Well, i didnt get my itch scratched and propst is probably a little far for me to make out to over thanksgiving break but i would like to get some searching in.  Does anyone have any experience with barton creek?  I spent several hours last night trying to find the perfect place to go exploring and that area near falls lake seems to be the most commonly referenced area besides purnell and bayleaf but they are all relativity close together. 

If anyone has some experience with the area and wants to share their secrets i am all ears.

Thanks laurie, i will probably head out there tomorrow or this weekend sometime.  If it doesn't go well i found an area today by wake tech that is promising.  I told you about the small druzy pieces in the creek but today i made a new little discovery down there but didn't get much time to investigate as i had class.  In one section of the woods in a large-ish pile of quartz and they can be found scattered around the woods in a few places, i assume it was from grading for the parking lots.  The quartz pile though shed some light on possible things going on in the area.  There was a large piece that had slight crystallization of the quartz and was much "brighter?" than the rest of the quartz in the pile.  On one side of the quartz was a contact with a mica schist, some of it was still stuck to it.  In the area where the contact zone was there a small limonite cluster, and another mineral of which i am unfamiliar.  I am pretty sure it is an iron mineral (metallic, black, slight sheen, flat, 6 sided,  not mica ) but am not sure.  Continuing on with the story though the creek forms several switch backs across a mica schist that is running perpendicular to the stream and in places quartz can be found running in small seams in the schist.  There is still a lot of creek there to explore and a fresh construction site that i believe will intersect the mica schist about 300 yards down the road.

Mark,
If you head down the lake from old 98 (where it dips into the water) and continue onto the point I have seen some nice small quartz plates come off the shoreline.  It will depend on water level.  I have also been warned to not collect on state park property. 

You should hit garnet valley sometime.  Ask Joe or Scott for directions, I would just get you lost.  I have picked up some actinolite from around the lake above the parking lot along old 98.  Not real exciting looking but it is neat to have picked it up.  You can see where folks have dug.