picnic in the park june 27 at 6:00 pm michigan...

June

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PICNIC IN THE PARK

June 27 at 6:00 PM

Michigan Avenue Park

A bonafide Sakie Desert Sculpture seen on a recent Kramer Junction trip.

This is meant to represent a pregnant woman. Just take my word for it.

(See the field trip article on page 6 for a little bit more info)

The Rockhounder June 2013

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ROCKHOUNDER The Prez Sez:

H ere we are, almost half-way through the year. This month,

as is our tradition, we will forgo having a General

Membership meeting at the Community Center in favor of a

picnic at Michigan Park, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday June 27th.

Find additional information about this outing elsewhere in this

issue of the Rockhounder. Our scheduled trip to Big Bear on

June 15, 2013 is the last field trip currently planned until the heat

of the summer passes. If any other activities do get planned this

summer, (perhaps a museum trip) you will hear about them with a

post card or a special edition of the Rockhounder. Regular

Rockhounder issues, and General Membership meetings will

resume in September.

I hope everyone who attended enjoyed the club outing over

Memorial Day week-end to Four Corners, and the CFMS Show in

Ventura. Ginger and I were out of town and will catch-up on the

activities when we next see some of you.

We have just returned from our trip up north where we traveled

the routes of the "stampeders" who participated in the gold rush

in the Yukon territory at the turn of the Century, and the building

of the Alaskan Highway in 1942. We traveled 2,300 hundred

miles through Canada and Alaska by bus and train. Some of the

rockhounding highlights included panning for gold (the ore was

"salted" but hey, we found gold flakes) and visiting with two

prospectors for more than a hour one early morning in a small

local coffee shop in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.

One of our prospector coffee mates told us how he took formal

(Continued on page 5)


WGMS General Meeting

Thursday, June 27, 2013

at 6:00 PM

"Picnic (Potluck) in the Park" (Michigan Park, That Is!!!)

I t is the tradition of the WGMS to celebrate the start of summer with

a potluck in place of our regular June meeting. A few years ago we moved the potluck from the regular meeting place to Michigan Park in

Whittier. This has allowed us to spread out and enjoy the daylight and

our excellent Southern California weather.

That said, it is time for our annual WGMS Picnic/Potluck in the

Park. It is going to be held on June 27 at 6:00 PM. The place is

Michigan Avenue Park (see map on the next page). Come enjoy the camaraderie and delicious food with our fellow club members and

friends.

As always, you should bring an entrée, salad, dessert or side dish to

share, and don’t forget that it is BYO (bring your own) plates,

silverware and drinks. You should also bring conversation, friendship

and perhaps a little attitude to enhance this special alfresco dining experience.

Marcia Goetz

Summertime Events

T hough we close during July and August, activities are planned for this

summer that include a pool party/potluck at the Valle’s (info on page 6).

The Nipomo Show is always a great tailgate/show. Not all of the dates and

times are known yet so we will let you know when they happen. If you have

any questions contact Joe Goetz at (626) 914-5030.

Location Date Material

Nipomo Show August 3-4 Fun show, camping, etc.

Pool Party (Valle’s backyard) August 10 3-7 PM

Other Collecting opportunities TBA Day Trips, etc.


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Picnic in the Park Location Map

geology and prospecting classes at an appropriate school. Then

his first outing was a trip by bush plane that dropped him off at a

lake with sufficient supplies to last for a month of prospecting

and living off the land before the plane returned for him. He said

after that first experience that he was "hooked." When I

expressed some concern about being able to personally handle

that kind of "experience," he did confess that it had never been a

problem for him, but extended periods alone do cause some folks

to go "bushy." I guess to each his own.

That's it for now. If I don't see you at one of our June activities,

have a great summer, and I will see you in September.

Art

The Prez Sez... (Continued from page 3)


WGMS Summer Event

Pool Party

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Place: Jay & Kathy Valle’s House Time: 3:00 - 7:00 PM

Y ou are cordially invited to a mid-summer get-together on Saturday,

August 10th. Come join us as we enjoy Jay and Kathy’s cool,

refreshing (and wet) swimming pool and to feast on a delicious potluck and

barbeque (and if the weather is too hot, you can go inside to cool off.)

The party begins at 3:00 PM. If you want to enjoy the pool, bring a swimsuit

and towel. As always, the host(s) will only go in the pool if some our guests

also indulge in a dip. Bring something food-wise to share. Hamburgers and

hotdogs will be provided, as will water, coffee and some soft drinks, plates and

silverware. Any other beverages you wish to bring is ok and purely BYO (bring your own).

