March and April 2018 Field Trips Report

On March 17 there was a joint trip to Mayfield Dam Quarry led by Dennis Batchelor of Puyallup Valley Gem and Mineral Club. I heard that material is getting harder to find there. The seams of jasper/agate are in pockets of the rubble pile, so finding a pocket is helpful. Pictures from previous trip can be found on Facebook CMS Group Page.

On March 17 there was also a WSMC field trip to Baker Lake, Swift Creek, and Grandy Creek up by Mt. Baker attended by CMS club members Roger D. and John C. Nice river rocks with swirling patterns were found here. Clear agate material was found where Swift Creek enters Baker Lake, but they were mostly small samples laying on top. Dig tools would have been handy to see if larger ones were down under the 1st layer of rocks. Water levels were low at this time of year, so collecting was easy with waders and PVC gloves. Interesting colorful jasper found in Grandy Creek.  Looked for jade, but didn’t find any this trip. Check Facebook CMS Group Page for photos.

On April 21st there was a joint trip to Saddle Mtn for petrified wood led by Dennis Batchelor of Puyallup Valley Gem and Mineral Club. I heard that everyone found nice material, but it was very windy on those hills this trip.

Updated: May 24, 2018 — 3:37 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  May is finally here, and with the snow clearing, the flowers blooming, and the rains letting up a bit (hopefully), that rock fever is hitting us all pretty hard. I hope you all had a great time at the Rock Bingo night last month! The Big Show is Coming! We are now less than two months away from our Cascade Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show, which will be held June 27–28 at Kent Commons. This is our biggest event of the year, and as I mentioned when I started my term, the people are what make this club

Meeting Announcements

  • 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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