Past Flatirons Mineral Club Field Trips

2011 trips past:

February 25 (Friday) – NOAA Research Labs, 325 Broadway, Boulder , CO. 4 p.m. Trip leader: Anita Colin. The main event will be a showing of “Science on a Sphere” by NOAA Executive Director and club member Don Mock. The show includes demonstrations of continental drift, ocean currents, and global warming. Don will lead an optional tour of the facilities after the show. You must sign up ahead of time to be admitted to the NOAA campus. A current, government-issued photo ID is required for entry. If you are a foreign national, you will need your passport or green card (and let us know beforehand). Contact Anita Colin to sign up. The tour limit is 25 people so don’t wait until the last minute!

March 12 (Saturday) – Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, 13th and Maple, Golden, CO. We will meet at 10 AM at the museum for a tour. Trip Leader: Anita Colin.

April 23 (Saturday) – North Table Mountain, Golden, CO. seeking zeolites. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. North Table Mountain is a world-famous locality for zeolites, a series of alumina-silicate minerals. You are sure to find thomsonite, analcime, and chabazite, plus the possibility of less common minerals. This is a great place for kids, because everyone will find great specimens. The trip involves a hike of about 3/4 mile with a 700-foot elevation climb. (snow date May 7)

May 21 (Saturday) – Two Creeks, North of Sterling, CO, seeking Blue Barite. Trip leaders: Mel and Charlotte Bourg. Contact: Gabi Accatino. Mel and Charlotte like to go to Two Creeks in the spring and especially if it is, or was, a wet spring. They say that the barite shows up better. The quality of barite is different from the barite found at the Stoneham site. Two Creeks is BLM land and they have found some pretty nice specimens.

May 22 (Sunday) – Holcim Quarry, Florence, CO, seeking fossils & pyrite with CMS. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino

May 28-30 (Memorial Day Weekend) – Yellow Cat, UT and Book Cliffs, Grand Junction, CO, seeking barite, calcite, fossil wood, and pseudomorph jasper. Contact: Anita Colin. Head west for one, two, or three days and hope for dry weather! We will try for Book Cliffs barite and calcite near Grand Junction on Saturday (dry roads required!) and then head to eastern Utah (just south of I-70 near Cisco) for Yellow Cat Flats black and white fossilized wood and pseudomorph jasper.

June 4 (Saturday) – Lake George, CO, seeking topaz. Trip leaders: Anita Colin and Gabi Accatino. For all of you who missed the topaz hunt last year, we will be going again to Joe Dorris' Topaz claim. $40 fee, currently waitlisting.

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June 5 (Sunday) – Hartsel, CO, seeking barite with CMS.Trip leader: Anita Colin.

June 11 (Saturday) – Nederland, CO, seeking gold, silver, and related minerals. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino. Tom Hendricks has invited us to visit his Caribou Mine dumps.

June 18 (Saturday) – Calumet Mine, CO, seeking epidote, actinolite, & quartz with CMS. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

June 19 (Sunday) – Sedalia, CO, seeking garnet, magnetite, & copper minerals with CMS. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino. Limit 10.

June 25-26 – Shirley Basin, WY, seeking agate. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

July 8 (Friday) – Route 93 Quarry, seeking fossils. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

July 9 (Saturday) – State Bridge, CO, seeking pyrite. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

July 23 (Saturday) Trip 1 – Leadville , CO, seeking orthoclase feldspar. Trip leader: Betsy Lehndorff.

July 23 (Saturday) Trip 2 – Joe Dorris' Claim at Crystal Peak, seeking amazonite. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

July 30-31 – Mount Antero, CO, seeking blue beryl with CMS. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

August 6 (Saturday) – Flat Tops, CO, seeking fossils. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

August 13 (Saturday) – Arnold Gulch (Chaffee County), CO, seeking agate & jasper. Trip leader: Craig Hazelton.

August 14 (Sunday) – Missouri Hill (near Salida), CO, seeking quartz, magnetite, & skarn minerals. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

September 3 (Saturday) – Crawford, NE, seeking Fairburn Agate.

October 1 (Saturday) – Tepee Buttes, CO (east of Pueblo), seeking Cretaceous marine fossils, including clams and ammonites. Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach.

2010 trips past:

March 27 – CU Museum Fossil Collections (Boulder)

April 17 – North Table Mountain seeking zeolites. Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach

May 29 - Shirley Basin & Sweetwater Valley , WY , seeking Chert, Jasper and Agate. Leader: Craig Hazleton

June 12 – Devil’s Head, CO, seeking smoky quartz. Trip leader: Matt.

June 19 – Sedalia, CO, seeking garnets and more. Joint trip with CMS. Limit: 10 Participants. Trip leader: Craig.

June 19 – Florissant, CO, seeking fossils. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

June 20 – Calumet Mine, seeking epidote and more Joint trip with CMS. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

June 26 – Del Norte, CO, seeking agates. Trip leader: Cory Olin.

July 3 – Charlotte’s back porch, seeking whatever. Trip leader: Gerry Naugle.

July 10 – South Park County, CO, seeking Peridot. Joint trip with Colorado Springs Mineral Society. Trip leaders: Anita Colin and Gabi Accatino.

July 17 – Montezuma, CO, seeking quartz, pyrite, and barite. Joint trip with CMS. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

July 24 – Crystal Peak, CO, seeking Amazonite. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

July 31 – Virginia Dale, CO, seeking kimberlites. Limit 10 participants. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

August 7 – Leadville, CO, seeking orthoclase feldspar and beta quartz. Trip leader: Betsy.

