Any Rockhounds Out There?

[DARK30]

My wife said "Oh great, another disease!" Well, I can't help it. I bought my son a rock polisher last Christmas and I'm the one playing with it. I walk miles of streams and rivers looking for fish. I can't help finding rocks too. Theres really a lot of rockhounds out there looking for "gems" and it is quite catchy! Sometimes I got so many rocks in my waders that if I did wet my hat, I think I'd be a goner!

Just punch in "lake superior agate" and hit go. Since I have caught this latest disease, I've found lots of agates, petrified wood, amber, and also plenty of "whatever rocks." I still love the fishin but when you find a choice rock its just finding a big clump of Morels or something!

------------------
cast,cast,cast,cast......

[HOGEYE]

I'd consider my self a rockhound. I have a decent collection with most of the rocks collected around St. Cloud area. I have a tumbler which I have a few batches with and they turned out pretty nice.

My father used to get into it and go out west and find all kinds of stuff. Agates, tigereye, jade, arrowheads etc. He has several rock cutters for cutting slabs and grinders/polishers etc for making jewelry.
I have cut some pretty nice slabs and tumbled them.

It's a great hobby, but I haven't been able to come across any agates in Lake of the Woods County.

[rushing]

A friend of mine lives on the Blue Earth River and he goes out just to hunt rocks. He is always showing me his newest treasure. LOL They are pretty cool.

Rob

[Surface Tension]

Dark30 Theres Thomsonite waiting to be found on Superior's Shores too.

[This message has been edited by Surface Tension (edited 10-23-2003).]

[MNUser]

I lived in Colorado for seven years and spent a lot of time in the Pikes Peak region digging for rare gems and minerals. We were lucky to hit many pegmatites which held some beautiful miarolitic cavities.

Here are a couple of examples. The first is a fluorite cube on top of a few smokys. This pocket was 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide. It heald some beautiful plates. About 20 all total. The big plate is also from that pocket. I don't have a good one of it cleaned. It weighs about 40 pounds and has over 70 crystals on it. The second picture is a cluster of goethite which has the texture of velvet. Looks a lot better in real life.

I miss digging in Colorado a lot. I stil have some friends who have mining claims and I try to get out in the summer when I'm off. My wife makes fun of my boxes and boxes of crystals I have stored under the steps. How can one part with them. I have a display set up in the house and it always draws people attention. More than the walleye pictures....go figure!

[This message has been edited by MNUser (edited 10-23-2003).]

[Guest]

I recently found a fist-size agate while grousing. I can see grey and white stripes on one little corner, but the rest is in its natural covering which is pretty plain. My question is....does anyone know where, around the Duluth area I can take it to be sliced? Some friends say if I have it cut it will decrease its value. Is this true? I'm not really worried about what it's worth, but more the beauty of it. I'd appreciate any help. Thanks, and TALKOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[upnorth]

We did this quite a bit for a while. We have quite a collection of polished agates, as a matter of fact we did the bottom of our 20 gallon fish tank with polished agates.

Some real nice ones, but no really big or ultra spectacular pieces tho. Rivers are good hunting ground but gravel pits and old dirt roads around Duluth can be good too, oh yeah the shores of good old Lake Superior after a good blow can be good.

Kinda a fun hobby

[DARK30]

There! I knew I wasn't alone! I'm a real "newbie" when it comes to the rock science but I have always appreciated a nice looking rock ever since I was closer to the rocks myself. My Mom always said she didn't mind the rocks, just leave the snakes and bugs outside.

My son's rock polisher is about worn out now. I need to find another one. I heard they have one that vibrates instead of tumbling. It does a much better job and is a lot faster too. Theres a place in Owatonna called Uncle Tom's Antiques and Rock Shop that have these vibrating polishers and I guess they make them right there too.

ST, Are those tumbled or natural? They look cool...I don't think I've seen anything like that in my area.

Summerzoff, I heard that too, not to cut them but hey, do what you like...I'd rather see the inside too. Maybe cut it and polish it to round it off or something. I saw some agates for sale on an agate site called agates r us or something and they have some nice polished agates going for $20 up to around $250.

Rock On!

------------------
cast,cast,cast,cast......

[traveler]

My wife's grandparente were lifetime agate pickers; when her grandma passed on we came into the family "fortune" of about 40 3 lb. coffee cans full of agates. We've done the aquarium, a couple aggregrate pavers, plant bases,...After burnin out the "hobby" tumbler, I found one in the paper from an old rock hound. Must be about a 15 lb. drum, built on a stand, pretty good unit. My wife tumbles when the urge strkies her, but we'll probably end up passing on a LOT of agates to our kids in 40 years! And although the grandparents found a lot of agates, not many especially large ones. Just lots, and lots...

[doubleUcubed]

Geez Dark, now you have started something! I've alway's been a "rock" man. The last couple of years I've been a little more into finding arrow heads and such. Next time I bump into ya I'll let you in on a few of the "clever" sayings one of my old Geol. Prof's. alway's had! Not about to post them here!! Later!

