Rock collecting wasn't part of the plan. Neither was arrowhead hunting. Then we met Felix. He was a Mayan Indian, he told us, whose family had migrated from Mexico. Now he was living in an old RV. He was there to enjoy the hot springs, like us. The Arizona desert has more than just hot springs hidden in it though.
We shared meals and campfires for a week, and then he took my wife Ana and I into the desert to show us ancient metates (grain-grinding stones) and arrowheads. In addition, we found Apache Tears, Fire Agate, and hundreds of other beautiful rocks of every type. They were just laying scattered in the desert once he showed us the right places.
Irina, a nineteen-year-old self-described "rainbow kid," who had been living in her van for months, rode with Felix in his old pickup. Ana and I followed in our van. Two hours at the first stop yeilded many beautiful rocks, and a few pieces of ancient pottery. The recent rain had made the rocks and artifacts stand out, washing them clean.
Ana and Irina found odd pieces that might have been arrowheads. The old pottery pieces I found couldn't compare with Felix's half of a pot painted with an intricate design. Most likely, it was hundreds of years old. Felix was always seeing things we missed.
Arrowhead Hunting
Felix showed us ruins of an old Pony Express station. Long-forgotten and unmarked, the grass-and-mud-block walls were still partially standing. I looked aound, and realized the we still hadn't seen one other car. There are some isolated areas in Arizona. Because Felix insisted the building would have been fired upon by arrows, we started arrowhead hunting around the ruins.
Behind the ruins, and up the hill, Felix showed us rocks with six-inch wide holes in them. They were a foot deep or more, perfectly round, and filled with water. Water storage had been their purpose, he explained, and he and Irina drank the water collected in them. We like fewer bugs in our water, so we just enjoyed this peaceful spot, and watched the valley below.
We had some luck searching for rocks and arrowheads, but not like Felix. We did find hundreds of pieces of pottery, but all very plain looking. Felix found pottery that had beautiful designs on it, and metates. He also found a tiny, perfectly made, clear quartz arrowhead. It had probably been used to hunt small birds two hundred years earlier.
We each wandered a bit, and later, one by one, returned to the van to cook beans with instant rice on our camp stove. Then we said our goodbyes, and traded addresses. Felix and Irina went back to the hotsprings, while we headed the other way with bags of rocks, an antelope antler, and two broken arrowheads.
Notes:
You can look for arrowheads and ancient pottery, but it may be illegal to keep any artifacts now. Go out after a rain and you can see Fire-agate and Apache Teardrops laying on the sand. There are some designated rockhound areas in southeastern Arizona. The BLM office in Safford can give you more information on where to go for the best rock collecting.
There are few hobbies that can be shared by the whole family. The hobby of collecting rocks and minerals is one that can interest the entire family. Rocks and minerals are not only educational, but also entertaining and fascinating. One of these hobbyists said in an interview that when she found a new type of rock on her way to New Jersey, she was so overwhelmed with joy, she felt as if she had found Solomon's gold mine.
Unlike other hobbies, the hobby of collecting rocks and minerals requires that hobbyist to have at least a basic working knowledge of rocks and minerals. Rocks are usually made up of one or more minerals. When different elements combine, the mineral is the result. Minerals are generally without any definite shape. But, when some of the mineral deposits mold into each other, it forms a layer with different irregular shapes and sizes. Some of the minerals also form crystals.
Rocks are easy to collect and classify. Many hobbyists store rocks and minerals in museum like setups. To know and classify a rock requires much geological knowledge and experiences. Many rock collectors often sell their rocks and mineral samples. There are many tools available to break rocks and store them. For sample collection, a hobbyist should have some formal or informal training in handling the different tools for rock sampling, so as not to damage the rock.
Many types of classification exist for grouping the different rocks and minerals. Some of the classifications are:
Classification by color: Store or group all of the same colored rocks and minerals together.
Classification by number of elements: Rocks and minerals that have a certain number of particular elements are stored or grouped together.
Classification by chemical analysis: This type of classification is done only by geologists; they group rocks and minerals according to their chemical composition.
Rock collections
Classification by crystalline shape: this type of classification is for experienced hobbyists, since knowledge of crystalline shape and cleavage pattern is very important.
It is possible to find rocks anywhere you go. If you want to get started with a rock collecting hobby, you can simply go out into your backyard and dig around a bit. Most rock collectors learn to keep their eyes peeled wherever they go, so that no matter what they are doing they will have the opportunity to find new and unique rocks that they wouldn't have been able to find in their area. It is rare to meet a rock collector who will drive to great lengths to find a rock, but if you are on a family trip or a business trip, you might as well pick up a few local rocks.
The hobby of collecting rocks and minerals is never ending. It is a lifetime hobby that increases your knowledge with every new rock or mineral found. To get started, all you need is an identification book and a rock. You can find out all of the information you need, and officially begin your collection with that rock. As your collection grows, you will realize that the hobby only becomes more rewarding over time. So look at the library or the book store today, and find out about the different types of rocks, as well as the tools that can make your life easier.
