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Gabbs Nevada  Gabbs is a town in Central Nevada that has a large magnesium and brucite mine. The area boasts migrating rattlesnakes and tarantulas as well as opalized wood, agate, jasper and many other sundry rocks. We traveled from Gabbs about 15 miles to the digging location passing an exploratory oil well and a row of oil exploration equipment on the way. It wasn’t long before we were all trekking the area near the low gray hills. On our exploratory journeys one of us found a pit with some opalized wood and alerted the rest of the hive. We soon descended upon the hill ravenous to find opalized wood. The area we had previously been searching seemed to have no hint of it at all. While jockeying the cars around we found an excavation site with lots of opal pieces lying about so I walked to it from the new site, which was on the next hill over. I found that the opal logs seemed to be found within the rocky aggregate that was prevalent on the various outcroppings on top of the hills. After I had done my looking there I made my way back to the central hub where the digging was as systematic as a robotic manufacturing plant. Low and behold my mother had found an enormous opal log which I almost tripped over when I came to see how they were doing. My mother found the log under a bush about 8” down. Many a bush has been sacrificed as she has a firm belief that the bushes always grow on top of good mineral rich soil that the rock provides. I am open to this and other theories of course, any port in a storm. The digging continued into the afternoon. Tarantula dens could be found in the shady banks of the ravines. Crickets fluttered around and a distant howl of any unidentified animal was heard echoing over the hills. We abandoned operations when the growl of our stomachs overtook that of the strange animal. A great time was had by all and it was a thrill to come away with a piece of wood that could be in any good museum.  |