Trip to Topaz Mountain

Topaz Mountain.
The rockhound, also known as Johny Oohta, loves to go to Topaz Mountain. I am fairly sure this forsaken mountain occupies his day dreams at school. John doesn’t care. It makes no difference to him that it takes two hours to drive to this mountain, if he can spend an hour there he wants to go. He loves it. It might just be his most favorite spot in the whole world.
So when he came for the weekend this last time I packed up the Jeep: Battery Jumper, Water, two strap, food, and gas. The west desert is a place you don’t want to be stranded in. I know. You prepare for a trip out there, because what can go wrong will go wrong if you haven’t planned it.
The easiest way, and you don’t NEED a jeep or four wheel drive to get there this way, though it is still recommended, is to take Highway six to Brushwellman Highway, just north of Delta UT. Go west until you see the sign that says Topaz Mountain this way. You can get there by using back roads through the west Desert, but have a GPS, or something, it is amazing how turned around you can get in the desert, especially at night. Those roads are more fun though, and if you are coming from Tooele, can save a few miles, but not much time.
John likes Topaz Mountain, because he thinks he might get rich. It could happen I suppose. I like it because it is peaceful, and a fun way to spend time with a boy. We do find some nice Topaz from time to time, fragments and whole crystals, with some beautiful color.
Beware though. I have taken to carrying when out there. The first time John and I were there John ran into a Mountain Lion, as he ventured around a rock he scared it. He was by his description no more than 10 feet from it. I tell him he is the luckiest boy alive. When he asks why, I tell him: “First, because you saw a Mountain Lion. And second, because it let you live.” I covet that experience. I have always wanted to see one in the wild, and never have had the opportunity. The lion was long gone by the time John made it back to where I was digging in the rock to tell me. I’ve known people spend their whole lives in the wilderness and not see one. I suspect he took it by surprise, and was very lucky. Perhaps though our dog had something to do with scaring the Lion, as she, Cecilia, was not far off, and tends to keep an eye on the adventurer. The other hazards are snakes. I haven’t seen one out there, but they are there. Another reason John wants to go there. He has an ungodly fascination with snakes, and I do mean, ungodly. Bring water and food too.
Once there, the trick is to climb. When you find a spot, and there is not real good trick in finding one spot over another, hit the rock with a hammer to expose fresh dirt. Start poking in the crevices etc with a screw driver and find the vugs, then dig them out. Repeat the process. The mountain seems full of Topaz. Don’t bother with the clear stuff you see laying around. People say if you expose it to radiation it’s color will return. I find it will blow up a microwave. Someone suggested putting it in the oven, but I don’t know. It is fun though to dig in the hill and find Topaz. There is also Red Beryl out there, worth more than diamonds. But good luck. None of it is easy. It takes time and patience. But it is an easy outing for a family costing not much more than a tank of gas.