First stop for the morning is a fossil collecting site a bit west of Ely and across from the Liberty open pit copper mine.
Lots and lots of fossils here. Some larger ones can be found by breaking open the larger shale.
Quartz, opalite and other interesting minerals can be found as well.
This stuff looked like it might be a good candidate for cutting slices with a rock saw. We picked up a few larger pieces too.
We spent an hour or so at this site. While taking a break, we saw the oddest site - cops driving down the wrong
side of the road with their lights on, pulling over oncoming drivers. We thought they must really be looking hard
for someone because people drive that road 70+++ miles an hour.
Mystery solved, a couple minutes later. I first thought this was one large shovel.
No, not a shovel. Maybe a dump truck bed? Whatever it was, it was one big piece of equipment.
Time to hit the road.
Hang a right at the marker and you can have a look at the Liberty copper mine.
You know you are on the right path when you see mountains of tailings.
Keep driving past this. Watch the road though, this is a working mine and there is very large equipment.
We managed to miss the little 12" sign posted on a cattle gate and drove miles up the road before deciding
the turn off must be back there - somewhere.
A view of part of the mine looking east,
Looking north.
Storage are for some very large tires.
A Spare tire. I wonder if the mine ever gives tours. Be worth it to see just the equipment.
............and on to Garnet Hill
Garnet Hill is almost directly across from the turnoff to the copper mine. The road is maintained well enough
for most passenger vehicles. I takes a few minutes to get there so don't think your are lost if you don't
immediately find the next sign.
Garnet Hill itself is not one of the better places for garnets. One of my favorite spots is a short but rather
steep hike. Debbie informs me it had better be worth the effort. If you want the best location, email me and I
will flush out the details. You will owe me a nice sample or two, of course.
What we are looking for, is a spot where little quartzy veins of quartz are visible. This looks like a pretty good spot to me.
The best stuff comes from hard rock mining. I use a 2.5 lb sledge and a nice, sharp chisel and a pry bar.
Plan on using some brute force.
Don't forget to bring along eye protection. I prefer a full face shield but I forgot to bring one along.
This one looks pretty good. I pass this along to Debbie, who uses a smaller hammer to further break up the rough.
Here are some of the garnets. You have to be careful or you pop them out of the rough. These clean up well
with a mild abrasive like polishing powder. Under a bright light they look pretty nice. The largest I've ever
found was about the size of a pencil eraser. Most of them are about this size.
We stop for a few minutes to admire the view of the Liberty Copper pit and then it's off to Elko..
