2013 was a real mixed year for members of RHS1. Some just weren’t able to get out much. Some had the best year ever.  A few of our members who were on the go have some pics to share with you of their favorite finds for the year so just sit back and enjoy their success for a few minutes. I’ve got some great pics and stories for ya here.

I’m going to start off with member Keystonecops’  find from Memorial day weekend, which I posted about before. It turned out to be his personal favorite find this year. If you read that post, you’ll see I really teased the guys pretty hard……but facts being facts, those guys find some pretty marvelous stuff and this picture will testify to that fact:

Petrified Wood – Central Oregon,  Finder: RHS1 member Keystonecops

RHS1 member, Drocknut stumbled into our forum at around this time last year. She hunted several states this year, and I wish I knew the description of her car so I could warn you not to follow her real closely. Her car makes frequent stops in rocky territory. In retrospect, one of us could have made some good money putting together a pool bet on how many stops she’d make on her way between Arizona and Montana.  Drocknut told me that she’s got several favorites, some in storage at the moment, but one particular geode she found stands out as her pick for her favorite find of 2013.

Geode,  Dugway Geode Beds, Utah, Finder:  RHS1  member  Drocknut

My Niece, RHS1 member Hotrocks, came up to visit me at every chance she got over this last year. We had some very successful hunts (a few thank you’s to RHS1 member CCanfield for a few of them) throughout 2013. The hunt that produced her favorite find for the year, a plumy, mossy agate, was our trip to my favorite spot at the Prineville Reservoir, where she picked up this little gemstone – not the biggest of the trip, and the pic doesn’t do it justice, I don’t feel. It’s a bit more translucent in person – but that’s how it is with a lot of pictures. We deal with it. Jessie is a tad fickle, so once she gets the pile of all her 2013 rocks cut, she might just change her mind, but for now – this is it. It’s cut in half, and both sides are great, but very different from each other.  How she got that cut is a mystery to me.

Plumy agate, Prineville Reservoir, Central Oregon, Finder: RHS1 member  Hotrocks:

RHS1 member, High Desert Hound, is pretty serious about his rock hounding. When asking him for a picture, he couldn’t decide on a favorite – but admitted being partial to thundereegs and geodes.  This year he was invited to the Black Rock Desert with the Reno Gem and Mineral Society.  It was an excitingly successful trip for him, so he’s giving  us a taste of his favorite hunt of 2013.

Reno Gem and Mineral Society Black Rock Desert Trip:

Raw Geodes/Teggs, Black Rock Desert, NV, Finder:  RHS1 member High Desert Hound:

Here’s how his bounty from the trip looks after he got done with them.

Sliced Geodes/Thundereggs, Black Rock Desert, NV,  Finder: RHS1 member High Desert Hound:

RHS1 member, Nate, is our go-to guy if you want to know about hunting petrified wood, especially in Central Oregon.  From the looks of the pics he sent me, though, he seems to have a knack for it when he gets away from his more familiar stomping grounds, too.

Not sure whether the stone in the first pic is what he wanted to show off or if it’s the gem sitting beside it, his daughter, Kaisey.  I’ve been in the field with her, and she’s more than a pretty face.  She’s got her dad’s talent for finding the keepers.

Petrified Log, Central Oregon,  Finder: RHS1 member Nate:

Petrified Wood (Gary Green Jasper), McDermitt, OR, Finder: RHS1 member Nate:

The reasons our favorite finds are our favorites are many.  RHS1 member, Tylers had this to tell me about his contribution to our favorites:

I have to be honest, my son found this agate.  But it was found on a much needed family vacation.  He was so excited (elated might be a better word) about his find I think that it was the the best rock of the year for me and my clan.  Not because of the size or quality, because of the memories that are attached to it.

I have to say, Tyler – with those words in mind, it might just be a lot of people’s favorite find once they see Landon’s expression of pride in the pic below. It really is a nice stone, Landon:

Agate, location undisclosed, Finder: RHS1 member Tylers’ son, Landon:

And Lastly, but I hope not least, are my favorite finds of 2013.  I had a pretty great year here in Central Oregon, both with friends and just on my own with my rock hound, Ricky.  I couldn’t decide between the agates from an outcrop I discovered on a random trip out or the thunderegg I dug up at a dig another member pointed me to so here’s a sample of both, with a thanks to both Clayton and Dean who cut them for me.

Green moss agate, Ochoco Mountains, Oregon,  Finder: RHS1 admin HeySal:

Pink Moss Thunderegg, Ochoco Mountains, OR, Finder: RHS1 admin HeySal

I’d also like to take this opportunity to say Goodbye to my loyal loving rock hound pal who took his leave to the great hunting grounds in the sky in November.  He left on the last good day of the year after a short outing to a local pond.  Ricky was a rescue that was dying of cancer with only around a month or two left when we met.  I was able to kill the cancer and give the old guy and I a few last years together which we spent roaming the hills and countryside of three states, sometimes with the members of RHS1, who we had some very special good times with.  I knew when I met and healed him that we only had limited time, but the love wasn’t limited, and we made the most of that time.  Ricky was somewhere between 16 and 18 when he died.

Goodbye Ricky. I miss you, buddy.  See ya on the other side…but not just yet.