herchenx
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Post by herchenx on Jun 10, 2013 11:54:02 GMT -5
Well, my friend did. We went back up this past weekend and camped overnight. Lots of pet wood, lots of prairie agates. I have one agate that has very Fairburn-like banding but it isn't a tight fortification so it is hard to tell. There is a public album on Facebook if you want to look: Oglala National Grasslands Rockhounding GalleryHere is the Fairburn my friend found: It was found near Agate Dam - which is a lake/reservoir near the South Dakota State line. This location is fairly well known, but we walked probably 10 miles to find one of these. Here are some other photos of the area, fauna and flora: Cool landscape at Toadstool Geologic Park, we didn't go in to see the "toadstools" or the animal tracks, but the outer area was cool. I should mention that there is a small rockshop in Crawford, Nebraska just south of the Oglala National Grasslands. It has a fair selection of locally collected Fairburns and blue agate, lots of the normal stuff for the area, but also there were a LOT of locally collected fossils, lots of mammals and a jawbone with teeth in it that is spectacular. It is small and very unassuming, in fact I had driven completely by it several weeks earlier and never seen it. It is called Prairie Agate Rock Shop and definitely worth a look at their fossil collection if you are in the area. I know this is a bit of a duplicate, but my friend and I had a great time, and in spite of me not finding a Fairburn, it was cool that he did.
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Thunder69
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Post by Thunder69 on Jun 10, 2013 16:28:20 GMT -5
Another cool trip John....Nice pics of the scenery.. Kudos to your friend on the Fairburn......John
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jun 10, 2013 17:28:17 GMT -5
Wow, do they water all that grass? ? And how do you find any rocks with all that grass and dirt and stuff all around? (Ducks). Very beautiful landscape, and nifty agate! Are you going to cut it? (I know that's taboo though, so you probably shouldn't admit it if you are!).
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herchenx
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Post by herchenx on Jun 10, 2013 19:51:52 GMT -5
Thanks John and Susan,
It has been rainy up there so the grass is lush right now. The agates are scattered all over the ground. We won't cut it, my buddy will probably just keep it in his collection, although we both want to go back up there as soon as we can, knowing that we can find them is pretty nice motivation.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 10, 2013 23:04:52 GMT -5
Great pictorial Thanks for taking the time. Being on the east coast, I really love to see these trip pictures. We pretty much just have sand and clay.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jun 11, 2013 10:12:50 GMT -5
As always, a great adventure, thanks for taking us along. I really like the shots of the scenery, and also the bird eggs. Hope you get back out there soon, and find some more! Jean
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 11, 2013 10:27:58 GMT -5
Hey John, congrats on the find. One in 10 hours is good. Many of us spend way more than 10 hours looking, and often get skunked. LOL Those Fairburns are out there, but they're not easy to find.
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herchenx
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Member since January 2012
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Post by herchenx on Jun 11, 2013 11:08:21 GMT -5
Did anyone notice the humongous spider by my rock hammer, it was as large as a small tarantula!
Sent from my phone.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2013 15:39:53 GMT -5
Did anyone notice the humongous spider by my rock hammer, it was as large as a small tarantula! Sent from my phone. It probably was a small tarantula! I am no expert on things spiderlike so I did not chime in.
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bhiatt
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Post by bhiatt on Jun 11, 2013 16:12:04 GMT -5
Great pictures and nice looking fairburn. I cant believe how much those fairburns sell for. On the fairburn page on facebook them things are hot items. People are paying good money for them things and they really arent even that big. Searching for them fairburns would be a great extra income if you knew some good locations to search for them at. You can find out on facebook where most of the guys are finding them at.
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herchenx
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Post by herchenx on Jun 11, 2013 16:56:19 GMT -5
Yeah they can sell, but from the grasslands you can't sell them. I'd need to get onto private land.
Sent from my phone.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jun 12, 2013 6:32:22 GMT -5
I love your pictures and stories from your adventures. I keep going back to look at that second photo and I keep thinking that's the view I want from my front porch of my dream house.
Chuck
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jun 12, 2013 20:53:41 GMT -5
Beautiful landscape John Herchenx.That looks like a great trip with rocks as a heck of a bonus.
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 12, 2013 22:04:49 GMT -5
If you're planning a trip back, with all of the rain and the grass getting tall, watch for those buzz tailed snakes. A good pair of snake gaiters is good to have on during hot weather.
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herchenx
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Post by herchenx on Jun 13, 2013 12:02:29 GMT -5
Yeah Don, I had my head on a swivel. I was honestly surprised we didn't see any. My buddy had been in Western Wyoming the previous weekend and ran into a dozen or so, some fairly aggressive. I've spent a lot of time in snake territory and we came prepared.
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 13, 2013 12:07:46 GMT -5
LOL, I normally let the buzz tails go their own way, But this time of year I go into snake country wearing gaiters, a .38 with snake shot strapped on, and a 6' walking staff to beat the bushes ahead of me.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2013 17:57:51 GMT -5
Rattlesnakes ain't nuthin'!
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 14, 2013 18:05:34 GMT -5
Rattlesnakes ain't nuthin' They're damn fine eatin', and make great hat bands.
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classybroad
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Post by classybroad on Jul 8, 2013 16:26:27 GMT -5
Great pictures! Well, except for the spider(was it a wolf spider?) I have the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it! I can handle anything else that creeps and crawls, but this girl draws the line at those 8-legged nightmares.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 16:37:40 GMT -5
Rattlesnakes ain't nuthin' They're damn fine eatin', and make great hat bands. Too many bones, not enough flavor, too much work for the protein. Hat bands? If ya like crappy leather for a hat band. Their skin is pretty thin!
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