For more information or directions contact Kathy Valle at (626) 934-9764.

Kramer Junction Field Trip Report

May 25-27, 2013

G oing into late Spring we always pick our Memorial Day Weekend field

trip with some trepidation as the weather is complete unpredictable.

Sometimes it runs into the 100 degree plus range and in other years we are

able to enjoy more amenable Springtime weather. I remember a Memorial Day trip to Kramer Junction where no one had brought even a sweater since the LA

area temps were running about 102 degrees. It turned out to be 60 degrees at

camp during the “heat” of the day that year. This year our luck was particular-

ly good in all respects. The daytime highs were in the low 80s and night-time

it went as low as mid-50s, good camping and rockhounding conditions.

Our field trip committee had decided to try something a little different this

year with the Kramer Junction trip. It was decided to use our favorite campsite

at Four-Corners as a jumping off point for visits to 2 separate areas we would

typically go to as separate weekend (or longer) trips, Castle Butte and Opal

Mountain. This was designed to give our field trippers, especially the newer

and younger ones a taste of some of the more remote and special collecting


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areas. (Also colorful, rugged and somewhat spectacular.)

So on Saturday, we went to Opal Mountain, one of my personal favorite off-

roading and ‘hounding places. The field trip was very well attended with most

of the participants being “day-trippers” who just came out for that day’s event. A few stayed in Barstow and came out again on Sunday but most went home

at the end of the first day.

We hit the highlights of this amazing collecting area including the amber and

orange opal collecting spots, and the Inscription Canyon petroglyphs. On the

way out of the area we stopped at a jasper, agate and opal gem field that has

been largely forgotten and is not visited much. Collecting was good.

Though most of the group then headed for home, we still had 4 campers (9

people) left and had our traditional Saturday potluck with the usual result…

more food than we could eat and all of it good. The only downside was the

wind which blew to the point that we expected it to turn into a dust storm. It didn’t, though and it actually contributed to the nice temperatures.

For the Sunday outing we loaded up and headed for Castle Butte. The field

trip leader decided to start at the Sierra Pelona Travertine Claim as we had

several new-to-the-hobby rockhounds, including some juniors from the

Pasadena Club. On the way past Aerial Acres we encountered Bill Devilbus of

the North Edwards Rockers Club on his fancy quad. He showed us the current

diggings at the onyx claim and pointed us to the pile of pretty good non-native

rock left by the Sierra Pelona Club for visiting rockhounds to collect as well.

(It should be noted that it was not only the “newbies” who checked out the

rock pile - the veterans also did a little picking too.) There was some fairly nice lapidary material available and not a lot of “leaverite”.

After that, Bill took us to a recently discovered jasper location, over to another

agate site and finally to an objet-de-art (“sculpture”?) placed out in the open

desert by an excentric artiste (is there any other kind?) who goes by the

“handle” of “Sakie” (Google Sakie desert art to see some of his work.) We

ended up at Bill’s house/museum (we stopped in last year and were impressed

with the on-going improvements he’d made to the property.)

Finally, to end the day, the group followed the leader over to the Borax Mine

Visitor Center to collect some borax minerals and check out the fine museum

and open pit mine overlook.

I had a good time and hopefully we gave our ‘hounder friends a good

rockhounding adventure as well.

JValle


Going to Big Bear

June 15, 2013

T his coming June will be an adventure. We are going to ex-

plore the mountains around Big Bear. As you can see from

the title the trip is on Saturday June 15th. We’ll be meeting at the

Discovery Center on the North Shore Road at 9 A.M.. There are

the little quartz crystals by Baldwin Big Bear Lake, the copper

mine and various other places to go and collect a lot of other

stuff.

Be sure to bring a lunch, as we might not be able to get into town.

Bring your camera and all of the other things you would bring on

a day trip. You know, hat, bug repellent, sun screen, water and so

forth. It should prove to be an interesting day of discovery and a

lot of fun.

Lost somewhere in Calif.

About Big Bear

T he Big Bear Lake area ranges in altitude from 6,750 feet to 9,000 feet

above sea level and has an alpine tundra climate. Unlike the flatlands

below, this unique area has four distinct seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall and

Winter. The average temperature ranges from a pleasant 70 degrees to 88

degrees during the day, and a cool 45 to 60 degrees at night. It is one of the

sunniest places in the world, and a typical summer day is clear with blue skies,

barring an occasional thundershower. Remember when it is cloudy and hazy

down below, on top of the mountain, Big Bear Lake is usually enjoying

beautiful, clear blue skies. The average winter temperatures range is from 20

to 64 degrees during the day and 10 to 39 degrees at night. When winter storms blanket the area with snow, every view is a picture postcard.

