Oct 6-8th, 2023, Crystal Mtn Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On the weekend of Oct. 6-8 2023 we combined camping and 2 days of rockhounding at Crystal Mountain north of Ellensburg. This area has a wide variety of agate, jasper, and crystal geode material. We were fortunate to have beautiful fall weather in the mid 70s to punctuate the gorgeous views looking out over First Creek, the Stuart range and the Teanaway valley to the west and the Kittitas valley to the south. Many trees were dressed in their glorious fall colors and our group campsite had a spectacular ledge view. We had 19 campers through the weekend and 10 people came up for the day on Sat. Multiple sites were explored by the campers, but we had one main dig site that was quite productive. I’m still trying to understand the geology of the area, but I think it’s part of the Teanaway formation. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Special thanks to Peggy/Paul for our grilled chicken on Friday and Scott/Laurie/Josh for the grilled burgers and hot dogs on Sat. We had excellent food from everyone and it was quite a memorable weekend.

Campers: Annie S and dog Tess, Scott & Laurie M., Peggy S. & Paul A., John C. & Teri G., Christina & Russel & Rose L., Josh & Eli & Levi D., Ananda C., Kari C., Phillip T., Breanna & Julia P., and me.

Coming up for the day on Sat.: Noelle B., Loren M., Robert and Jonathon M., Artem & Andrey & Maxim T., Ray & Mary M. (new members), and Trent B.

Submitted by Roger Danneman Field Trip Guide (roger.danneman@gmail.com)
425-757-3506 cell and texts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: October 19, 2023 — 9:21 am

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile Our Gem Show is on June 29th and 30th, with set-up on June 28th. Roger is looking for volunteers, so be prepared to help when he calls or emails you. We need a volunteer to ensure all the signs we need inside the venue are made and printed. We also need a volunteer to order street signs for our new location, place them before the show, and take them down. Then I am looking for a volunteer to take charge of the club sales table and set up the sales table. We need …

Meeting Announcements

  • Topic: Out-of-state rockhounding sites by Roger Danneman Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana, etc. – So many rockhounding places! We have a few members who have combined a road trip vacation and rockhounding that will collaborate on this. It’s interesting to see the variety of material from these areas. After this meeting, you may want to plan a road trip too! Show ‘n Tell: Show us something you have found or bought on a road trip.

  • April 11th – Rock Bingo (Spring Break) and Food Drive This meeting is our annual “Rock Bingo” night. It is held during spring break so our Young Tumblers and their friends can attend without worrying about school the next day. Each member is asked to bring 3 wrapped items for each person who intends to play Bingo. You can play up to 3 games in person, and every person goes home a winner. Please try to donate an item you would like to receive, not junk slabs and rocks. Let’s all plan to have a fun evening together. Guests are welcome, and we encourage our Young Tumblers to bring their friends. Food Drive – We are collecting food for the Kent Food again. Try to donate 1 item or more for every person playing Bingo.

Current News