Civilization Sucks and Rockhounds Rejoice!

We spent two nights in El Paso and while we managed to get done what needed done it was a bit of a culture shock after so many awesome weeks in the pristine wilderness. There are so many people there. And they’re all driving on the roads at the same time. And then there was the disgusting thick brown smog – the air quality was horrendous. Yeah, I’m thinking slashing the EPA’s budget and eliminating environmental protections is the way to go. Ugh! Two days was enough. I see it’s going to take me a while to readjust to “civilization.”  (Ahem, will a certain someone please note the proper placement of the punctuation. The grammar police can untighten their tushie now. 😊)  

So just to follow up on the haircut I mentioned. I checked Yelp and found a salon with decent ratings not too far from our campground. And here’s the kicker, they serve you a free adult beverage while you get your hair done. I didn’t know that was a thing!  My Chocotini (chocolate martini) was delicious. Couldn’t care less what my hair looked like after one of those. Gotta talk to my regular hairdresser about steppin’ up her game. Lol.

From El Paso, we made our way to Rockhound State Park. When I checked on-line all the reservable spots were full, but they have several first/come first serve sites so we decided to give it a try. And we got lucky! We arrived without reservations at 11:30am on Wednesday, 3/15, the week of Spring Break and were delighted to snag the next to last site with water/electric hookups. The incredibly helpful and friendly camp host met us as we entered the park, let us know which spaces were available, and steered us towards site #16, at “the top of the world”. She certainly steered us right! The space was huge! I actually had to ask, “Is this all for us?” Yep. Wow. We were at the top of the loop facing west with gorgeous views of the Little Florida Mountains and a sunset show every evening. We quickly decided to add a night to our original plan.

Rockhound - Yessssss!

Huge spaces ...

...  lovely views (That's Dragon Ridge across the valley) ...

... and a sunset show every evening.

Rockhound State Park is known for its unique rocks and minerals. You can find quartz, agates, opal, jasper and best of all – thundereggs and geodes. AND you are allowed to take some home. Whoohoo!  There are several trails through the park and the camp host let us know that, unlike most parks, we were welcome to get off the beaten path to explore the hillsides and hunt for rocks. Oh, you are singing my song. 

So Rog and I settle in and hit the trial. Cool rocks everywhere! Hmmmmm… is this a geode? What about this?  We quickly discovered that we really had no clue what we were looking for! Lol.

Combing the hillside for treasure.

Very cool rock, not sure what it is, but I'm entranced.

Wildflowers are starting to bloom.

To remedy, or at least slightly mitigate, our ignorance we visited a local rock shop and the exhibits at the visitor’s center. Both had me in a state of rock lust.

Examples of local rocks at the visitors center. I want them all! Lol.

In case you are interested, a geode is spherical rock with a hollow cavity lined with crystals/agate. A thunderegg is a spherical rock that is filled (no hollow space) with crystal/agate. You can’t tell them apart until you break them open. Both are formed in rhyolitic volcanic ash layers. I could geek out and talk about exactly how they are formed, but let’s just say it’s really cool and they are beautiful and fascinating. At least I think so!

The proprietor of the rock shop was a delightful character. He is part owner of a mine that produces some of the most amazing agate geodes, he is now 82 and regaled us with stories of his very interesting life.  I purchased some small polished geodes, just in case we don’t find any of our own.

Geode on the left, Thundereggs on the right.

On Friday, Rog tackled a mountain bike trail in the Little Florida Mountains close to the campground. The trail turned out to be another steep, rocky climb but he enjoyed the views and, more importantly, found the MOTHER LODE of geodes!  They were just laying all over the place! He was miles from camp so he stuffed his pockets, ate his lunch and stuffed his beltpack, wore his spare tire like a bandolier and stuffed his tool pouch, and then emptied his water bottle and filled it with rocks! Yes, this man loves me. Lol. Not sure exactly how we’re going to get them cut and polished (even used, the lapidary equipment is extremely expensive), but we’ll come up with something. Dedication like that must be rewarded. 😊

Little Florida Mountains.

A long way up! The campground is on the right.

View from the top.

Amazing haul! I am so excited!!

We also did a hike at the nearby Spring Canyon State Park – lovely views, but we were unsuccessful in our search for the elusive ibex. These exotic goats were introduced to the area but sightings are rare. We did however, mistake one of the goat paths for the trail and ended up on the wrong side of the canyon. Oops. We backtracked and made it to our destination – Lover’s Leap. Regardless of the name, neither of us was the least bit tempted to jump. Lol. 

Spring Canyon.

Loved the bright green lichen on the rocks.

Almost to the top.

View into the next valley.

Lovers Leap? I don't think so.

Looking back toward Spring Canyon.

The cholla fruit is bright yellow. Yes, it's edible but you have disarm it first. Lol. 

We definitely enjoyed our stay at Rockhound State Park, although the mule may be riding a little lower after we stowed all of our rocky treasures.  Our next stop is Bisbee, AZ – a funky little artist town situated next to an old copper strip mine. Should be interesting.