hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on May 8, 2014 11:18:22 GMT -5
So, I have always hounded.... but life has been so busy I have not quite done as much as I'd like. Usually a side bar on some other trip, like an elk hunt or fishing the river. I live in Billings and have about 250 miles of SWEET agate hunting on and near the Yellowstone River. I also find a boat load (literally) of pet wood as well as a number of other "interesting" rocks that I cant readily identify... rarely I'll find some pet coral...
Anyhow, I want to diversify my collection and this summer I really want to take my kids and or my girlfriend on camping trips that revolve around rock hounding. I do have some places in mind, such as Crystal Park in the Pioneer Mts... and Ruby Reservoir down near Dillon... But... I know the state has more opportunity...
Any Suggestions?
Any of you folks here or near Billings? Would love to just meet and BS about rocks and see your specimens.
On another note... if someone would like to trade some interesting specimen for Yellowstone Agate or Ystone Pet Wood, I would be up for that to some extent. PM or just discuss in this thread!
Happy Hunting!
Ernie McKenzie Billings, MT
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Post by drocknut on May 8, 2014 12:33:24 GMT -5
Ernie, I'm way west of you in Helena but can give you a few suggestions. Crystal Park is great in the summer, it is a fee to dig but I think only $5 or $7 a day. Campgrounds nearby are pretty nice and I didn't notice that they filled up during the week. Ruby Reservoir is ok but I've never really found anything there. You could also try Bear Canyon, I'm not too sure on directions only heard about it from a friend. There is Gem Mountain near Philipsburg where you can pay to sift for sapphires if that trips your trigger plus lots of old mine dumps to poke around there plus a wonderful candy store in town. I'm sure there's more places but those are a few I can think of for now. Some of the places depend I have been are mainly for mineral specimens but don't know if you're into those. PM me if you want. I'm not on all the time but try to check in often. Diane
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hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on May 8, 2014 14:09:28 GMT -5
Thanks Diane. I am aware of all those sites! Looking for more! I need to poke around Bear Canyon a bit... they rarely find some amazing white and black banded agate in there...
I am interested in anything rockhound... mineral specimens are great.
One thing I wonder... for example, is with all the big mountains and so much volcanic activity... there must be some great places to poke around in the mountains that a person may stumble into an isolated pocket of something special...
Thanks again,
Ernie
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1nickthegreek
spending too much on rocks
Member since February 2014
Posts: 382
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Post by 1nickthegreek on May 8, 2014 18:45:10 GMT -5
I always had a lot of success as a kid in the park up there LOL, Just get out to take a leak and "accidentally" get a few pockets of rocks hahaha. Dunno if I would dare even attempt that these days though, might just get hauled in and held for some NSA bull lol. Also right as you come over the MT/ID border on Hwy 20 there is a ton of good hounding on the side roads around Henrys Lake in ID, and also the other way towards Dillon.
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on May 8, 2014 19:01:19 GMT -5
Hey Ernie,
I live just a piece down the road in Idaho. If/when I get a rockhounding trip over towards your way, I will try to let you know so maybe we can meet and share. I have had much more success hounding in Wyoming than Montana, but I know MT has some good stuff too. Anyway, when I get time this summer I will drop you another line. And feel free to contact me if down in SE Idaho.
- Mark
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Post by nowyo on May 9, 2014 8:13:40 GMT -5
Ernie, I'm about 1.25 hours south of you. There is some neat stuff to be found, depending on what you are looking for. When the ground dries up a little I'll get in touch with you. Found a couple of spots last summer that I think warrant some more investigation but have to wait for the snow to melt to get to them.
Russ
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hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on May 9, 2014 12:09:15 GMT -5
Thanks everyone... look forward to hounding around with any of you and sharing info I have too... This weekend, weather permitting, I may bump around Bear Canyon a bit and see what I can find!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on May 9, 2014 15:19:47 GMT -5
Ernie,your living not to far from my old stomping grounds...I lived in Roundup for many many years...We are headed back to Montana for a family reunion and some hounding of the Yellowstone River and fossil hunting the Melstone area..... God's country,I miss Montana....But Oregon (where I live now) is a close second...Thumbs up My Nephew lives in Billings,he is taking me out for agates... You ever fossil hunt? If so the Melstone area is a hot place to find goodies...
