Submitted by Kyle Meredith
We had three fine days this year (for a change!) for field trips during our annual Gem and Mineral Show with 15-22 participants on each trip. I think everyone had a good time, and I hope they went away with some mementos of their experience.
Saturday we went up to the Bear Mountain Geode Claim to look for fortification agate and fossils. We found some of each without much difficulty, but nothing that knocked our socks off. New member Alain found a cantaloupe-sized sphere that looked to us like nothing more than a mud ball, but when Josh cut it for him, it turned out to be a septarian—the first we’ve see at that site.
The second day, we went to Fluorite Ridge for a miscellany of rock collecting, including some carnelian and surprising specimens of fluorite. Along toward mid-afternoon most people had left, but Jane and Suzanne from Albuquerque wanted to explore another mine they had read about, so we drove toward it until the road became impassable. We walked a ways then determined it was too hot to finish hiking up to it. But now we have another place to check out in the future!
Greg led the third trip out to Saddlerock Canyon and reported a good day there. In addition to the iron sulfide crystals in limestone, another nice ammonite specimen was found.
We met many new people and had a lot of fun. Our thanks go out to everyone who contributed to the success of the field trips and the Show in general. Let’s do it again next year!
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