The colors in the Keweenaw were about 30%, but we found spots. This tree was near Phoenix.
Our fall weekend in the Keweenaw was very productive.
The view from the top of Brockway Mountain indicates it will be a couple weeks before peak colors.
By going up Thursday, most tourist traffic can be avoided, and an extra day for rock hunting opens up. We found some nice greenstone at the Mandan.
Finding a nice Greenstone in all this rock is a challenge.
The best time to locate Greenstones is in the rain. The silky chatoyance just pops from the stones, both the loose nodules and those nodules still embedded in the matrix. We looked pretty wet and scruffy after a day in the rain, but it was worth it.
We had the Cliff Pile to ourselves on this drizzly day.
My favorite fall colors, maple Leaves and Greenstones.
Friday is also ‘pasty day” at the Mohawk Superettte. The locals purchase their pasties (pronounced pas-tee) in quantities, and we are happy to when we are in the area. We find them to be some of the finest pasties around. For those that do not know what a pasty is, they are a portable Cornish pie made from coarsely ground beef, with small cubes of potatoes, and rutabagas. You can find recipies on line. This was a hearty lunch for the miners, sort of an early version of fast food!
Any day is a great day to Stop in the Jam Pot and purchase a few delicious Muffins and rum-soaked, raisin and nut filled, brownies from the monks. Yum! (Closed Sundays, of course)
Makes me hungry just looking at the sign in Mohawk.
This rock ship at Kearsarge always makes us smile. Bonnie mans the ship at the Veterans Memorial.
While just aimlessly searching I saw a 3″ suspect just laying on the ground. This was just a suspect greenstone and may or may not develop into a winner. We also went to the Cliff mine, my favorite Prehnite location, and picked up some nice material to cut.
Whenever I go to the Upper Peninsula, I enjoy at least one day wire wrapping at Copper World in Calumet, and I really had a great time as usual. Talking to the customers, and answering rock and jewelry questions are a couple of my favorite things.
Sunday was another cool day with some scattered showers, we went out with some new rockhound friends. Bonnie found some nice little greenstones, and I found a very nice 2″ stone that has to be cut from a rock.
From left to right beginning at the top: Mesnard Datolite, Rose Quartz and Quartz with Copper, Franklin Datolite, Yellow Keweenaw Point Datolite, Patricianite with Silver and Copper.
While up north, I also located a source for some rare and unusual things like Patricianite with silver, and pink crystallized Datolite. Let’s see what kind of jewelry I can make.
Close-up of the Rose Quartz Cabochon.
A couple other things we did were donating a polished Pink Petoskey to the Seaman Mineral Museum (Blog coming), and I walked into Copper World Sunday afternoon and met a couple from Dayton, Ohio that had just purchased an exceedingly rare large Greenstone with a centrally embedded copper crystal, as well as a Petoskey Stone Pendant. It’s always nice to meet with owners of my jewelry. It means a lot to me to talk to them and answer any questions, and I think that the jewelry means a lot more to them when they can say they have met the artist. I could have stopped in any time, but Karma (I learned about this from Earl) brought me in at that particular time.
Patricianite with silver and copper inclusions.
Now I have some exciting new U.P. gemstones to cut, polish, and wrap up. It will be a great rest of the month.
The above stones I cut this morning. Enjoy!