A LONG DRY SPELL

I got in a rut. ?The rut didn’t have any rocks in it and I didn’t realize what I was missing. ?Garry and I headed to Central Oregon this past week and spent two wonderful days prospecting new areas.

Destination

A vast area to explore

Day one started out raining, but I had a destination in mind.

Hill

An enticing location.

I parked where I wouldn’t block anyone and headed for the tall hill in the distance. ?The hike wasn’t vary bad and I was able to locate a few small chips of agate. ?I also notice a number of bones from possibly winter killed animals.

Skull

This one has been here a long time.

Climbing the hill was a little bit harder. ?I recently learned that I have a bulging disk in my lower back, and had to be careful where I placed my feet to keep the pain away. ?I did manage to climb the hill though, and it was worth the effort.

Petrified Wood

A nice sized tree sticking out of the ground.

This large petrified tree stayed in the ground. ?Once again I decided to rely on catch-and-release. Didn’t regret it one bit.

Garry showed up in the afternoon and we headed out looking for the elusive “Plume Agate”. ?We were able to find a few pieces, but once again it started to sprinkle on us. ?Not wanting to get stuck in the gumbo, we headed back to camp and planned our next days trip.

Thursday turned out to be clear. ?We parked and started hiking.

GArry

The hills can be pretty steep.

I had a destination in mind, but we were slowed down by having to check out agates along the way. ?It wasn’t until almost noon that we arrived at some enormous white cliffs.

White cliffs

Our destination.

We checked out the base of these cliffs before stopping for lunch, and a short rest.

Garry

A well earned rest.

It was starting to get hot and we still had to hike back to the trucks. ?The hike back didn’t take as long since we didn’t stop to check out any more agates.Our day ended after we took a short hike and explored the Independent Mine. ?This mine was originally established as a cinnabar mine to extract mercury. ?There are still a number of interesting old buildings there but no evidence of agate.

Friday found us on our way home.

Thanks for joining us.

chasfire

 

 

 

 

 

10 thoughts on “A LONG DRY SPELL

  1. Melissa

    Hooray! So glad to see you posting again! And about a trip to my home state no less!

    More please. 🙂

    1. chasfire Post author

      Melissa: I am glad to be back. Hopefully I will be able to get in some more trips this spring and summer.

      chasfire

  2. fosldog

    chasfire,
    Ive always wanted to go up to the white cliffs as it looked interesting place to investigate but never made the effort as it is a bit of a climb and then a good hike.
    I was over there last fall and located a nice 12″ round with great ring definition. Problem is with that area its always a 2 mile hike back to the truck!

    1. chasfire Post author

      fosldog: Great to hear from you again. I have to agree that the climb and hike were strenuous, but the scenery was fantastic. We didn’t find much petrified wood, and I only hauled out 9 small sized agates and jaspers. The distance is a small problem when trying to get large pieces out.

      chasfire

  3. fosldog

    I am hoping to be able to make my spring trip over there, but may not make it until later in june as I have a very busy work schedule this year.
    Seeing your pics of the white cliffs makes me want to go up there even more now.Just hope the snakes aren’t out by then!
    Ive seen a few down on the road by the river but not ever up in the rock hunting grounds.
    I think they may stay down there as there are lots of easy sage rats in the fields for them.

    1. chasfire Post author

      fosldog: I hope you get a chance to make it over there, although June could be pretty hot. I don’t think I have ever seen any snakes in that area. I’m sure there are some there, but they have always been hiding out. I have seen a few snakes in other areas though, so it is always wise to be alert. I would also like to make it back to the white cliffs, but I am not sure when that will be.

      chasfire

  4. dsnyder

    Yeah! I’m glad to see you’re back. I found your blog and read every single post. I moved here recently and I can’t wait to find my first agate! I’ve started checking out every stream I pass for gravel bars, hehe. 😉

    1. chasfire Post author

      dsnyder: Thanks for the comment. I am glad to hear you are checking out the gravel bars of local streams. I have found some of my best material in gravel bars.

      chasfire

  5. Dsnyder

    I’m not 100% sure what I’m looking for, so I look at everything hoping to find something “different” ????. What I have found is that one river I was checking out actually has gold, and apparently no agates according to the nice, old gold prospector I met, lol. He went to his truck and brought me back a handful of agates he had found. A couple had some crystals, one was blue and there was a nice piece of jasper too. He graciously told me where he found them, so now I have a new creek to go check out in Gifford Pinchot. ????
    Dorothy

    1. chasfire Post author

      Dorothy: It is always good to cultivate the “old timers”, they have a lot of knowledge to share. Good luck.

      chasfire

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