Nov 17th, 2018 Blanchard Hill Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

Gorgeous sunny weather for this fieldtrip to Blanchard Hill, although a bit chilly. The location is SW of Bellingham, about 90 miles from Renton. There were 10 vehicles on this trip, led by Ed Lehman. My son and I were the only CMS folks represented in the group. The material collected is different than what I was expecting. The rock outcrop contains white quartz, green chert, and black stilpnomelane (which Ed called a rare earth mineral). In combination, the 3 minerals can produce quite an impressive display. But also quite a varied arrangement, depending on what one decides to collect. Busting chunks out of the hard rock requires a sledge, chisel, safety glasses, and muscle, but there’s also a lot of rubble around that can be pawed through and collected. I will hopefully get a slab or two for the Dec. Christmas Party auction, as well as get some tumbled for Show and Tell at the Jan. or Feb. meeting.

Trip Report submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Leader.

 

Updated: May 21, 2019 — 11:11 am

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Thanks to everyone who came out for our February club meeting – it was a fun one, with our own Roger Danneman presenting the highlights of our field trips to come for 2026. Several club members brought their impressive best finds from 2025 for show and tell. Speaking of field trips – our first field trip of the year is in the books, with a mildly snowy day at the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River up by Ol’ One Lane Bridge outside of Acme, Washington. The variety of rocks this year was excellent, thanks in part to …

Meeting Announcements

  • Maureen Carlisle, Former Docent at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, will take us through A Day on a Dig: “Over the years I’ve been asked about what it is like to be on a dino dig, so I’d like to answer some of these questions. I’ll cover some of the practical aspects of both archaeology and paleontology, as I have had the pleasure of being involved in both.” Show and Tell: bring a fossil or artifact that you’ve found or collected.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

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