August 14 – Buena Vista, CO for the annual Contin-Tail. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

August 21 – Red Feather Lakes, CO, seeking amethyst. Trip leader: Gabi Accatino.

September 11 – Yellow Cat, UT/ Book Cliffs (near Grand Junction, CO), seeking fossil wood and calcite. Trip leader: Anita Colin.

2009 trips past:

February 21 - Dinosaur Trackways Museum (on the Auraria campus, Denver, CO). Part of CU-Denver, the museum is a center for the study of trackways of all sorts, including not only dinosaurs, but also reptiles, birds, mammals, insects, and other invertebrates. Martin Lockley, curator of the museum and world expert on tracks, was our host and tour guide. He described some of the tracks in the museum, telling us about how scientists use tracks to learn more about the animals and their environment. Martin and his staff and students have published dozens of papers describing tracks found all over the world. The museum contains the largest collection of tracks in the United States, with over 22,000 specimens in their collection.

April 11 (snow date April 25) - North Table Mountain (near Golden, CO), seeking zeolites. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. North Table Mountain is a world-famous locality for zeolites, a series of alumina-silicate minerals. You are sure to find thomsonite, analcime, and chabazite, plus the possibility of less common minerals. This is a great place for kids, because everyone will find great specimens. The trip involves a hike of about 3/4 mile with a 700-foot elevation climb. We have also invited the Colorado Springs Mineral Society to join us on this trip.

May 2-3 - Book Cliffs (near Grand Junction, CO), seeking barite and calcite. Trip Leader: North Jeffco Gem & Mineral Club, RSVP to Shaula Lee. We have been invited to join the North Jeffco Gem & Mineral Club on this trip. You will be digging for barite crystals and calcite. Equipment needed: Shovel, rock pick, rock hammer, pry bar, chisels, scratcher and something to hold your collected specimens. Barite crystals are very heat-sensitive, so they should be kept cool and moist so they don't fracture. Then let them gradually dry at home. A 2-wheel drive vehicle is sufficient for the road to the digging area as long as the road is dry. If the roads become wet, the clay roads will become EXTREMELY slippery and impassable even for a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

May 2-3 - Yellow Cat (in Utah), seeking agate, petrified wood, barite nodules both white and black/red pseudomorphs and the hard-to-find Red Wood. Details and RSVP: Shaula Lee.

May 9 - Elbert County. CO, seeking collect fossil wood. Trip leader: Shaula Lee. This trip is to a private ranch, where fossil wood may be found.

June 5-7 (Fri.-Sun.) – central Wyoming, seeking jade and other minerals. Joint trip with the sponsored by the Riverton Mineral and Gem Society. Trip leader: Tom Dewey, 307-332-1585. Meet by 9 a.m. on Friday at the McDonalds in Laramie on the West side of town, 287 & I80, the 1st turn, The group will leave there at 9 a.m. sharp. No waiting. Meet in Laramie and travel to a location 30 miles north of Wamsutter to collect schroeckingerite, a UV mineral. Plan for dry camping and 4 wheel drive roads. Newcomers joining the trip on Saturday should plan to meet the group at the Split Rock Cafe in Jeffrey's City at 10 a.m. to head to a mine for corundum and jade. Again, plan for 4 wheel drive roads and dry camping. On Sunday the group will travel to the Tin Cup area (a classic location for jade) before returning home. Contact the trip leader for further information and to sign up for the trip. Don’t contact Shaula: she has no other information.

June 6-7 – McCoy, CO, seeking fossils. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. This site, located along the Colorado River between Vail and Steamboat Springs, has Pennsylvanian fossils, including crinoids, brachiopods, snails, and even an occasional shark tooth. We will be collecting both Saturday and Sunday at several spots in the area. The fossils are abundant, making this a great place for kids to collect.

June 6-8 (Sat.-Mon.) – Blue Forest near Farson, WY, seeking Blue Forest and Eden Valley fossil wood. Joint trip with the North Jeffco, CMS and Littleton clubs. Trip leader: Dale Gann. Meet at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Email the trip leader for details. Saturday afternoon we will collect at the Big Sandy and Sunday at the Blue Forest. Monday we will collect in a different area of the Big Sandy. Any vehicle can make this trip; 4WD is not required. Equipment Suggested: Shovel, pick, long thin pole for probing in the ground, and collecting bags. Camping on the west side of the Big Sandy Reservoir near collecting sites. Can be extremely windy! Water is not available at the campsite. Bring PLENTY of water, as well as sunblock and bug repellant. Pit toilets available at camp site. Wyoming weather can be extreme in any direction – hot, cold, windy. Please prepare for almost anything. There is one motel in Farson, more in Rock Springs which is 35 miles to the south.

July 12 (Sun.) – Jasper Hill (near Fairplay), seeking jasper, chert, and agate. Trip leader: Craig Hazelton. Meet at Silver Heels Market, Fairplay Colorado (719) 836-9300 (first gas station on the right as you come into the town of Fairplay from the north on 285) at 9:30 a.m. Vehicles: High clearance for 1.5 miles, rough road, but not 4WD. We can carpool from the trailhead if needed. The mine is about 0.3 miles of easy walking from parking and is on US Forest Service Land. Equipment: Bucket, rock hammer, maybe a shovel or scoop, there is a lot of good rock just laying on the surface. Bring a lunch, water, sunscreen, bug repellent, sturdy shoes, jacket and gloves. The site is nice and generally in the trees, but it often rains in the afternoon this time of the year. Yellow Chert, Red Jasper, some Agate, chert and jasper have some interesting patterns, very good for lapidary or tumbling.

