|
Post by helens on Mar 15, 2012 20:37:30 GMT -5
I just spoke to a friend out in California who lives really near Placerville. She's a nurse, and we hadn't talked in a while, when I brought up my new interest in rocks.
She said, there's rocks EVERYWHERE here. I said well yah, but I mean colorful rocks. She said, Helen, there's COLORFUL rocks EVERYWHERE here. I said yah, but I mean colorful rocks with patterns and lines and pictures in them. She said, we have 300 lb rocks covered in crystals here, and colorful ones in every color you can think of too. And fossils and gigantic petrified woods. They have a lot of acreage (private property), and they've even found pieces of big gold nuggets laying around or in their creek (they own part of the creek) over the last 10 or 20 years. She said people still pan for gold in that creek around her (Placerville was one of the heart of the gold rush places).
She also says it's right on top of the San Andreas fault and all the rocks are volcanic in origin. She picks up rocks here and there all the time that are really pretty, but she has not ever really learned about rocks or what would be good rocks to pick up that anyone would want.
Can anyone give me a small idea of what rocks might be in that area (She actually lives in Pollock Pines, on the border of the El Dorado National Forest) so she knows what to look for? Thanks!!
|
|
billg22
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 451
|
Post by billg22 on Mar 15, 2012 23:23:44 GMT -5
Sounds like she wants to have you visit her.
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 16, 2012 22:35:09 GMT -5
No one knows what rocks are there? Can you point me in a direction to look?
I found the website to El Dorado Gem and Mineral Club, and she's going to go join that, but I have no clue what to tell her to look for by way of rocks there. I guess if no one has been to that area, she will find out at the gem mineral club:).
She does want me to visit her... and I'd love to, but they wouldn't let me take many rocks on the plane, and I'm not driving across the entire continental US:P.
|
|
snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
|
Post by snuffy on Mar 16, 2012 22:40:43 GMT -5
Dont have to take em on a plane.Send 30 or so large flatraters home.
snuffy
|
|
|
Post by roy on Mar 16, 2012 22:47:45 GMT -5
have her send you a few samples !
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 16, 2012 23:57:49 GMT -5
That's probably what I'll do, Roy:P. And Snuffy... I didn't think of that! LOL!
|
|
surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
|
Post by surreality on Mar 17, 2012 13:58:17 GMT -5
Ship 'em! We're actually driving across the country this summer to CA... and I think our route takes us right past there. If she's willing to share where there are spaces legal to peek around there, that'd make for a lovely stop, indeed. The one stop we're planning thus far, I know we're planning to ship some boxes back if there are a number of finds.
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 17, 2012 18:46:09 GMT -5
Hey... if you are up there Dee, let me know before you go, and I'll bet she'd be happy to meet you and have someone to go look for rocks with:).
|
|
surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
|
Post by surreality on Mar 17, 2012 18:53:44 GMT -5
Oh dear. Just reading that, I could hear Bri whimpering in pain. ("Now there are two of them? So many buckets... ") That would be a blast!
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 17, 2012 23:46:07 GMT -5
Kewl:). I'll tell her next time I talk to her that a crazy rockhunting friend from Delaware is driving ALL the way to California, and past her area, and rock hunting the whole way! She'll get a kick out of that:). And I am jealous! I'd love to do that:).
|
|
|
Post by Woodyrock on Mar 18, 2012 2:01:34 GMT -5
Helen:
In the vicinity of Hangtown (Now Placerville), you can find chalcedony, agate, jasper, marble, opal, garnet, chalcopyrite, epidote, serprntine, rose quartz, idocrase, jade, vesuvianite, psilomelane, grossular garnet, soapstone, and more just to start. Now, get busy on getting your friend savvy on the rock identification, and have her post a few flat raters your way. Woody
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 18, 2012 3:11:33 GMT -5
Thanks Woody:). Could you recommend a good book that might have pix of rocks in her area so she knows what to look for? She says there's rocks EVERYWHERE.... so which should she pick up?? ATM, she thinks the greatest rocks are quartz crystals.... well, I don't want a box full of quartz crystals:P. That's why I want her to know what's worth picking up:P.