[IFallsRon]

I gave my kids the fever. We used to fill up ice cream buckets on weekend camping trips until five-gallon buckets became more practical. We'll be polishing all winter to catchup. I've got friends who make jewlery and they are more than willing to exchange polished rocks for finished products.

[JP Z]

I wonder how many trout I've missed because my eyes were fixed on the ground ahead of my feet instead of the next pool in the river I was walking. But the joys of a "gem" are just as good as catching a few trout.

------------------
Tight Lines,

JP Z

[Duffman]

Dark30.....
I think it's on our DNA to hunt for rocks, way back when, a good rock could lead to a future meal. I had the agate bug for a while, back when I used to landscape during the summer, we would take extended breaks at the gravel pits and search for agates. Or when the house we were doing required river rock, you could always find an agate or two. While attending Mankato, I got into arrowhead hunting, that also led to sore necks. LOL
These days I tend to bring home a rock from certain trips, they don't have to be agates, just a cool looking rock to be a reminder of that trip.

Holy smokes! Them saw/grinder/polishers like I got ain't cheap. Did a little searching online for em, the one I got looks to have been made in the 60's or 70's, I'll have to do a little more research on it. I really haven't used it at all, and I don't know if I ever will. So Dark, if you think you would really get into this rock stuff, I'd be willing to part with it. I would much rather see it get used than just take up space on my workbench and collect dust. Get in touch with me if you want to stop by and take a gander at it. Since I got it cheap, I have no qualms about getting rid of it cheap.

[Jim W]

A common phrase uttered while wading a favorite stream or river during prime bite time,

"Don't look down"!!lol

ANyone have idedas on cleaning limestone and sand stone covered fossils?

I have an extensive fossil collection that needs some help!

Thaks Dark30 for the thread!!!

Jim W

[Gissert]

Our dear late Uncle Willie (me and T-Bone's) had a great nose for agates near his Moose Lake home. I remember our fishing trips on the Kettle River, he would never look up, LOL.

When I was in high school in the Battle Lake area, I found some really need tomahawk heads and Indian grinding stones. Most of these came out of a five acre patch on one field that is now in CRP. When that contract expires, I'll for sure volunteer to pick the rocks, LOL!

[Try Too Fish]

Anybody have pictures of agates before they were polished?Its hard too see a diamond in the rufff

------------------
Try Too Fish
Forced Too Work!!

[DARK30]

Yesterday afternoon I did some wandering along the Mn. River with Rapala in hand. I promplty donated the rap to the River Spirit so I decided to hunt a few rocks....I came up with half a dozen small agates, one really nice one, and one beautiful piece of Amber.

With the river being so low, its really showing a lot of rock and gravel. I found one area I didn't even know about....I'll have to try fishing it next year when the waters up...Those Flatheads love rocks too!

------------------
cast,cast,cast,cast......

[toenail]

I have an agate polisher also.
I use to have lots a agates.
Now I have lotsa polished agates.
In jars and glass containers,
just layin around, serving no
particular purpose.
Also I caught a 35# piece of
ameythest north of Thunder Bay.
And I have a point of ameythest
about the size of a baseball.
one more thing.......if you ever
get a chance to go by Beaver Bay,
up the northshore, make sure you
stop in the Agate Shop their. That
guys personal collection is awesome.
He even has a wooly mammoth tooth.
TonyS

[DARK30]

You're probably a practicing rockhound if three or more of these signs apply to you...
If ten or more apply you are advised to seek professional help immediately!

