Oregon Blue Opal
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The blue opal at Richardson's rock ranch is really beautiful and really blue.
It is also known as denim opal and is found inside of thunder eggs. Richardson's is located 10 to 15
miles north of Madras Oregon. With a lot of different rocks such as agate, jasper, and opal, as well as
an incredible rock shop it is well worth the trip out. The day was Wednsday the 10th of september. The sky was filled with a lot of clouds that could have meant rain and there was a good breeze. We signed in at the ranch and inquired as to whether or not the opal beds were open. They were, provided the road was passable. We decided to try to make it up there even though it had rained heavily the day before. The road started out pleasantly enough and then turned into a steep climb. Four wheel drive was absolutely essential as the steep dirt road was rocky and very uneven. We made it up to the top and breathed a sigh of relief with only the apprehension of making the return trip. We had lunch and looked around for ten minutes or so and then took the tools up to the digging location. My mom found us a spot and we spent about three hours digging and collecting thundereggs. Every once in awhile you would hear an "oh @!$#" as we we innadvertantly cracked an egg open. We managed to fill a large bucket to the top with thundereggs during our three hours and at about 3:30 I carried it down and loaded it into the truck. We made the harrowing journey down the mountain and went to weigh in. We weighed our bucket and paid 50 cents a pound for 45 lbs. The day was definatly a success. So far a quarter of the bucket has produced three bottles of small bits and pieces and a few good larger chunks. I guess at that rate I should have several more bottles worth to come and many larger pieces to make cabs with. I hit the rock saw today. I still have 1/3 of the bucket left! More bottles 9-13-03  More opal chunks  |
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