Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

wildskies2525 OP t1_j644v0p wrote

There's something about the area that has fascinated me since I was a kid. I have very vivid memories of stumbling along the banks as a young kid(like age 4, maybe 3). I grew up fishing and swimming in the river. There was almost a second home kind of feeling to it. As I grew older and my hobbies began to get more set in stone(I'm a geologist), I began to get curious to the who, what, where, when, why and how. The research I did into the area only amplified my curiosity. There's just something about it that my mind always wanders around in. I'm not convinced that if I went to an afterlife, it wouldn't be amoung the Cedar trees along the rivers banks. Franklin's stories of being a former mining town with 1,000 people in it, now abandoned, and the stories around it in places like Ravensdale, Cumberland, Bayne, Selleck and Black Diamond are a somewhat overlooked place in King County, despite the coal production that helped with the regional growth. I'm pretty damn lucky to work with the museum in Black Diamond, and they encourage me to keep learning and growing and, most of all, sharing. There's no better joy I get then when someone has a good experience with us, be it in Franklin or in the museum or on a hike I take people on, when they tell me "I've been here 5, 10, 15, 20, 30+ years and I'm amazed this place exisits". It's a really unique and special spot I get to share with people why its so special and important. I think legendary mountaineering, kayaking, conservationist Wolf Bauer put it best when he described it as "A Ribbon of Wilderness in our Midst."

24

ViolentSarcasm t1_j64v60g wrote

Sounds like a place I’ll definitely be checking out. Thanks for the great description 🍺

5

wildskies2525 OP t1_j64ve57 wrote

If you ever want a tour of Franklin or the museum, I'd be glad to show you any time.

2

grby1812 t1_j67pyox wrote

Where would you take an 8 year old rockhounding for rocks, quartz or crystals?

2

wildskies2525 OP t1_j69ta6m wrote

I primarily go after Petrified wood, Geodes, Agates and Fossils more then Crystals. I defiantly have some and occasionally will look if I'm near a site but my neighbor (who is also a lapidary) is my primary source, as he goes after Quartz scepters and Amethysts, so we end up trading a lot.

The Book "Gem Trail of Washington" by Garret Romaine is a good resource for well known sites. The Washington Department of Natural Resources has a whole page devoted to rockhounding in the local area. Depending on your location, Rock Clubs will also some times do member tours where they all collectively(see what I did there?) go out together and find goodies. I did one up to Baker Lake and Walker Valley and had a good time on both.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have further questions!

1

grby1812 t1_j6bmizo wrote

Thanks much for the information. I'll check out the site/book. I'm in Bellingham so Baker Lake is certainly reachable. We've gone to the fossil fields near Mosquito Lake Road and found lots of plant fossils.

The most exciting thing in the world would be to find a geode in the wild but just being in the woods or on a stream is fun. I assume you're referring to the Walker Valley near Big Lake?

2

wildskies2525 OP t1_j6c1twg wrote

Yep, Walker Valley is a fairly well traversed site but is easy to get to. Only a short way off road.

I get real giddy when I find a good sized piece of petrified wood(fist sized or bigger). I typically don't hold on to much though, often give it away to friends kids who are intrested in it and there parents can't or won't take them to look. Working on my next round of leaf and fern fossils for gift actually as I type this..

1