Valley Gem & Mineral Society, El Cajon Masonic Temple, 695 Ballantyne St., Hours: Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Dick McWhorter, (619)447-0088.
NOVEMBER 5-7, EUREKA, CA - Humbolt Gem & Mineral Society, Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, 375 Harris St., Hours: Fri. 9-6; Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Rod Edmond, (707)839-3848.
NOVEMBER 6-7, CONCORD, CA - Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Society, Centre Concord:, 5298 Clayton Rd., Hours: 10-5 both days, Gene Holcomb, (925)686-6154.
NOVEMBER 6-7, FONTANA, CA - Kaiser Rock & Gem Club, California Steel Industries, 9400 Cheny Ave., Hours: 10-5 both days, Jean White, (909)822-7507.
NOVEMBER 12, BOULDER CITY, NV - Boulder Gem Club, P.O. Box 60014; Boulder, NV 89006, Old Gym at 900 Arizona St., Hours: 9-5, Sam Borges, (702)293-5853.
NOVEMBER 20-21, OXNARD, CA - Oxnard Gem & Mineral Society, Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Hours: 10-5 both days, Michael David (805)984-9512.
NOVEMBER 24-29, HOLTVILLE, CA - Imperial Valley Gem & Mineral Society, Holt Park, Hours: 9-4 all days, Jeep Swerdfeger, (760)344-6230.
NOVEMBER 27-28, BARSTOW, CA - Mojave Desert Gem & Mineral Society, Barstow Community Center, 841 Barstow Rd., Hours: Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Bob Depue, (800)253-2954, Beth Pinnell, (760)255-1030.
DECEMBER 4-5, RIALTO, CA - Orange Belt Mineralogical Society, Inc., The Masonic Lodge, 260 South Palm Ave., Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Beverly Jenkins, (909)882-7598.
Table of Contents.
AMERICAN FEDERATION/ REGIONAL
1999 SHOW SCHEDULE.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FEDERATION:
NOVEMBER 12-13-14; TUCSON, AZ - Tucson Convention Center, Contact: Jason Penn, 452 South Stratford, Old Pueblo Lapidary Club - Hosts, E-mail: Ekmtuc@azstarnet.com.
Table of Contents.
NEW MEMBERS.
We have added several new members to our club. Please add the following addresses to your Membership Directory.
Steve Campbell,
21 Don Antonio Way,
Ojai, CA 93023.
James Dwyer,
8752 Tacoma,
Ventura, CA 93004.
A. Ferenc Gutai,
2486 Briarhurst Ct.,
Simi Valley, CA 93063.
Richard & Rhonda Johnson,
272 Dayloma Ave.,
Ventura, CA 93003.
John Stash,
11150 Citrus Dr. #21,
Ventura, CA 93004.
James & Nancy Thompson,
7319 Eisenhower St.,
Ventura, CA 93003.
Please introduce yourself and make them feel welcome!
Table of Contents.
WHAT'S OVER THE NEXT HILL,
A ROCK HUNTING VACATION
By Red and Nancy Jioras.
Part 2:
Last month, you read how Nancy and I started our rockhounding vacation by going where the wind, or more accurately, where the directions from the characters along way would take us. Based on new information, we decided to follow new paths and we turned east off of Highway 89 onto Utah Highway 12 toward the Burr Trail.
Utah Highway 12 is a two lane road that winds through the Dixie National Forest and up over several mountain passes on it's way toward Escalante and Boulder. Over each pass, there's a multi-colored vista that is absolutely breath taking. Driving through Triassic Siltstone, with its 230 million year old ripple marks and Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, the cliffs and plateaus show the famous reds, pinks and tans that Utah is noted for. It was really difficult NOT to stop at every turn out along the road and snap a dozen pictures of the grand vistas. Where the sandstone and siltstone were solid, towering cliffs could be seen standing high over the river canyons. Where the sandstone was somewhat loose, like in the upper edge of Bryce Canyon National Park, the sandy layers had been eroded into spires and intricate shapes that ranged from red to almost florescent pink. With every turn of the road we were constantly amazed.
Along one of these turns in the road in Henriville, we came upon another rock shop and, as we had done before, we pulled the truck up in the yard. Around the front of this shop were piles of rock from around the area, mostly petrified wood. Although the door was locked, there was a sign that said "ring door bell for service". We rang the bell and, after waiting for almost 5 minutes, an older gentleman opened the door and invited us in.
Now this wasn't a big shop, but it had that unique friendly quality that made you want to look around. As Nancy and I were examining the shop's wares, we uttered the magical chant, "we're rockhounds", which began an extremely interesting conversation with the proprietor, Harold Jensen. It seems Harold has liked rocks and minerals all his life. He, like his father before him, was a hard rock miner. Over the door of the shop hung four miner's hard hats, complete with carbide lanterns. When asked about them, Harold pointed to each in turn, telling which was his father's, which were his two hats and which hat was his wife's.
What is really nice about not having a time schedule to keep is that you can take the time to get to know a little bit about people. Harold told us that when he was a young man, he would visit his father who lived in a trailer above the tailing piles of a mine. Harold's father, knowing of Harold's love for minerals, would "salt" the tailing piles with mineral specimens from the mine. When Harold would search around the tailing piles, his father would tease him that he was trespassing, but he never stopped Harold from taking home his prizes. When Harold went to work in the mines with his dad, he and his dad would fight all the time. Harold said that the arguments would get so heated that his father walked out on him many times, leaving him alone in the mine in the middle of the graveyard shift. Even though they argued, as Harold talked about his dad, it was easy to see that he loved him very much. Harold also told the story about his dad finding a four foot mineral specimen in the back of an active shaft. It seems the miners had pushed it there to get it out of their way. After a few days of seeing this mineral piece sitting around, Harold's dad finally got it up out of the mine and loaded it into his truck. Since Harold's house was on the way home, his dad stopped and dropped it off in Harold's front yard, claiming that it was too big for his yard. That's where it sat for many years.
