The Westover’s Rockhounding in Nevada and Oregon
Our long awaited retirement trip finally arrived on September 4, 2007.
Anne and I flew into Reno, Nevada where we picked up our rental (a
Dodge Durango) and a good nights sleep. In the morning we headed north
toward Fernley, Nevada where we picked up our first Agates and viewed
wild horses. We stayed the night in Lovelock and continued on through
Oreana on up to Winnemucca where we again stayed the night. Someone
must have told the town that we were coming as they had a huge W on the
side of the mountain.
The next night we stayed in Denio, Nevada. It was a very interesting
and friendly place in the middle of nowhere. We found interesting
Quartz and Malachite rocks just three miles west of Denio. The next
morning we watched wild Burros as we drove to Rainbow Ridge Opal Mine
in the Virgin Valley.
We decided to work the Rainbow Ridge tailings instead of the big scoop.
On the second clump of dirt I broke, with my rock hammer, out popped a
large piece of opalized stone. We were off and running. We collected
many small pieces of colored opal, including a black opal Anne still
insists she found, along with a bucket of petrified wood. After
agreeing we would come back, it was on to the Dust Devil Sunstone mine
north of Plush, Oregon. The accommodations were not for city slickers,
but the friendly folks who owned the mine made up for the
inconveniences. We spent two and a half days searching the tailings
for Sunstones. We found many Schillers, two small green, a few small
reds and my favorite a small red and green Sunstone. We left with a
dozen to be faceted and shipped home at a later date. There is nothing
like waking up to the sound of coyote puppies in the Desert.
After checking out at the Dust Devil we drove for at least an hour
before we finally found a paved road, “Hurray”. Just west of Riley
Oregon is where we found our Obsidian, including Mahogany Obsidian.
Burns, Oregon is a very friendly town and a great layover before
driving to McDermitt Oregon/Nevada.
McDermitt has a well-known Loop west of town that contains many collectables. We collected many Agates, Petrified Wood, etc. But,
what we didn’t know was the condition of the road. This road should be
done in teams only. Having a break down in such a remote area could
have a lasting effect. We were thankful to find our way back out.
The Next day we stayed in Battle Mountain, Nevada. I would not
recommend this town, too many illegals drinking and causing problems.
However, we did find out from a local that there is a common Opal and
Black Onyx mine north of the town about 30 miles out. This mine may be
worth checking out as I found nothing mentioned about this mine in
print.
Austin, Nevada was our ideal western town. It’s located up a steep
canyon with great history of the pony express and the discovery of
Silver and Turquoise. The town is filled with Saloons and Rock Shops.
One other point of interest for us (my mother’s maiden name was Stokes)
was the Stokes Castle. It was a three story stone house built around
the turn of the century by Anson P. Stokes, a mining and railroad
magnate, and it’s purported to be and exact replica of a castle located
somewhere in Italy.
In speaking with one rock shop owner, he told us where he found Agates
as a kid. It pays to ask and pay attention. We found many Agates and
he received three boxes of rock in appreciation of the inside tip. At
the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed, the room was called the Pony
Express Room. The Breakfast was a complete meal.
The next morning we headed west on the Loneliest Road we passed the
famous Large Sand Mountain. We turned north 10 miles east of Fallon
towards the Wonder Stone and Green Mountains. The collecting was good
and we recommend stopping.
After an overnight in Fallon, Nevada we headed for Silver Springs. We
found many Agates and enjoyed one last sunny day. Then it was back to
Fernley for a last night before returning to Reno for the flight back
home. The next morning we took our flat rate boxes of rocks to the
post office in Fernley. They are probably still talking about us as we
sent 600 lbs to our home address.
The thrill of two sunny weeks enjoying our hobby was definitely a
retirement dream. The herds of Prong-horn Antelope, Wild Mustangs,
Burros, some Jack Rabbits, and Owls, just make the trip complete. Of
course, the 400 plus pictures Anne took will help us through another
long winter.
Rance Westover
Anne
and Rance working on the tailings at the opal mine
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