The lake in Big Bear Lake is eight miles long and approximately one mile

across at its widest point. It has about 23 miles of shoreline and is located at an

elevation of 6,743.20 feet. The present dam, built in 1912, replaced the

original dam, which was built in 1884. The new dam impounds more than

73,000 acre-feet of water with a height of 72'4".

Excerpted from http://www.bigbearlake.net/about-big-bear/Facts


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One-Day Field Trip to

Big Bear Lake Area

Date: June 15, 2013

Time: 9:00 AM

Meeting Place: Big Bear Resource Center on north side of Big

Bear Lake.

Things to bring: Bring water and lunch, snacks, etc. Cameras are

never a bad idea (you never know what you may see and Big Bear

is a beautiful area.

Useful Tools: Collecting bag, rock hammer, 1/4” screen, small

digging tools

For more information contact Joe Goetz at (626) 914-5030.

Directions: Take the 210 Freeway to Hwy 330 north to Running

Springs. Follow Hwy 18 east to Big Bear Dam. Continue on Hwy

18 on the north side of the lake (stay left - do NOT cross the

dam). Go through Fawnskin to the BLM Big Bear Resource

Center.

Resource Center

X


You Might Be A Rockhound if…..

The severe sunburn acquired on your last vacation was a one inch

wide strip of skin at the gap between the tail of your shirt and the

top of your pants.

When you lick a dirty rock to show off the wonderful colors, with-out stopping to realize that you are the only Rockhound in the

group.

You are convinced that buried deep in some secret government

archive is a document that will conclusively prove that the entire

US Apollo space program was conceived and developed for the

sole purpose of getting a moon rock for a certain Presidential rock

collection... The truth is out there!

Your son hits his hand with your rock hammer, your wife screams it broken, and you reply it's a fracture, it has good cleavage, and

has produced some unusual streaks in your son's underwear.

The USGS calls to tell you they've discovered a gravitational

anomaly centered on your house and to ask if you might know the

reason why.

Considering the purchase of a spectacular specimen at a mineral

show, you wonder if all three of your kids really need to attend col-

lege.

You begin fussing because the light strips you installed on your

bookshelves aren't full spectrum.

Your idea of a "quiet, romantic evening at home" involves blue

mineral tack and thumbnail boxes.

You've fabricated a backpack for your dog.

You offer to buy a drink for the woman at the end of the bar only

after you find out she drives a 4 wheel drive truck.

You have more than one story about a great find in a driveway.

You have ever uncovered a great specimen, rolled over on your

back and lit a cigarette.


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You know you're a rock hound if the only other pair of shoes you

have besides high heels are your rock boots.

Your first thought when making a decision about purchasing a new vehicle is "Is this 4wheel drive?" ...immediately followed by, "How

many rocks will this thing carry, still leaving room for essentials

like my suitcases, make-up and rollers?"

There is a pile of leaverite rocks behind the plant you work at that

does not match the other rocks in the gravel used to control erosion.

Via http://rockgemmineralclubs.blogspot.com

A few of the things seen

during the Kramer

Junction Trip

I always carry a camera

‘cause you need to be

ready when the

unexpected happens.


Birthstones for June – Pearl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone Don Shurtz, Pleasant Oaks Gem and Mineral Club of Dallas

T he birthstones for June are similar to the moon. The moon is white

and seemingly iridescent as are pearls and moonstone. The moon is

also know for color changes – white for a full moon, black for a new moon,

red or orange for a harvest moon, and there is always the blue moon which

is not really a description of the moon’s color. The third June birthstone,

alexandrite, is also know for color changing, or at least having a different

color depending on the source of illumination.

June has 3 birthstones, or perhaps only 2 birthstones and the pearl. Pearl is

of organic origin, thus is not a mineral, and a stone is composed of

minerals. Thus, by logic, pearl is not a stone, and thus cannot a birthstone.

However, the American Gem Society recognizes pearl as a birthstone, and

although I disagree on technical grounds, who am I to argue?

A pearl is formed in the soft tissues of living mollusks,

commonly oysters or muscles. A pearl is formed around

some sort of material that is an irritation to the oyster,

and it coats the source of the irritation with successive

layers of calcium carbonate to alleviate the irritation.

