New to the forum, not exactly new to rockhounding

[mtbikernate]

Hi all, new guy to the forums, but have been interested in collecting rocks and fossils for probably close to 20yrs now.

Right now, I live in East TX (getting a handle on the local stuff still...it appears fossils are most common, though I MUST make a trip to Arkansas soon).

I grew up in Indiana and have been rockhounding in a number of places, but only casually.

My family introduced me to rockhounding pretty young. I remember my mom and my uncle taking me hunting for crinoids in NW Indiana when I was pretty young. I still have some of them. I also have a bit of material from my stay in Utah after I finished college. My wife makes fun of me for my rock collection, and gripes everytime we move and have to bring along boxes of rocks. Hehe.

I am also a cancer survivor (acute myeloid leukemia type M2 t8:21 dx at age 28), so I am prone to doing what I want when I want these days because who knows how long we'll have, eh?

[gsellis]

Welcome Nate.

[mickey]

Hey Nate,
Where in east Texas are you? Just wondering because I grew up in Mount Pleasant. Definitely hit the quartz areas in Arkansas, but the summer heat can be torture. I also worked in cytogenetics for 25 years. Best wishes in your battle with AML and enjoy your life to the fullest.
Mickey

[mtbikernate]

I'm in Nacogdoches. I particularly am interested in fossils, and I hear tell of a number of marine fossils in the area. All I have right now are vague ideas of locations to hunt, so I'm trying to get the locations narrowed some.

I'm no stranger to summer heat. I study wildlife in grad school. Still, I'd rather not be mucking around in the fields in AR in the heat. I can go when it starts cooling down.

[snuffy]

Hey,Nate. I'm about 120 miles west of you near Bryan-College Station. Me and my 2 sons went to the Crater of Diamonds in the middle of september 2 years ago. It was still hot then, no shade and bare ground,they said it was too hot for them.If I ever go back,it will be October or later. Dont fill your buckets too full of diamonds,though,it's a long uphill walk to the parking lot. ;D

snuffy

[mtbikernate]

That place was what I heard about that made me think about going to AR. I remember seeing signs for it on the highway when I moved here, then shortly after that saw a tv show featuring the place.

Long walks are relative. Some of the "longest" ones I've done where when I was loaded down with rocks.

[pika]

Welcome