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[AgateLicker]

Perkins17, of course! Even if you weren't semi local to me you'd be getting welcomed heartily.

Drop me a line if you ever wander this way and feel like hunting.

I did want to say that I have found ivory and scute plates in the Spokane River. Nobody else cares, but you might!

[Perkins17]

Perkins17, of course! Even if you weren't semi local to me you'd be getting welcomed heartily.

Drop me a line if you ever wander this way and feel like hunting.

I did want to say that I have found ivory and scute plates in the Spokane River. Nobody else cares, but you might!

Thank you. I'd love to drop by sometime. That's cool that there's some interesting stuff around here. Now I've got to remember what to look for! Thanks for the tip, I do care.

[AgateLicker]

Perkins17, once the weather warms up the streams will be semi-tolerable to hunt. I also like shore walking on the Clark Fork and Lake Pend Oreille. It's mostly metasediments and mafic intrusive stuff. Lots of glacial till, which you see to a lesser degree but a lot of the lighter stuff went that far. I'm Cass, btw.

[Perkins17]

Perkins17, once the weather warms up the streams will be semi-tolerable to hunt. I also like shore walking on the Clark Fork and Lake Pend Oreille. It's mostly metasediments and mafic intrusive stuff. Lots of glacial till, which you see to a lesser degree but a lot of the lighter stuff went that far. I'm Cass, btw.

Nice to meet you Cass. I've done a tiny bit of hounding on Pend Oreille myself. My favorite hounding local close to Spokane is probably Lake Roosevelt. I've found a few great prices, including a fist sized agate. It's glacial as well so everything you can think of is there. When I have the chance, I'll drive over there and get some nice stuff. I hear you can find jade up there too.

[AgateLicker]

Perkins17, that's always been on my list. I've picked railroad ballast transported from that area and it had scads of opalized wood. Haven't ever heard of regional jade. Nephrite?

[Perkins17]

Perkins17, that's always been on my list. I've picked railroad ballast transported from that area and it had scads of opalized wood. Haven't ever heard of regional jade. Nephrite?

You've gotta get there some day. I go there mostly for cabbing and tumbler rocks like agate, jasper, and colorful quartz. I haven't seen any pet wood up there yet but I'm keeping my eyes out. I think that it is nephrite. I read about it in gems and minerals of Washington.

[AgateLicker]

Mindat says there's lots of Actinolite in Stevens Co.

My ballast must have been lucky. It's not economical to transport ballast further than necessary so I'm assuming it came from within 50 miles. My best guess based on your lack of similar findings is maybe the Sprague area. The wood is contemporary with opalized woods coming out of the Saddle Mountains South of Moses Lake. Browns, tans and oranges in varying shades and opacity. If you can keep it on the DL the Fish Lake trail runs parallel to the bluff line headed to Marshall. It's that ballast.

[Perkins17]

Mindat says there's lots of Actinolite in Stevens Co.

My ballast must have been lucky. It's not economical to transport ballast further than necessary so I'm assuming it came from within 50 miles. My best guess based on your lack of similar findings is maybe the Sprague area. The wood is contemporary with opalized woods coming out of the Saddle Mountains South of Moses Lake. Browns, tans and oranges in varying shades and opacity. If you can keep it on the DL the Fish Lake trail runs parallel to the bluff line headed to Marshall. It's that ballast.

I've got a ton of saddle mountains area petrified wood from my great grandparents on my dad's side. Opalized wood is really neat stuff. Maybe I'll have to visit that trail eventually. I'd love to pick up a few pieces of opal wood.

[AgateLicker]

Most of the SM wood is common opal. I went years thinking it was just gorgeous jelly Pet wood and then went to a yard sale at Stone Crazy's house out in Green Acres. She had buckets of it labelled as c. opal.

I'm picking up lots of silicified stuff around here, if that's your jam. Plenty of Fe quartz veins/massive stuff with both limonite and hematite features. Lots of Precambrian metasediments. Amazing quartzites- meta, brecciated and conglomerate. The only other folks I've met locally are interested in digging their yards up (in an unhealthy way) and telling me about all the things they think they found (seahorses, gold, you name it...)

So yeah, come hang out and we'll find some stuff worth it's weight in gas to haul home!

[Perkins17]

Most of the SM wood is common opal. I went years thinking it was just gorgeous jelly Pet wood and then went to a yard sale at Stone Crazy's house out in Green Acres. She had buckets of it labelled as c. opal.

I'm picking up lots of silicified stuff around here, if that's your jam. Plenty of Fe quartz veins/massive stuff with both limonite and hematite features. Lots of Precambrian metasediments. Amazing quartzites- meta, brecciated and conglomerate. The only other folks I've met locally are interested in digging their yards up (in an unhealthy way) and telling me about all the things they think they found (seahorses, gold, you name it...)

So yeah, come hang out and we'll find some stuff worth it's weight in gas to haul home!

Good stuff! Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed response. I hear there is a club dig this summer out there so maybe I'll have to go, dang it! :) I love rockhounding!

[AgateLicker]

No problem! Hope your Spring hunts are fruitful!

[Perkins17]

AgateLicker, this spring has already been productive! I drove clear from Spokane all the way to Westport (tiny town right on the ocean) and picked up a ton of orbicular jaspers, agates, some common opal, and a huge chunk of precious opal! I need to post pictures. 🙂

[VegasJames]

Welcome to the forum.

[AgateLicker]

Perkins17, yes, you do!

[Perkins17]

Welcome to the forum.

Thanks James! I've seen some of your posts on the RTH.