April 16th, 2023, Saddle Mountain Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sun. April 16th we had our annual trip to Saddle Mtn. It’s estimated that the petrified wood there is at least 14-15 million years old. A very bumpy trip, the road up to the collecting sites just doesn’t get any better from one year to the next. We met at 9:45 in Mattawa and at 10:00 slowly made our way up into the hills. The weather started out great, but after a couple of hours the cold wind set in with a few raindrops. Still, with so many pits up there, it’s easy to collect a bucket worth of nice tumbling material and a few cutters in 2-3 hours time. If you want logs or log portions, then you have to do more work and dig for them. However, the tumbler material is nicely agatized and rivals some of the nicest agates in the state.
We had 9 people in 8 vehicles for this trip.
Joining me were Scott H., Colin O., Arlie W. & guest Tonya, Ananda C., Steve F. (new member – welcome Steve), Loren M., and Bill B.

Submitted by Roger Danneman Field Trip Guide (roger.danneman@gmail.com)
425-757-3506 cell and texts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: April 21, 2023 — 9:15 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Our big rock, gem and jewelry show is at the end of this month. We have so many opportunities for you to come and be a part of it – from helping our wonderful vendors load in their gear, to setting up tables, greeting guests, helping with kid’s activities, and so much more. All of our volunteers always go home with free rocks – and free shop hours! I’ll be spending those three days (Friday, June 26 – our set up day – through Sunday, June 28) at the Silent Auction table, working on raising money for our …

Meeting Announcements

  • Club president Noelle Barnes will present “Rockhounding on the Road – How to Find Rocks Wherever You Are” – tools you can use to find a rockhounding location when you’re on the road, and in places you haven’t been before. Show and Tell: bring a rock or fossil you found outside of Washington (if available) or something that’s just too good not to share.

  • Our own Mike Blanton will bring his expertise to this club meeting program – he will share the tools, tips and tricks he has developed to drill holes in stones and minerals so you can do more with the rocks you find. Show and Tell: bring a rock you’d like to make into something else.

  • Club Wagonmaster and rock shop creator Roger Danneman will present an overview of the new club shop – including equipment, scheduling, stewards, and what you can expect from this exciting new resource.  Show and Tell: bring a rock you want to polish or make into a cabochon (or something you’ve already polished or made)

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