July 19th, 2025 Crystal Mtn Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sat. July.19th we went to Crystal Mountain north of Ellensburg for geodes, crystal plates, jasper, and agate. A lucky break in the weather kept the temperatures in the low to mid 60s. 1st stop was a site where we’ve been busting through soft basalt and finding crystal lined geodes and agate nodules. Special thanks to Peggy for helping folks identify their finds at that site. 2nd stop was to a ravine where we find crystal and multi-colored jasper/agate. More of a challenging road to get into that site, but I love the colorful material and interesting patterns we find in the rocks there. This site is on our schedule again in October, but last year we had to hike in because rain made the road impassable. That’s why I wanted to make sure we got in there during a dry season.  You’ll notice burned trees in some of the photos which was a result of the spread of the Jolly Mountain fire in 2017.

The group consisted of 22 people in 15 vehicles:
Nik B., John & Dave C. (thanks for all your help at both sites), Paul A. & Peggy S. (thanks for all your help at the geode site), Kelly G., Terry F., Arleaha W. +2, Philip T., Michele M., Ben K., Jarrod D., Will & Drew C., Noel B., Jonathan C., Jackie B. +2, and me.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: November 8, 2025 — 5:27 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.

  • This meeting will cover the “Geologic History of Washington State.” The meeting will be an interactive program designed to tell the story of the complex geologic history of our state. It works for kids as well as adults, with families working together to assemble the state.   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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