We shared meals and campfires for a week, and then he took my wife Ana and I into the desert to show us ancient metates (grain-grinding stones) and arrowheads. In addition, we found Apache Tears, Fire Agate, and hundreds of other beautiful rocks of every type. They were just laying scattered in the desert once he showed us the right places.
Irina, a nineteen-year-old self-described "rainbow kid," who had been living in her van for months, rode with Felix in his old pickup. Ana and I followed in our van. Two hours at the first stop yeilded many beautiful rocks, and a few pieces of ancient pottery. The recent rain had made the rocks and artifacts stand out, washing them clean.
Ana and Irina found odd pieces that might have been arrowheads. The old pottery pieces I found couldn't compare with Felix's half of a pot painted with an intricate design. Most likely, it was hundreds of years old. Felix was always seeing things we missed.
Arrowhead Hunting
Felix showed us ruins of an old Pony Express station. Long-forgotten and unmarked, the grass-and-mud-block walls were still partially standing. I looked aound, and realized the we still hadn't seen one other car. There are some isolated areas in Arizona. Because Felix insisted the building would have been fired upon by arrows, we started arrowhead hunting around the ruins.
Behind the ruins, and up the hill, Felix showed us rocks with six-inch wide holes in them. They were a foot deep or more, perfectly round, and filled with water. Water storage had been their purpose, he explained, and he and Irina drank the water collected in them. We like fewer bugs in our water, so we just enjoyed this peaceful spot, and watched the valley below.
We had some luck searching for rocks and arrowheads, but not like Felix. We did find hundreds of pieces of pottery, but all very plain looking. Felix found pottery that had beautiful designs on it, and metates. He also found a tiny, perfectly made, clear quartz arrowhead. It had probably been used to hunt small birds two hundred years earlier.
We each wandered a bit, and later, one by one, returned to the van to cook beans with instant rice on our camp stove. Then we said our goodbyes, and traded addresses. Felix and Irina went back to the hotsprings, while we headed the other way with bags of rocks, an antelope antler, and two broken arrowheads.
Notes:
You can look for arrowheads and ancient pottery, but it may be illegal to keep any artifacts now. Go out after a rain and you can see Fire-agate and Apache Teardrops laying on the sand. There are some designated rockhound areas in southeastern Arizona. The BLM office in Safford can give you more information on where to go for the best rock collecting.
There are few hobbies that can be shared by the whole family. The hobby of collecting rocks and minerals is one that can interest the entire family. Rocks and minerals are not only educational, but also entertaining and fascinating. One of these hobbyists said in an interview that when she found a new type of rock on her way to New Jersey, she was so overwhelmed with joy, she felt as if she had found Solomon's gold mine.
Unlike other hobbies, the hobby of collecting rocks and minerals requires that hobbyist to have at least a basic working knowledge of rocks and minerals. Rocks are usually made up of one or more minerals. When different elements combine, the mineral is the result. Minerals are generally without any definite shape. But, when some of the mineral deposits mold into each other, it forms a layer with different irregular shapes and sizes. Some of the minerals also form crystals.
Rocks are easy to collect and classify. Many hobbyists store rocks and minerals in museum like setups. To know and classify a rock requires much geological knowledge and experiences. Many rock collectors often sell their rocks and mineral samples. There are many tools available to break rocks and store them. For sample collection, a hobbyist should have some formal or informal training in handling the different tools for rock sampling, so as not to damage the rock.
Many types of classification exist for grouping the different rocks and minerals. Some of the classifications are:
Classification by color: Store or group all of the same colored rocks and minerals together.
Classification by number of elements: Rocks and minerals that have a certain number of particular elements are stored or grouped together.
Classification by chemical analysis: This type of classification is done only by geologists; they group rocks and minerals according to their chemical composition.
Rock collections
Classification by crystalline shape: this type of classification is for experienced hobbyists, since knowledge of crystalline shape and cleavage pattern is very important.
It is possible to find rocks anywhere you go. If you want to get started with a rock collecting hobby, you can simply go out into your backyard and dig around a bit. Most rock collectors learn to keep their eyes peeled wherever they go, so that no matter what they are doing they will have the opportunity to find new and unique rocks that they wouldn't have been able to find in their area. It is rare to meet a rock collector who will drive to great lengths to find a rock, but if you are on a family trip or a business trip, you might as well pick up a few local rocks.
The hobby of collecting rocks and minerals is never ending. It is a lifetime hobby that increases your knowledge with every new rock or mineral found. To get started, all you need is an identification book and a rock. You can find out all of the information you need, and officially begin your collection with that rock. As your collection grows, you will realize that the hobby only becomes more rewarding over time. So look at the library or the book store today, and find out about the different types of rocks, as well as the tools that can make your life easier.
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