ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on Dec 27, 2008 9:25:17 GMT -5
Thanks to the help and encouragement of many people on this board, I've really fallen hard for rock tumbling. I particularly like tumbling rock that I've found, but we don't have much out here in New Hampshire. My wife suggested that for my birthday we go on a trip to find/collect good tumbling rock. The trip would run over Memorial Day weekend 2009 and would involve me, my wife, and our 6 and 7 year old boys. We are all reasonably fit and enjoy walking/hiking, but have no experience out West and cannot do vigorous or extended hiking (1-2 hours at a time sounds about the tops). We would stay in a hotel or rent an RV as we have no experience (and little desire for) camping.
I would love to hear any and all suggestions for a place or places to visit. We would fly out on Friday afternoon, rock hound all day Saturday and Sunday (at one or multiple places) and then fly home on Monday. We should probably stay within the U.S. due to time constraints, but are certainly open to foreign travel if it can be completed within our time limits.
Thoughts? My only thought so far was to stay at the Woodward Ranch in Texas. Perhaps AZ? Or Utah? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated! Our constraints include:
- must be within, say, 5-6 hours of flight time
- must be accessible to 6 and 7 year old boys plus their middle ages parents
- no dangerous or treacherous situations for the boys (within reason)
- must have a guarantee of success finding something worth tumbling. In particular, I would love to find colorful jaspers and/or agates
- the material found must be good for tumbling
Please help plan our first-ever rock hounding trip! I truly appreciate your help. I promise to share all decisions and results on this board. :-)
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Post by Michael John on Dec 27, 2008 14:59:37 GMT -5
I'd suggest, as you thought, Arizona and Utah. If, for instance, you fly out to Arizona Friday night, sleep, hound all day Saturday, drive to Utah, sleep, hound all day Sunday, sleep, fly home Monday, you'll get a lot of stone and you'll get a great variety. Many people on this forum who live in central Arizona and central Utah have pretty easy access to a wide variety of indigenous materials, within a short distance. You'd easily be able to hit several collecting locations each day. By arriving Friday evening, your boys would get settled and rested before hounding on Saturday, and allow you to get an early start. IMO, that would be MUCH better ... you won't be rushed on Saturday and the boys won't be cranky.
FWIW, I'd invite you here but my current hounding locations are less than "little-kid-friendly" ... the Blue Mule Mine is a 1 1/2 hour difficult climb and Owlhole Springs is a very remote desert location (an injury could be a real disaster), plus the place is heavily littered with burro poop.
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Post by Condor on Dec 27, 2008 15:18:11 GMT -5
Here's my 0.02 worth. Woodward Ranch is ideal. If you rent an RV you can stay at the RV site at WWR. You can either fly into Midland, TX or El Paso, TX. Both are a little over three hours drive from the site. If you rent a car, the town of Alpine is only about sixteen miles away. There is no doubt that everyone will find agates. You can either park there at the ranch, or if you so choose, you can even drive one of the roads that takes you right to the agate beds. If (which is highly unlikely because Trey and/or Jan will let you know exactly how to find the agates), you should not find any, then there are tables and tables where you can actually buy rock from them.
Condor
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1rockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 286
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Post by 1rockhound on Dec 27, 2008 16:20:34 GMT -5
Richardsons rock ranch in Madras Oregon is a perfect place for the whole family. They have RV spots at the ranch and all kinds of places to hound on there property miles and miles. There are agates, Jaspers, and Thundereggs. They do charge .75 a pound for the material that you take. It is a easy dig as they use a bulldozers to take the overburden off. Also if you come over memorial day they have a huge Pow Wow one of the largest in the USA and Rock stock. Also you have more places to rockhound in central Oregon than just at Richardsons during rock stock a lot of the local ranches open old digs during this time. Some of the best agates and Jaspers, and petrified wood are found in this area. Richardsons is about 2 hour drive from Portland Oregon which is a major airport and should have no problems getting a flight. Here is a link to there site: richardsonrockranch.com/ |
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chassroc
Cave Dweller 
Rocks are abundant when you have rocktumblinghobby pals
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3,586
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Post by chassroc on Dec 31, 2008 9:59:20 GMT -5
Since you only have a weekend, Richardson's or Woodward Ranch really makes a lot of sense.
Asking Members from Utah and Arizona for some help is wise too. DD organized a trip to her secret places in AZ last year.
