Angling for Acton Agates

Dear Blog!

Wednesday, March 2, 2016, was our last full day in Acton. On Tuesday, we had a great hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. On Wednesday, we were looking for something a little less ambitious, but would still gets us out and about. We checked the website we found last month while in Quartzsite - FindingRocks.com. The Acton, California area is famous for its Agates. Perhaps we could find a few specimens to go with our Newberry Nodules. It seems that we may be developing a new hobby - rock collecting.

We followed the directions on the website and parked along Hubbard Road. There were a few ranches on the left, but the right side of the road was open land. The collecting notes said to walk up the hill and begin collection.

We didn't have to go far before we began seeing lots of really cool specimens. Our hands were soon full, so we began putting rocks in our pockets and backpacks. We decided to gather as much as we could and then reconvene and go over what we found to see what we would bring home. Here is Kathy scouting the wash.

After several passes up and down the hillside, it was time to pool our findings and "draft" the best of the lot. Here are the agates that made the final cut.

Here are a couple of our favorites. This is just too cool because it has the white quartz and the clear crystals in the same specimen.

This little guy is full of copper, giving it a really green look.

This little conglomerate is just chock-a-block full of the world's smallest geodes!

We picked this cat's eye for Baxter and Flip.

This little agate shows the quartz crystals and banding that made Acton Agates so collectible.

Rock collectors come in several models:

- The rockhound is the most familiar: someone who enjoys hunting for unusual, rare or valuable minerals in organized group trips to mines. Rockhounds swap specimens with other collectors and may sell small amounts of material. Some tend to acquire piles of "bulk rough" that they may process later, but others may maintain exquisite cabinets of fine mounted minerals. They are hobbyists who may graduate to become dealers.

- The lapidary collects rocks to make things with them. I would include faceters in this category too: people who cut crystals and gemstones into jewelry makings. They are hobbyists who may graduate to become artisans.

- Another would be the jackdaw, named for the crowlike bird that gathers shiny objects in its nest. The jackdaw rock collector likes pretty rocks and often decorates with them.

There is no room in the RV for exquisite cabinets of fine mounted minerals, nor are we likely to become artisans. That leaves the jackdaw. We're just looking for shiny objects to line our nest!