May 2nd 2026 Field Trip to First Creek (agate, crystals, geodes)

Field trip

On Saturday May 2nd 2026, we will be going to First Creek which is east of Cle Elum and part of the Teanaway formation.  Meet 9:30 AM in the Cle Elum Safeway parking lot near the gas pumps (exit 84 – 702 W 1st St, Cle Elum), about 1.5 hour drive from Renton.  We’ll leave there at 9:45, head east on Hwy 970, and park at the First Creek parking area (about 10 miles away – just 1/2 mile north of 97/970 junction).

Group will leave from the First Creek parking lot about 10:15 AM!

Agates, Jasper, Geodes, and Crystal – Bring digging and hard rock tools, buckets, and sturdy shoes. Appropriate clothing for weather, lunch, drinking water and snacks.  Bug spray for ticks.  This is a 2-mile hike on a logging road with 5 moderate ups and downs and there could still be snow and/or mud on the trail in May.  A wagon or jogging cart is handy for carrying tools and material.

Roger Danneman (roger.danneman@gmail.com  425-228-8781 or 425-757-3506 cell).

 

Updated: January 31, 2026 — 11:03 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Thanks to everyone who joined us in March for Maureen Carlisle’s fascinating look at the world of professional paleontology digs. Our next meeting on April 9 is a great club tradition: Rock Bingo! Whether you’ve been a member for decades or you just joined last month, Bingo is the ultimate fun night for everyone kids included. All you have to do is bring three rock-related gifts (rocks themselves are just fine!), wrapped so that they are hidden, and then show up at 7pm on the 9th. Everyone is a winner – win a new treasure for your shelf and …

Meeting Announcements

  • Come one, come all and play ROCK BINGO! With schools out for many local school districts, we invite members, guests, and especially families and kids to come and enjoy one of our most fun nights of the year. Everyone is guaranteed to win at this FREE event! All you have to do is bring three wrapped presents – presents can be rocks, gems, minerals, crystals, fossils, cabochons, slabs, jewelry, tumbled stones – anything you think might be a nice gift for a rock enthusiast. 

  • 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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