RockHoundBlog

Rock Hound Run Report 11-8-07 to 11-11-07

Filed under: Great Finds-specimens, Rockhound stories, Video, field trip reports, regular postings — Gary November 23, 2007 @ 10:51 pm

Thanks Dick, baby is 3 weeks old and SHE :) is doing fine.  Having to get used to 4am feedings again but all worth it!  

Hi Gary hope your life is going well, new baby and all. Here is the trip report from my last trip and a link to the video I took as well as a link to my Partner Ron’s photos and a link to my updated web site with all my trips on it. We found some really nice stuff. Found a hole in the side of a hill with a vein of Blue Lace Agate plus lots laying around on the ground, lots of big Limonite cubes and a couple of Citrine Crystals, a couple pieces of Tourmaline. Some geodes some small pieces of fire Agate and lots of Jasper, red, and Agate. A real good trip!!!!!

coon_hollow_2coon_hollow coon_hollow_video

 

Dick Wilimek

 

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/561407535OQhIeV

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3956629913512159115

 

http://members.cox.net/rwilimek/

 

 

Rock Hound Run Report

11-8-07 to 11-11-07

 

 

Another great rock hound/wheelin trip. We had Tom and Sue in there TJ, Jay in his Pinz, Micheal in his Toyota, Rainer and Marianne in there Ford, and Shawn in his TJ, with the run leaders Dick and Ron in a TJ.

I arrived at Coon Hollow at 5:30 on Wed. and Ron arrived about 7:30. Thursday morning Tom and Sue came in with there motor home towing the Jeep. We hung around camp till about 11:00 to see if anyone was coming in late morning, no one showed up so we headed out for a geode bed that I had been to once, we found it without any trouble, did some looking around there. Sue found some nice stuff and I found a couple of small ones. Then I had heard about a seam of Blue Lace Agate that was south and east of the Potato patch, so we went hunting for that, the trail petered out but we could see it off in the distance, so we found our way over to it. There was a lot of Blue Agate there on the ground in and around the hole and in the tailings pile, also some other stuff. It deserves a return trip; I marked it with the GPS so we can find it again. Then we found a old trail that headed north so we took that and eventually ended back on the Hauser Geode Rd. and back to camp. At camp we saw the Pinz coming down the Opal Hill mine Rd. and Jay was there in a few minutes. Since it was around 3:00 by then we decided to call it a day. Micheal came into camp before dark on Thursday, we talked on the 2 meter radio, when he had just turned on to the Bradshaw trail just north of Palo Verde, using simplex that is about 10 miles as the crow fly’s.

Friday morning sunrise was spectacular, reds oranges yellows and a blue sky with some clouds. S0 after some discussion we decided to head for the Opal hill mine and Pebble Terrace. You can find/pickup Agate, Jasper, Fire Agate, Petrified wood and Sea sponge plus some other pretty cool stuff. In fact Jay found a real nice piece of Fire Agate with orange color in the nice round bubble on it. While we were there we helped pull a guy out that was stuck in some soft sand, Jay’s Pinz had no problem with the ¾ ton Pickup. Then back to camp for some lunch. We decide due to a challenge from some other friends that were camped out there as well, to a Potato Gun shoot off. What fun that was, Toms was the most reliable, and mine went the farthest and well Bob’s is fun also!!!! During the shoot off Shawn came into camp and then a little later Rainer and Marianne arrived.

On Saturday we went to the Limonite Cube fields, we tried a different spot, that Shawn had found the previous day and it was great, lots of big ones and some Crystals, Shawn found two really nice Citrine Crystals and some large Tourmaline, green and pink and black and a clear, crystals. We stayed out there for around three hours, then back to camp. Saturday night we all went on a night run to an area a fellow camper directed us to, he called it Jasper Flats, looking for rocks at night with flashlights is kind of fun I must say. When we got back to camp Jay headed for home and we had another camp fire as we did every night there. On Sunday Ron packed up by 9:00 was on the road, Micheal took some directions from me and headed for the Geode Beds, he was meeting up with some other friends to take the Bradshaw trail back to Indio. I packed up by 9:40 and hit the road. Tom and Sue were getting ready also. Rainer and Marianne had planned to stay till Monday, lucky them!!!

Oh yes I almost forgot Jay, Tom and I did a night run on Thursday night we had a good time running down some washes. Thanks to Ron for all his great photos and I hope anyone else who took photos will post them to the run Album. I took a short movie and will get it posted in the next few days. Thanks to every one who made the trip, I think that it was one of the best ones we have done. They just seem to get better every time!!!!!

