Post by JohnD on May 24, 2004 14:51:34 GMT -5
Got back from my trip to the Mid-west last week and as
usual my computer didn't work for a day or two.
Spend my first 3 days and last 3 days of my trip with my
pregnant daughter and her husband and year old
granddaughter.
3 days were spend in NW NE looking for fairburn agates
(the state gemstone of SD) and blue agate (the gemstone
of NE). I usually have a rented car so cannot drive far from
the secondary paved roads except for gravel ones and then
only if it hasn't rained. I have about 5 sites I usually try to
wander around on, usually walk around for 8 hours covering
6 to 10 miles each day. The weather here was great, high 70's
except one day. High was 34, constant wind at 35mph plus
higher gusts. Hard to stay warm and the wind really tires you
out. This area is in drought and there wasn't much erosion
since last year. One of my favorite streams was dry most of its
length but as I walked upstream, when the rocks started - the
second rock was a small beautifully patterned fairburn agate,
the only one I found in NE. Saw lots of petrified wood, prairie
agates, chalcedony, plus chalcedony with included calcite
crystals, some blue chalcedony- not gem quality. Also saw
deer, antelope, many hawks and even a red fox.
Driving to Custer, I passed through a state park with a large herd
of bison. Several standing on the road, also several prairie dog
villages. Custer is awesome! Surrounded by pegmatite mines.
Nearby are Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore (at Keystone), Black
Hills Institute (At Hill City). The weather was great, 80 every day
and 35 at night. You can see a hundred miles, no humidity, no
smog, you feel like you can reach out and touch a tree a mile away
or touch Washington's nose at Rushmore. Western NC and SD
are loaded with pegmatite mines. Crystals are larger in SD when you
can find them, but there is absolutely no corundum here. If you're
ever here try to visit the Bob Ingersoll and Dan Patch mines - green
and blue tourmaline (and shorl), beryl, lepidolite and at least 20 more
minerals. West of Custer is TeePee canyon where you find beautiful
teepee agates with red, yellow, white colors plus some amethyst
inclusions. Also West is Jewel Cave, one of the largest and most
beautiful caves in the world. Also West is the Tin Mine with
spodumene. In the roof of the mine is a "crystal" about 2' in diameter
and 20" long. In a mine East of Custer is a mine where I can always
find beryl and shorl crystals.
In Hill City is the Black Hills Institute, they have one of the greatest
fossil museums anywhere. They were the ones who discovered the
Tyrannosaures Rex called "Sue" and have a larger one "Stan" here
on display. They supply fossils and casts to museums around the world.
Then to Rapid City, joined by one of my daughers and her husband.
We spent a week in the Black Hills and Bad Lands looking for agates,
visiting mines (like the Homesteak gold mine) and other pegmatites.
Walked for days looking for agates. My son-in-law found his first agate
and also found his first turtle fossil that wasn't erroded away. We also
visited every antique shop in the area (stuff is cheaper here than in SC).
They shipped home about 300# of rocks they picked up.
Took one day to visit Devils Tower in NE WY. Beautiful sight, walked
completely around it. The day before this we spent the day at several
collecting sites while we had sleet and snow showers, the days before
and after were in the high 70's.
If anyone is going out to SD, I have a friend in Rapid City who would
probably be willing to take you out for a day of agate hunting.
usual my computer didn't work for a day or two.
Spend my first 3 days and last 3 days of my trip with my
pregnant daughter and her husband and year old
granddaughter.
3 days were spend in NW NE looking for fairburn agates
(the state gemstone of SD) and blue agate (the gemstone
of NE). I usually have a rented car so cannot drive far from
the secondary paved roads except for gravel ones and then
only if it hasn't rained. I have about 5 sites I usually try to
wander around on, usually walk around for 8 hours covering
6 to 10 miles each day. The weather here was great, high 70's
except one day. High was 34, constant wind at 35mph plus
higher gusts. Hard to stay warm and the wind really tires you
out. This area is in drought and there wasn't much erosion
since last year. One of my favorite streams was dry most of its
length but as I walked upstream, when the rocks started - the
second rock was a small beautifully patterned fairburn agate,
the only one I found in NE. Saw lots of petrified wood, prairie
agates, chalcedony, plus chalcedony with included calcite
crystals, some blue chalcedony- not gem quality. Also saw
deer, antelope, many hawks and even a red fox.
Driving to Custer, I passed through a state park with a large herd
of bison. Several standing on the road, also several prairie dog
villages. Custer is awesome! Surrounded by pegmatite mines.
Nearby are Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore (at Keystone), Black
Hills Institute (At Hill City). The weather was great, 80 every day
and 35 at night. You can see a hundred miles, no humidity, no
smog, you feel like you can reach out and touch a tree a mile away
or touch Washington's nose at Rushmore. Western NC and SD
are loaded with pegmatite mines. Crystals are larger in SD when you
can find them, but there is absolutely no corundum here. If you're
ever here try to visit the Bob Ingersoll and Dan Patch mines - green
and blue tourmaline (and shorl), beryl, lepidolite and at least 20 more
minerals. West of Custer is TeePee canyon where you find beautiful
teepee agates with red, yellow, white colors plus some amethyst
inclusions. Also West is Jewel Cave, one of the largest and most
beautiful caves in the world. Also West is the Tin Mine with
spodumene. In the roof of the mine is a "crystal" about 2' in diameter
and 20" long. In a mine East of Custer is a mine where I can always
find beryl and shorl crystals.
In Hill City is the Black Hills Institute, they have one of the greatest
fossil museums anywhere. They were the ones who discovered the
Tyrannosaures Rex called "Sue" and have a larger one "Stan" here
on display. They supply fossils and casts to museums around the world.
Then to Rapid City, joined by one of my daughers and her husband.
We spent a week in the Black Hills and Bad Lands looking for agates,
visiting mines (like the Homesteak gold mine) and other pegmatites.
Walked for days looking for agates. My son-in-law found his first agate
and also found his first turtle fossil that wasn't erroded away. We also
visited every antique shop in the area (stuff is cheaper here than in SC).
They shipped home about 300# of rocks they picked up.
Took one day to visit Devils Tower in NE WY. Beautiful sight, walked
completely around it. The day before this we spent the day at several
collecting sites while we had sleet and snow showers, the days before
and after were in the high 70's.
If anyone is going out to SD, I have a friend in Rapid City who would
probably be willing to take you out for a day of agate hunting.