Take more pictures. You might need them someday. My next article for Rock&Gem Magazine will be on mariposite. This rock can be a building stone, lapidary material, or even gold bearing ore. It occurs chiefly in the central and southern portion of California’s Mother Lode belt. That’s the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
While taking pictures for the article I completely forgot about a mariposite laced boulder I once saw in Davis, California. About three years ago I toured the “rock garden” on the U.C. Davis Campus. It’s a crazy collection of massive rocks planted around the Earth and Physical Science Building. Check out this map. (external link) What a coincidence that I should photograph something and then years later go on to write about it.
This particular boulder originated a hundred miles away at the Carson Hill Gold Mine in Calaveras County. It’s not very pretty but it does give people a chance to view mariposite without trekking into foothill country. Alas, even if I had remembered this photograph I would not have been able to use it in my piece. Overexposed and not enough megapixels. Now, with my new camera, I am taking pictures of everything at the highest resolution possible. I am future proofing.
For much better photographs, check out the upcoming March issue of Rock&Gem. Most Barnes and Noble bookstores carry it or you can order an online version in three weeks or so.