 

Dick       

 

Field Trip- Ocean View Mine, Pala Gem Mining District, CA

Filed under: Rockhound stories, regular postings — Gary April 16, 2007 @ 9:41 pm

ocean_view_mine

DIGFORGEMS.COM - your link to
The Oceanview Mine – The Last REAL Operating Gem Mine
In the World Renowned Pala Gem Mining District
Chief Mountain, Pala, San Diego County, California
Your one stop source for tours, specimens, jewelry, cutting rough, faceted stones

Thanks Teresa for letting me post this excellent article!

This morning, bright and early, I joined internet faceter friend
Robert Winfield and his daughter Allie for a day at the Ocean View Mine.

We drove up Highway 76, from Oceanside, Ca. into the Pala Indian
area, and up the hill from Magee Road. Check in was smooth, and a
mandatory data sheet was completed before we drove onto mine
property. Once there, parking was very easy, and close to where we
screened.

There was ample and pleasant assistance directing us to a screening
spot after parking. Each individual was assigned a work space which
included a pair of screens, both 1/2 and 1/4 inch, a bucket, and a
small garden hand tool to move dirt and rocks. Between every two
stations was a bucket of clean water, (for now) within which to rinse
off screened material. This was quite adequate, and very efficient.

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Benitoite Gem Mine story and information by Jay Bates

Filed under: Rockhound stories, regular postings — Gary April 12, 2007 @ 9:37 pm

benitoite benitoite_2benitoite_gem

Down All the Days   By Jay Bates

The mist hung on the hills, wafting in a cold wind blowing down the Diablo Range. We four huddled around our screens and kept moving to hold the in-creeping cold at abeyance. We were screening for that mythical gemstone benitoite. We were washing the dirt off tailings at the Gem Mine in hopes of a facetable stone.

Some weeks before we had been there on a warm and sunny day, basking in the warmth and the aroma of the surrounding incense cedars. It seemed much easier then to find those little electric blue crystals. Now it seemed they had all disappeared. Still, we soldiered on, for we knew not when we may be able to return to this remote location or whether we could even return to the land of Happy Meals over the sodden dozed tracks laughingly called roads on the maps.

The wash water ran out, so Dave and I put his hitch on the back of my Jeep and trailed the water tank trailer down to the creek bottom to pump it full from an underground tank placed there to collect water during to oncoming threatening winter rains. Now in four wheel, I crept back up the pit tracks to the top pulling a ton and half of wash water. All for a tiny blue speck that resembled a bit of blue glass, you would not think twice about picking up on the street.

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reader tells about her trip to the Royal Peacock Mine in the Virgin Valley

Filed under: Rockhound stories, regular postings, rockhounding maps — Gary February 11, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
Royal-Peacock-Mine Royal-Peacock-Mine_2Royal-Peacock-Mine-4Royal-Peacock-opal
The opals were dug at the Royal Peacock Mine in the Virgin Valley. The vacation was planned after watching a show on the Travel Channel about where to find treasure in America. We didn’t pump ourselves up about really finding anything. It just looked like fun. I’m not the kind of person to want to go lay at a beach all day sipping fruity drinks, borrrring. Luckily my husband feels the same way. Plan on camping out at the campgrounds right there in the Valley, or plan on at least a 45 minute drive each day if you can get a room at the Denio Junction Hotel. There isn’t much else in the way of accomodations way out there. The Royal Peacock does have their own camp sites and they also have 3 furnished campers for rent (hint, call early, they go quickly!).
Our first day of digging proved us right in not expecting to hit an opal, except towards the very end of the day. I found a piece of potch that had some non-precious opal with it. That whetted the apetite. We moved to a different part of the bank the next morning and it wasn’t too long before we hit a ‘hot spot’. We staked our 5 feet (per person) on the bank and dug the same area for 4 more days. I consider us lucky as 85% or better of the people who came to dig did not find anything. They also were only digging for just one day. It takes a lot of hard work and moving a lot of dirt in hot windy weather (in August, anyway). It is a hit or miss situation. You could be just inches away from finding an opal, or feet away. We didn’t really get a chance to speak with Harry Wilson, one co-owner of the mine. He had a friend who was the guide to the dig and he had some good advice, don’t come expecting to leave paying for your vacation, those are the people who won’t find anything. We didn’t and had some terrific luck.

