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Elias and I finally pinned down our time for just the two of us to take our camping trip. EO has been really interested in treasure hunting, mining, and prospecting for some time, so we decided to head up into the Pioneer Mtns and do some crystal hunting.
We lucked into a great campsite at the Willow Campground (one that wasn't on maps), and had a tiny sandy beach on the Wise River all to ourselves... including great trees for putting up our hammocks...
Elias having invented the 'SmOreo ... we forgot the graham crackers and chocolate, but did have some double-stuffed oreos that did just fine...
We headed up to Crystal Park on Saturday morning and worked hard most of the day. Lots and lots and lots of fruitless digging in the decomposed granite for the odd little shape or glimmer that hinted to a crystal coated in dirt and dust. Most folks who get serious about it bring a wooden frame and 1/4" mesh screen to make quick work, but we did it the old-school way... shovels, gloves, and searching each handful.
Still we managed to find a few nice ones, including this beauty that is nearly, well, crystal clear. Har har.
Late Saturday afternoon we headed into Coolidge Ghost Town, a new one to us. This place was humming from 1912-1927, with about 350 men, electricity, and everything. Then the mine went bust and, well, that's how you make a ghost town...
Exhausted, we headed back to camp, took a rest in the hammocks, caught some butterflies and moths, and settled in to a great feast of camp nachos. Topped off, of course, with a surprise of an ice-cold orange cream soda that I had packed deep in the cooler...
