On Saturday, a friend (Erin Simpson) and I went out to the Dugway Proving Grounds over in the Utah west desert and we dug up a bag full of beautiful geodes. (I kinda felt like Stanley Yelnats from the movie “Holes.“) (Of course, the sharp-eyed blog-reader will quickly note that the movie was based on the book, and that the book was a whole lot better than the movie. In fact, the book contains several chapters (concerning the school teacher’s relationship with the onion seller) that would make the sensitive hearted individual (like my mom) tear up.)
Anyway, we also explored an old silver mine (got caught by the police for trespassing), saw the cutest fat-bellied lizards, a herd of wild horses, swarms of huge locusts and three baby antelope. Also, we got a flat tire. That was fun. (I mean, not just the flat tire part, but the whole day.) But speaking of the flat tire, how random is this; I’m taking a nut off the tire and it falls to the ground and rolls down a snake hole. Seriously, it was the only such hole for about 100 feet and I managed to drop a nut down it. I had to dig down three feet to get it out. (No, we didn’t encounter the snake.) Bizarre!
Here’s how it works. You drive about a hundred miles over bumpy dirt roads, through two mountain passes until you hit a sign that says, “Dugway Geode Beds.” But wait! You’re not quite there yet. Don’t be misled by the web pages that tell you to just get out and start digging. Erin and I did, just for good measure, and I tell you what — that was dumb. We not only didn’t find any geodes there, we didn’t even find any rocks. Just a lot of shovel-fulls of clay. Did I mention it was like a jillion degrees out? Ok, anyway, the real way to get the geodes is to find the right place. Basically, it’s about three miles into the marked area, as you pass a small hill. You’ll know when you’re there, because some major excavation has gone on and there are huge piles of sifted dirt. Also, there are geode fragments everywhere on the ground. Once you’ve found this magical place — probably a couple hundred feet square, you can then begin your digging and scavenging in earnest. I’ve been there twice and twice I’ve come home with a load of impressive geodes. Good luck!
Addendum: So, you’re asking yourself, “what do I need to go on a geode hunting trip and get to get these inner-sparkly rocks?” Good question. I recommend a 4 wheel drive vehicle (the dirt roads are pretty rough), a shovel, Gatorade in a cooler, a hammer, bug spray, some food to eat, a bag or box to store the rocks, someone to keep you company, a camera (to photograph the locusts and lizards), sunscreen and a hat. You’ll not get much radio reception out there, so you might consider a couple CDs of good music — bluegrass, jazz or rap/hip hop.