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Post by tntmom on Apr 10, 2011 16:38:41 GMT -5
Have you ever felt like a 6 year old kid with a hundred dollar bill in your hand, standing in the middle of a candy store? That's me!!! I went on my very first rock hounding adventure this weekend with my rock club, and can honestly say, I AM HOOKED FOR LIFE! 6 hours of driving and about 8 1/2 hours of digging. For my first hunt, my daughter Brooke and I collected a little over 15lbs of material. I was worried I would find nothing and wander around looking lost but the club members took their time teaching me what an agate sounds like, where to find a digging spot, and the correct way to dig. We went to Kalama for carnelians, other agates , jasper and quartz. Hope you enjoy the pictures! Bucket after washing: Carnelian Agates and Quartz Crystals: Agate: Looks like a fingerprint: Tiny Crystals: Yellow Jasper (this one is big enough to slice): The only picture I took on the whole trip was right before dusk. On our way out we stopped at an area that had been in a forest fire. We were looking for opalized quartz (didn't find any). Here is Brooke chilling after a long day: I can't wait until the next time! Thanks for letting me share my special day with you!!! ~Krystee
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TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
Posts: 1,350
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Post by TByrd on Apr 10, 2011 16:47:37 GMT -5
Sounds like a great trip. Were is Kalama? I am going next Sunday on a short trip with my local club. I did not know that an agate had a sound??? I collected agates out of a river bed last October on our fishing trip. They look so great under the water.
Tammy
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meta99
has rocks in the head
Ohio Flint Ridge flint
Member since October 2010
Posts: 540
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Post by meta99 on Apr 10, 2011 16:52:15 GMT -5
Krystee:
I understand completely! We have to drive 6-8 hrs for almost all of our trips and I'm so hooked! This used to be my husband's hobby...HA! Of course we have different interests...I'm looking for rough to cab and make jewelry and he's into specimens, but we both just like rocks! Brooke looks happy even if she was tired.
Thanks for sharing your pictures. Sue
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Post by gr on Apr 10, 2011 16:59:43 GMT -5
I know hooked - been there and still am. You've got some great little agates there Krystee. a couple of those would look real nice face polished!
gr
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,472
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 10, 2011 17:03:31 GMT -5
Excellent finds! That carnelian is sweet and man does it make a super fun tumble....Mel
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Post by tntmom on Apr 10, 2011 17:07:29 GMT -5
Tammy, Kalama is in southern WA. Yes, I learned the sound of an agate ! If you tap your pick (I was told to get an Estwing from the people in my club...) you will hear thud, thud, thud, tink. The tink that sounds like glass is most likely an agate or jasper. Worked every time for me!!! If I would have relied on sight alone I probably would have thrown half of them back. It was a great surprise after washing them! Sue, Yep! And yes, Brooke was ecstatic the whole day. It was cute, we got on the freeway and she talked non-stop for a good 15 minutes about her new friends and cool finds and then she totally zonked out. Had a lonely drive home but it was worth it! ~Krystee
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amyk
fully equipped rock polisher
I'm a slabber, I'm a cabber, I'm a midnight wrapper.
Member since January 2010
Posts: 1,331
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Post by amyk on Apr 10, 2011 17:33:09 GMT -5
Wow that carnelian looks awesome! :drool:
The whole bucket is beautiful. Look at all the colors.
Once you are hooked, you are hooked for life. You will be lookin at the ground where ever you go now.
Welcome to the addiction.
Amy
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Post by texaswoodie on Apr 10, 2011 17:33:44 GMT -5
Wow, some of that carnelian is super red. Nice haul!
Curt
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Post by tntmom on Apr 10, 2011 17:44:48 GMT -5
Thanks Gary, Mel, Amy and Curt!!! I've learned that it's a whole different ball game when you find it yourself! I'll definately tumble the smoother carnelians and some others. Others I will just keep as "first finds". Others I will set aside to face polish but I don't have a flat lap yet . I'm still just buzzing over how much fun that was and wondering why in the world I didn't join a club a couple of years ago.... ~Krystee
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blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by blessed on Apr 10, 2011 18:03:21 GMT -5
Wow, Krystee, those are some kind of nice agates you found. I have Estwing, will be going through Kalmar this June on the way up to Olympia. Was The dig on the river or someother location? I plan on doing some rock hounding while I am up there. My brother has sent me some nice rocks from his yard and garden. I polish and send some of them back.
Blessed
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Post by tntmom on Apr 10, 2011 18:36:12 GMT -5
Blessed,
I was in Kalama (Green Mountain). Not sure where Kalmar is? Kalama is a little south of Longview and just north of the Oregon border. Our club had to have a permit to go there. It is private property and we had to fill out papers for our club to get in behind the locked gate. The owner of the property showed up mid-day to check on us... or something, not sure. Real nice guy though and he even showed us where the biggest agates were found on his property. A teenager on our trip found a blue agate sticking out of the ground, she tried to pick it up and it didn't move... she then started shoveling out dirt around it and it ended up being a strawberry shaped, size of a basketball, piece of blue agate! Kids have all the luck!!!
~Krystee
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Post by rockrookie on Apr 10, 2011 18:41:58 GMT -5
Awesome finds , Krystee !!!! looks like a great time !! --paul
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Apr 10, 2011 18:43:11 GMT -5
Wow, you guys hit the mother lode!
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wyobrian
fully equipped rock polisher
GO VIKINGS
Member since February 2009
Posts: 1,739
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Post by wyobrian on Apr 10, 2011 18:52:04 GMT -5
You did a FANTASTIC job on your first rock hunt!!!!!!! Love that carnelian
Brian
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Tigger
freely admits to licking rocks
The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers is I'm the Only One!
Member since January 2008
Posts: 896
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Post by Tigger on Apr 11, 2011 0:01:53 GMT -5
Love the carneilan. Beautiful batch of goodies. Someday I will make it to where the real rocks live, LOL! Thanks for sharing your trip. Looked like absolute fun!
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Post by tanyafrench on Apr 11, 2011 13:39:44 GMT -5
I agree Tigger, I really want to go where those special rocks live. Krystee, I love the Carnelians you found, they are so beautiful with such deep color. Can't wait to see some of them tumbled. You are truly blessed to live in an area where the treasures live. Yes, I'm jealous!
Tanya
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Post by sandsman1 on Apr 11, 2011 20:00:12 GMT -5
dam you guys did good that red carnelian has great color -- blood ruby color haha
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Post by tntmom on Apr 11, 2011 21:43:53 GMT -5
Thanks Paul, Robin, Brian, Tonja, Tanya and John!!! Tonja and Tanya ~ I plan on doing a ton of digging now that I've got my feet wet, and when I start getting buckets of this stuff lying around, I'll send some your way (that's fun too!) ~Krystee
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Post by Toad on Apr 11, 2011 22:01:15 GMT -5
Jackpot. Love the carnelian, and the fingerprint. Great finds.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,690
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 11, 2011 22:18:54 GMT -5
What an awesome haul-congrads on the rock fever too..............
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