|
|
|
Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Mar 18, 2012 15:28:01 GMT -5
Pick'em all up & sort through them later!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :drool: :drool:
|
|
|
Post by paulshiroma on Mar 18, 2012 17:21:45 GMT -5
Donnie's probably right - just have her start sending you boxes of stuff and then send her photos of which ones are the right ones. Placerville is a "gold mine" in more ways than just gold. El Dorado county has lots of stuff. Go here and check out page 50 in the pdf: www.missourigeologists.org/Min-Loc1-2005.pdf. You're friend can look up what the minerals are on Google, Wikipedia or Mindat.org. Paul
|
|
|
Post by Woodyrock on Mar 19, 2012 1:18:33 GMT -5
Helen:
Explain concoidal fractue to her, and have her go for pretty colours.............hard, and pretty is good. There are quite a few crystal locations in the area as well, and she might even find some agate with druzy pockets.
Any of the gemstone guides would be good. the Smithsonian Gem book is inexpensive, and has good coloured photographs. Woody
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 19, 2012 18:06:27 GMT -5
I can't explain what I don't know about myself:P. BUT, found some nice basic gem mineral books on Amazon!
Just before I asked for some boxes of rocks, she told me she was under 5' of snow yesterday and had to go dig her car out. In the middle of march!!!! Freak weather for them this year, following a really mild winter, so no rocks for me til it melts:(.
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
|
Post by Sabre52 on Mar 19, 2012 18:23:56 GMT -5
Dang, I know the southern Mother Lode pretty well but not the northern. I think there is a California Gem Trails book which is split into two volumes one of which is northern California. You might give that a look too....Mel
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 19, 2012 20:27:49 GMT -5
Thanks Mel:). I figure I'd do what everyone suggested, ask her to fill 2 boxes with local rocks (smaller ones), and throw them in the mail to me, and I'll take pix and see what types are worth getting more of. I don't really even know what part of California Placerville is exactly... she's not in Placerville, that's just her closest town. She's IN Pollock Pine, which is on the border of the El Dorado National Forest, and not far from a place called Shingle Spring, if that makes a rock difference. She says she's about 30-45 minutes from Tahoe and the ski lodge area on the other side (where they get gallons of snow), and she's at a higher elevation, so it snows there more than in the lower elevations. She said that the whole mountain she lives on is old vocanos, and there's nothing but colorful rocks there... there's nothing else in the town... just rocks. LOL! She's going through a new job change right now too, but once she gets that settled (and it STOPS SNOWING - still can't get over blizzards in March), I'm going to get her to come here and hang out with us:). You guys can educate her about rocks yourselves, since I'm still such a newbie myself! WOW! Look what I just found!!! For $3.01... I just bought this book for Pollock Pines: play.google.com/store/books/details?id=k_mU7NhpWBUC&source=gbs_vpt_read&rdid=book-k_mU7NhpWBUC&rdot=1#?enroll=vL8mICHi_S_ApdhYsfsutUs2QsM%3D&purchaseButton=AFG89eqaEi_Oc6vdBLKHlLaM-pc%3D&addInstrument=FF-a5JJNBq2nrQChEDzQqXlAJHg%3DBut it's a Google book, and I can't download it to my Kindle, only to my android phone, or read it online... but I guess if I head out there, that's what I'd take is the phone, so I guess that's ok. Can't see why they won't let me put it on Kindle tho:(. I think they have them for all the states, will let you guys know if it's worth getting.
|
|
|
Post by helens on Mar 21, 2012 16:44:59 GMT -5
Quick update... the online book was worth $3, but not that great. It just tells you what is available in the general vicinity, but not exactly where, or what it looks like.
|
|
deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
|
Post by deedolce on May 10, 2012 21:19:56 GMT -5
Hey, that's about an 1 1/2 hours from me! Did you ever find out what she has on her property? I wonder if she'd consider a trade~ a bucket of rocks for a cab and wrap of one of those rocks.... ~Dee, who's absolutely serious
|
|