We couldn't have asked for better conditions.  The sun was out and bright all day.  The occasional breeze and drifting shade from clouds kept us going under the hot July sun.  When we arrived at the digging spot we saw that it had begun to become overgrown with weeds, although it did not inhibit us from finding crystals.  There had been so much rain there previous to our arrival that crystals could be found littering the surface -- washed out of tailing piles and even from in situ veins.

Gerald working the vein with his son.  Looks like a nice find there.

Joe, in usual fashion scrapes clean an area so he can get a visual on the profile. It's a great idea as it helps him to better read the geology and identify crystal pockets.  Sure enough, he's found one.

I only found two specimens that were exclusively smoky and here's one small cluster.

Hematite is my guess on the line and speck inclusions you see in the photo.  I would not have even noticed had I not taken a closer look with my loupe.

Looks like you had a great trip and some very nice pics.  Keep us posted about the Fall.

Here are a few more fieldtrip pics.

Just getting started......

She's actually watching her boys who are digging with Dad
about halfway down the hill behind the pokeberry bush.