Nov 9th 2019 – New – rescheduled (from 10/19) Greenwater Field Trip

Past Field Trips
This trip is on.  I was up there today (Monday 11/4) and conditions look good.  The only change will be to our meet time.  Meet 8:45 AM at the Enumclaw Ranger Station (450 Roosevelt Ave E, Enumclaw, WA 98022; also known as Hwy 410).  We’ll leave from there at 9:00 AM.
Roger Danneman (roger.danneman@gmail.com  425-228-8781 or cell # 425-757-3506).
———————————————————————————————————————
On Sat. Oct 19th a few brave souls met me at the Enumclaw rendezvous point, but it was really raining hard and had been raining hard all night as well as the previous days.  I had concerns about the spur road being heavily under water, and snow being at the 3700 elevation, and weakened tree roots from all the rain and gusty winds.  So we decided not to attempt the trip.  I’m rescheduling this trip to the Greenwater area for Sat. Nov. 9th.  If the area has a dry spell and the snow level stays above 4000 feet, there’s a good chance we’ll get in there for some rock hounding.  I’ll make the call by Nov. 5th.
Previous notes for this trip posted on Oct 14th:
Going to the Greenwater area for black agate and red jasper, not to Redtop as previously planned.  Red Top is at 5000 foot elevation and moisture is moving into the area this week and through the weekend and I believe snow will be an issue at that elevation.
Head up 410 through Greenwater, turn left on FR70 and then up FR72. This is a dig site next to the road, so no hike is involved.  Bring dig tools, lunch, and plan on a wet day.
A word about vehicles: the road is generally good going up.  Just a few pot holes and washboarded areas.  The last 1.5 mile is a spur off of FR7222 that has standing water in a few places.  My Hyundai Santa Fe made it in and out with no problems on Sunday.  Not sure I can recommend a low clearance vehicle though, like a Prius.
We’ll plan on working this dig site for 3 hours and then move on to the red jasper site also on FR72.

Roger Danneman (roger.danneman@gmail.com  425-228-8781 or cell # 425-757-3506).

Updated: November 10, 2019 — 6:57 pm

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile Our annual club picnic went off great. The grass and Arboretum area was not wet or muddy, plus it didn’t rain while we were there. We had the usual club members attend, plus a few new faces. I forgot to count how many people attended, but I estimate around 40. Thank you, Angie and Brian, for shopping for the food and setting everything up. Thumbler’s Tumblers donated a tumbler for our picnic auction and another one for our holiday auction in December. The new double-barreled 15# tumbler sold for $120, approximately one-third the …

Meeting Announcements

  • We are going to show a video of the most unusual and amazing things found in Amber. It isn’t just insects. We are also going to have a recap of how our Gem Show did last month. Show ‘n Tell: An item that has something trapped inside or a picture rock, thunder egg, or geode that looks like it has an insect, animal, or face inside.

  • Maureen will speak on the geology and the movement of the Washington coastline over millions of years. Show ‘n Tell: Favorite rock or mineral from Washington

  • Glen Ripper is a leading authority on Obsidian. He is a walking encyclopedia which should make this an interesting and educational meeting. Show ‘n Tell: Obsidian – let’s see your colors.

  •   We start the day off with a potluck holiday meal. The club provides roasted turkey and ham. Members fill in with their favorite holiday potluck dish. We follow our meal with the election of officers for the coming year. Our final activity is our club auction. It is a great time to pick up great bargains on rough rocks, polished rocks, slabs, fossils, opal, etc. Our Young Tumblers can use their Rock Bucks to purchase auction items. This meeting is also our semi-annual food drive for the Kent Food Bank. Please remember to bring something. The Food Bank has informed us that they need feminine hygiene products and grape or strawberry jelly. People donate loads of peanut butter but never jelly. They also receive very few donations of feminine hygiene products.

Current News