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wildskies2525 OP t1_j64ve57 wrote

Reply to comment by ViolentSarcasm in Franklin WA, My favorite place in all of Washington by wildskies2525

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

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grby1812 t1_j67pyox wrote

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

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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!

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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?

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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..

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