Oct 14th 2023 Field Trip to Red Top (agate, jasper, and crystal)

On Oct. 14th, 2023, we’ll be going to Red Top for agate, jasper, and crystal geodes.

There are two options from the same road where we park:
1). Our dig site for agate/jasper close to the road but up steep embankment, or
2). A 4/10 mile hike up Indian Creek Trail to the meadow just below the agate beds loop.

Option 1 has some fine agate, jasper, and occasional crystal geode fragments and is about 50 yards up a steep slope.
Option 2 has more whole and half geodes in the diggings, but is a 4/10 mile hike, the first 100 yards being fairly steep, then flattening out.

Meet 9:30 AM at the Cle Elum Safeway around the gas pumps (I-90 Exit 84, 804 W 1st St, Cle Elum, WA 98922).  Group leaves promptly at 9:45. Bring dig tools.  The meeting spot is about 1 1/2 hour drive from Renton/Kent.  There are DOT restrooms at Snoqualmie Pass and I also like to use the Cle Elum Safeway for coffee, restrooms, gas. 

Contact me for updates if planning to attend.

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

Updated: October 19, 2023 — 8:46 am

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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