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hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on May 9, 2014 21:21:22 GMT -5
Hey Fossil, I love to fossil hunt but have found very few through the years... Mostly devils toenails, baculites, and those bullet shaped deals... And some other cool marine fossils high in the Madison range!
What type of specimen might ya find aroun melstone?
I will keep it in mind!!
Thank you.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,600
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Post by Mark K on May 9, 2014 22:12:45 GMT -5
Are you going to go to Bozeman tomorrow? I am there right now.
I just did a 3000 mile trip through MT and ID.
I will be going through Billings in a couple days. If you want to meet and see my notes, I will share all the info I can.
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Post by nowyo on May 9, 2014 23:55:18 GMT -5
Ernie-if you're heading down there into the Basin watch the weather and beware of gumbo.
Almost sounds like we need a mini RTH gathering. I'm just down by Cody.
Russ
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on May 11, 2014 10:00:26 GMT -5
Hey Fossil, I love to fossil hunt but have found very few through the years... Mostly devils toenails, baculites, and those bullet shaped deals... And some other cool marine fossils high in the Madison range! What type of specimen might ya find aroun melstone? I will keep it in mind!! Thank you. Melstone has some great places to hunt marine fossils,it carries baculites,scaphites,ammonites,dino bone and once in awhile a different kind of critter,also arrowheads,if you look hard enough.... The Montana rockhounders book by Robert Feldman has maps going to the locations for hounding....(Hint) if you walk the Musselshell River when it's low water,you will find ammonites in the water.....Just watch out for the high dirt cliffs,they give way a lot...
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hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on May 12, 2014 9:18:00 GMT -5
Well, Took off Saturday with my girlfriend, who is crazy about rockhounding too (and most anything outdoors) and we were going to do a little elk shed hunting, but the weather was just horrible, so we just decided to drive south all the way to Thermopolis. We spent some time in the hot springs there, listening to Thunder and enjoying the water while it rained on us...
When we left we were going to head south of town to see the Wind River Canyon... but on the edge of town I glanced over and saw a rock shop with a bunch of good lookin stuff laying around outside. Including... a partially polished 2300 pound piece of WY jade. That was just the tip of the iceburg though... holy smokes. These 200 pound boulders of lepidolite... 200 pound nodules of brecciated jasper... on and on... The owner, a guy named Eddy Cole I think, came out and talked with us and asked to come in and see the good stuff. It was GOOD... it was fantastic. He talked about rocks and wyoming geology to us for 2 hours! I am not 100% sure what his background is, but he said he's a retired geologist and talked about "our mine" quite a bit. his wife crafted jewelry in the back of the shop...
Anyhow, if you ever get to Thermopolis...you WILL NOT be sorry about stopping at this place. I believe its called the Wyoming Rock Shop.
He gave us some good info on collecting sites for jasper, agate, jade, stromatolite and wood... we are planning a trip back soon!
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Post by nowyo on May 17, 2014 21:39:33 GMT -5
We've been driving by that rock shop for awhile-always wanted to stop but going through Thermop is either 1.5 hours into a thousand mile drive, or 1.5 hours from home on a thousand mile drive. Have to make a special trip, I guess. Have you been to the Dinosaur museum there? It's actually pretty cool.
Russ
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on May 18, 2014 8:38:39 GMT -5
Have been to the Thermopolis "hot springs",great place all natural......Didn't know there was a rock shop there....
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hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on May 18, 2014 8:54:24 GMT -5
The hot springs are nice, the Dino museum was cool... The rock shop was awesome. Stop in! And yeah Wyo... If I lived in Cody I'd make a trip just to the shop. The guy talked about giving free field trips for Jade hunting. We are probably going to do that this summer sometime.
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Post by drocknut on May 18, 2014 9:13:22 GMT -5
Ok now I have another place to add to my bucket list. Never been to Thermopolis but when you say rock shop and hot springs, especially natural, heck that sounds close to heaven.
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Post by nowyo on May 18, 2014 23:10:40 GMT -5
Guess we'll have to make a trip down there. Field trips and such, too...sounds like too much fun. Actually, we have to go to Colorado next week, try to stop in there. As an aside, that little diner across the road from the rock shop had pretty good food and service but I haven't been there in a couple of years. There is some cool stuff in that area, I lived in Theromop for a while back around '85 or so.
Dianne, look up pictures of the travertine terraces at Thermopolis. Pretty cool stuff. The hot springs run right into the river, and the trout fishing downstream for aways is awesome. Okay, getting off topic.
Russ
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