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Post by NM Stone Supply on Apr 11, 2006 7:55:36 GMT -5
My mom and dad took the boat out fishing for the day at Abiquiu Lake in northern NM. After a long morning with no fish they pulled the boat to a shore so dad could use the bathroom. Mom got out to walk and found that the area they stoped at was full of jasper and agate. In less then a hour they filled a pillow case. Great area for collecting. South side of lake.
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WyckedWyre
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2007
Posts: 1,391
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Post by WyckedWyre on Apr 11, 2006 13:34:26 GMT -5
Yessiree - There's a lot of nice agate up in the Pedernal Peak area, too. Check out my thread RE: Coyote agate, same general area, just a bit west of the lake...beautiful sunset colored rock full of interesting inclusions. I was up there on Sunday. Isn't New Mexico wonderful? It's no wonder they call us the Land of Enchantment. Susan
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Post by NM Stone Supply on Apr 11, 2006 22:34:57 GMT -5
Yes it is wonderful here. My parents live in Regina. Just a bit west of Coyote and Gallina. Have you tried the Cuba Mesa? It is full of petrified wood.
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WyckedWyre
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2007
Posts: 1,391
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Post by WyckedWyre on Apr 11, 2006 22:52:28 GMT -5
"Cuba Mesa" directions? I have gathered some P-wood NW of Cuba and in the Farmington area, but I find it's not as nicely agatized as the Rio Puerco stuff. Have you been to the Nacimiento Copper Mine off of 126? I've collected most of my petrified wood offroading near the Rio Puerco (both South and North of Albuquerque). Susan
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Post by NM Stone Supply on Apr 12, 2006 7:47:29 GMT -5
I will post directions tonight to the Cuba Mesa.
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JEFFD
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2004
Posts: 242
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Post by JEFFD on Apr 15, 2006 17:01:52 GMT -5
We stopped there last summer. Picked up some nice agate around the parking lot on the south side of the lake.
Went west about 6 miles and made a left on the road there. Picked up some fine agates. Filled two five gallon bucketts in about 30 minutes. Dropped one of the larger rocks off at the Alamo rock shop when we came home.
Beautiful browns, reds, whites all mixed in one slab.
Can't wait for my next road trip up that way.
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nugget24k
starting to shine!
Member since May 2005
Posts: 28
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Post by nugget24k on Apr 16, 2006 23:34:56 GMT -5
I'd better jump into this Abiquiu discussion. Some friends came from Missouri about a month ago and we went over there with another vehicle of local friends. We'd just had a little snow here, and knowing how Cuba can get...NOT knowing what happens at Abiquiu...I called the ranger at the lake and asked if there was snow on the ground. He laughed...and laughed, then told me as soon as he could quit laughing, he'd tell me. I guess he was wishing it would snow. Anyway, we picked up some agate along the river, but I wanted to go up the Pedernal road, so didn't stay there long. Since I'd only ridden along before and didn't watch close where we went, I couldn't find the spot...but it didn't matter. We found plenty of agate. (We found snow, too. BTW, the ranger thought I was a relative trying to be funny). I have a beautiful knife that one of our local flint knappers made out of the Pedernal material and mounted in an elk horn handle. I gathered mostly tumbling material, but some of the others got some pretty good sized chunks of agate just along the road.
As to the wood up here in the Farmington area...if you know where to hunt, there is some really pretty stuff to be had. Also some nice palm, but that's a little more scarce. Come on up sometime...if I'm free, I'd love to take any of you around. Nugget
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chassroc
Cave Dweller
Rocks are abundant when you have rocktumblinghobby pals
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3,586
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Post by chassroc on Apr 19, 2006 13:10:30 GMT -5
Two years ago I drove from Sante Fe to Durango via Abiquiu, Pedernal, and Cuba. It was the first time I really tried to collect rocks and my first success. I drove through Abiquiu but did not go by the reservoir. I stopped up top overlooking the NW side and there were no rocks up there so I was a bit bummed out ...until I drove on to the turnoff to Pedernal. As we drove in just off the highway there were 10-20' high hills of agate in loose dirt on the hiugh side of the road. Some pieces were more than a foot in length. I'd never seen anaything like it before, I was totally awestruck. We drove on up the road and got some great pictures of Pedernal Peak. We spent so much time that we didn't stop for Pet Wood in Cuba. I will never forget my first successful Rockhounding at Pedernal.
csroc
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cuervo73
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2005
Posts: 185
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Post by cuervo73 on May 5, 2006 1:50:44 GMT -5
I was up there last year and made a collecting trip over to Pedernal Peak. We went up an arroyo and found massive boulders of these Pedernal agates. My glasses are on the boulders for scale. This was about the biggest piece we took out... ed/cuervo
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Post by NM Stone Supply on Jun 8, 2006 22:28:37 GMT -5
This is some of the Agate my mom brought me from Abiquiu..
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Post by NM Stone Supply on Jun 14, 2006 23:46:54 GMT -5
Some tumbled stuff from Abiquiu...
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JEFFD
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2004
Posts: 242
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Post by JEFFD on Aug 20, 2006 7:33:40 GMT -5
The recent rains have uncovered a lot of new material in this area.
We filled a five gallon buckett in about 30 minutes. Agates are everywhere.
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Post by NM Stone Supply on Aug 29, 2006 20:02:29 GMT -5
I hope to make it there this weekend. The rain is great. It has washed up new stone all over the state.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Feb 13, 2015 10:07:38 GMT -5
My son is wanting to get back out, and my knee may allow it, has anyone else been out to the pedernal peak area since 2006 that has any newer info?
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Post by snowmom on Feb 17, 2015 14:33:24 GMT -5
herchenx john, good to see you back- been wondering how you have been doing! Hopefully somebody here will have some updated info, sounds like a great place to wander.
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Post by Peruano on Feb 17, 2015 19:03:24 GMT -5
The area spanning from Abiqu to Coyote with Pedernal Peak in between is a slam dunk for collecting agate and chert. If you Google the term Pedernal Chert you will find a wealth of info that most of the tools that were not obsidian made by the Anasazi (Ancient Ones = PrePueblos) were made from Pedernal Chert. It has that characteristic pink and white and some black flecks that show in Jason's photos (material that he and many folks have called agate). I suspect that there is much agate as well as the chert (they form differently but are closely related). Some of the material around Coyote has a lot more black and red (also has some crumbly vugs that can frustrate you trying to get larger cabs), but all of it polishes wonderfully. So not only is the material famous for knapping, historically used by native americans for centuries, but also was made famous since Georgia Okeefe so enjoy painting Pedernal Peak. I've made some wonderful pendants and ear rings out of the Pedernal Chert. If you go to the Ghost Range Museum take a gander at the paleo tools on display and you will see the characteristic color of the Pedernal Chert. Good to hear the area for collecting is quite broad. Cheer and happy collecting. Tom
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Post by NM Stone Supply on Feb 24, 2015 22:29:28 GMT -5
Check out this monster I found last year.
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Post by Peruano on Feb 25, 2015 8:51:50 GMT -5
Did I say its hard. Well it is an impediment to the saw if you can't go reallllll slow. My last visit focused on a lot of the little flakes along the side of the FS roads kick up by the road graders. They make great tumblers and tend to look rather modernistic due to the thin and sharp surfaces with some transparency. Tom
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