Today was a very eventful day!! I got to take my 1st Mining Trip!!
My lovely side kick and Daughter Kelsey was along for the fun as well as my MoonSister Deanna!! We had a blast today and I'm excited to share our story with you!!
So... as you guys know, I'm totally ga-ga over Crystals!! Yep, it's a thing... I'm Crystal-Obsessed!!
One day I wondered if there was a place nearby where we could go looking for our own Crystals...and...I found it!!
OceanView Mine in Pala, California. Not too far of a drive from us!! So... we planned on doing our little excursion over Turkey Day Weekend Break!! It's been on the calendar and planned for so long, and finally it was here!!
We made it up the pathway to the gate and waited to be greeted by Jeff who owns the place. Let me just say, all the Staff at OceanView Mine were very knowledgeable and helpful, especially Levi!
The 1st thing I noticed right off the bat is that there is an abundance of Lepidolite here!! It was glistening in the sun the moment we stepped out of the car!! It was lovely to see it's glitter and shine!
Before starting in on the huge pile from the mine, they allowed us to look around in the surrounding piles and anything we found...we could keep!! So... of course, we did not hesitate to take advantage of our early arrival!!
Our View for the Day!! Getting ready to reconnect with Gaia!!
After our morning briefing where they went over what to look for, and the process of how to do it... the race to the pile began.
We got to dig in the pile from 11 am - 3pm. They give you plenty of time to find some awesome treasures!
We definitely got our workout in for the day!! We were lucky to have a lovely day... a bit on the warmer side (85 degrees F) , but all and all.. lovely as can be! My totem animal even made a visit while we were there!
This experience was once in a lifetime type deal!! As this was our 1st time ever doing anything like this, OceanView Mine made it quite easy. They have 3 active mines on the site. The day we were here, they were working on mine #3 getting ready to do some "blasting" as they call it to loosen things up in the mine.
Basically what they do is go into the mine with bobcats and come up with a pile of which we got to go through. They provide everything you need... bucket, toothbrush (for cleaning) the screens, & shovels.
They allow you to pack your bucket full of gravel/stones from the pile and bring it back to your table. Here you get to go through your finds. You are allowed to keep whatever you find!
Some of the Crystals you find are as follows:
*Tourmalines: Black, Green, Pink, Watermelon
*Quartz: Clear, Smokey, Citrine
*Kunzite
*Spodumene AKA Triphane
*Morganite
*Aquamarine
*Lepidolite
*Garnet
Check out my video of the process ...
We brought gloves that were wore towards the middle of our time at the mine b/c your hands getting pretty tore up shifting through the stones.
They also give you a tour of the mines and you get a fantastic view of Pala, California from up high in the hills. It was lovely!
We got to see Pala Chief, Chief Mountain, Tourmaline Queen as well as a few other mines...some active and some inactive.
Here is a very brief clip of our Mine Tour...
Today was a success!! We had a BLAST and found some cool Crystals too!!
My Advice if you plan on going...
1. Take plenty of Water
2. Make sure to bring snacks
3. Bring Gardening Gloves (your hands will thank you later)
4. Bring a 5 gallon bucket (they let you take a bucket scoop home with you to look through at your leisure)
5. Don't forget the sunblock (especially if it's a hot day)
6. Bring clothes to change into when your done (you get super dirty!)
7. Bring a trash bag for your dirty clothes
8. Bring a tupperware and ziplock to collect your treasures in
9. Be prepared for some heavy lifting, scooping, and lots of fun!
Thanks again to the Staff at OceanView Mine for such an awesome opportunity to experience!!
Now... your probably wondering what I found?
Here is a look at the Treasures I got to bring home!! It's really cool to think I dug these suckers up... and cleaned them. I didn't go to the store to purchase them... super cool!
So... that is my story about the time I went mining for Crystals!! Would I do it again?? Absolutely!! I'm feeling a bit sore today, but it was well worth it! I'm excited to plan another trip soon!!
Until then...
Sending you
Light, Loves & Lunar Hugs,
Bridget M. Shoup, CMP