I began day 1 by waking up at 2am in the morning due to jet lag. It worked out though because it allowed me to get on the road with very little traffic through Vegas.
I made it to Sunstone Knoll in central-west Utah by 10am. I would have arrived sooner, but I had to stop in Cedar City to pick up food for camping before hand though.
Sunstone Knoll is this interesting place. It's an outcrop of 2 basalt lava hills just off of the highway that produce sunstones, also known as labradorite.
The knolls are thought to have been formed 1.5 million to 750,000 years ago. It's always mind blowing to think that the stones I am picking up or digging out are millions of years old.
After about 1 hour of collecting I raced off to Topaz Mountain. It's 1 hour north and from the newest town or services
If you've been following this series or any of my Topaz Mountain writings in the past you'll know there is a caldera at the south end of the range. This is where Topaz Mountain is located. The caldera area used to be called the "Amphitheater", but it seems "The Cove" is the name being used nowadays.
The Cove is the interior of the caldera.
Basically everywhere you look, everywhere you stand there are shards of topaz crystals. The ground glitters in the sunlight. 7 millions years of eroding the rhyolite has brought the topaz everywhere. I've found topaz down at the highway which is a mile away. You could probably find some further away, but buried under several feet of dirt.
Within just a few minutes after arriving I found my first topaz in the wash.
Usually the topaz found down here, and not up on the walls, will be bleached out clear.
While the clear aren't as sought after, I like them a lot. They shine like a diamond and since they have been bleached the color, or lack of, won't change any further.
Now, the topaz won't bleach right away, but it will slowly fade if exposed to continual sunlight.
Since I knew I'd be going to the red beryl claim the next day I decided to skip the red beryl area in the Cove, and try a new spot I hadn't been to before.
It's a large white patch on the mountain side which means lots of mining had been done there. In this photo it is in the center of the image. The red beryl producing area is at the top of the white streak to the left.
This new area quickly started producing good topaz. I quickly understood why it was popular.
The rhyolite was softer here and the topaz zones were easy to find. I spent about 3 hours digging when the heat and exhaustion began to get the best of me. I called it an early day after getting my fill of the shiny crystals.
The largest of those crystals is about 1.5 inches long.
It was time for and early dinner. I had planned hot dogs and bacon so I could cook extra of both and have them for breakfast too!
I forgot to mention, the Cove is quite popular for camping. Every time I have come here someone has been camping nearby.
There is also a private mining claim right in the center of the Cove. The group is called Topaz Mining Adventures and honestly if you ever decided to come out here they are the way to go. They blast a portion of their claim every time they have a group of people come to dig. The topaz zone they are in is quite productive and their blasting saves you much of the labor of breaking up the rock.
Dogs and bacon ready, it was time to have a Blue Moon and just enjoy the rest of the evening.
Don't forget the mustard!
Not pictured, I did have carrots for my daily veggie intake too.
The only thing that could have made the day better would have been sharing it with my wife & kids. Mining can be a lonely job sometimes. After the thrill of finding something you really want to share it with someone. That's the life we choose though.
Until next time, enjoy your life and get outside. The world holds so many treasures and experiences that your phone or computer just can't replicate.
