Article from
VOL. 44 NO. 7 JULY 2003
Report
on the Tri-Federation Rockhound Rendezvous Richard Pankey,
and I am sure his wife Betty, spent two years setting up the
Tri-Federation Rockhound Rendezvous, scheduled to run May 22nd through
May 29th. This was at Texas Springs, near Jackpot, Nevada. He arrived
in camp on Wednesday, May 21st, put up many orange signs with arrows
painted on them. He also put up orange plates and streamers along all
the routes to the many rockhound sites. He had at least six sites
marked. He had an information board with a map, schedule, campfire
dinner menu, etc. in camp. There was a table with samples of material
to be collected. On Thursday
night he had organized a potluck dinner and a talk by a BLM ranger. On
Friday night, it was arranged that a BLM ranger would demonstrate
campfire cooking and feed everyone in camp. The ranger arrived with
bags and bags of charcoal, a large cooker for meat, lots of cast iron
pots and tri-tip, ribs, chicken, potatoes for baking, pork and beans,
a salad and dessert, all packed in the back of his truck. He brought
his son along, and his son did have a chance to collect some rocks.
They pitched their tent and stayed in the camp overnight. People
arrived on Thurs and every day after that. By Saturday about 185 had
signed in. There were rockhounds there from Washington, Oregon,
Montana, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and California. Some of the New
Mexico people had to leave early, but they left samples of selenite
and Pecos Valley clusters for everyone. They will also sponsor the
CFMS Show in June, 2007 at Roswell, New Mexico. The advice from New
Mexico was to clean most of the dirt from the selenite crystals, then
put them in the toilet tank for 3-4 days and let the flushing action
finish the cleaning. From the more local California area, Antioch,
Contra Costa County, Nevada County, Roseville and Sutter Buttes clubs
were represented.
Most of the participants had signed up
to dig pink limb casts. Some people did get some nice large pieces of
pink and some of the darker colors. We picked up bog agate, snakeskin
agate, onyx and geodes. The group would arrive on a hill and scatter
like ants, each to dig in a favorite spot, or to pick up what they
could from float. The geodes could be easily raked out of the hillside
and there were pieces and pieces of broken geodes. These geodes
apparently fluoresce in shades of green. In talking with a lady from
one club she said at their show they give each child an egg carton and
they can pick out their own rocks. If they pick a piece of geode that
does not fluoresce, at the fluorescent booth, they are given another
piece. Despite the wind blowing (and it was wicked), I believe
everybody left with plenty of rock. Thankfully the afternoon
rainstorms were only a few sprinkles on our side of the mountain.
Thank you Dick and Betty for a great field trip.
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