The forecast was ominous on the Friday of Columbus Day Weekend.  We also knew that staying at home in Massachusetts was not going to be any better and most likely would be much worse.  (It was.)
 

So we (Ed Norton, Steve Towne and myself) set out for western New York with the prospect of driving through some really heavy rains.  We did. 

Nevertheless we made our destination near Rochester, New York (Fairport, NY) in good time.  The drive took about five and half hours from Shrewsbury, MA to the motel.  It really was tough to see at times and not the best of driving conditions.
 

We passed through the cold front near Syracuse, NY and the temperature promptly dropped some 10 degrees or so in about ten or fifteen miles.  It was now about 50 degrees, cold, damp, raw and windy.  We had started out about 2:00 pm with the temperature at 81 degrees.  (The month of October was never the same after that.)  We hoped that the morning would bring better weather and that we would hopefully just far enough west to be out of the messy weather.  The Weather Channel gave us some hope with lowering percentages for rain, but there was still a 30% chance.
 

We awoke at 5:40 am to find it was very damp and wet.  A very heavy mist was falling.  Although we would definitely need rain gear at least it was no longer pouring.  A good thing.
 

We went to breakfast and in short order were on our way to the quarry.  We arrived shortly after 7:00 am and it was just starting to get light.  We made our way through the paperwork line, release signing to be able to collect.  At 7:45 am we had our mandatory safety meeting and at 8:00 am we headed down into the quarry proper.
 

Approximately eighty souls braving the nasty weather but hopeful of finding some mineral treasures.
 

It only took but a few minutes for me to find my first keeper.  A floater selenite specimen about the size of a slightly flattened softball.  I knew the specimen was neat but had no idea just how neat because it was covered with mud.  Back home and once cleaned you could see it had a window on one side through witch you could see a fluorite specimen on a matrix of dolomite within.  A really nice find.
 

I started work on a row of material set out and away from the blast pile. 

It proved to be a good decision as there was plenty of rock to work with plentiful pockets.  Some of the pockets held fluorite crystals.  The only negative was the cut off saw, (borrowed from my son-in-law) just would not cooperate.  That has been the fate of each of the three saws I have used at this quarry.  Each time there has been a different problem.  Although one did work for a little while.   Once I got home I was able to start it right up.  Go figure.
 

The primary benefit of the saw's use is to keep the fluorites on the matrix.  They tend to be very sensitive to hammering nearby and have a habit of flying off with the least initiative or that one last hammer blow.  On the other even worse is when the crystal cleaves.
 

So I was muddling through the AM with the mist finally ceasing about mid-morning (finally got rid of the rain gear) and slowing accumulating a number of matrix specimens with fluorite but more loose crystals for my efforts.
 

Near noon it was time for a break to watch a 40 ton or so blast.  The quarry had invited a couple of hundred scouts to watch the blast.  So we along with them got to see the blast.  We were all safely positioned a distance away. 

We saw the rock lift, flow outward and down.  Then came the dust and finally the noise of the explosions in rapid succession.  It was neat to see live something I have seen on TV a number of times.
 

Next back down into the quarry for more collecting which continued until shortly after 2:00 pm.  We all had to be out of the quarry by 3:00 pm.  So the designed personnel started rounding everyone up with some significant time cushion.
 

Thoughts now turned to a hot shower after some eight hours or so out on a very raw day.  So it was back to the motel for hot showers and then naturally thoughts turned to food.  In this case we had all agreed that pizza was the item of choice.  We found a good pizza place and ate until full.
 

It was now time to relax before bed and some much needed sleep to be ready to go at it again on Sunday.  The day dawned overcast but no rain.
 

It was pretty much the same routine on Sunday morning as on Saturday.  The numbers were just about cut in half from Saturday, i.e. about forty collectors.   We were to spend a short time on the right side of the quarry while the material on the left (the most mineralized and thus productive area) was moved about and/or turned over.  The quarry person charged with that job was a little late; however, and it was a couple of hours before we could spread out back to the left side of the quarry.
 

In the mean time some great things were found.  I walked around a bit and ended up on the ramp separating the left from the right sides of the quarry.  It was there that Christmas came early for one collector, Doug Russell. 

It was fitting as he had helped a young collector on Saturday cut out with his saw a very nice specimen of fluorite on matrix.  It won first prize at the dinner on Saturday night.  We did see another better specimen but the collectors did not go to the dinner.  More later about this collector.
 

Back to Doug Russell...he attacked a good size boulder which had previously had a specimen cut from its end.  He figured since it had had one good enough to cut out it might have more within.  And therein he found three pockets with three large killer fluorites crystals all in the two inch plus range.  It was ten years in the making he said but well worth the wait.
 

Previously several good specimens had been recovered from the large blocks of rock on the ramp which was why I had gone up there.  Although I did not find a treasure to compare with Doug's I did find a nice matrix specimen with some fourteen fluorite crystals on matrix.  The largest crystal being nearly an inch.  I was pleased.  Thank you Doug for your assistance in cutting it out.
 

As for Ed and Steve they were collecting as a team.  So I went to check on them and to see how the other collectors were doing who by now had returned to the left side of the quarry.  There were a number of very happy people there as there were a number of good specimens liberated from the rocks. 

Then there was one of the nicest pieces that was collected by simply turning a rock over.  Some people are just really lucky.  It was a matrix specimen with multiple clusters of fluorite.  The largest crystal being about an inch .
 

Back to that great specimen I mentioned early that would have won Saturday night.  The couple who collected it were from Ohio.  They were staying at the same motel and maybe two rooms down from us.  Their specimen was one of the nicest I have ever seen from this quarry.  It was a matrix piece about 12" x 8" x 6".  The unusual thing was how nicely the 1" plus blue fluorite was perched on pink dolomite crystals.  Usually the fluorites are on the dolomite rock or very small dolomite crystals.  But these dolomites were a quarter inch plus.  The blue of the fluorite crystal contrasted nicely with the pink dolomite crystals.  The couple did have some problems however on their trip including their large German Sheppard tearing up the window shades in their trailer (apparently the dog got a little bored) and the husband managed to smash his finger as well.  Despite these problems they sure were happy.
 

Driving home was uneventful.  They way we like it.  So it was a good weekend and a perfect time to have been out of Massachusetts what with the all the rain and resulting flooding.
 

After cleaning and trimming the specimens I can say it was definitely a good trip.  The results were good and next time if I can get a cut off saw functioning it could even be better.
 

Larry Bull