North Carolina Mineral Hunting Trip - 2009
In May, I participated in a mining trip with the Michigan Gem and Mineral Society of Jackson. Over the course of five days, our group visited half a dozen mines. Most of the mines were near Franklin, NC. We looked for sapphires, rubies and other minerals.
North Carolina Mining photos
Mineral Hunting Trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula - 2008
In June, some friends and I went on a rock and mineral hunting trip in the Upper Peninsula. We visited the
Caledonia Mine near Mass city, Michigan. Visitors can purchase a two yard ‘pile’ of ore for $50. We had around four hours to dig through the piles. Minerals such as copper, calcite, epidote, feldspar and datolite can be found. Anything you find in the pile is yours to keep. As you can see from the photos, I found some nice pieces of native copper.
We also visited the
Quincy Mine in Hancock, Michigan. The tour included both an underground portion and a tour of the hoist house. The massive, reinforced concrete, hoist house enclosed the worlds largest steam hoist.
This was actually a good time. I might visit them again in the future.
Caledonia Mine photos
Quincy Mine Photos
Quincy Mine Steam Hoist Photos
