Digging Opals in Idaho

DeckAndLockSpencerThey boys and I took a HUGE, 4,000-mile camping trip this summer, and one of the places we stopped was the Spencer Opal Mine in Spencer, Idaho. The town population is 32, and I think half of them were hanging out at the Opal cafe when we arrived. They have delicious sandwiches, burgers, and of course Idaho fries. Once done with eating you can pay a $10-$15 fee and head across the parking lot to a large pile of rocks that have been bulldozed out of the Spencer Opal Mine. Within 30 seconds, the 5-year-old turned to us and said, “is this an Opal?” He’d found an awesome fire opal right away, and with the hour we had there we met our quota of three pounds of opals and other pretty rocks. Definitely worth a stop.