huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Jul 17, 2016 10:17:11 GMT -5
I am heading out with my father and my three boys this coming week, and would love guidance on where we can go for relatively simple rock hunting. I suspect, just about anywhere (that isn't a National Park), but if anyone has any "off the beaten path" ideas that aren't TOO far off the beaten path for me in a minivan with three boys and my 76-year-old father, I would really appreciate it! I would even like to look into paying for a guided tour or if someone has a claim, paying to go with them for part of a day or something like that.
I'm not trying to come back with the mother lode of anything, just something memorable for my boys. Thanks!
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Jul 17, 2016 13:48:33 GMT -5
I am heading out with my father and my three boys this coming week, and would love guidance on where we can go for relatively simple rock hunting. I suspect, just about anywhere (that isn't a National Park), but if anyone has any "off the beaten path" ideas that aren't TOO far off the beaten path for me in a minivan with three boys and my 76-year-old father, I would really appreciate it! I would even like to look into paying for a guided tour or if someone has a claim, paying to go with them for part of a day or something like that. I'm not trying to come back with the mother lode of anything, just something memorable for my boys. Thanks! A whole slew of possible locations near Colorado Springs at this link www.peaktopeak.com/colorado/county.php?countyid=20The rest of the counties are covered at this link www.peaktopeak.com/colorado/index.php
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napoleonrags
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2015
Posts: 474
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Post by napoleonrags on Jul 17, 2016 22:06:44 GMT -5
My favorite place is the first stop on the "Bird Tour" in the Pawnee Grasslands. www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTJw8jAwjQL8h2VAQAzHJMsQ!!/?ss=110210&ttype=recarea&recid=32186&actid=105&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&navid=110000000000000&pnavid=&cid=null&pname=Pawnee+National+Grassland+(North+of+Greeley%2C+CO)+-+Pawnee+Birding+Tour It's about 30 miles from Greeley. I imagine 70% of what I collect comes from here. I like to go after a couple good rains and or strong winds. Tomorrow would be good, but I won't be able. I have the Gem Trails of Colorado but have not searched any of the sites. PM me for my phone number, and if you've struck out everywhere else then I'd look forward to a walk in the plains if I can. We will find something. Keep looking down, Colin
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Jul 18, 2016 7:18:31 GMT -5
My favorite place is the first stop on the "Bird Tour" in the Pawnee Grasslands. www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTJw8jAwjQL8h2VAQAzHJMsQ!!/?ss=110210&ttype=recarea&recid=32186&actid=105&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&navid=110000000000000&pnavid=&cid=null&pname=Pawnee+National+Grassland+(North+of+Greeley%2C+CO)+-+Pawnee+Birding+Tour Bird Tour Your link wasn't working so I fixed it.
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napoleonrags
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2015
Posts: 474
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Post by napoleonrags on Jul 18, 2016 9:21:42 GMT -5
Thanks. I don't have these skills.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Jul 18, 2016 10:06:56 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone! Colin, I will see if we can make it out there. It would be Saturday or Sunday, I think. I'll let you know.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Jul 18, 2016 13:48:26 GMT -5
yeah if you just amble out across Pawnee grasslands you can find jasper, agate, epidosite and pet wood (quartz and other stuff too, of course)
I don't know the area around the springs as well though. I've found some interesting stuff up near Lake George in roadcuts but not a ton.
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ubermenehune
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 293
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Post by ubermenehune on Jul 18, 2016 21:11:28 GMT -5
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napoleonrags
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2015
Posts: 474
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Post by napoleonrags on Jul 18, 2016 23:18:41 GMT -5
yeah if you just amble out across Pawnee grasslands you can find jasper, agate, epidosite and pet wood ... Yep, amble is the correct word here. Colin
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Jul 19, 2016 11:43:25 GMT -5
Missing location found. Location in relation to Colorado Springs showing location circled in black and I-25/route 24 intersection circled in red. Below. Intersection of route 24 and 26th circled in black. Where 26th turns into bear creek in red. Below. The High Drive route looks a little back roady to me. Surrounded in red. After checking further, I found this view of High Drive. Notice it is a One Way road leading back towards Colorado Springs. Below. Looks like an alternative route to the same destination is Gold Camp Road surrounded in red and looks like it might be better as far as roads go. But then I see this sign on the Gold Camp road that leads back to Colorado Springs. Below. An entirely different alternate route to the site using Cheyenne Blvd to Cheyenne Road. Lo and behold, below, it looks like the only paved road there is Cheyenne Road.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Jul 22, 2016 18:26:03 GMT -5
You guys are awesome! Thank you for all of the responses. We found some really nice rocks in Sterling, CO, at a little recreation area next to a rest area. From there, we found some BEAUTIFUL quartz in our hotel parking lot, of all places, in Woodland Park. We went to the Red Rocks Open Space and found some GORGEOUS rocks, some of it was quartz, but I am not even positive as to what most of it is. I checked and double-checked and re-checked about taking any rocks from the rec area, and the only reference to any rocks was rock-hopping. We only took rocks that were in the pathway, and we didn't take a ton from there. Then last night, we took the cog railway up to Pike's Peak and brought back a little over a pound of different stuff. I will post some pics when we get back. We are going to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park and down Trail Head Road over the next couple of days, then heading up to Cheyenne, WY on our way home. I really expected to be chipping rocks out of the side of a mountain or something, but honestly. we have only taken things that are in parking lot medians and trail pathways, and we have found some beautiful rocks.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Jul 22, 2016 19:09:14 GMT -5
