Sunday, July 17, 2011

Weekend Wanderings

It's been an awfully long time since I set out on a photo road trip. Yesterday afternoon, I packed up the camera, grabbed daughter, and off we went.

The plan:  Painted Hills, and on the way try to find a Thunder Egg mine I'd heard about. They are supposed to have the best anywhere, not sure I believed that, but whatever. I've never found my own Thunder Egg before, I thought that would be totally cool.  Awesome even.

After climbing a gianormus mountain with washed out roads of suck (I love my truck!) we finally found it. A little shack at the top of the world.  A little old man came out to greet us and tell us... they were closed.  He invited us inside and we hung out for a few with the cutest little old mining couple ever.  They explained that they had just had to run everyone off the mine due to the lightening that started right before we got there, which of course turned into a major downpour, and that we were so high up, it was just too dangerous.

Top of the world indeed.

Since we'd come all that way, the good ol' boy decided to pull out all the displays they had just packed up and brought in, and share his treasures with us. 

OMG.  Coolest thing EVER!

He showed us all kinds of Thunder Eggs, the likes of which I have never seen.



And pointed out some that were dug up that day, weighing... 20lbs!  20 friggin' pounds!!!!

As if that wasn't cool enough, there is apparently a Picture Jasper mine as well!  AweS0000ME (<---sings that part)

I have never seen such awesome Picture Jasper in my life.  The pictures on them were so clear to see, it looked like someone surely had to have painted them on! 


Some of the ones he showed us were unbelievable.  He even had one he called... King Arthur.  I'll be dipped if it didn't look like it had rolling hills, and a man on a horse, wearing a cloak, and a crown!

Awesome.

We are sooooo going back there!

After all that awesomeness, we headed back down the mountain, got lost trying to take the short cut they told us about, and made our way to the Painted Hills.
The Painted Hills, although vera cool, paled in comparison to the last time I was there, so I didn't get any photos.  I've only been out there after a rain, which seems to make all the difference.  Must remember that.

No photos whatsoever, but... that matters not.  It 'twas a vera fine day. 

Vera fine indeed.