Harold's dad passed away a few years ago after a fall while working on a construction project. Shortly thereafter, Harold and his brother were discussing a suitable headstone for their father's grave when they turned to the four foot mineral piece and decided that it would be most fitting to put a plaque on the piece in memory of their father and to erect it over his grave. It stands today in a graveyard in Colorado as a tribute to a miner and the love his two sons had for him.
Well, after thanking Harold for sharing a small bit of his life with us, Nancy and I continued on our way toward the Burr Trail. Although we read about some sites in the Gem Trail where we might be able to find petrified wood near Escalante, the walk was steep and long and we choose to push on. We had heard that the Burr Trail was really a dirt road and we didn't want to attack it in the dark.
It was late in the afternoon by the time we drove through the town of Boulder. Following the signs, we turn east and started on the Burr Trail. A little disconcerting was a sign just out of the town of Boulder which read "pavement ends - next service 70 miles". After a quick check of my gauges to make sure that we had the necessary fuel, we roared on. After about 15 miles, we were still on a good oiled or paved road and I began to wonder whether the signs were correct. We soon found out that the road did turn into dirt, but the scenery was well worth any discomfort.
The Burr Trail travels from the town of Boulder through the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument and the Capitol Reef/Water Pocket Fold National Park to Bull Frog Marina on the shore of Lake Powell. Although most of the road is dirt, it is well graded and, if you take it slowly, very safe. From Boulder we started on the Burr Trail, driving though river canyons lush with vegetation only to climb up the next ridge to be greeted by a spectacular panorama of distant bluffs and plateaus of vibrant color. A ridge followed by a canyon followed by a ridge followed by yet another canyon, it's no wonder how it got the name of "Grand Staircase".
After about 10 miles on the Burr Trail, crossing the Escalante River several times and Deer Creek once, we descended down into the "Gulch". The "Gulch" is the name of the of a notable landmark with a trail that leads into the wilderness. After the hairpin turn at the bottom of the "Gulch" we entered "Long Canyon", a striking drive through a very tall narrow canyon that is perhaps a mile long. On each side of the road are cliffs of Navajo Sandstone that rise straight up for 150 to 200 feet. To the right and left of the road were wind and water eroded cliff surfaces that towered over the truck. Some cliff faces showed the lines of the ancient sand dunes, while other cliffs were sculpted with giant arches where stone had cleaved away from the face. Both sides were pink and tan and red and were amply stained with the black lines caused by water and black lichen running down to the canyon below. If it were not the dry season when we attempted this trip, there is no way we could have driven where we were.
Approximately 5 1/2 miles past "Long Canyon" we turned right at the signs into the "Petrified Forest Loop". We were following the directions in the Utah Gem Trails in hopes of finding "Horse Canyon", a place noted for it's petrified wood. Horse Canyon is one of those areas that is now protected and no collecting is allowed, but it is still worth the drive to see the wood.
At the prescribed mileage (4.5) on the Petrified Forest Loop, we again turned right into a sandy wash. We followed this wash, sometimes with little more than two feet on either side of the truck, until it opened up into a wide canyon with beautiful two tone cliffs all around. As the sun dropped below the rim of the cliffs, we found a spot off the road in which to camp. Even though it was getting dark, we couldn't resist a walk at the base of the slopes just to see if we had been misled. It wasn't long before we began to find bits and pieces of the promised wood. Since Nancy and I had gone in different directions, I decided to go back out the gully that I had been exploring to see if Nancy had found wood too.
On the way out, I came face to nose with the only snake we saw all trip. Having my head down, looking for more wood, I didn't see the snake until I was about four feet away. It was sitting perfectly still and I recognized it as a non-poisonous red racer. It was content to sit still and let me pass within two feet before continuing on it's way up the gully. When Nancy and I returned, it was no where to be found.
On the way back to the truck, Nancy and I realized that the huge boulders that we were walking around were actually petrified wood logs. These logs must have weighed 500 to 1000 pounds and were complete rounds, but in the dim light, it was difficult to appreciate their beauty. Since it was beginning to get dark we made our way back to the truck and crawled inside for the night. We fell asleep with visions of the petrified logs that we had already seen and would certainly see more of and the coprolite and dinosaur bone that everyone said was on the Burr Trail.
(Next month, we complete the Burr Trail and turn our travels northward toward Hanksville and more dino bone.)
Table of Contents.
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS.
Happy Birthday wishes to all our club members born in November! Your birthstone is Topaz and your birth flower is Chrysanthemum.
- 11-17 Mabel Ralph,
- 11-22 Susan Cowlishaw,
- 11-23 Jo Anna Ritchey,
- 11-23 Dorr Thayer,
- 11-30 Steve Campbell.
TOPAZ:
Topaz, the yellow gem stone par excellence, is indeed an appropriate birthstone for November, mirroring the golden hue of autumn leaves and the rich glow of Indian Summer sunsets. Topaz is also recommended to be worn for the sixteenth wedding anniversary.
In bygone days, when little was known about minerals, all transparent yellow stones were indiscriminately called topaz and all topaz was thought to be yellow, but this is not true.
Table of Contents.
Return to the Rockhound Rambling Center.
You may also go to the VGMS Home Page.
Webmaster: James A. Layton,
URL of this Page: http://www.vgms.org/bt/vgms9910.htm.