The Biggest Goonie We Ever Found!

Sometimes, WeatherBug is right.  More often than not, when we read '30% (or 40% or 70%) chance of showers', Chris stays home.  She always regrets it.  It is either a bright  and beautiful sunny day, or Pete finds 'The Big One'.

This past Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms was predicted. "No, no" Pete said.  "it will be fine, you'll see".

Yeah.  No.  It poured!  After banging on a ledge she's been working for two weekends or so,  (I knew it was there!) for a few hours in the rain, the tarp started dripping.  Sorry, dear I am off to the truck.   By the time she arrived at the base, she was dripping wet.  So, after changing out of wet clothes, she hunkered down in the truck to wait.  It continued to pour, then pour some more. After a bit, it slowed down.  

Tap. tap. tap.  Pete is at the window.  "you have to come back!  Now!!"  "really?"

So, back on with the soggy clothes and back up the hill.  Turns out, he uncovered her pocket(s),

He decided to help her out and remove some of the ledge she had been working on for two weeks.  Popped off a piece of the ledge and there they were in all their glory! 

Being the good husband he is, he ran down to the truck so she could empty them.  After all, they were the pockets she'd been chasing.  When you are above a pocket, could be inches, could be feet, it has a distinctly different sound.  A hollow, echoing sound.  She kept saying "I know there is a pocket here".  Who knew there were two! 

This Monster was in the left pocket.  Calcite on the top and a side crystal.  The side crystal was, unfortunately, bound to the wall.  It broke during the extraction.  Here is what it looks like cleaned up.  

Meanwhile, of course, the rain began again.  Ick.  

What makes mining so much fun though, even in the rain, is this:

Under this mucky mess, we uncovered a stupendous specimen!  Now this doesn't look like much 

But all of these pieces fit together like a puzzle.  It will be an exceptionally awesome cluster!

So, the moral of the story is...you can't trust WeatherBug.  Ever.  And, sometimes, you just have to get wet to catch the big prize!  (And Pete..stay OUT of my area! )

 Yes, dear.