Hi, fieldtrip friends!
Let’s get out into the desert together in mid-February for a trip to the Red Hill prospect (a.k.a. L. Shouse mines) on the southern tip of the Ord Mountain south of Barstow. We will meet on Sat, Feb 19th, 9:00 AM at the Harrod Rd turnoff from the Camp Rock Rd north of Lucerne Valley at the following coordinates: 34°33’40.9″N 116°46’55.9″W (34.561352, -116.782205). It is 106 miles, less than two hours of drive from Pasadena.
Here is the link to Google Maps directions: https://goo.gl/maps/dkbAwCAgHHXwSNX39
Then we will continue 7 miles NNW towards the Ord Mtn to the Red Hill prospect on a dirt road. It has some washboard and some deeper ruts, but there is a parallel set of tracks on the side, even a good-size sedan will make it. Mid-February weather usually is very nice for a desert trip. However, in case of rain, I would have to reschedule for the next weekend, Feb 26th to avoid fighting a muddy dirt road.
The mine has good molybdenite platelets, which oxidize into yellow SW UV fluorescent powellite. There are rare gemmy powellite crystals in vugs as well, up to a few millimeters in size. Also present are dark green malachite, blue chrysocolla, hematite, mm-size octagonal magnetite crystals, and pale green and tan stilbite crystals up to a cm size. The Mindat location is here: https://www.mindat.org/loc-89353.html
Hope to see you all there,
MarekC