"Glad you had a great time! :-) I'm a huge fan of the Franklin area myself, I've been going up about every other weekend or so this season. You may have seen my mining page for the area on the North Carolina page here- http://pakasdollmaker.com/gemmining.html My personal favorite is Cherokee Ruby Mine, because of the quality of the gems (totally native, too), and because the family who runs it are about the nicest folks you'll ever meet (I was actually up there working at the mine last weekend to help them out as they were shorthanded and the gem show was going on). But there are many fun mines in the area, and lots of other great stuff to do!"

"Too hot to have 20 people climbing hills looking for crystals in BC ... but we're doing it anyway! Will be ready for a cold one by the time I reach Wenatchee. Fortunately, our route follows a couple major rivers. I predict wet rockhounds.
Bob"

"Sorry this is kind of late to be posting. I upload 10 pictures in the Gallery last night of some rough material I collected on my trip. Met up with Livy and David on saturday at glass butte. Dug with them on saturday and stayed at that area on sunday and Monday also. Got some nice stuff, but really will not know for sure how good it is until I start working it.

It was really nice meeting Livy and David a great couple who are really into the rock hunting hobby.

I left glass butte on tuesday late morning and drove down to Lakeview. Stayed in a motel to get cleaned up and headed down to Lassen creek wednesday morning. Met a few people at the camp site and took them up to the Electric Blue area for some digging. Did a few test holes and settled for one that someone esle had really under cut bad. Took about a hour and half to get it squared up and ready to start digging. I was getting about 50% color, which is the best I have every done there. Usually it is one in 10 or 15 stones that will have color. The next day same hole different people on eighter side of me. I helped them more than doing any digging myself, but still came up with a few 5 gal buckets worth. On Saturday had 15 or 20 people there so did no digging myself, just helping other where I could, loaning tools, subbing rocks and looking for color, showing how to best dig and get the material out. End of the day I wound up giving away 3/4 of the stuff I had dig because others did not find any Blue or had kind of poor stuff. lots of green was showing up very little blue. Although the green can be nice also on it's own.

Any way had a great time and met alot of wonderful people. The rendezous had probably 50 or 60 people there. Hard to tell because they where coming and going all the time.

When I get some of the material worked up I will post the photo's

Glen"

"Another good sealer is made by diluting white glue 50/50 with water. Just brush it on gently, seals the carbon surface and stabilizes the rock as well.
Bob"

"Darn my knee!
I had a pile of what i was calling "junk rock" in m yard.. upon closer inspection they are all this pseudomorph stuff and frankly quite crazy looking..
"