The Big Bend!
While I was pouring over maps looking for the spot mentioned in the previous trip report, I noticed that the Big Bend of Salmon Creek was fairly(within 1.5 miles) close to a paved road.
I had started making plans to check out this section of Salmon Creek when Greg called and wanted to know if I could go rockhounding today.
Being retired means being able to take advantage of opportunities to enjoy my hobby with someone else. We met at the park and ride at 8:00am and arrived at the parking spot at about 9:30am.
This trip required the use of our bikes to peddle the 1.5 miles to Salmon Creek. It was actually a very short 1.5 miles since it was 95% down hill or flat. Once we reached the creek we parked our bikes at the end of a small spur logging road, and headed down to the creek.
The short hike down to the creek was quite abrupt. Straight down for about 50 feet. We hiked up stream a short distance and found a game trail to slide down. On our slide down this trail we found a number of agates that had weathered out of the bank.
Once down at the creek we found a nice, although small gravel bar, and Greg found the first piece of petrified wood. This tree grew in an interesting pattern and just cried out to be photographed. You can sure tell it stays damp down near the creek.
On the hike down stream we noticed that there weren’t all that many gravel bars visible, and the ones that were were pretty small. We did find that all of the grass next to the creek was flattened and we were able to find agate and petrified wood in places that would be covered with tall grass in the summer.
Greg just found a nice piece of petrified wood in this picture.
We continued our hike around the Big Bend and ended up with about 25 pounds of agate and petrified wood each. It took us about an hour to hike back to the bikes and then pedal back to the truck. I sure wish there was some way for the downhills “in” would change to downhills “out”.
Thanks for joining us.
chasfire
Washington, Salmon Creek, Agate, Petrified Wood, Jasper
2 Comments
Have you not noticed the steepness of road out is in a coorelation to how much material is in your pack? Looks like a much better trip than the one I went with you last year when the water was high in Salmon Creek.
Woody
Woody:
It seems like it’s not the steepness or weight of material I’m carrying, but the age of my legs and lungs that slow me down the most.
chasfire