Rockhounding – Utah Style

SNVGMS Comes To Utah

As the thunder and lightening got our attention every afternoon, we’re grateful it didn’t start pouring until our fellow Southern Nevada Gem and Mineral Society club members headed back to Las Vegas.

20 members, in about a dozen cars, followed us around last weekend to collect Agate from public lands, not in the parks or Monuments.

We met at the Bowling Center on the north end of Cedar City. The Maverick station is across the road, so it makes  great place to meet and get last minute snacks and/or gasoline

1^st stop, Panguitch Lake. Most all the members combed the hillsides for an hour or so, finding an assortment of Agate in various colors and sizes. Jana did a little flower photography, although most had bloomed out. And Tracy helped those you were new to rockhounding. We belong to several clubs, and helping new members learn what to look for and what to keep is something he enjoys doing.

Off-road traffic was heavy but almost all came through dust free.  Respecting others and sharing the road is something we all need to practice.

Although it was an hour earlier that the Nevada folks planned, we stopped to have lunch before moving on.  3 of the cars went back into the Panguitch Lake Community to the Burger Bar.  The rest of us hung out at one of the larger camp sites that was empty.   Grateful for the overcast skies, and a cooler day, we sat under the pine trees and chatted. Our Burger Bar folks rejoined us, and we were off to Bunker Creek.

Bunker Creek is on the other side of Panguitch Lake, but offers a wide area for parking. By early afternoon there were enough wet feet from the creek to encourage a change in location. Many of our Vegas friends had not visited Brian Head Overlook. While we didn’t get all the way up, our roadside stop gave all who wanted the opportunity to hike up to the Brian Head Agate. But by midafternoon it was time to head down the hill.

Tracy had invited everyone to his shop to score some nice rock pieces, cabs, etc. He’s cleaning out his storage shed and wanted to offer  it to club members first. They purchased most of it while Jana made reservations for Puerto Vallarta Jalisco for 20 people to dine at 5:30 pm on a Saturday.  Much to our delight, they said we’ll be ready for you, and they were.  Good food, good service and good friends had to be prodded to leave so they could offer the tables to someone else.

Sunday we all met at the Bowling Center again and took the 3-mile run from there to the Summit area Agate patch.  After about 40 minutes, most were hunted out and ready to head home.  A couple of cars stayed to hunt. The rest followed us back to Tracy’s shop to help Chops load the balance of Tracy’s rocks – which he donated to the club.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and nice to get a chance to just chat and get to know other members a little more.  There was talk about going home through Veyo – those great pies were calling to them.

Until next time ----