OREGON/IDAHO-PICTURE JASPER, PLUME AGATES, THUNDEREGGS, limbcast, GEOLOGY OF OREGON

Filed under: Rockhound stories, regular postings — Gary January 19, 2007 @ 11:45 am

BLue_mountain_jasper_roughBLUE MOUNTAIN JASPER ROUGH.
“THE GOOSE,” WT. 1.3 LBS

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST HAS ALWAYS BEEN RICH IN A DIVERSE SELECTION OF MINERALS, ROCKS, GEMSTONES, A ROCKHOUNDER’S HEAVEN!!! OREGON HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST JASPER AND AGATE DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PAGE IS TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE PEOPLE WHO DISCOVERED THESE DEPOSITS, THE MINER’S WHO STILL MINE IT, AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR ROCKHOUNDERS ON THEIR ROCKHOUNDING ENDEAVORS.

THE OCHOCO MOUNTAIN RANGE IN CENTRAL OREGON IS RICH WITH JASPERS/AGATES/OPALS, JUST TO NAME A FEW…..
THERE EXIST IN THOSE MOUNTAINS A VAST VARIETY OF THUNDEREGGS, “OREGON’S STATE ROCK”…FROM AGATE EGGS TO OPAL EGGS THE OCHOCO’S HAVE IT ALL. I RECALL AS A ROCK-PUP GOING TO THE OCHOCOS WITH MY DAD, WE WOULD ALWAYS COME HOME WITH A NICE SELECTION OF EGGS, PETRIFIED WOOD, JASPERS. THE MOUNTAINS THERE ARE TEEMING WITH LAPIDARY ROCKS…

thunderegg_pile KOP AND CINDY KOPCINSKI
ON “ONE,” OF THEIR THUNDEREGG PILES
NOVEMBER 2002
SEE BELOW:
MYSELF WITH DAUGHTER MAKAYLA
AND CINDY AND KOP
CHRISTMAS 2005

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The history of Biggs Jasper, DESCHUTES PICTURE JASPER, Oregon.

Filed under: Rockhound stories, regular postings — Gary @ 11:13 am

biggs_jasper_miningDESCHUTES_jasperDESCHUTES_jasper_pictureoregon_jasper_site

THIS IS A BONAFIDE CHRONILOGICAL HISTORY OF BIGGS JASPERS AND SOME OF THE RESPECTED AND HONORABLE MINERS INVOLVED.
BIGGS PICTURE JASPER AND THE DISCOVERY THEREOF PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE LAPIDARY FIELD. MANY A LAPIDARIST WOULD NOT BE INVOLVED WITH THIS FINE HOBBY IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THEIR AWE STRUCK INSPIRATION IN SEEING A POLISHED SLAB OR CAB OF BIGGS PICTURE JASPER…NO OTHER JASPER CREATED SUCH A “GOLD RUSH OF EXCITMENT,” AS DID THE BIGGS JASPER DISCOVERY OF 1964. IT IS ENGRAINED IN MY MIND LIKE IT WAS LAST SUMMER…

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Rockhound VIDEO! Coon Hollow Camp Ground & Bradshaw trail-Roosevelt mine & Limonite Cubes

Filed under: Rockhound stories, Video, regular postings — Gary December 20, 2006 @ 9:03 am

This is Coon Hollow camp ground and a short trip to a couple of mines, one had a road that was really rough as you will see. Just off Wiley’s Well Road, see the video taking you on the road to all the mines.

Run report for the Rock Hound pre-run 9-22-06 thru 9-25-06 From Dick-
rockhound_videorockhound_video_2rosevelt_mine
Ron and I arrived early the morning of the 23rd around 12:30 am. We were met by Dave. He helped us set up camp and told us of his story about getting lost on Thursday night and then about the bees swarming around there camp on Friday the 22nd,I thought the bee thing was just a one time occurrence, but no the next morning as soon as the sun came up the bees were back, so we checked the camp grounds other sites and found them to be also infested with bees. So I drove down to Coon Hollow to check it out and found no bees, so we all packed up and moved.
Around 11:30 we headed out for the McCoy Mountains, we found the trail in with out much trouble and also found the Limonite cube collecting area without much trouble; we spent about an hour or so picking up the little cubes of Limonite. Then on back to camp and dinner and a nice campfire. The next day, Sunday, Dave and his family backed up the gear then we all headed out for the Palen Mts. in search of Quartz Crystals, we found the road to the Iron Queen Mine it was washed out a short distance from the mine so we started looking around and Dave found a really nice Crystal with a bunch of green stuff inside of it, I found a small clear crystal, and Rachel also found a small crystal. We then went in search of another mine but did not find it, by then it was time for Dave and his family to head back to San Diego and Ron and I went back to camp. We had lunch then went off to find a couple more mines; one was the Roosevelt mine which was no trouble to find, it was or is a gold mine, then we tried to get to this other mine we could see from the Bradshaw trail, we got within a quarter mile before the road washed out and we had to back down this really steep, badly rutted, trail.
This was a good trip, and now we know where to find the Limonite Cubes and Quartz Crystals for the November trip. The short movie is of the Coon Hollow Camp Ground and the road in as well as the Bradshaw trail and the steep road up to the one mine, photos of the trip that I took are at-
Three topo maps used roosevelt mine/limonite cubes/crystals