July 25 – Hartsel, CO, seeking barite. Trip leader: Shaula Lee. You are guarenteed to find blue to pale white barite crystals embedded in a clay derived from, or part of, limestones in the late Paleozoic Maroon Formation. This is about a 2-2 1/2 hour trip going toward Buena Vista. Meet at the Bayou Salado Trading Post, Hartsel, CO by 9 a.m. It is on the far west side of town. The claim owner will be taking us to the site and will be there to answer questions. A high-clearance passenger car could make it over the road. Might be better to have a high clearance Pickup or van/SUV. If it is muddy, probably no cars. We can also car-pool from the trading post. Equipment: Short shovel, pick, digging tools, wrapping paper, heavy collecting bag. The crystals are in a clay and digging is required, either with a pick or shovel or both. Bring lots of water, hat, sunscreen etc. No facilities. No shade. There are lots of campsite and rock sites in the area if you want to make a weekend of it with the family.This is a good trip for those of you with kids. Participants must sign up in advance with Shaula.

Aug. 8 - Contin-Tail, Buena Vista, seeking shopping. Let’s get a road trip going to see this annual big outdoor tail-gate show at the Buena Vista Fairgrounds. Contact Shaula Lee.

Sept. 12 – Lake George, CO, seeking amazonite and smoky quartz, and/or Badger Creek (near Hartsel), seeking Peridot, . This trip will be with the CSMS, Colorado Springs, to their claim. 4WD may be required. We should work out car-pooling in advance. Trip Leader: Ronald “Yam” Yamiolkoski (CSMS), RSVP to Shaula Lee.

Sept. 26 – Tepee Buttes, CO (east of Pueblo), seeking Cretaceous marine fossils, including clams and ammonites (joint trip with Western Interior Paleontological Society). Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach. During the Cretaceous age while Tyrannosaurus Rex ruled the land, eastern Colorado was a large shallow sea. The Tepee Buttes fossils are from a reef community feed by undersea methane vents. We are fortunate to have permission to collect on private land for this trip. This is a good field trip for kids, as everyone will find fossils. Please contact Dennis to sign up for the trip or for information.

October – Yellow Cat Mine, Utah, seeking barite and agate. Trip leader: Shaula Lee. Several brave and waterproof club members joined up to enjoy the barren (and wet) beauty of Utah in May of this year. A few times we had to take cover from the storms but a lot of rocks were collected and on a beautiful Sunday, and guide books were used to explore new areas. We found some nice specimens of barite, agate, and abandoned uranium mines. We also found that the mileage in the books is a best guess. We re-mapped it. If you missed out on the May trip, North Jeffco has a trip planned early Oct and I will check to see if FMC can join them. Try to do this trip at least once. It is well worth it.

2008

February 9 - Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum (Golden, CO). Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach. We will have a one-hour tour of the museum on this first field trip of 2008. Afterwards, we will be treated to a special behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s collection, including several recent acquisitions that have not been publicly displayed. The staff will be there to answer questions about their collection. This is a great field trip for kids, as well as long-time collectors.

March 29-30 - Book Cliffs (north of Grand Junction), seeking barite, calcite, and selenite. Trip Leader: Todd Shannon. Todd Shannon will be leading the club to the Persigo Wash site, a less visited area containing barite-calcite nodules. Some hiking from the parking area is required.

April 12 - North Table Mountain (Golden), seeking zeolite minerals and calcite. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. The club spent Saturday, April 12th collecting zeolites and other minerals on North Table Mountain outside of Golden. This was the best attended trip to North Table Mountain in years, with 35 club members and three members from the North Jeffco club enjoying the day collecting specimens. North Table Mountain is a world-renown site for collecting zeolites, with thomsonite, analcime, chabazite, and mesolite commonly found there. Calcite and a host of other zeolite minerals can also be found. Zeolites are a family of hydrated aluminum silicate minerals, each with a different crystal structure. Zeolites have several special properties that are used commercially as molecular filters, ion exchange materials to soften water, and as catalysts for manufacturing gasoline. Although some commercial zeolite mines are in operation, most zeolites used in manufacturing are produced synthetically. Everyone had a great time and many nice specimens were found during the day.

May 24-26 (Memorial Day Weekend) - Wyoming, seeking Kemmerer fossil fish, Wamsutter turitella agate, and perhaps Blue Forest petrified wood. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. Over Memorial Day weekend, 17 club members visited several sites in Wyoming. The weekend proved to be quite rainy and cool, with lots and lots of mud, but everyone had a great time and brought home lots of interesting specimens. Day 1 included a stop at Wamsutter to collect the famous turitella agate. During the Eocene age, western Wyoming had three large lakes, where abundant wildlife flourished. Millions of fresh water turitella snails (Goniobasis) have been preserved in a hard silica matrix, which is prized for lapidary work. After being chased out by the rain, the group traveled to Kemmerer to either camp or stay in town overnight. Day 2 was a trip to one of the fossil fish quarries that have the Eocene fish fossils seen in all the rock shops. The road was quite muddy, requiring four wheel drive, but the day was beautiful and the fishing was great. By splitting shale at the quarry, everyone was able to find several species of fish fossils in excellent condition. On Day 3, we traveled to the Blue Forest agate area to collect fossilized wood. This is another classic site that we found after several false starts. Although we only had a few hours to dig before we needed to head home, everyone found several nice specimens.

July 12 - Charlotte's garage (Boulder), seeking minerals, fossils, and other specimens. Trip Leader: Gerry Naugle. In addition to sorting minerals, fossils, and other specimens for the silent auction and grab bags, everyone will be able to take home lots of neat specimens. No place in Colorado has such a wide range of specimens to find.

July 26 - Dotsero area, seeking pseudomorphs of goethite after pyrite and silica after calcite. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. Paleozoic invertebrate fossils can also be found on the trip.