-The sign on the side of the road says "Falling Rock" and you pull over to wait.
-You accessorize your black & white cat with a collar that you made from the most FABULOUS snowflake obsidian for "dressy" days... then there's the turquoise for "casual" walks, carnelian and leopardskin jasper for "outdoorsy" fun... and don't forget the rose quartz, chrysoprase and blue lace agate for picture day!
-The severe sunburn acquired on your last vacation was a one inch wide strip of skin at the gap between the tail of your shirt and the top of your pants.
-Watching the movie Armageddon while New York is being destroyed, all you can think about is all the great specimens there would be if that really happened.
-Your kids bring you a "pretty stone" they've found, and you contrive to steal it. And you know you've done it. Don't lie.
-You are convinced that buried deep in some secret government archive is a document that will conclusively prove that the entire US Apollo space program was conceived and developed for the sole purpose of getting a moon rock for a certain Presidential rock collection... The truth is out there!
-You care more about what happened to the diamond in the movie "Titanic" than the people.
-You sob uncontrollably watching "How the West was Won" at the part where the farmers are clearing rocks and casting them off.
-You bring a catchers mitt and a hand lens to a rock fight.
-Your son hits his hand with your rock hammer, your wife screams its broken, and you reply it's a fracture, it has good cleavage, and has produced some unusual streaks in your son's underwear.
-You've been found guilty of trespassing on BLM land. The judge sentences you to 10 years' hard labor breaking rocks. You fall to your knees and beg him, "Please, your honor, let it be in Franklin, New Jersey!"
-Your spouse asks how the soup tastes and you reply, "variable color, greasy surface, low specific gravity, texture smooth with bits of ductile material."
-When you lick a dirty rock to show off the wonderful colors, without stopping to realize that you are the only rockhound in the group.
-Someone talks about cleavage and you don't think about women.
-The USGS calls to tell you they've discovered a gravitational anomaly centered on your house and to ask if you might know the reason why.
-Your family puts the birthday candles on a slab of amethyst instead of cake.
-A truck throws a rock into your windshield and you examine the rock first.
-Considering the purchase of a spectacular specimen at a mineral show, you wonder if all three of your kids really need to attend college.
-You can pronounce the word "molybdenite" correctly on the first try.
-You think the primary function of road cuts is tourist attractions.
-You own more pieces of quartz than underwear.
-You associate the word "hard" with a value on the Mhos scale instead of "work".
-The rockpile in your garage is taller than you are.
-You have a strong opinion as to whether pieces of concrete are properly called "rocks".
-The local university's geology department requests permission to hold field trips in your back yard.
-You associate the name "Franklin" with New Jersey instead of "Ben".
-There's amethyst in your aquarium.
-Your wife has to ask you to move flats of rocks out of the tub so she could take a bath.
-Your spelling checker has a vocabulary that includes the words "polymorph" and "pseudomorph".
-Your children are named Rocky, Jewel, and Beryl.
-You were the only member of the group who spent their time looking at cathedral walls through a pocket magnifier during your trip to Europe.
-They won't give you time off from work to attend the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and you go anyway.
-You begin fussing because the light strips you installed on your bookshelves aren't full spectrum.
-You've ever purchased an individual, unfaceted rock, regardless of the price.
-You've ever spent more than ten dollars for a book about rocks.
-You shouted "Obsidian!" to a theater full of movie-goers while watching "The Shawshank Redemption".
-The polished slab on your bola tie is six inches in diameter.
-You find yourself compelled to examine individual rocks in driveway gravel.
-The USGS identifies your collection as a major contributing factor to isostasy in your state.
-You know the location of every rock shop within a 100 mile radius of your home.
-When they haven't seen you for a week, the shop owners send you get well cards.
-You're retired and still thinking of adding another room to your house.
-Your idea of a "quiet, romantic evening at home" involves blue mineral tack and thumbnail boxes.
-You're planning on using a pick and shovel while you're on vacation.
-You can point out where Tsumeb is on a world globe.
-You think Franklin, New Jersey might be a cool place to go on a vacation.
-You associate the word "saw" with diamonds instead of "wood".
-You begin wondering what a complete set of the Mineralogical Record is worth.
-When you find out, you actually consider paying it.
-You've fabricated a backpack for your dog.
-You've installed more than one mineralogical database program on your computer.
-The baggage handlers at the airport know you by name and refuse to help with your luggage.
-You receive a letter from the county informing you a landfill permit is required to put anymore rocks on your property.
-Your Internet home page has pictures of your rocks.
-There's a copy of Dana's Manual next to your toilet.
-You still think pet rocks are a pretty neat idea.
-You get excited when you discover a hardware store that stocks 16 pound sledge hammers and 5 foot long pry bars.
-You debate for months on the Internet concerning the relative advantages and drawbacks of vibratory verses drum tumblers.
-Your employer has asked you not to bring any more rocks to the office until they have time to reinforce the floor.
-You decide not to get married because you'd rather keep the rock.

I'm sure we could come up with a list of things that would identify you as needing profesional help for fishing related illnesses too!

WET NETS!

------------------
cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Howieroch]

I pick up rocks everywhere I go. My wife hates it when I forget to empty my pockets, but the washing machine does a good job of cleaning them with the rest of the laundry.

For me, it's not a successful trip out if I haven't picked up a rock that caught my eye.

[MT Net]

Cool, I just found this thread. I'm looking for some help about a rock. I found a rather large rock in the BWCA on one of our fishing trips. I sure would like to learn more about this rock, and what it exactly is. Any geologists out there?

Thanks.

[This message has been edited by MT Net (edited 11-21-2003).]

[Surface Tension]

Wow, I'm no geologist but can see the many sediment layers. I'm sure this was deposited from glaciers. What lake?

[MT Net]

Sorry, I should have gave out more info.

It is up on Knife Lake in the BWCA, on an island south of Robbin's Island. Dad and I "discovered" it while trolling for lake trout on our annual BWCA trip.

There are no other rocks that remotely resemble this, either on Knife Lake, or anywhere I have traveled in the BWCA. Almost seemed like it was just dropped there. The island it is on, seemed to have an old logging camp on it, and there was an old rusted chain undrneath it.

It would be interesting to know what the sediments where, and how it was formed.

[doubleUcubed]

Let me discuss this with a fellow Geologist here at work next week and when I have time I'll get back to you with "our best guess"! What an awesome rock though! Dark, you need that baby for a lawn ornament!

[This message has been edited by doubleUcubed (edited 11-21-2003).]

[DARK30]

I'm not a Hindu but...HOLY COW!! If only that rock could talk! Ya, that would look nice out front...I'm sure lots of other people have had the same idea. Not like your just gonna put that one in your pocket and paddle back to base camp though.

------------------
cast,cast,cast,cast......