Desert Rats, Gemstones and Pond Scum

 A couple of weeks ago, we were approached by the kids, who wanted us to take them out into the desert for a day's outing. They wanted to go rockhounding and looking for fossils. We got the two Montana vans, packed them full of kids, rock hammers, chisels and snacks and headed for Millard County. We started the day at Topaz Mountain where the kids all found topaz crystals in the washes. Sam was particularly good at spotting the shiny spots. We then went on a wild goose chase looking for garnets (supposedly found in the coves on the east side of the mountain). It was a pointless search. What exactly is a cove? When you are talking about a desert mountainside, what qualifies as a cove? Is it a cave? A canyon? An alcove? We could never figure it out and four wheeling in a minivan packed with child seats a hundred miles from a repair shop didn't seem like a very good idea.

Once we were that far out, Heather told us how they had found out that their minivan had been in a wreck and the axle had been welded together. You can't weld an axle together and expect it to stay welded! Not fully loaded on rough dirt tracks. So we headed back to the graded road for the trip to Baker Hot Springs. We had never been there before, so we were a little surprised to find them in the middle of the desert - surrounded by a herd of cows. It was the only water for miles - so the cows made it their watering hole. It was a pretty mucky mess.

That didn't deter our kids. Within a few minutes the kids had their swimming suits on and their diapers off and were splashing away to their heart's content. Only one of the three concrete tubs was cool enough to get in. I did not partake. I didn't even inhale. I swear I could see the pseudamonas araginosa having a party in the pools with the rest of the pond scum. It smelled just like the Dragon's Cauldron at Yellowstone. The kids loved to dive to the bottom and bring up big globs of algae and scum to smear all over each other. The experience was..... unique.

 On the way back Janene spotted a marsh along the Sevier River. The perfect place to find polliwogs for the kids. None were to be found here. The kids wanted to see if they could scramble up the roadside where cars were going seventy miles an hour.

 After scaring the wits out of their grandparents, " You kids get down from there this instant!", the kids then headed for some old charcoal kilns where they did some exploring.

 All we found was big sunflowers. Since the kids needed a potty stop, we headed to Nephi and a gas station for the kids.

 We topped off the day - or should we say evening - by frolicking in a schoolyard playground where we ate dinner and spun around on the weird spinner things until the grownups puked. Some of the new toys in the schoolyard are designed to scramble kids brains. It was pretty much a failure, when it came to finding gems and fossils, but we all had a great time, and can't wait to get back out there - Well, Janene could wait another year or two before we do that trip again, but I could be talked into it  tomorrow. I think I just might know where those garnets are hiding.