We are going to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park and down Trail Head Road over the next couple of days, then heading up to Cheyenne, WY on our way home. I really expected to be chipping rocks out of the side of a mountain or something, but honestly. we have only taken things that are in parking lot medians and trail pathways, and we have found some beautiful rocks. Remember when in RMNP, take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. Collecting of ANY rocks is strictly forbidden in ALL national parks.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Jul 22, 2016 21:36:51 GMT -5
ziggy, you are correct, but I was not. It was Rocky Mountain National Forest, not "Park." I make sure we obey the rules, which is not easy for my 10-year-old, but we absolutely respect those rules. We went to the Florissant Fossil Beds, and the pet wood was beautiful there, though it doesn't have the vivid colors (I learned due to the lack of iron content). We also went to Garden of the Gods, and there were SO MANY beautiful stones that were all over the place (due in large part to the fact that you cannot collect there). I do appreciate your restatement of the rules and reminder to not only me, but others. I told my kids the saying was, "take nothing home but a potential felony and minimum $500 fine." I have to serve as a role model to my kids, and I know you can't say one thing and do another and expect your children to grow up to be the people you hope them to be. =)
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Jul 23, 2016 9:03:29 GMT -5
ziggy , you are correct, but I was not. It was Rocky Mountain National Forest, not "Park." I make sure we obey the rules, which is not easy for my 10-year-old, but we absolutely respect those rules. We went to the Florissant Fossil Beds, and the pet wood was beautiful there, though it doesn't have the vivid colors (I learned due to the lack of iron content). We also went to Garden of the Gods, and there were SO MANY beautiful stones that were all over the place (due in large part to the fact that you cannot collect there). I do appreciate your restatement of the rules and reminder to not only me, but others. I told my kids the saying was, "take nothing home but a potential felony and minimum $500 fine." I have to serve as a role model to my kids, and I know you can't say one thing and do another and expect your children to grow up to be the people you hope them to be. =) ziggy, I must re-correct my correction. I did actually state it correctly the first time, and you are very correct. I am doubly glad you replied, because it IS Rocky Mountain National PARK. So I will be setting everyone's expectations correctly before we leave this morning.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Jul 23, 2016 11:12:30 GMT -5
ziggy , you are correct, but I was not. It was Rocky Mountain National Forest, not "Park." I make sure we obey the rules, which is not easy for my 10-year-old, but we absolutely respect those rules. We went to the Florissant Fossil Beds, and the pet wood was beautiful there, though it doesn't have the vivid colors (I learned due to the lack of iron content). We also went to Garden of the Gods, and there were SO MANY beautiful stones that were all over the place (due in large part to the fact that you cannot collect there). I do appreciate your restatement of the rules and reminder to not only me, but others. I told my kids the saying was, "take nothing home but a potential felony and minimum $500 fine." I have to serve as a role model to my kids, and I know you can't say one thing and do another and expect your children to grow up to be the people you hope them to be. =) ziggy , I must re-correct my correction. I did actually state it correctly the first time, and you are very correct. I am doubly glad you replied, because it IS Rocky Mountain National PARK. So I will be setting everyone's expectations correctly before we leave this morning. Yeah. I gotta admit I was tempted to break that rule a couple of times while in Yellowstone, but I didn't, and never really would.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Jul 24, 2016 10:46:59 GMT -5
We had a great time yesterday at RNMP, and along the way we stopped by the road in Roosevelt National Forest and grabbed some beautiful stones. I will post pics when we get home. I went down by Big Thompson and fished out some handfuls of gravel that Mother Nature was kind enough to begin polishing for me. Here is one that we had to leave behind, but it was a beauty. It was probably 30" across, and looked like it had chunks of charred wood in it. I am probably wrong in my assertion, but maybe someone who knows WTH they are talking about can weigh in. Here is a closeup of the "charred wood." I have a lot more beautiful pics of some of the rock in its natural setting, may post them later.
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ubermenehune
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 293
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Post by ubermenehune on Jul 24, 2016 14:05:52 GMT -5
ziggy , you are correct, but I was not. It was Rocky Mountain National Forest, not "Park." I make sure we obey the rules, which is not easy for my 10-year-old, but we absolutely respect those rules. We went to the Florissant Fossil Beds, and the pet wood was beautiful there, though it doesn't have the vivid colors (I learned due to the lack of iron content). We also went to Garden of the Gods, and there were SO MANY beautiful stones that were all over the place (due in large part to the fact that you cannot collect there). I do appreciate your restatement of the rules and reminder to not only me, but others. I told my kids the saying was, "take nothing home but a potential felony and minimum $500 fine." I have to serve as a role model to my kids, and I know you can't say one thing and do another and expect your children to grow up to be the people you hope them to be. =) Did you check out Florissant Fossil Quarry?
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Jul 24, 2016 15:52:40 GMT -5
Here is one that we had to leave behind, but it was a beauty. It was probably 30" across, and looked like it had chunks of charred wood in it. I am probably wrong in my assertion, but maybe someone who knows WTH they are talking about can weigh in. . Looks like maybe black tourmaline crystals, also known as schorl. Is the matrix quartz? Looks sorta like quartz and feldspar. Same stuff as whats found in a typical pegmatite, also where one would naturally find black tourmaline. Maybe it's a big chunk of a broken quartz/feldspar pegmatite with black tourmaline inclusions. Your photo shows some of the crystals in the matrix lengthwise and some end on. By looking at the end on ones it looks like maybe some have the six sided hex shape of black tourmaline crystals as well. Also, in the pic there are two lengthwise ones growing next to each other. As I look at the top one of those two it almost looks like I'm seeing a fairly smooth couple of sides to that one. Almost looks terminated. If those are black tourmaline and the crystals are large enough, they could be cut and faceted as black tourmaline is a fairly popular and inexpensive stone used for jewelry.
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