Progressive(I'm dumb, I know). Raised my rates quite a bit on my last reup, so I am currently in the process of buying a new car

The tattoo on my bicep is based on that peak. Really great memories while growing up in the Skykomish River area(near Gold Bar)

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..

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!

The spring water is truly the best

If you're ever interested in learning more or visiting the area, I'd be glad to show you around.

Glad you found the area.

The trestle was for the water pipe from town, going back towards Black Diamond. There were a few mines above and below the cemetery that have since been sealed or collapsed. Housing was also along the former railroad grade, which is below the trail from the airshaft to the cemetery, can just barely make it out if you look over the side of the hill. We have the receipts from the contractor that installed it and for the actual wood pipe its self at the museum. Can still find some evidence of it, although nature has reclaimed most it, some of the metal pipes have been documented.

If you're ever interested, would be glad to show around some of the area and other sites. Just send me a message.

It's been a real nasty issue for the last few years due to budget cuts in the state. While I can't say much in detail, the problem is going to be taken care of in spades.

If you'd like a tour, message me any time and I'll make time.

The one place I need to spend time in more is up near Kettle Falls and Republic area.. Heard its really nice out there.

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

I'm jealous on the 90-minute drive for you. It's 3.5 hours for me.

I stay at Moran when I go to Doe Bay resort for the hot tubs. The ferry ride out there is great

During the late evening, just as the sun is almost gone, standing at the Dry Valleys Visitor Center, as the frogs and birds hum there evening songs.. I could stand on the edge of that dry falls all night.

It's an air shaft for one of the many mines

It's fascinating how people have their own little retreat in the world where we feel the most comfortable. I've been eyeing Eastern WA more and more lately(just sucks winter makes travel hard). I think my close second would be Sun Lakes State Park, but that's cause I believe there's no better place for cliff jumping in the state. I've never had a bad experience there (expect for when I was drinking), and people are always so friendly.

Coles Corner is close to some great access to Lake Wenatchee, I must say. I have fond memories of climbing some of the mountains in the area. Some with views of Glacier Peak are unforgettable. You're very lucky to be able to have a spot over there.

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."

Franklin Ghost Town, just outside of Black Diamond Washington. I'm a docent with the musuem in town and help lead tours of the site. Also do studies of the Green River Gorge and the surrounding areas, mostly geology stuff but pretty much everything. If you ever want a tour of the museum or the town or any of the coal mines, don't hesitate to reach out.

Pretty lucky I get to work where I do