Update 1/13/23
The trip is still on. I’ll be there tomorrow morning. Bring rain jackets just in case, as the forecast predicts some intermittent showers in the afternoon.
Hi, fieldtrip friends, Happy New Year!
We had a beautiful Saturday collecting at Hodge Rd. Everybody collected hematite and lazulite. Some other rarities were found too.
Let’s kick off the New Year with a visit to a classic California location. It’s not easy to find a gap between the clouds, so the announcement is a bit on short notice. On Sat, Jan 14th, we will visit the jasper areas just NE of Lavic, 40 miles east of Barstow. This is one of many productive areas near Lavic. The material is plentiful. The colors range from rare golden honey, greens, and olive greens to yellow, orange, bright red, dark red, brown, and even rare black. There are some chalcedony nodules waiting to be found as well.
We will meet on Saturday at 9:00 AM at a flat spot next to the overpass just south of the freeway at these coordinates: 34°44’05.1″N 116°18’17.2″W (34.734747, -116.304777). The meet place is 146 miles, an approx. two and 1/4-hour drive from Pasadena. Drive on I-40 towards the east and take Hector Rd, exit 33. Continue on Route 66 east for 9.5 miles. Turn right into Lavic Rd just before the road turns left and over the freeway. The dirt road leading to the collecting areas is on hard desert pavement, so even sedans will have no problems driving on it.
This is a kind of collecting that kids of all walking ages will also enjoy. Dress warm, as the cool winter winds in this area are prevalent. Bring buckets and your favorite tools. There is so much good material on the surface that digging is not really necessary, but not discouraged either.
The weather forecast shows only a 15% chance of rain that day. However, if the forecast changes, I’ll reschedule for a week later (Jan 21) and update the website.
Hope to see you all there,
MarekC