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Author Topic: Maury Mountain Moss Agate beds?  (Read 11323 times)

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Grayco

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Maury Mountain Moss Agate beds?
« on: February 02, 2017, 11:39:57 AM »

https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/programs/minerals/rockhounding.php

This website says the following about Maury Mountain Moss Agate

Maury Mountains (Moss Agate)
Road Access: Maintained
Site Information: Snow may temporarily block access
Directions: Take Combs Flat Road (Hwy 380) east from Prineville and drive to milepost 33. From there, turn right on Forest Service Road 16 and drive approximately 4.3 miles to Road 1690 and turn right again. Proceed 0.5 miles to a fork in the road. Stay to the right and continue 0.2 miles to the collection site. There will be a Forest Service sign marking the agate beds.


Have any of you ever been to this location?  The information here does not match Google Maps.

You can find FS16 off Hwy 380 here   44.125380 -120.338540
4.3 miles up you will find Road 1680 not 1690 at  44.079886  -120.320994

That's about where Google maps quits helping.  The .5 miles to a fork doesn't happen.  google earth does show a right turn about .8 miles
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rocks2dust

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Re: Maury Mountain Moss Agate beds?
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2017, 12:13:16 PM »

Yes, I've been there. You keep on the road, which goes through some private land and by some cabins, until you get to the campground (on your left) and take the fork to the right instead of going toward the campground. The road goes up the hill for a while until you get to the dirt track that goes down the hill a little ways to a rough parking area (set your hand brake). There used to be an "agate beds" sign and porta-potty, but you can't be sure either of those will be present. Walk down the hill from the parking area looking for holes and/or bits of agate.

Judy Elkins' old map is good enough, and is still available to print out at pebblepup
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fossilman

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Re: Maury Mountain Moss Agate beds?
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2017, 07:12:46 AM »

Haven't been to that area yet..........Got a good hounding friend that shows me all these central and eastern Oregon spots...I like the material though,it cuts great!
Going to have to copy that map to for some others to see.....
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Grayco

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Re: Maury Mountain Moss Agate beds?
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2017, 09:04:57 AM »

Yes, I've been there. You keep on the road, which goes through some private land and by some cabins, until you get to the campground (on your left) and take the fork to the right instead of going toward the campground. The road goes up the hill for a while until you get to the dirt track that goes down the hill a little ways to a rough parking area (set your hand brake). There used to be an "agate beds" sign and porta-potty, but you can't be sure either of those will be present. Walk down the hill from the parking area looking for holes and/or bits of agate.

Judy Elkins' old map is good enough, and is still available to print out at pebblepup

OK, after reviewing Judy Elkin's map, your comments and Google Maps, I think I may have located the area.
 
1st... Road 1690 appears to have had a name change.  It is now called NF-150.

2nd... Judy's map shows the area between Wildcat Creek and Shotgun Creek, but the general shape of the road on her map suggests the area is west of Shotgun Creek.

3rd.... I found what appears to be a dig site to the west of Shotgun Creek and to the south of NF-150. ( 44.055771, -120.364194 ) Paste these numbers into Google maps and select Google Earth to view the satellite image of the spot.

The intersection of NF-1680 and NF-150 can be seen here  (  44.064174, -120.340866  ) 

The intersection of HWY 380 and NF-16 (mile marker 33) can be seen here (  44.125371, -120.338560  )

What do you think?  Am I getting warmer?
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If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

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rocks2dust

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Re: Maury Mountain Moss Agate beds?
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2017, 10:44:59 AM »

No, that's too far west and too far up the hill. That hole may be an old stock pond. The shadows and other distractions on the overhead photos make it a bit difficult to see. As Judy's map shows, you still go up the hill at the Drake Creek campground on 1680, cross Wildcat Cr., and the site is before you get to Shotgun Cr. Using google maps, the turnoff from 1680 is at 44.071976,-120.340639 and the parking area is visible at 44.077870,-120.348045 (the hillside is very steep here, falling away to the north, and that dirt track going down to the north is eroded and not recommended - which is one of the reasons the FS tries to keep it blocked). Pick your way downhill to the north through the sagebrush and rock both sides of that dirt track and use a thin metal rod to ping for anything under the dirt that sounds like agate, or just look for chips and around where folks have dug before. It runs in seams within cracks in the basalt host, so you aren't likely to find big outcrops these days.

It is a beautiful spot in the pines (prettier than the satellite photos appear), and would make a nice place with cool breezes to rough camp in summer if you can find a level spot (or just use the camp sites at Drake Cr. with the other hounds). If you are going to be staying in the area, there is petrified wood scattered here and there back toward Drake Cr. and upslope to the south.

BTW, you may want to avoid wet days. The mud is quite sticky, and I recall one day where I was quite the few inches taller after trudging back up that hill than when I went down.
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