We visited a historical site along the way (not only for a photo op, but also for the last potty op before heading into the Dugway geobeds. The site was what remained from a Pony Express station along with a monument. We imagined what it would have been like to be a "mailman" back then, riding horseback to deliver letters and messages back and forth. We wondered how they did that without getting lost. We met Ben and Melanie (Darin's brother and sis-in-law) at the pony express station. They belong to one of the "rock clubs" in Utah and go on regularly scheduled excursions.
Once we made it to the geobeds (after getting lost and having to navigate our way by guessing where to go), Ben and Mel showed us what to look for. We didn't really know what to expect and we learned a lot.
With a little trial and error, we learned what kind of "rocks" to look for...the ones that would most likely be geodes. The texture, shape, weight, and location all have to be taken into consideration. You also need the right tools : shovels, picks, buckets/bags, sunscreen, sunglasses, long pants, good shoes with tread, hats, food/snacks, water, and a portable toilee (luckily we didn't need to use ours).
There were lots of families out there working/playing together and that was cool to see. We stayed out way longer than most of the groups, maybe because it was our first time. I still got sunburned, even though I wore a hat and sunscreen. The sun is strong in the desert. This was really a fun experience and I'm glad we did it, even though it is quite tiring. We haven't opened the geodes, yet, to see what sparkly treasures are inside. We would rather saw them open then chisel and hammer them open for a cleaner break. It is a surprise every time.
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