The layers of calcium carbonate are separated by

conchiolin, a complex protein that glues the layers together. The

combination of calcium carbonate and conchiolin is called nacre. The finest

pearls have the thinnest layering creating more iridescence. Pearls are

found in the wild (natural) but are relatively rare. Most pearls are cultured

which means that a human introduces an irritant that the oyster starts to

cover as a pearl, and are farmed. There are also imitation pearls, but most

experts claim that imitation pearls do not have the same iridescence as

natural or cultured pearls.

Alexandrite is the second birthstone for June. Alexandrite is a variety of the

mineral chrysoberyl, chemically beryllium aluminate. As mentioned,

alexandrite changes color depending upon the ambient

lighting. It typically appears green in sun light and red in

incandescent light. This change in color appearance is

independent of the direction the crystal is viewed from.

Alexandrite was originally only found in the Ural

Mountains of Russia. However, it has since been found in


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The Digital Rockhounder

T his Newsletter is available by e-mail as a full-color PDF. If

you wish to receive the WGMS Rockhounder directly to

your computer, send an e-mail to [email protected].

Editor

Brazil and in smaller sized specimens from India, Madagascar, and Sri

Lanka. Alexandrite is generally cut a faceted stones. One needs to be

careful with alexandrite as many lab grown stones have been

developed that simulate the color change of alexandrite. Color changing

lab grown versions of corundum and spinel have been developed. These

are really simulates rather than synthetic alexandrite.

Moonstone is a variety of feldspar and is chemically

sodium, potassium, aluminum silicate. Moonstone is

typically white with a sheen or iridescence cause by

light diffracting from the thin layers of feldspar much

as a pearl derives its iridescence from thin layers of

calcium carbonate. Moonstone looks so much like the moon that early

Romans believed it was solidified moon beams. Moonstone is typically cut

as cabochons. Moonstone is found in Australia, Austria, Mexico,

Madagascar, Burma, Norway, Poland, Sri Lanka, and the United States. In

the United States, locations for moonstone are North Carolina, Virginia,

Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Ref:

American Gem Society, http://www.americangemsociety.org/june-

birthstones

mindat.org, http://www.mindat.org/min-2774.html

Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Pictures:

Wikimedia, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/,licensed under Creative

Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Via Chips & Chatter 6/13


Upcoming CFMS Gem Shows

June 8-9 LA HABRA, CA. North Orange County Gem & Mineral Soc

La Habra Community Center, 101 W. La Habra Blvd.

Hours: 10 - 5 daily

Website: www.nocgms.com

June 14-16 WOODLAND HILLS, CA. Rockatomics Gem & Mineral Society

Pierce College Farm, 20800 Victory Blvd Hours: 10 - 5 daily

Website: Rockatomics.com

June 28-30 SAN BERNARDINO, CA. Orange Belt Mineralogical Society

Western Regional Little League Ball Park

6707 Little League Drive

Hours: 9 am to Dusk daily

Website: http://OBMSrocks.yolasite.com

July 13-14 CULVER CITY, CA. Culver City Rock & Mineral Club

Culver City Veterans Memorial Auditorium

4117 Overland Avenue

Hours: Sat 10 - 6; Sun 10 - 5

Website: www.culvercityrocks.org

Oct 5-6 BORON, CA. Mojave Mineralogical Society

Boron Park, South End of Boron Avenue

Hours: 9 - 4 daily

Oct 6 FALLBROOK, CA. Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Facility 123 West Alvarado Street

Hours: 10 - 4

Website: www.fgms.org

Oct 19-20 WHITTIER, CA. WHITTIER GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY

WHITTIER COMMUNITY CENTER

7630 WASHINGTON AVENUE

Hours: 10 - 5 DAILY

Oct 26-27 LOS ALTOS, CA, Peninsula Gem & Geology Society

Civic Center/Youth Center, One San Antonio Road

Hours: 10 - 5 daily

Website: www.pggs.org

http://www.nocgms.com

http://www.Rockatomics.com

http://obmsrocks.yolasite.com/

http://www.culvercityrocks.org

http://www.fgms.org

http://www.pggs.org/


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Editor: Jay Valle, 1421 Latchford Avenue, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745 Home: (626) 934-9764; E-Mail: [email protected]

Bulletin exchanges: are welcome and requests should be sent to the editor.

WGMS MEETING LOCATION!

Whittier Community Center

7630 Washington Ave. Whittier

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Date: June 27, 2013 at 6:00 PM

Location: See page 4 & 15 for info

picnic in the park june 27 at 6:00 pm michigan...

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