Desert Messenger

September 6, 2017 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 If you need someone to speak with after Sunday's devastating news, Cenpatico Crisis Line is open 24 hours/day. 1-866-495-6735 Desert Messenger offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com unearthed in one of the caves here at Grimes Point. In addition to their archeological importance, the caves themselves are made of fascinating Tufa Formations dating back to geo- thermal activity during the Pleisto- cene Epoch. Just beyond the caves along the same road, are the Wonderstone Mountains. The three sites in these mountains produce some of the most beautiful Wonderstone around. The Wonderstone near Grimes Point is a rhyolite tuff that was altered by silica and pyrite from hydrothermal fl uids, the same hydrothermal fl uids that formed the Tufa of the Grimes Point caves. Fallon Wonderstone is formed from volcanic material over 12 million years old, and is some of the most sought after Wonderstone for lapidary use. In our next column, we will take you to Tonopah and Goldfi eld. For photos of Grimes Point petroglyphs, caves, and wonderstone visit www.AdventuresWith- Rocks.com and follow us on Facebook. We also have lots of great rocks, fossils, minerals, and gemstones, as well as jewelry making supplies, books, tools, and more at wholesale prices online in our Ebay, Etsy, and Amazon stores. You can access all of those through our main Adventure- sWithRocks.com site. Happy travel- ing and we'll see ya' online. In the meantime, remember: Life is Short. Go Outside and Play! ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS ™ By Jenn Jedidiah Free • www.AdventuresWithRocks.com Greetings to all my loyal fans. Hope you all have had an amazing summer. I know we have. The summer has been full of traveling, playing, explor- ing, and, as always…rocks. But, alas, the sun is beginning to set earlier, the nights are beginning to get cooler, and fall is rapidly approaching. Birds are preparing for their long journey south, and for many of you, thoughts are beginning to turn that direction, too. So as you begin to think about all the wonderful things to do once you get back to Quartzsite, consider that the journey to get there is half the fun. One interesting route to take is Hwy 95 through Nevada. There is lots of rockhound- ing, gold prospecting, me- teorite and fossil hunting along this route, as well as 4-wheeling, ghost towns, old mines, and fabulous muse- ums. It is considered a sce- nic byway, as well as a his- toric route. It's well worth taking the time to explore some of its sites along the way, and so, for the next several columns, I will be high- lighting some of the really cool things to see and do on Hwy 95 as you head south to Quartzsite for the winter. One of the fi rst stops south of Reno will be Fallon, from there you will head to Tonopah and Goldfi eld, and then to Beatty. Once you get to Fallon, turn off 95 and head east on Hwy 50 just 12 miles out of town to the Grimes Point Archeological Area. It is worth it to plan on spending a couple of days here. There are petro- glyphs, really interesting caves and archeological sites, and one of the best rockhounding sites in Nevada all All eyes southward in the same location. At Grimes Point, the fi rst parking area is at the site of the petroglyphs. There is a short loop trail that winds through a boulder fi eld. The petro- glyphs here are the Great Basin "Pit and Groove" style and about 7,000 years old, some of the oldest in the desert southwest. Great Basin Pecked petroglyphs are also found here, as well as some grinding holes. Take your time walking the trail and look carefully. There are hundreds of glyphs here, but many of them are faded and weathered, so they are dif- fi cult to see at fi rst glance. Further up the road are caves and rockshelters that were formed be- tween 75,000 and 10,000 years ago, and inhabited as early as 9,500 years ago. These caves were used for stor- age, living, and burial, and are im- portant archeological sites. The main archeological site, Hidden Cave, can only be toured with a BLM guide on certain days, but the other caves at this location can be explored on your own. Call ahead to schedule a tour. In the 1940's, "Spirit Cave Man", the oldest mummy in North America was We have great lunch menus, serving at 12 noon sharp! Suggested donation is only $3.50. There's cards, books, games, puzzles, pool table, Wi-Fi available. Community Services, Volunteers Needed! Come join the fun at Quartzsite SENIOR Center 40 Moon Mountain Ave. For more information call 928-927-6496 Senior Center open all year! Monday - Friday, 9am – 3pm DEADLINE : WED. SEPT 13 TH for the sept. 20 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com

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