April 24th, 2021 Saddle Mtn Field Trip Report

On Saturday April 24th, we had 20 people and 9 vehicles head up to Saddle Mountain for petrified wood. The weather was a bit on the cool and damp side, but we found lots of material. I found a few chunks worth cutting, and a bucket of pretty nice tumbler material. A mixture of colorful agatized/jasperized pieces and “wood like” fragments/chunks. Now I just have to wait for my tumblers to free up from their current loads.
Afterwards we went to the diatom pits to see what opal chunks we could find. We had to scout around a bit, but there were some nice pieces in the discard mounds. 4 of us loaded up what I’m estimating to be a 300 pounder into Ron J.’s truck. I think that was the only rock he took home that day. I’m anxious to see what it’s like after it gets cleaned up.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: May 8, 2021 — 7:10 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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