Our hike this week took us over by the Colorado River in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. We went on the Painted Desert Trail. It was very pretty. Many different colors in the rocks and lots of different rock formations. We usually hike 5 miles but this trail was only a mile and half long. Not to worry --- we wandered up canyons off the trail and managed to make the hike the usual length.
A new rockhound friend we met in camp took us over to the California side of the Colorado River. He took us to see this quartz circle. It is quartz rocks laid out in this design. Not sure if the Indians did this or just some rockhounds. The Indian tribe in the area does have a site in the area here where they gather for a powwow. I took pictures of the framework for their sweat lodges. They also had a large framework for shade (like a picnic shelter) that they could gather underneath. When they get together out in this desert area it is a private affair and not open to the public.
We were searching for a specific kind of rock while we were out there. Jim was the lucky one and found a couple of nice size rocks. They are a deep blue almost purple. I can't spell or pronounce the name of the rock but we saw some on the internet and they can be used for jewelry. I'm going to take them to our next Gem & Mineral Society meeting and find out for sure if they are the real thing and what you can do with them.
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