Diggin-In at the 72nd Annual Gem-O-Rama

wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
About 5 years ago, Cindy and I were watching a show on the Discovery Channel called Dirty Jobs and, in one particular episode, the host Mike Rowe went out to Trona, CA to help setup the annual Gem-O-Rama show put on by the Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society. Since that time, we've always wanted to get out there and participate in the event but was never able to find the time, or at least, not up until now. Thanks to our good friends Tony and Stephanie for reminding us about it this year, we finally got a chance to get out in the muck and dig us some real gems. Here are some pics from our trip, I hope you enjoy.

Picked up some tools before heading out...
main.php


On the road and on our way to Ridgecrest - our basecamp for the weekend...
main.php


Here we are - at the 72nd Annual Gem-O-Rama!!
main.php


Lining up and getting ready to head out on a "field trip" as they are called...
main.php


main.php


Here's a map of the different areas we got to rock hound in...
main.php


Moochie signing up for the field trips...
main.php


Because the crystals we will be digging up are essentially a for of salt, you cannot clean them with regular water as doing so will dissolve them. So, we decided to pick up a few bottles of Searles Lake's finest brine...
main.php


Getting ready to move out...
main.php


Heading out on to the Searles Lake bed...
main.php


main.php


Sights along the way to our digging grounds...
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


Large bodies of water are magnets to migratory birds but, the evaporating pools here can be lethal to them and so great effort is made to keep them out of the waters. Here you can see one of many propane cannons that surround the area and fire periodically to scare them off...
main.php


Making our final turn and getting ready to hand over our field trip ticket...
main.php


And here we are - the Mud Dig!! What in the world did we get ourselves into...
main.php


Time to park em and suit up...
main.php


Time to get dirty and look for some Hanksite...
main.php


Tony and I giving new meaning to going muddin...
main.php


Stephanie holding up something that looks very promising...
main.php


After collecting a bucket full of specimens, it's time to hit the wash troughs to see what you got...
main.php


main.php


Well what do you know, there are crystals under all that muck...
main.php


Here are a few of the nicer specimens that we'll be keeping for further cleaning back at home...
main.php


Another shot across the mud fields as the crowds begin to thin out...
main.php
[/IMG]

Back at the Searles Lake Gem & Mineral Society waiting for the next field trip, we came across this beauty...
main.php


main.php


At our next field trip destination - the Blow Holes...
main.php


Unlike the Mud Dig where tons of mud is dug out from around the lake bed, trucked in and dumped into a digging area, the Blow Holes are literally holes that are drilled into the ground, blown up and then brine pumped out of it along with crystals such as Hanksite, Sulfohalite, Borax and Thenardite.
main.php


Let's see what we can find...
main.php


main.php


Getting ready to see a demonstration on how all the crystals are pumped out of the ground...
main.php


Stand back everyone...
main.php


main.php


After a long day of digging in the mud and rock hounding, we decided to make a trip out to the famous Trona Pinnacles...
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


Time for a cold one at Schooners - CHEERS...
main.php


More pics below...
 
Sunday morning on our way out to the Pink Halite beds...
main.php


main.php


View across the water...
main.php


main.php


Time to get wet and dirty...
main.php


Of all the field trips, this was required the most manual labor...
main.php


This looks like a promising place to start digging...
main.php


I'm so glad I brought a digging bar...
main.php


Stephanie pulling up her first promising specimen...
main.php


Here's one that Cindy pulled up...
main.php


Shot of some flakey salt crystals forming on the surface of the water...
main.php


Within a minute of pulling your hands out of the brine...
main.php


Before calling it a day and heading out, we noticed these cool salt-cicles hanging from the rocks nearby...
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


Before leaving the Searles Valley, we decided to make a stop over at the Trona Turtle and pose for a shot...
main.php


main.php


main.php


Tessa wanted to be in on the fun too...
main.php


The Gem-O-Rama always takes place on the second weekend of October and, if you have the time, I would highly recommend you get out there and get your hands dirty. It really is an experience of a lifetime and one that you get to take a little back home with you. :cool:
 
Great pics, pretty sure you had a great time, I'll make sure to be there next year :D
 
Man, that is way cool:rock: I knew it was going to be a great adventure. Sorry I missed it. Thanks for sharing with us.
 
Looks like you had a great time, we saw you there as we passed on our way to Beatty NV.
We waved but you didn't see us, no problem, it's all good. :standing wave:
 
Holy cow!! This isn't something that we would have been able to find at the Gem-o-Rama... or, at least, I don't think so but, check it out!! This this was just auctioned off for $125,000 :shock:

purple-cube-crystal.jpg
 
I suspect your final stop was at the car wash to hit the undercarriage? Don't miss how my old YJ looked back in Ohio from those salt covered roads!
 
Here are a few of the nicer specimens that we'll be keeping for further cleaning ba

Here are a few of the nicer specimens that we'll be keeping for further cleaning back at home...

Eddie, where's some photos of the cleaned up 'finds'??? The Cindy's Sunday finds came out clean and looked great, wished we were on that run..., but you left me / us hanging on seeing more. That bucket looked full!
 
wayoflife said:
Sunday morning on our way out to the Pink Halite beds...


Stephanie pulling up her first promising specimen...
main.php


Here's one that Cindy pulled up...
main.php




The Gem-O-Rama always takes place on the second weekend of October and, if you have the time, I would highly recommend you get out there and get your hands dirty. It really is an experience of a lifetime and one that you get to take a little back home with you. :cool:
Click to expand...

Awesome finds!! [emoji41]

Looks like it's just around the corner.
 
Cool bump of this thread!

I miss living out that way terribly. I was working that weekend of the Trona GemORama and remember seeing you guys on 178 driving into town.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom