Salmon Creek Again

 Well, we enjoyed our last trip to Salmon Creek so much, that we just had to go back. We really want to find some of the bigger agates I keep seeing people find. Anyway, the day was gorgeous and we headed out again with a late start (as usual).

I decided we should check a different, less well known area of Salmon Creek, so we headed towards Merchant Road from highway 505. After we crossed the Salmon Creek bridge I noticed that the areas on the south side of the bridge had been clearcut very recently. We decided to stop and check it out, since so much ground was visible.

View Down Logging Road from Highway

We got out and headed down the road and right away discovered small chips of carnelian. I decided to check out all the tree stumps we passed, and sure enough I found this interesting little bit of river polished petrified wood.

Petrified Wood Hiding Near Tree Stumps

As we moved down the road towards the river, we started finding more and more pieces of carnelian in the road, where the rain had worn gullies in the road. I even found some really nice jasper.

View of Road Towards River and Highway

When we noticed how late it was getting, we decided to turn around and head back. Of course I had to check out one more spot where the loggers had made a clearing above the road. This was where I found my 10lb piece of petrified wood. I don't know how I knew to dig it up, but I'm glad I did. It almost looks like a big piece of a tree root. Wish I had a rock saw!

Who Knew This was Petrified Wood?

After heading back to the car, we decided to drive a ways down Merchant Road. Just around the corner was this neat old farmhouse and barn.

Old Farmhouse

Old Barn

All in all, we did pretty well for the day. We got home very late and tired, but the day and the outdoors were both wonderful.

Our Finds For the Day

Here's a closer view...

Close-up View

For further trip reports on this area, view the links below.

http://www.brianpen.com/Journal/Journal_2009February.asp

http://home.comcast.net/~wams1939/trips/Salmon_Creek.htm

http://mcrocks.com/ftr06/RichardPrice-February06.html

http://www.gametrails.com/wordpress/?p=270

Salmon Creek Agates and Carnelian

Because my beloved Greenwater is under snow at this time of year, I have been looking for alternate places to hunt for good rocks.

I have been reading quite a bit about agates, petrified wood, jasper and carnelian being found in the Salmon Creek area, so when we finally had a decent day and time off, we headed down there.

Needless to say, we got our usual late start. Then we discovered that we couldn't find our makeshift probe (a fireplace poker), so we had to make do with a flimsy probe I made for locating old outhouse holes (yeah I know, weird huh?).

We headed out towards Salmon Creek around 12:00pm with about 75 miles to travel. Since it was I-5 most of the way, we made good time and arrived around 1:30pm.

With about 2 1/2 hours to look (we had to be in Tacoma by 6:00pm for a family dinner),  we packed up and headed out from the end of Salmon Creek Rd. near Toledo according to an older map I had. With the deep ruts placed across the road to block four wheelers, we decided to leave our trusty wagon behind. I figured the area would be fairly well picked over, but we decided to check out every stream we passed on our trek through the woods.

http://www.gametrails.com/Maps/salmon%20creek.pdf

At the very first stream we came to, near an old dilapidated bridge, (Cougar Creek) we headed down to the gravel bars and immediately began to find agates. I was shocked! The water was fairly low and we could see the rocks really well. Of course the sun coming out and highlighting the clear stones certainly helped.

Cougar Creek Bridge

While I hunted near the bridge, Michael went upstream a ways. He seems to be particularly drawn to black rocks for some reason. He kept finding what he thought looked like obsidian. Maybe black agate?

Michael Looking

Every few steps I took, I'd find something else worth keeping. There were lots of small chips of carnelian, which I left behind. With the water being so clear, it was easy pickings.

Nice Gravel Bars

We saw quite a bit of red jasper, which we also left behind. I've got lots of that from Greenwater.

It looks like I missed some.

After we had halfway filled our handy Home Depot aprons, we decided to head further down the trail. Somewhere along the way we zigged instead of zagged and ended up at the top of a fairly large waterfall and a dead end. I tried to get a picture from standing above the falls but with really muddy banks to the sides, I decided not to risk falling. 

Looking around the area, we noticed quite a few chips of carnelian laying around, but we didn't really feel like digging, so we turned around and headed back to Cougar Creek and looked below the bridge for a while. We found a few more keepers and decided to head back to the car. I did find one really interesting piece of petrified wood that has red and black coloring with crystals along the sides.

All in all it was a great day. We will definitely be back to this area in the near future. With my Alaska sister coming to visit next month, we now have a place to take her that isn't under snow. I have also found further information on better (and less well known) spots along Salmon Creek to check out.

A Few of Our Great Finds

For further trip reports on this area, view the links below.

http://www.brianpen.com/Journal/Journal_2009February.asp
http://home.comcast.net/~wams1939/trips/Salmon_Creek.htm
http://mcrocks.com/ftr06/RichardPrice-February06.html
http://www.gametrails.com/wordpress/?p=270

Burma Road - Greenwater

Because today was the first nice day we've had when I was scheduled off, I decided to head up Burma Road on the Hancock Tree Farm land. I've had written directions to many collecting sites up there, but haven't been able to get to them because of the snow. I was hoping that I could get up a little higher today because of the recent warmer temps.


The gate to the Tree Farm was open, so I headed on in and followed my written instructions and drove 7+ miles up the main road. There, I came to an intersection which was not marked. Well, it was, but the sign was laying on the ground. I decided to continue on the main road for a while, to see if I ran across another sign, but I didn't, so I turned around and headed back to the intersection. I stopped and noticed the sign on the ground, and sure enough, it was the road I was looking for. 


I drove the 1+ miles to an unmarked 3 road intersection and reread my directions. They told me that small thundereggs would be in a mudslide area on the left side of the road. I backtracked and noticed a muddy area along the road, where rocks were eroding out, so I found a place to pull off and got out to investigate. 

Mudslide Area on Raod 6110

Right away I started finding thundereggs, jasper, and seam agate. The thundereggs were fist sized which surprised me, since my directions said they would only be 3".  They were very pretty being red, black and brown with bright blue colored veins running through them. I discovered that the best specimens were located in a dark black area of the hill. While I searched the slide area, Bandito ran around, chasing birds and sniffing out interesting scents. 

Darker Areas in Side of Hill

Because the area was wet and had standing water nearby, I was eventually chased off by the many no-see-ums in the area. I ended up with about 10 lbs of nice looking agate.

A Few of the Larger Thundereggs

I decided to head on to the next site and try my luck. Unfortunately, my directions were not that clear. They told me to head .1 mile further down the road and turn left. There was no road going left .1 mile down the road. The only thing close was the unmarked 3 road intersection. I decided to head for the next site on my list.

I headed back to the previous intersection and was to drive 2+ miles further down the main road. It said to enjoy the view at the 2 mile mark which I did. But I couldn't make it any further because I ran into snow on the road. So I turned around and headed back down the thunderegg road.

The Viewpoint with Mt Rainier Behind the Clouds

Again at the 3 road intersection I drove straight for a while and it soon became obvious this wasn't a main road, because it got so bad. So, I turned around and went back to the intersection again. Coming from the opposite direction, I noticed that the road on my immediate left seemed to be a major road and was heading in the basic direction I knew the road should be heading. I also noticed that the other road to my immediate left was a dead end and that a car was parked down there. That was a good sign, because maybe they were rock hunting. I decided to head down the dead end road.

As I headed down the hill, I realized that the rocks on the road were very big, placed for logging trucks, and prayed I wouldn't hurt my car or tires. I was also slipping and bouncing around a lot. I put it in low gear and just kept going. A little ways down, I noticed either a landslide or an area of digging on the side of the road, but because there was no turn around, I kept going. Because the road unnerved me, I turned around as soon as I found a good spot and decided to head home. The climb back up the road went better than I expected and when I drew even with the landslide area, I stopped and got out to check it out. Boy am I glad I did! 

I hit the geode jackpot! Everywhere I looked there were crystals shining up at me with various colored agate linings. Someone had dug a deep hole, but it looked like the geodes were scattered everywhere in the rocks.

Geode Jackpot!

Once again, I noticed these crumbly shining black rocks everywhere and the geodes seemed to be eroding out of the dark areas. I picked up round nodules, large amethyst crystals and large greenish colored rocks that appeared to be full of crystal and agate. It was a rock hounds' paradise.

Agates and Geodes and Crystals Oh My!

I picked up about 10lbs of nice crystals and decided I had better head back down or someone might start worrying about me. I know that there will be plenty left at this spot, since it appears to be a new find due to the recent logging road cut. One of the best pieces I found was a large piece of amethyst crystals just laying near the road.

Amethyst Crystal Cluster 

I'm already counting the days until I can go back, start digging and find some large geodes! There are probably lots more down below!

Suggested Reading:

The Miner's Geology and Prospector's Guide: for Mining Students, Miners...

Central Oregon Rockhounding Locations

Bear Creek 

What: Petrified Wood 

Agency: Bureau of Land Managaement 

Directions: From Prineville, proceed south on Highway 27 about 33 miles to Bear 
Creek road. This is beyond Roberts and Little Bear Creek roads. Turn left for 5 
1/2 miles. Turn off road to left just before fence. Go short distance through the 
gate and bear right or park your vehicle on the road 3/4 miles to the east and 
travel north along the west side of the fence. 
Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only. 
CAUTION: Respect private lands in the vicinity. 


Eagle Rock 

What: Agate, dendrites, moss agate and sometimes angel wing. 
Agency: Bureau of Land Management 

Prineville to milepost 14, to monolith on right. Turn right at the second road. The 
distance to the site is short but sharply inclined and rough. 
Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels.
Directions: Take Highway 380 from Prineville
Note: Diggings are mostly at the base of the rim. Beautiful float found from 

mountain skirt at base of rim rock to the flat below. Hard digging. Mostly 

agate with rhyolite. 

CAUTION: There are private claims throughout this area, but open BLM lands 

surround these claims. 


Glass Butte 

What: Gold, silver and rainbow sheen Obsidian. 
Agency: Bureau of Land Management 

nd Burns, near milepost 77, turn south on Obsidian Road. About 2 miles brings 
you to an area with many diggings. Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only. 
Note: Explore different areas for 
Directions: On US 20 between Bend 
adifferent varieties of obsidian (midnight lace, black, cinnamon, mahogany and

fire obsidian). 
CAUTION: Keep to roads; obsidian can cut tires. Respect private lands in the vicinity. 


Green Jasper Location 

What: Green Jasper 

Agency: Ochoco National Forest 

Directions: Follow US 26 past milepost 48 to Road 2630 (Pisgah Lookout road).
After 3/4 mile, merge onto Road 2210, turn right on Road 2210-300 for 2 miles,
then right to diggings at end of the road. 
Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only. 
Note: Scarce, but beautiful. 


Maury Mountain 

What: Red, green and gold moss agate 

This agate is of the moss variety with some angel wing and plume found throughout.
The moss appears in gold, green, red and many combination shades. Sometimes
the dendritic moss formation develops into a beautiful white plume.
Agency: Ochoco National Forest 

Directions: Go east on Highway 380 Post/Paulina to milepost 33. Turn right 

across the bridge on Road 16 for about 5 miles, crossing the Ochoco National 
Forest boundary. Turn right on Road 1680 (Drake Butte road), travel about 2 
miles. Turn right on Road 1690 and follow to parking area. 
Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only.

Note: A little float. 



South Fork Area 

What: Limb Casts 

In the early days of the earth's origin, forests, and a large lake bed covered 
the area. Trees, complete with limbs and roots, were buried by massive 
mudflows. Through  time, the plant material decayed, leaving a perfect 
mold or cast. These voids filled with chalcedony quartz. In this material, 
appeared manganese and other impurities which produced some very 
beautiful dendrites and, in some cases, gave a pink color to the otherwise 
clear agate. These casts are located at an average depth of 18 inches. 
They are found in streams and on surfaces weathered by wind and rain.
Agency: Bureau of Land Management 
Directions: Two locations on South Fork Crooked River on BLM managed land. 

On the Camp Creek side of Highway 380 Post/Paulina to milepost 44, right on 

Camp Creek road for 9 miles. Left on road just past rock quarry. Go about 2 

miles. Take left fork and go through fence line. Follow about 2 miles and turn 

right at next fork. Go approximately 2 miles and turn left to diggings. On the 

Congleton Hollow side of Highway 380 to milepost 50, turn right just beyond

the river. Follow about 5 miles to diggings. 

Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only. 
Note: Part of the South Fork area is a BLM wilderness study area. Contact BLM 

for a map. Vehicle use is restricted to the designated routes. No cross country 

motorized use. Some surface hunting. 


Vistaite Location 

What: Green and buckskin rhyolite 
Agency: Ochoco National Forest 

Directions: Go east on US 26 to milepost 34. Take right hand fork about 13 
miles past Ochoco Ranger Station. Take Road 22 and follow until you see 
"Walton Lake 2 Miles" sign. Turn left on Road 2210 for 100 feet, then right 
on Road 2210-050 for 1 mile. Float in black adobe. 
Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels
Note: Scarce but very beautiful. 


Whistler Springs 

What: Agate 

Agency: Ochoco National Forest 

Directions: Go east on US 26 to milepost 49. Turn left of Road 27 for about 6 
miles. There are some narrow, winding sections, which can be marginal in 
wet weather. Turn left on Road 2700-050, Whistler Springs Campground. 
For a gentler, longer route, from US 26, turn left on Road 27 for 0.8 miles, 
right on Road 2730 for 11.2 miles, left on Road 2730-200 for 5 miles to 
Road 27. Cross the road to Whistler Springs Campground. 
Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only. 
CAUTION: Mill Creek Wilderness bounds the southern end of the agate area.  
Watch for the Mill Creek Wilderness boundary signs. 


White Fir Springs 

What: Jasper Thunderegg 

The eggs are of agatized jasper composition with rhyolite matrix, in many color 
combinations: browns, tans, yellows, reds and mauves. Many unusual shades 
and patterns are formed in each thunderegg. The size may be only one inch 
in diameter up to several feet, depending upon the depths at which eggs are 
found.
Agency: Ochoco National Forest 
Directions: Follow US 26 east to milepost 41. Turn left on Road 3350 for 5 1/2 

miles, then right on Road 3350-010. 

Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only. 
Note: Jasper filled thundereggs found in a wide area on the mountainside. 


White Rock Springs 

What: Jasper Thundereggs 

The eggs are of agatized jasper composition with rhyolite matrix, in many color 
combinations: browns, tans, yellows, reds and mauves. Many unusual shades 
and patterns are formed in each thunderegg. The size may be only one inch in 
diameter up to several feet, depending upon the depths at which eggs are found.
 Agency: Ochoco National Forest 
Directions: Follow US 26 to milepost 41. Turn left on Road 3350, then right on 

Road 3350-300, about 7 miles total. 

Tools: Rock hammers, picks and shovels only. 
Note: Materials is hard to find, but very beautiful. Carnelian cores have been 

found in the area. 

CAUTION: Watch for the Mill Creek Wilderness boundary signs.