August 30-September 1 (Labor Day weekend) – Mt. Antero, seeking aquamarine. We have the opportunity to join the North Jeffco Club on their field trip to Mt. Antero to collect aquamarines, Colorado's state gem. We have permission to collect at several claims on the mountain. The aquamarine site requires a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle and the group plans to carpool up the 4WD road. Also, the area is above timberline, so be prepared for collecting at high altitude. Craig Hazelton is coordinating this trip for Flatirons Mineral Club members, so contact him for more information and to sign up for the trip. Craig has been to the site earlier this month and can provide you tips about what to bring and how to find these gems. Also, please let Craig know if you have a 4WD vehicle.

September 6 - Tepee Buttes (east of Pueblo, CO), seeking Cretaceous marine fossils. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. The Tepee Buttes are unique structures, formed at methane vents under the Western Interior Seaway that covered much of Colorado during this time. These vents supported an ecological community which has been preserved as fossils.

2007

February 24 - Hazen Research Tour. With snows still on the ground (now at five weeks and counting), collecting trips are still a ways off. However, as we wait for the snows to melt, we will have several field trips to places of geological interest. Our first trip this year will be a tour of Hazen Research, outside of Golden on Saturday, February 24th. Hazen is world-renown for working with mining, energy, and environmental companies to develop processes for recovering metals and other products from ores and providing clean energy from coal, oil shale, and other alternative fuels. Hazen has laboratories and small-scale equipment that is used to develop and demonstrate new processes, before commercial plants are built. During this tour, you will see equipment used in mining and chemical plants and learn about modern techniques that are used throughout the world to recover natural resources. Included in the tour is Hazen's mineralogy laboratory and separations plant. For more inf ormation about Hazen Research, see their website at http://www.hazenusa.com/. To sign up for the tour, contact Dennis Gertenbach, Please bring a hard hat and safety glasses, if you have them. If not, these will be provided.

April 21 - Holcim Cement Quarry (Florence, CO), seeking pyrite nodules, Inoceramus clam fossils, and calcite. Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach. Holcim Quarry Field Trip: Members of our club were guests of the Colorado Springs club on their field trip to the Holcim cement quarry, outside of Florence, on Saturday, April 21. The site is known for unique pyrite nodules that are found in the limestone at the quarry. Club members also collected Inoceramus clams and calcite crystals. We want to thank the Colorado Springs club for allowing us to join them on this trip.

April 28 (snowed out Apr. 7) - North Table Mountain (Golden, CO), seeking zeolites. This site is world famous for its zeolites and other minerals. This is the site of the first FMC field trip 50 years ago. The rescheduled trip had fabulous weather. About 20 club members, along with several guests from the North Jeffco club, joined us for a day of collecting zeolites and other minerals on North Table Mountain outside of Golden. Everyone found great specimens to add to their collection from this world-famous collecting site.

May 19-20 - Bookcliffs (Grand Junction), seeking barite crystals. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. We will be the guests of the North Jeffco club for a weekend.

June 16 – Kremmling, seeking Cretaceous fossils, including clams and ammonites. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. We will stop at the Kremmling Giant Ammonite site, where ammonites up to three feet across were found. (You can’t collect there, but the molds of these creatures are pretty impressive to see.) Later we will go outside the protected area to collect specimens. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach (303-462-3522, gertenbach@comcast.net). This is a joint trip with WIPS club.

June 23 – White Raven Mine, seeking honey-colored calcite, white tabular barite, cubo-octahedral galena, red and black siderite, silver, pyromorphite, and pyrite. Trip leader: Todd Shannon. The Flatirons Mineral Club has been given permission to hunt for specimens on the tailings of the White Raven Mine. A sign-up sheet will be available at the May meeting. This trip will be especially kid-friendly. There are minimal dangers and the approach is nonexistent; we will park right next to and on top of the tailings pile. Recommended tools are: shovel, pick, hammer, chisel, and gloves. A metal detector might be useful. Don’t forget a BIG bucket and newspaper for your numerous finds! There is a waiting list for this field trip.

July 28 – Deckers, CO, seeking Ordovician trilobites, brachiopods, and other invertebrates from the Manitou Formation. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. We visited a quarry in the Manitou Springs Formation, where many partial and complete trilobites were found. Donn Cook made the find of the day, a specimen with a nearly complete crinoid head and two partial trilobites. Everyone went home with great additions to their collections.

July 21 – Charlotte Morrison’s home in Boulder, seeking and sorting the product of 2 lifetimes of rockhounding. Trip leader: Charlotte Morrison. This trip doubles as the club's July meeting. There is approximately 1 ton of mixed mineral specimens at Charlotte’s home to be sorted, and everybody goes home with some goodies. Plus we find things for the annual silent auction and for the annual show prizes. Pizza, chilled sodas/bottled water will be provided for all attendees. Suggest to bring insect repellent and a hat/cap, because we will be working outside. Please RSVP to Gerry Naugle. Rain date is Sunday July 22.

Aug. 4-5 (Sat.-Sun.) – Creede and Wolf Creek Pass, seeking geodes, sowbelly agate, amethyst, and sulfides. We have been invited to join the North Jeffco Club to collect in these two locations. On Saturday, the group will travel to Wolf Creek Pass to collect geodes. Sunday’s collecting will be for sowbelly agate, amethyst, and sulfides at the Last Chance Mine outside of Creede. (There will be a small fee to collect at this site.) This is also the weekend that Mineral County has their mineral show in the mining museum in town. Contact Shaula Lee to sign up or for more information.

