We arrived at the Hickory Haven Campground Tuesday late afternoon. We could see that the Mauritz clan was already there and had set up their compound that consisted of a large tent, standing cookstove, coolers, buckets, boxes of food and a large wire shelf unit all beneath a wide canopy strung between trees. How they got all their stuff, including themselves, into one van is truly a marvel! We set up our camper and were soon visited by Randy and Carl before we headed off to procure some food from a Super Walmart a couple miles down the road - now's that was roughing it!

Wednesday morning we hooked up with Carl, Randy and Ed Mauritz and headed across the Mississippi into Hancock County to a geode collecting location on a stream that Everett had told us about. We were to meet him there later that morning, but we wanted to get a jump on the beautiful day.

Chrissy, Opal and Randy walked ahead while I drove with Carl down a treacherous two-track road to a grassy meadow. Except for a few scratches, our Dodge 4 X 4 truck didn't have any problem negotiating the narrow, overgrown and rutted road down to a grassy meadow near the stream.

While the men worked a section of steep wall near a bridge with minimal success, Chrissy discovered an area upstream where there appeared to be lots of geodes that could be more easily recovered from the horizontal limestone shale. So, we all joined her there.

We spent the entire morning recovering lots of geodes. Most were baseball size or smaller, but we did manage to find a couple grapefruit size ones too. Randy seemed to enjoy greater success when Chrissy finally convinced him to dig in the harder limestone layer where the bigger and better geodes could be found. Occasionally we would stop digging to break open geodes with the soil pipe cutter that I had carried to near our digging spot.

Opal could not have asked for a better place to hang out for the day. A small stream is undoubtedly her most favorite playground. She seems to loves to stick her nose under the water to blow bubbles - hey, it worked for me when I was a kid. If only Opal would have not strayed into the poison ivy on the sides of the stream then maybe my arm would not be dotted right now with a rash from brushing up against her contaminated fur coat. What does she care anyway - dogs don't get poison ivy . . .

Everett and Becki made an appearance by late morning. Everett stopped by to see how we were doing before heading south to a location in nearby Adams County where he hoped to obtain permission to collect the next day.

We decided to break for lunch and then do some exploring up and around the creek. We didn't find any digging spots that appeared any more promising than the general area where we were, but we did find deep pool of water with a small cascading waterfall. It didn't take Opal long to jump into the cool clean water.

So, what's a spring field trip report without a couple flower pictures? Absolutely nothin' - huh - say it again . . . but I digress again . . .