Fishing Trip - Day 3

Since apparently there was absolutely no decent fishing at all, on our third day we decided to have some good old-fashioned fun. We climbed a mountain. Ok, it wasn't that big of a mountain.. but for flatlanders like us, the altitude and steep incline is always somewhat challenging. We started the day at Ruby Mountain near Salida, Colorado. It's a recreational area where you can fish, hike, ride ATVs and more. Now, to most people, it's just a simple mountain. Once you reach the top, though, your senses are delighted with a beautiful view; the river at your feet and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

It's also a dream come true for many rockhounds. Near the summit one can find garnets of varying sizes and colors. Unlike an actual ruby, a garnet is a semi-precious stone. Usually known for its red color, the colors can range from dark burgundy to bright orange to fire red. The garnet is also the January birthstone and found in almost every fine jewelry store. We found several beautiful garnets - one was even the perfect size for a beautiful solitaire ring. Following is a great example of how a rough garnet looks.

Photo courtesy of Old-Earth.com

While one can find garnets near the top of the mountain, located throughout the rest of the mountain are Apache Tears - small, round, pieces of black obsidian. These are extremely interesting and easy to find, though not highly prized like the garnets. Following is a photo of loose Apache Tears, similar to those that one can find on a hike up Ruby Mountain.

Photo courtesy of PreciousPebbles.com

After our morning hike and garnet search, we also visited a couple of old rock quarries. Rockhounds (like my father) love it, but to the rest of the population it just looks like lots of rocks. Either way, it makes for the opportunity to see some beautiful country. Here's one of the quarries that we visited (I just loved how the sun sparkled off the water!):

By the time we got down hiking up and down various mountains and crawling over insane amounts of rocks, we were ready for a good shower and some good food. Trips like these just prove that even when the weather and mother nature upset our plans for fishing and hunting, there is always joy and beauty in the outdoors. In fact, all it takes is the simple act of opening our eyes.