Sept. 8 – Picketwire Canyonlands, south of La Junta, to see the most impressive dinosaur tracks in the United States. Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach.The Forest Service provides driving tours of the trackway, plus visits petroglyphs, an old Hispanic townsite, and the old ranch house. The cost is $15 per person. With the talk of expanding the Army’s proving grounds and closing this area to the public, this may be your only chance to see these tracks. By the June 14 club meeting, we need to know who is interested in going, which dates you are available, and to collect your money and paperwork. The Forest Service only allows 30 people on their tours. – Cancelled- the tour filled before we were able to sign up. We will try and schedule this trip next year and will make sure we sign up with the Forest Service early enough so that everyone gets the opportunity to go.

2006

April 22 – North Table Mountain, seeking zeolites. Trip Leader: Ray Gilbert.  North Table Mountain, outside of Golden, is a world-famous locality for zeolites, a series of alumina-silicate minerals. You are sure to find thomsonite, analcime, and chabazite, plus the possibility of less common minerals.

May 6 – Tepee Buttes Fossils, seeking Cretaceous Fossils. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. We will be collecting at two sites outside of Pueblo, looking for invertebrate fossils of creatures that lived during the Cretaceous period, when the eastern half of Colorado was covered by the Western Interior Seaway. 

May 27-29 (Memorial Day Weekend) - Blue Forest Wood and Delaney Rim, seeking Turritella (Goniobasis) agate, stromatolites, and fossil wood. Trip Leader: Paul Boni. 4-wheel drive is strongly recommended. The plan is to leave bright and early Saturday morning and head to Wamsutter, Wyoming.There we will eat our lunch and collect Turritella (Goniobasis) agate and/or stromatolites (fossil algae). From there we will head to Farson, WY and the Blue Forest Wood site. We will be camping (primitive) at the site and should arrive around dusk. Sunday we will spend the entire day digging for fossilized wood and enjoying the scenery. On Monday we can continue digging for Blue Forest Wood or head back as time permits. Please contact Paul for additional information or to participate.

June 24-25 – Kremmling, seeking fossils. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. On Saturday, we will visit the giant ammonite site, a protected (no collecting) area that has casts of ammonites up to 3 feed in diameter. Later in the day and on Sunday, we will be collecting fossils in the area. We are also planning on checking out a fossilized wood area on Sunday. This can be a one-day or overnight trip.

July 8 – Devil’s Head, seeking amazonite and smoky quartz. Trip Leader: Ray Gilbert. Mineral collectors will have an opportunity to look for amazonite and smoky quartz at this famous Colorado site.

July 22-23 - Crystal Peak, seeking amazonite, smoky quartz, and topaz. Trip Leader: Gerry Naugle. Amazing amazonite, smoky quartz, and topaz crystals have been found at this site. Gerry is planning a side trip over to the Florissant Fossil beds on Sunday afternoon. This can be a one-day or overnight trip. The Terryalls field trip to Eric Hendricks' dig area was cancelled for this summer, as a key access bridge to the dig area is still out as a result of flash floods.

July 29-30 – Flattops, seeking fossils and goethite. Trip Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. Paleozoic fossils, including brachiopods and gastropods (snails) are found at several sites in the area. On Sunday, we will also stop at a site to collect unusual goethite pseudomorphs that were originally pyrite crystals. This can be a one-day or overnight trip; however, the driving distance is quite long from Boulder.

Sept. 24 – Greeley, seeking fossil clams. Seventeen club members, including six kids, traveled to the Kammerzell’s farm south of Greeley to search for Cretaceous clams from the Western Interior Seaway. Also, several of Kammerzell grandchildren joined our group to hunt for fossils. The rocks in this area are about 70 million years old and were formed along the shoreline of the Western Interior Seaway that covered eastern Colorado at that time. Club member Larry Kammerzell hosted our group and had exposed fresh material with his front-end loader for us to collect. Digging through the exposed material, we found a pocket of clams. Everyone had a chance to collect samples of these clams to add to their collection. Later in the afternoon, Larry invited the kids to his place to show them fluorescent rocks, plus other specimens he had collected over the years. He gave each of the kids rock and mineral specimens to take home.

October 15 (Sun.) - South Platte River, seeking fossil wood, amazonite, topaz, smoky quartz, etc. 1:30 p.m. Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach. The Jr. Geologists will be leading a field trip to the South Platte River north of Denver to hunt for minerals and fossils that wash down the river. Finds in the past have included amazonite, topaz, smokey quartz, and mammal teeth. Fossilized wood is abundant. This is a good trip for families. If it snows, the trip will be rescheduled for Sunday, October 29.

2005

Apr. 16 (Snow date: Apr. 30) – North Table Mountain (Jefferson County), seeking zeolites. Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach. We will meet in the area on Saturday morning and carpool to parking close to the collecting site.  From the parking area we will hike to the site to collect for the day.  The hike will be about ½ mile, climbing about 700 feet in elevation. This is a great trip to take kids, as everyone will find specimens to take home. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The site is now a Jefferson County Open Space park.  The club has a special-use permit to collect minerals for this trip. Minerals to be found there include: thomsonite, analcime, chabazite, mesolite, and calcite are relatively common, whereas fluorapophyllite, levyne, garronite, and cowlesite occur less frequently, and natrolite, gonnardite, and euhedral laumontite and stilbite crystals are uncommon. An excellent, detailed article on the geology and minerals of North Table Mountain can be found at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0GDX/is_4_79/ai_n6106536/pg_1. For details about the field trip, please sign up with Dennis Gertenbach.  Information will be sent about where and when to meet, plus what to bring.  If there is snow on the ground on April 16, the trip will be postponed to April 30. (25 club members participated. By digging through the rubble and breaking apart the rock, many fine specimens were found.  The weather was beautiful, which made for a great collecting day.  Everyone found plenty to take home; the biggest problem was deciding which ones to leave behind to lighten the load on the hike back to the cars. )

May 7-8 – Grand Junction, seeking barite. The Mile Hi Rock and Mineral Society (RAMS) has invited us to join them on a field trip to the Book Cliffs outside of Grand Junction to collect barites.  Please contact Ron and Judy Knoshaug at 303-423-2923 to sign up for this trip. 