If you want to be a little more adventurous...It is a big country with lots to see and do. Split a trip out west between Naition Parks and Monuments, attractions and Rockhounding. Buy a Rockhounding Book for the Place you are visiting and maybe a Topo Map too; Rent a high clearance, 4WD, if possible and drive off or on the beaten path. Some of the trips I've made in the past 5 years or so:
1) Yellowstone NP - You have to see it to understand the attraction. Petwood near the park and other things just north and east by Cody, and west(crystal park and Garnets and sapphires)
2) The 4 corners- Lots of good collecting in New Mexico, drive north from Albuquerque to Sante Fe and Taos, then to Durango Colorado and Mesa Verde NP. Take the San Juan Skyway(Million Dollar Highway) to Silverton and Ouray and Telluride. Cross over to Moab Utah (Arches, Canyonlands). Lots of agate and jasper in these areas. Continue to Capital Reef, drive or hike into slot canyons. Collect fossils and Pet Wood outside the park. continue toward Mexican Hat, across the Col River and Drive the Moqui Dugway, see Monument Valley and the historic reservations and trading Posts. Maybe Pet Wood NP and Grand Canyon
3) From Las Vegas, drive north to Zion and Bryce and Capital Reef. See the Grand Canyon, Joshua Trees and Red Rocks
4) Visit Jackson wy and Grand Teton , then drive east to rock country in Central Wy and south to Fossil Butte at kemmerrer.
The list is never ending
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Post by catmandewe on Dec 31, 2008 10:39:45 GMT -5
Oh there are so many places where you could go!!!
Challis would be a good place, but Memorial day weekend may be too early to get into some of the good collecting areas there.
Arizona, Southern Utah, Nevada, Oregon would all be good choices. You would really do better to get a guide to find something on such a short trip, so going to one of the ranches would probably be a good idea.
The 5-6 hours of flight time puts a constraint on where you fly into, as it would almost have to be a nonstop flight, which would limit you to major airports.
Richardsons pow-wow would be my choice if I had to do what you are doing.
Let us know where you will be going, maybe some of us can meet you there and we can hound together.
Happy New Year..................Tony
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Post by Woodyrock on Dec 31, 2008 14:17:53 GMT -5
If you would like something closer, the Bay of Fundy has great agate, and is within driving for you. The only hazard, is keeping a careful watch on time with the tides. There are several local guides available. I am not trying to put you off a western trip, just letting you know there is something closer. All of the places already mentioned on this thread are great.
Woody
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ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on Dec 31, 2008 18:01:41 GMT -5
Woody: Can you suggest a specific place on the Bay of Fundy (town etc.) so that I can estimate drive time from me? I hadn't thought of that.
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Post by Woodyrock on Jan 2, 2009 3:25:13 GMT -5
ejs: Cape Blomidon, and Amethyst Cove in Nova Scotia are two places just past Halifax. The rock shop in Kentville (web site can provide good currant information. Whilst Amethyst Cove has the better material, it is not a good place for small children unless one goes in by boat. If you go by land, you will need a local guide to find it, then a terrible climb down a dirt clift. But, the red flame agate is worth the trip. The rockshop in Kentville can set you up with a guide. Cape Blomidon is, as the Nova Scotia provincial web site describes it, a family friendly area. There is a provincial park there. You can get directions from the rockshop, and he has some photographs of the material you can find. Rock and Gem magazine had an article about this area about a year ago. Woody |
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UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
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Post by UtahRockHound on Jan 4, 2009 2:51:16 GMT -5
Utah is out until spring. You would freeze real quick digging through the snow. We are experiencing an early and heavy snow in our area this year. 3 inches of snow in Las-Vegas NV is unheard of, and it just kept coming our way after they were done with it. Come spring, around the Delta Utah area would be ideal.
Take them to the U-Dig Trilobite. They get to pound the heck out of rocks and find fossils. Instant gratification for kids will really please them. Then you still have plenty of time to hit the local collecting areas for tumblers. As any local can tell you, just about anywhere you stop will be a collecting area.
Utah is mostly extinct volcano's, and ancient oceans. Quarts/Chert/Jasper of all kinds abound everywhere.
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Jan 4, 2009 12:19:30 GMT -5
If you are willing to fly, you should consider Wyoming. One of my favorite spots is the Agate Flats, about 1.5 hour drive from Casper. There you can find the famous Sweetwater Agates. They are beautiful little wind polished dendritic agates perfect for tumbling, and unique to that area, you won't find anything quite like it anywhere else. There is also high quality Nephrite Jade to be found in that same area, as well as banded Onyx.
Central Wyoming is a rockhounds dream. Whithin 2 hours of where I live, I can find Nephrite Jade, a wide assortment of various Agates, Jasper, Chert, Fossils, Opalized wood, Onyx, and Youngite, just to name a few.
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