Post by rockpickerforever on May 30, 2018 18:26:24 GMT -5
Well, we didn't make plans to go camping over the Memorial Day weekend, but we couldn't let it go totally to waste. We went out to the Picacho Recreation Area for a day trip on Sunday. We got up at our regular weekday time, 3:45 am, and headed out the door about a half hour later. Nice drive, not many people on the roads. We stopped in El Centro and topped up the gas tank, got back on the freeway and drove on until our exit came up.
Heading north past the Cargo Muchacho Mountains, we saw these buzzards hanging out in a tree, backs to the rising sun. In the early mornings, vultures often will sit with their wings spread wide, increasing the surface area of their bodies so that the sun can more easily warm them. This is called the “horaltic pose.” It was still a little early out, but not cold.
Buzzards, AKA turkey vultures, Cargo Muchachos in background.
Although we had been to the area before, on Saturday, I had taken a look at the area we intended to go to on ACME Mapper. Saw several areas where there were some double rows of "dots." These were heading east and west, and at the far end, there were two more rows going north/south. Another area had some holes arranged in four rows. We decided to check this area out first, using my trusty old Garmin GPS to locate it.
mrrockpicker says they are bore holes. Don't know who did it, or what they were looking for, or how long ago the holes were drilled.
Washes to walk, looking for the elusive Picacho Lace. Heading south.
Looking east. Picacho Peak barely visible on horizon, slightly to left of center to the north of a bush. The Colorado River is another five miles beyond it.
Yours truly. Got a little sunburned on my right shoulder where the rock bag moved my shirt collar down.
After wandering around for a good 8 hours, we decided that we had had enough fresh air and exercise. The temp had only gotten up to 91 degrees, but the sun intensity was a ten out of ten. Smokin'! Good thing we had a nice gentle breeze all day. When it occasionally stopped, you could just feel the heat radiate up from the ground. Saw more than a few heat shimmers and mirages. Headed for home around 4:30. The drive home was pleasant and uneventful.
Got to spend part of my Memorial Day sorting and cleaning rocks. Just a few here. Jaspers, agates, cherts, chalcedony, etc. Small ones will get tumbled, larger ones destined to be slabbed and cabbed.
Just a few of the pretty ones. Mother Nature's art!
Brown moss?
Red, white, blue. If it has fortifications, it's an agate, right?
Volcanic area, sort of a large-patterned bird's eye rhyolite
Can easily understand the Native American's attraction to these for making tools. Fine grained = sharp tools.
Have picked up many rocks out here, that, upon closer inspection when we'd get home, turned out to be an artifact, like a scraper or cutter..
Thin patterned agate shard, one of my favorites.
How did this one form? Waffle iron?
Stick agate? I am a sucker for blue.
Fibrous, possible palm. This one is begging to be sawn.
Clear agates
Myriad colors.
Reverse side.
A conglomerate made of different colored rocks in different sizes.
Lastly - This one has me scratching my head. A fibrous green. Kind of of reminds me of kyanite, which can be found in an area less than 20 miles to the SSW near the American Girl Mine. But that is usually blue, not green. Or maybe it can be green, who knows. Actually, asbestos comes to mind. Crocidolite? But it's not that fibrous.
Do not believe it is serpentine... I have some of that, it doesn't look like this.
When I first found it, half submerged in the dirt, it was very striking, the fibers sticking up more. But on the trip home, the dirt from the backside kinda coated the entire rock. Decided if I was going to do any cleaning, it was going to be wet. Not sense taking chances wit breathing in fibers.
If anybody has any ideas what it is, I'd love to hear them.
That's all. Thanks for looking! Jean