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

  • Our wagonmaster, Roger, will go over the field trips he has planned for this year, including samples of what you can find at each location.   Show and Tell: Your Best Rock Find Of Last Year.

  • We’re still developing the 2026 calendar of events, but we know one thing for sure – our March general meeting will happen on the 12th at 7pm. We hope to see you there! Show and Tell: also coming soon!

  • 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. 

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