May 15th, 2021 First Creek Field Trip Report

On Sat. May 15th we went over the mountains to First Creek northeast of Cle Elum. It was a gorgeous spring day. Maybe a little too hot (80 degrees F.) We had 20 people on this trip making the 2 mile hike in and digging for the bluish agate nodules and crystal filled geodes and geode fragments. Wood ticks were not an issue this trip. I only saw one on my glove. Robert M. dug out a very nice big crystal plate and Tim B. hammered out a nice geode from an outcrop. I collected 1/3 bucket of agate and geode pieces.
Phillip found some nice partial geodes and clued me into a couple other spots worthy of checking out next time. Beautiful material here, but the hike is long, especially in warm weather.

Next trip is scheduled for June 12th at Little Naches for thundereggs and lilypad jasper. The DOT is well on their way to clearing Chinook Pass for a Memorial Day weekend opening.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: May 26, 2021 — 5:44 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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