Our main goal was to find some topaz crystals and trilobites out in the western Utah desert. Leaving on Monday morning, we traveled to Topaz Mountain where we dug that evening and the next morning. We found some beautiful crystals.
When we returned to the trailer, there was an antelope just a few yards away so we took some pictures. I wondered how close I could get to it, so I cautiously took a few steps toward it, then a few more and then a few more. It didn't seem to have any problem with my approaching it, but I finally decided to not get any closer or cause it any stress. It was a beautiful animal, and eventually it turned and slowly walked away.
Our next travels took us to Antelope Spring. (No relation to the above antelope) where we dug for trilobites. These are fossil remains of some of the oldest animal life on Earth. From the Pre - Cambrian times around 500 million years ago. There we found some nice trilobite specimens. An evening and the next morning digging proved to be successful.
That evening and the next day was spent finding some Sunstones, looking for petroglyphs, riding the ATVs and touring the Perlite/Pumice mine where we picked up some nice landscaping rocks. All in all, it was an enjoyable trip. With good company, excellent food, and a nice soft bed to sleep in, I'm ready to do it again. One other fun thing we did was to have a chance to play with a nice sized rattle snake near the trilobite diggings. Like the disclaimer says, "This stunt was done by professionals. Do not, under any conditions try this at home." When someone asked me "How do you play with a rattle snake?" My response is "Very carefully."
It was a great get away, and one that should be done regularly at frequent intervals!!