May 28-30 – Wamsutter, WY, seeking turritella (Goniobasis) agate and stromatolites (fossil algae), and Farson WY, seeking fossil wood. Trip leader: Paul Boni. 4-wheel drive vehicles suggested. The plan is to leave bright and early Saturday morning and head to Wamsutter. There we will eat our lunch and collect Turritella (Goniobasis) agate and stromatolites (fossil algae). From there we will head to Farson and the Blue Forest Wood site. We will be camping (primitive) at the site and should arrive around dusk. Sunday we will spend the entire day digging for fossilized wood and enjoying the scenery. On Monday we can continue digging for Blue Forest Wood or head back as time permits.

July 16-17 – Mile High Rock and Mineral Society claims in the Crystal Peak area, seeking smoky quartz, amazonite, fluorite, and other minerals. Lots of good crystals have come out of there. Good boots, picks, chisels, pry-bars, rock-hammers and eye protection (safety glasses or goggles), and first aid kit suggested/required while digging in the claims.  This event takes the place of our July meeting. The Mile Hi Rock and Mineral Society has invited the Flatirons Mineral Club to join them on their annual picnic on July16, 2005 at the club's claims in the Crystal Peak area.  Attendees are requested to bring a side dish of their choice The club supplies the meat and beverages.  The picnic meal is about noon on Saturday.  FMC club members are welcome to come and dig for both days as they wish.  Dry camping on Saturday night is permitted on the club's claims. Rendezvous spot is set for 10:00am on July 16th not too far from Lake George.  Side trip over to the Florissant Fossil beds on Sunday afternoon. For further information, map and details and to RSVP for this field trip, please contact Gerry Naugle  before July 8th.

July 17 – Tour of CU paleontology dig at Florissant. Trip leader: Gerry Naugle.

Aug. 13-14 – Calumet Mine, seeking epidote, garnet, quartz crystals, and magnetite, and Peridot Mesa, seeking peridot. Trip Leaders:  Cory Olin for the Calumet Mine and Ray Gilbert for Peridot Mesa  Come to Buena Vista for the Contin-Tail Rock Swap and Mineral Show between August 11 and 14, and join the club in two field trips in the area during the weekend.  At Peridot Mesa, you can collect – what else – peridot.  Gem quality specimens have been found in past years.  The Calumet Mine is known for fine quality epidote crystals.  Also found are garnets, quartz crystals, and magnetite.

Aug. 27 – Deckers, CO, seeking trilobite fossils. Trip Leader:  Trick Runions Plan to head to Deckers for a day of fossil collecting.  Trilobites, brachiopods, and other marine fossils from the Ordovician period (440 to 500 million years ago) can be found.

Sept. 10 – Cretaceous Adventure (Various sites), seeking fossils. Trip Leader:  Dennis Gertenbach We will head out of town to visit several sites with Cretaceous age fossils.  From approximately 69 to 80 million years ago, eastern Colorado was covered by the Western Interior Seaway.  Marine fossils from that period will be collected.

September 24 – Phoenix Mine. Trip Leader:  Ray Horton. Located outside of Idaho Springs, the Phoenix Mine takes you back in time when mining was king in Colorado.  A guided tour will take you back into the mine and explain how gold was extracted.  You will also have a chance to try your hand at gold panning. Kids – plan to bring a friend.  A fee will be charged.

September 25 (Sunday) – Baculite Mesa, seeking fossils. Trip Leader: Tom and Carol McSherry. Baculite Mesa, located outside of Pueblo, is a Cretaceous site famous for its marine fossils, including ammonites, clams, and, of course, baculites (straight ammonites). It can be very hot, so wear light clothes and a hat, and bring plenty of water. Also, the land owner suggests wearing high top boots, as they have a lot of snakes up there. Contact Tom or Sherry for details on where and when to meet.

October 1 – John Martin Reservoir in southeastern Colorado, to view dinosaur tracks. Trip leader, Dennis Gertenbach. Last summer a new dinosaur trackway was discovered along the drought- lowered shoreline of the John Martin Reservoir. The prints were left behind by herds of duck-billed dinosaurs that trudged through the mud near the shoreline of an ancient sea 100 million years ago. About 300 tracks have been found at the reservoir to date. The duck-billed dinosaurs that left the tracks were herbivores that walked on their hind limbs. The largest were 30 feet long and weighed 2 tons. The three-toed tracks at John Martin Reservoir are up to a foot long and resemble a three-dimensional cast of a print, rather than just an impression. They formed when sand washed into the dinosaur footprints in mud. More mud covered the sand-filled dinosaur print, and the sediments became rock. Much later, the sandstone and mudstone eroded away, revealing the tracks. Martin Lockley, director of the Dinosaur Tracks Museum at UC Denver, and CU graduate student Reiji Kukihara have described these tracks at a recent meeting of the Geological Society of America. Their study of the site has shown evidence that the dinosaurs may have been together in a herd, because of the many parallel trackways. They speculate that the dinosaurs were following the shoreline of this ancient sea, perhaps along a migratory route. One of the discoverers of these tracks will lead a field trip for our club on October 1st to visit these tracks. The John Martin Reservoir is located between La Junta and Lamar, along the Arkansas River. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view these fossils, before the rising reservoir covers them again. Please remember,that the tracks are on federal property and it is illegal to remove them.

