@Iztaccihuatl @ChrissyRyan Thank you, ladies.
That is one of the few where the lighting was just right, the camera was not too close, and it worked its magic. So it is one I don't mind posting on my website.
My rock-hounding buddy and I are hoping to get back there again soon. Maybe this month. Other rock hounds have been posting pics of their finds out there and it makes me want to hurry up and get there.
It is about an hour and a half drive from here. It isn't far in miles but the winding mountain roads are only 30 mph in places, like up around Mount Rushmore and going through the Jewel Cave National Monument. It is also almost 2,000 feet higher in elevation. An old survival trick I learned is that for every 1,000 feet increase in elevation the temperature drops about ten degrees. So on a warm 60-degree day here in the city, it is only about 40 degrees up there. Not bad, but we just got some heavy snow two days ago up in the Hills. Forest Service roads are poorly maintained and snow and ice are never cleared, so we wait.
The crystals I found are calcite. I love the peach tint. Crystals are a common find in that area and is how Jewel Cave got its name. Rockhounding in the park is not allowed, but just west of the Monument boundaries is Hell Canyon, and west of that is Teepee Canyon. Both are popular rock hunting grounds.
Jewel Cave fascinates me. It reminds me of Jules Verne's
Journey to the Center of the Earth. A couple of gold miners discovered it around 1900. It is still not totally explored. Every year cavers map a few more miles, but it keeps going. At more than 200 miles in length, Jewel Cave is currently the fifth-longest cave in the world.
Jewel Cave Information
