Saturday, February 22, 2014

The Opal Hill Mine

Todays adventure was to find the Opal Hill Mine, to get there we travelled along the Bradshaw Trail west of Blythe.

 We crossed over a mountain range and came across a Long Term Camping area called Mule Mountains.

 A very faded sign on the Wiley Wells road looked like it said Opal so we decided to give it a try.
The road was definitely four wheel drive and looked like it was going to go back over the same mountain range so we stopped for lunch and turned around.  Later we spoke with some people who said we were so close to the mine less than a quarter of a mile but just tucked around a corner.  Dratttts.
 We looked around our lunch area and picked up a few rocks, this one was very big but can you see the big piece of crystal(or whatever it is) in the middle, someone had been trying to chisel it out.
 Isobel and Marmaduke having lunch.
 As well as Ron and Doug
 It is so hard to understand how such delicate beautiful little flowers can grow out of these rocks.
 On our way out Doug spotted a Gila way up on the mountain and I managed to bring him in with the telephoto, look how he has changed color to match the rock he was sunning himself on.
 The cactus take on such wonderful colors in the sun.
 Down below we went to look around the BLM long term camping and it was very impressive.
 More flowers blooming in the desert.
 And a canyon that the water has created.
Wonderful day with friends seeing new areas, next time we will make it to the mine.

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