Rockhounds?

[Deb & Chuck]

Chuck and I are long time rock collectors and have joined a rock club recently. We are learning how to turn these beautiful rocks into treasures and are learning lapidary skills. We go on "digs" with our rock club too. Any other rockhounds out there?

[Bill&Ann]

Rockhounds here also. When my mother in law used to come over she would haul all the rocks out of our house. She would line the walkways with them. When she would leave the best ones would come back into the house. Could you send us information on your 'digs'? They sound interesting.

[DonDeutsch]

Well I don't cnsider myself a Rockhound but I seem to be somewhat obcessed with Superior agates.

[Darnelle]

We like agates, too. Always looking while on hikes. Have a big pail full that need polishing.

We've never looked for camping spots close to good rock hunting sites, but now we might! Suggestions are appreciated.

[Leata & Bobby G]

We're a family of rock hounds. Bobby and I were geology majors. I'm a hard rocker (minerals); hubby is a soft rocker (fossils, trilobites in particular); child, age, 9 likes them all so far. She thinks all camping trips must include rock hunting excursions. Now that will be easier with a tug and tow than with the camper/truck.

Leata

[RalphT]

There are several with the All Rockhounds pow-wow club of america.
for more info. contact Cliff Matteson Phone 253 475 8433 email madraspowwow[at]hotmail.com

Rockhounds here also. When my mother in law used to come over she would haul all the rocks out of our house. She would line the walkways with them. When she would leave the best ones would come back into the house. Could you send us information on your 'digs'? They sound interesting.

[Deb & Chuck]

Rockhounds here also. When my mother in law used to come over she would haul all the rocks out of our house. She would line the walkways with them. When she would leave the best ones would come back into the house. Could you send us information on your 'digs'? They sound interesting.

Bill & Ann,
Here is a link to the field trips or digs in Oregon for 2010:

http://www.orerockon.com/ore_rock.htm

Richardson Rock Ranch near Madras, Oregon is open to the public and a fun place to go and dig for Oregon thundereggs too.

Deb & Chuck

[Bill&Ann]

I found a 2010 list of trips with the All Rockhounds Club and Pow Wow at the Orerokcon site you listed Deb and Chuck, in addition to another longer list.

Thank you Deb, Chuck and Ralph. We might try and go out to the Madras area next week if the weather is okay.

Has anyone been to the Glass Buttes area? We enjoyed camping on the mountainside there.

[Dave Bese]

Been rockhounding forever; the oldest son uses agate petwood, jasper in the yard. I'm also a mineral specimen collector.

Was at the Glass Buttes last july; someone had unearhed a huge pocket of solid mahogany 8 feet across! Made a 3 week foray thru CA, NV, AZ, UT and CO with my grandson; lots of fun

Where else can you get down and dirty and still be legal

[WildBirder]

Has anyone combined this hobby with Fossil hunting? I really enjoy everything to do with the natural world and have been looking into legal areas you can collect. Far and few between in BC but alberta has a few places.

[papa-t]

I just search for the yellow stuff; Gold. However, I do process alot of rocks in the process.

[Francesca Knowles]

I'm a sort of amateur geologist. More interested in big formations and how they got there.

But one can't help pickin' up rocks and fossils along the way! Lots of interesting places in Washington and Oregon...

[Cyndi B.]

We hunt on the Missouri and the Yellowstone. Our trailer park is furbished with river rock from the Yellowstone so agates are everywhere. Another business long side the oil. I got the rock tumbler and now I have the saw. The saw is a warm weather activity unless you have a heated place you don't mind getting wet as mine requires water. We like looking for fossilized wood too.

[Borrego Dave]

Interesting that this subject came up. I did a little bit of lapidary work 40+ years ago and liked it. Many years later during camping trips in the desert my youngest daughter who was interested in rocks started picking them up during rest stops. Didn't take long before the rest of the group ask what we were doing. By the next trip all of them were collecting rocks for us. I'd end up getting back to camp with 20 pounds of rocks in the buggy. We tumbled them all and had some beautiful results. The kids have all moved on now but my wife and I are still into it, she likes geodes. I need a bigger saw and the tumbler is running now . Life is good.

[M_C]

Nevada and northeastern Ca. have some excellent petrified wood, rock and fossil collecting areas.
There are some restrictions on wood and fossils.

[fusedlight]

My wife and I are big time rockhounds! Our last foray was a stop near Mt. Ida, Arkansas, at the classic quartz locality. We camped right at the mine:

(click to embiggen)

Where the collecting was wonderful. Here's one of the cleaned-up pieces:

(click to embiggen)

We've gotten quite adept at "creative loading" of our TV.

I've been a collector since the 60's, and my original degree is in geological engineering. I knew The Dot was the gal for me when on our first road trip as a couple she came back with more rocks than I did! If anyone would like to do some trading... just let me know! Right now we are lining up collecting localities for a big-loop-out-west trip this summer.

(Shameless plug: I have a CD filled with the locations of every mine in the US. I sell it on eBay -or- trade it for Neat Stuff. Contact me via PM if you're interested!)

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by M_C

Nevada and northeastern Ca. have some excellent petrified wood, rock and fossil collecting areas.
There are some restrictions on wood and fossils.

The wife and I go to northern Nevada every summer when she gets time off from school and dig for opals in the Virgin Valley off HWY 140 east of Lakeview, OR and north of Winnemucca, NV. Found some nice specimens down there. The Royal Peacock opal mine has RV site w/ full hook-ups, coin op laundry, ice, bottled soft drink machine, and a neat gift shop. Harry Wilson, the owner who is in his 80's now, has pretty much turned the day-to-day operations over to his kids now, but he is always on top of everything going on. The man is a true treasure in knowledge about area history, archaeology, and geology of the area. Worth stopping in if you're in the area. We usually spend 7~10 days there on our trip.
Been to Richardson Rock Ranch in Bend, OR too. Another place to stop at if you are in the area.

[M_C]

If you in the area of Virgin Valley, Plush Oregon has an area for collecting Sun Stones as well as a couple of pay to dig sites. There are quite a few sites in the book "Gem trails of Nevada" most of which are still productive.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by M_C

If you in the area of Virgin Valley, Plush Oregon has an area for collecting Sun Stones as well as a couple of pay to dig sites. There are quite a few sites in the book "Gem trails of Nevada" most of which are still productive.

Yes, been through Plush, OR too. A lot of good rock hounding sites throughout WA, OR, ID, CA,and NV.

[FTTRV]

Richardson Rock Ranch North of Madras Oregon has a Blue Opal bed you can collect at. We got many pounds of them. I have polished some. Also a Great place for digging Oregon Thundereggs. Last time there they charged $1.00 a pound. As Mike posted Oregon sunstones north of Plush, Oregon. I camped at the BLM camp site for free. Just walking across the ground I collected several tubs of sunstones.
Chuick