October 8 – CU campus, Henderson geology Bldg., seeking fossils. Trip Leader:  Gerry Naugle Come to the CU campus, Henderson Geology Bldg for a  Florissant shale splitting party. Material from the fossil beds will be available for splitting in search of fossil leaves and insects.  The cost will be $3 per person for FMC members.

2004

February 7, 2004, 10-11 a.m. - Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum (16th and Maple Streets in Golden on the CSM campus) Leader: Dennis Gertenbach. Plan to meet in the parking lot on the southwest corner of Broadway and South Boulder Road at 9 a.m. to carpool to the museum. Or, you can drive to the museum on your own, which is located across the street from the Steinhauer Fieldhouse. Parking is along the street or in the parking lot north of the museum. For further information and to RSVP, please contact Dennis Gertenbach. The phone number at the museum is: 303-273-3815. In September, the museum moved to a new home on the CSM campus at 13th and Maple in Golden. The CSM Museum has one of the best collections of Colorado minerals in the state. There are also exhibits of gold and silver specimens, fossils, meteorites, gemstones, and radioactive minerals that everyone will enjoy. The tour will cover Colorado geology, plus some of the mineral and fossils specimens in the museum. If the weather is pleasant, part of the tour will be outdoors, so dress accordingly. After the tour, everyone can spend time looking at the exhibits.

May 15 – Peridot Mesa (near Salida,CO), seeking peridot. Trip leader: Emily Epstein. Meet at 10 a.m. on the west side of the Salida Safeway parking lot (232 G St, left of the main entrance). A spray bottle of water is highly recommended. Scratchers and kneepads might be useful, plus your usual field-trip gear (hat, gloves, specimen container, sunscreen, bug repellant, water, lunch, etc.) It will take about an hour to drive to the site. The last mile is fairly rugged, so SUVs are recommended, but passenger cars have made the trip. John and Donna Rhoads are graciously allowing us to dig for peridot on their claim. Cost is $5 per person. John will lead us to the site, which is an area at about 9,600 feet where peridot weathers out of basalt. Parking is on the deposit, so we can start finding peridot as soon as we step out the car. The area has been searched pretty carefully, so we may have to walk some distance to find nice material. Collecting is done by scanning the ground while walking, or getting down on all fours and looking for tiny bits of green peridot. If it hasn’t rained recently, the peridot may have a brown film. Spraying water on likely patches of ground will let the green show through.

May 29-31 (Memorial Day Weekend) – Wamsutter, Kemmerer, and Farson (WY) seeking fossil gastropods, turitella agate, fossil fish, and fossil wood. Trip leader: Paul Boni. 4-wheel drive recommended. Day 1; Travel to Wamsutter,WY(approx. 4 hours), Eat lunch and spend an hour or two collecting turitella agate and loose turitella fossils. The ground is littered with collectibles. Just bring a sack or a bucket! Then we will travel to Kemmerer WY and set up camp. Last year we camped on BLM ground. It was lovely! Motels and RV campgrounds are available in town. Bring your camping gear and lots of water! Day 2; Travel to Farson,WY for Blue forest wood, travel home. Digging tools are needed. Those who do not have to get home right away may wish to stay, for another day or two, to collect fossilized wood in the area.

June 12– Kammerzell’s Gold Claim (Central City, CO), seeking gold & small pyrite cubes. Trip leader: TBA. Contact Paul Boni for information. Vehicle: any. Our own Larry and Flo Kammerzell own a placer gold claim in the Central City area and have graciously agreed to allow us to pan for gold. The date is flexible to allow for optimum water flow in the ephemeral stream. If the water is not flowing, we can't use the gold pans. A mine dump on the claim yields small pyrite cubes (< ¼ "). Bring your own gold pan and a film can or other small container for your gold. If conditions allow we will try to have sluice and share the proceeds. Most of the gold found is dust;, but occasional pinhead sized nuggets are found. Special precautions; The Central City area is literally undermined with old mine workings. Mine shafts and air vents can be anywhere and are never marked. They are usually fatal if one falls in. Participants will not be allowed to wander and children must be kept right next to parents. We cannot be flexible on this. As long as we remain by the streambed there is no problem.

June 19 - 20– Calumet Iron Mine, seeking epidote. Trip leader: Bill Reid. The famous Calumet Mine is a source of beautiful epidote. Also available are quartz crystals, uralite (actinolite pseudomorphs after diopside), magnetite, garnet, and small (but gemmy) sapphire. The hike to the mine is strenuous and not for the very young, old, or physically challenged. Good hiking boots, lots of water, eye protection, hard hats, etc, will be required. The outing is strenuous enough that most people rarely want to do it a second day, but a second day at another nearby site is possible.

July 3-5 - Creede,(CO), seeking sowbelly agate, quartz crystals, amethyst, pyrite, etc. Trip leader; Paul Boni. This trip is still in the planning stages, but we are going. Please if you have information about the area call Paul Boni and help us plan. The Creed area is an old and famous mining district. Mine dumps often have amethyst, wire silver (not so often as we would like!), sow belly agate, and other goodies. Last year an operation opened up on one of the mine dumps as a fee dig. If I remember correctly, they were charging by the pound, whatever you collected. I don't have the fee at this time but am working on it. There are also sites nearby which yield quarts crystals, agates, fossils, and other neat stuff. We will spend the long holiday weekend in the area and some can stay a couple extra days if they wish. Camping, motels, and RV parks are available.

