We usually do not get out of gold and silver , however, in some cases, such as precious minerals, we have to make an exception. The Snowflake I and II are noted to be "fluorite" . They do have some very impressive fluorite deposits and some amazing colors. What caught our attention however was the noted gangue of the fluorite, that being Opal. Opal comes in many flavors and grades, and in the case of the Poncha Springs district there have been some impressive samples. A local rock shop in Salida has more than a few bits of jewelry made from "local" opal and even some fluorite. When pressed for the location of the collections, they admitted they really didn't know where they came from. It was local craftsman that brought the pieces in. Just a few miles out of Salida we found some impressive old that have produced Opal in the 70s. Originally cut for fluorite in the 1930s, the Snowflake 1 and 2 were worked for the Opal Gangue that the fluorite runs in. Its easy to see with just a quick survey that there is a lot to be had here. The Snowflake claim is located about a mile off of the main highway in a canyon that is deeper than it looks. The are cut on both sides of the canyon and are actually rather impressive. There are some gates set on the entrances, some are bolted, some not. They are a huge value to the claim as with minimal modification they can be locked down to only allow access to the new claim owners. There is substantial deposits of fluorite and opal and the veins and deposits are right out in the open for all to see. It's just remote enough that not many people get in to see it. Opal are a big money deal. The last Opal mine we saw for sale in Idaho was also unpatented and the asking price was over $1 million. The site can be accessed by 2WD and access should be year round with the occasional exception for severe weather. Salida is only a short jaunt and has all of the amenities you could ask for, including some stellar morning coffee courtesy of Brown Dog Coffee.