Rockhounding the Oregon Cascades

Forums:

Went to an old favorite rock hounding spot in the Lane County Cascades of Oregon on Thursday.  When we first went up there 30 some odd years ago it was a recent clear cut.  Then it was a forest, now it's a clear cut again, and the ground was pretty stirred up, lots of wood debris, so poor conditions for hounding.  But still, got a nice hike out of it, and found a few cool agates and jaspery rocks along the way.  

View from the office (Fall Creek Reservoir in the background)

87614091_10215516963629929_6498310051701194752_o.jpg

87375914_10215516965429974_1858456886127362048_o.jpg

 

Stumps don't lie. 

Before and after a quick rinse pics of what I thought were slim pickin's 

86984360_10215517648247044_8439224765108977664_o.jpg

87465048_10215517648127041_66356647722745856_o.jpg

 

This one made me think of Native American art of the great Pacific NW  (sea creatures)

87229110_10215531067062506_6015631327645138944_o.jpg

87182163_10215531066342488_4842716849059659776_o.jpg

Cool colored quartz crystals on this piece

87156411_10215531205345963_8391105708166217728_o.jpg

87068375_10215531203905927_6917409021959864320_o.jpg

and underneath

87099107_10215531204425940_4239395633280057344_o.jpg

 

One of my fave finds 

87022955_10215531361309862_7208194710379167744_o.jpg

87079584_10215531365589969_789896145601036288_o.jpg

87104555_10215531364389939_3288623189730525184_o.jpg

87207943_10215531368790049_4590540382600691712_o.jpg

A few of the other finds

87111884_10215532581020354_1234399860300447744_o.jpg

87166441_10215531507273511_305407513736511488_o.jpg

87286951_10215532585220459_7914965878544793600_o.jpg

87765515_10215532619181308_5312446890963369984_o.jpg

Wow, those are awesome.  Amazing what a little dirt can hide.....

Cool pics, Noodler.

Very Cool the earth is Awesome.

I love the one you called, "One of my fave finds ". Exciting rock.

The clear cuts, on the other hand, not so great.

Thanks for taking us with you and showing your finds.

Thanks everyone!  Usually find way more carnelian at this spot (red agate), so, didn't do as well as I have in the past, but it was still a great day to get out and enjoy nature.  Here's some previous finds

1403259_10202761278945784_8106581589139579473_o_0.jpg

1492220_10202707266075496_4883439666198993027_o.jpg

Cool shit Noodler.

 

all kinds of cool faces stole of their heads

Nice haul there.  Love the 'mini-cave'  with tiny quartz points.  The 11:33 time stamp.

So do you have to dig in streams,  or poke at rocky walls with those pointy rock hammers ?

Ahhhhhh fresh air, nice vista - hey you darn woodchucks, quit chuckin' that wood

Beautiful specimens.

Cleaned up nicely.

Awesome stuff

Beautiful!  Super cool, you must know of some honey holes out that way!

The cascades have so many cool rockhounding spots, but sadly, many are on Timber land, and these days they'll arrest you if they catch you (Holley Blue spot, ex)....  which is ironic since they often don't own the land, just have the timber rights (like this spot).  Central / Eastern Oregon has even better rockhounding, but that's a lot of gas this time of year (a lot still snow covered, and it's cold, brrrrrrr, lol).   I've got gold mines in SW Oregon, and near Cottage Grove, and down to one claim in MT, and have silver / copper mines in ID (great rockhounding at the copper mine, lots of malachite and azurite, or pretty green / blue / purple copper carbonate rocks).  

Here's some Holley Blue Agate (Calapooia Purple, from Linn County OR, between Sweet Home and Holley) 

25994779_10210347232269876_599753427008215171_n_1.jpg

IMG_2416_0.JPG

<< So do you have to dig in streams,  or poke at rocky walls with those pointy rock hammers ?

 

I use to dig in streams a lot, but now I usually work the hillside sources....   been doing it long enough to have found quite a few sources.  Same with gold mining, use to play in the creeks, now I work underground, or detect the ravines / hillsides looking for residual placer gold parked on top of the vein it eroded out from.  Every once and a while get lucky!

42547930_10212120210753230_3037212210997755904_n.jpg

nice rocks. thanks for the pics.

be careful out there.

May your back stay strong.