July 18 (Sun.) -- Troublesome Creek (near Kremmling, CO, seeking fossil wood. Trip Leader: Bill Eeds. Contact Bill for meeting time and location. Troublesome Creek is host to a very nice black fossilized wood with a tan weathering rind. The wood is attractive as specimens and is also a quality lapidary material. Bill has cut some very nice cabochons and has set a few in silver. This will be a day trip. Driving time is about two hours, each way.

August 6 (Fri.) and/or 7 (Sat.) – Phoenix Gold Mine (fee) Tour (Idaho Springs, CO)(cosponsored by Grace Evangelical Free Church). Trip Leader: Ray Horton. There will be gold panning after the tour. Hard hats and gold pans will be provided. Bring wading boots and a ziplock bag or small bottle if you want to pan for gold. The temperature in the mine will be ca. 45 degrees– bring warm clothing. Bring your own flashlight if you wish, but there is electricity in the mine. Picture-taking is encouraged both inside and outside the mine. Gold ore specimens, books by mine owner Al Mosch, and other items may be purchased at the mine. Al will autograph the books, if you like. Call Ray at 303-442-7886 before Tuesday, Aug. 4 to reserve a place. (Leave a message including the number in your party if he's not there). Meet at the Idaho Springs Visitor Center between 1 and 1:45 p.m. Cars will leave for the mine at 1:45. Any car in good condition with good tires should be able to make the trip. Mark your car with a ribbon to identify yourself as part of the group. Tour prices: Adults $10, Seniors $8, Kids under 12 $5, Panning only: $5, Severely handicapped free. We'll get a group discount if there are 15 or more people. Attendees will also receive a 15% discount on pizza at Beau Jo's and a 10% discount at the Ice Cream Store in Idaho Springs.

August 12-15 (Thurs.-Sun.) – The Contin-Tail (Buena Vista, CO) & Mt Antero (Aug 14), seeking aquamarine, smoky quartz, microcline, topaz, & phenakite. Trip leader: Paul Boni. The Contin-Tail Show is one of the highlights of the year. If you have never been, you should try to make it. It is a rock and mineral show, similar to all the other shows one can attend... except that is held outdoors and includes a lot of rockhounds who dig and sell their own stuff. It's a lot of fun, a gorgeous mountain setting, with everything a rockhound could want. The show is held at the Buena Vista rodeo grounds. Camping at the rodeo grounds is free and there are porta-potties in good numbers. Motels and restaurants are available in town and the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs is just down the road. Nearby collecting sites include Ruby Mountain, Calumet Iron Mine, a brachiopod site south of Salida, and others.

Mt Antero: We will have a collecting trip up Mt.Antero on Saturday, Aug 14. Meet in front of the concession stand at the rodeo grounds at 7 a.m. sharp. It's early, but there is no other way. The weather can close in very quickly and afternoon thunderstorms are not to be ignored up there. Low range 4-wheel drive is required. The road is a moderate and technical 4-wheel drive road. If you have problems with altitude and narrow roads with steep drop-offs, this trip is not for you. Good hiking boots (absolutely no sneakers!), hardhats, eye protection, rain gear, proper clothing, jacket or parka, food and water are required. Children must stay with parents at all times. Participants must be in good physical condition.

Aug. 28 -- Hahn's Peak (CO), seeking Quartz Crystals. Trip Leader: Melinda Thompson. Contact Paul Boni for information. Meet at 9 a.m.(allow 5 hours driving time from Boulder to the meeting place) at Steamboat Lake State Park Visitor Center. Four-wheel drive is required to access the collecting site. We will carpool from the meeting place. If you will need a ride to the collecting site, mention this when you pre-register.

This site produces some very nice quartz specimens. Crystals range in size from itsy bitsy cute little things to finger sized. They occur singly or as

clusters, on a quartzite matrix or loose. The site is right at timberline and the scenery is breathtaking. Camping is available at Steamboat Lake, a state-run campground. The campground is very popular so reserve your site early! There is also plenty of national forest for those who prefer more primitive accommodations. Due to the long drive and the meeting time of 9 a.m., it is suggested that one camp in the area or book a motel room in Steamboat Springs. You will need: Hard hats for the slide area, sturdy hiking boots, pick, shovel, hammers, pry bars, chisels, screwdrivers, spray bottle, etc OR you may surface collect. Special Instructions: Everyone must call Paul or e-mail Melinda to register for this trip. Children under 12 must be under the constant supervision of an adult. We don't want anyone to fall off the mountain. You will get more information and directions to the meeting place when you call or e-mail.

Sept. 11-12 – McCoy (CO), seeking fossils: crinoids, brachiopods, gastropods, horn corals, and more. Trip leader: Dennis Gertenbach. McCoy is famous for Pennsylvanian marine fossils. The area abounds with crinoids, brachiopods, and horn corals. Also found are shark teeth, bivalves, and other sea creatures from 300 million years ago. This is a great trip for kids. We plan to visit several locations in the area, each with different fossils to find. The fossils are mostly loose on the ground and will require little or no digging. Plan to bring water, protection from the sun or inclement weather, hiking shoes, rock pick, food, and collecting stuff. McCoy can be hot this time of year, so plan accordingly. (It can also rain or even snow in September, too.)  Parents are responsible for their children.

Participants can plan on joining us just on Saturday or stay overnight and continue hunting on Sunday.  We will visit different areas each day. There is primitive camping in the area (no water or other facilities) or you can stay in a motel in Eagle. The distance from Boulder is about 150 miles. Please contact Dennis Gertenbach to sign up for the trip.  He will provide information about the trip, the meeting times, and detailed directions to the meeting place.

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Updated 5/23/12