Hauser Geode Beds(The Potato Patch)- Thundereggs/Nodules, Jasper, Pastelite, Rhyolite, and Agate

Filed under: Great Finds-specimens, Rockhound stories, regular postings, rockhounding maps — Gary December 16, 2006 @ 4:09 am

The Hauser Geode Beds

By Delmer G. Ross

Professor of History, La Sierra University

delmer_ross The dull thud of picks, the crunch-swish of shovels, the tink-plink of rock hammers, and the occasional delighted, “I found a nice one!” all help to mark the location of the Hauser Geode Beds on an early spring weekend. Hundreds of holes dug into light-greenish colored volcanic ash under a nearly cloudless blue sky confirm it. Sometimes dozens of rockhounds may be found digging for geodes at this desolate appearing region of northeastern Imperial County, in southern California.
The geode beds are named for Joel F. Hauser, who discovered them with the help of his very observant father in the early 1930s. Twenty-five years earlier, the elder Hauser, George, had been a partner in Hauser & Giddings, a Colorado Desert freight line operating mainly between the Southern Pacific Railroad at Glamis, and the Palo Verde Valley town of Blythe. As he slowly drove heavy, freight-laden wagons across the desert, he followed two basic routes.
The preferred route led through Palo Verde Canyon. It was the shorter, more direct route. It was also subject to flooding and washouts, especially during the usual late summer monsoons.
The alternate route, used mainly when flooding in the canyon closed the canyon road, led from the little community of Palo Verde, near the Colorado River, west to the southern stretch of the Mule Mountains. After crossing over a low pass in the Mules located only a mile or so east of the present-day Coon Hollow Campground, it continued west, through what today is known as Ashley Flats, to another low pass some eight road miles away, near today’s Potato Patch. Then, turning southward for a mile or two, then southeastward, it eventually rejoined the main Blythe-Glamis road.

hauser_geodes_maphauser_geodes_dig


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Wiley’s Well Trip Report 2006 Part 2 of 2 , Thanks Eva! Rockhounding, Geology

Filed under: Rockhound stories, regular postings, rockhounding maps — Gary December 13, 2006 @ 3:36 am

By now, I was getting tired and some people had already headed back to camp. With no
other dogs around and few people, I let Sesame Pooch off the leash and she raced over the
crusty rhyolite hills with glee. If only I could have stolen some of her energy! The biggest
diggings area was across a deep wash and we had to move laterally to find an easier path
down through the wash and then back up to the diggings. The white ashy dirt had been
well churned and many pieces of agate encrusted rhyolite littered the ground. Some agate
had nice colorations and fortification patterns and I spent some time surface hunting
before heading over the hill and across a large plain to investigate some ashy looking
areas further away.

In my travels, I found several whitish areas and also found some geodes that were actually
bubbly and round looking instead of just being large cavities in rhyolite. Inside, they had
somewhat thin lines of clear agate. On my way back, I crossed paths with other hounders
at a large ashy area and we discovered some thin veins of crusty common opal. Some
parts were colored a nice red but the material was so crusty that it would not come out in
decent sized pieces. I was tempted to say that the opal in that vein had not spent enough
time in the oven. It seemed undercooked and not fully formed into useable opal. Soon,
the sun grew heavy in the sky and our packs grew heavy on our backs, and it was time to
head back to camp.

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Cannonball Hill Missouri – RoundRock story – meteor impact site ?

Filed under: Rockhound stories, regular postings — Gary December 11, 2006 @ 9:54 pm


round_rocks

What is it about dense, heavy spheres found deep in the forest that compells me to carry them through the heat and bugs and throw them in piles?

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