CMS March 2018 Field Trip

Past Field Trips

CMS March 2018 Field Trip

This is an update from our March Newsletter.

March 17th, 2018 – Mayfield Dam

Meet Mayfield Grocery Store (aka J J Berry)

3429 US-12, Mossyrock, WA.

The group will leave promptly at 10 am so don’t be late!

From Renton it is approximately a 2 hour drive (105 miles) to the grocery store.

Dennis Batchelor, Puyallup Club will be the Field Guide. Contact at 360-870-8741.

We will be rock hunting in a quarry. If the gate is open we can drive right in. If the gate is closed we will have to hike about 100 yards (length of a football field) on a fairly steep paved road.

Rockhounding the tailings pile: Tools needed are gardening hand tools such as 3-pronged trowel and shovel plus hand weeder. Optional a shovel and/or rake. Bucket or backpack to haul out for rocks. Sturdy shoes or boots.

Working the seam: Tools needed are chisel, shovel and hand sledge hammer, pry bars plus hand tools. Bucket or backpack to haul out for rocks.

Weather: Appropriate clothing for weather. 

 

Mineral Council Field Trip: Baker Lake

Saturday – March 17, 2018

Jaspers, Agates, Jade.

The Baker Lake trip Sat. March 17 is going to need waders (hip boots) to cross the stream and access the gravel beds. Shovel, bucket, and pick probably. Jade in the stream bed, so a pair of clamming gloves would be handy (I’m sure the water is pretty cold). Ed thinks the water is 1-2 feet deep in places. Meeting place is 8:45 AM at Sedro Woolley Forest Service Office (810 WA-20, Sedro Woolley, WA). Google says 1:24 drive time from Renton, but give yourself a little extra time. This is a multi-site trip, so also bring hiking boots if we cross snow fields. Roads are clear and good for smaller vehicles.  The thunder egg site is probably under snow, but we might stop there for informational purposes.

Field Guide: Ed Lehman (425) 334-6282, wsmced@hotmail.com

Roger Danneman from Cascade Club is planning on joining.  You can contact him at 425-228-8781 for more information as well.

Additional field trip details can also be found on the WA Mineral Council website

http://www.mineralcouncil.org/FieldTrips_2018.pdf

Contact Ed with any questions or if you need further details on the trip.

Updated: March 22, 2018 — 9:33 pm

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile Our annual club picnic went off great. The grass and Arboretum area was not wet or muddy, plus it didn’t rain while we were there. We had the usual club members attend, plus a few new faces. I forgot to count how many people attended, but I estimate around 40. Thank you, Angie and Brian, for shopping for the food and setting everything up. Thumbler’s Tumblers donated a tumbler for our picnic auction and another one for our holiday auction in December. The new double-barreled 15# tumbler sold for $120, approximately one-third the …

Meeting Announcements

  • We are going to show a video of the most unusual and amazing things found in Amber. It isn’t just insects. We are also going to have a recap of how our Gem Show did last month. Show ‘n Tell: An item that has something trapped inside or a picture rock, thunder egg, or geode that looks like it has an insect, animal, or face inside.

  • Maureen will speak on the geology and the movement of the Washington coastline over millions of years. Show ‘n Tell: Favorite rock or mineral from Washington

  • Glen Ripper is a leading authority on Obsidian. He is a walking encyclopedia which should make this an interesting and educational meeting. Show ‘n Tell: Obsidian – let’s see your colors.

  •   We start the day off with a potluck holiday meal. The club provides roasted turkey and ham. Members fill in with their favorite holiday potluck dish. We follow our meal with the election of officers for the coming year. Our final activity is our club auction. It is a great time to pick up great bargains on rough rocks, polished rocks, slabs, fossils, opal, etc. Our Young Tumblers can use their Rock Bucks to purchase auction items. This meeting is also our semi-annual food drive for the Kent Food Bank. Please remember to bring something. The Food Bank has informed us that they need feminine hygiene products and grape or strawberry jelly. People donate loads of peanut butter but never jelly. They also receive very few donations of feminine hygiene products.

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