Discussion: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs

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syonix	Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jun 30 2008, 11:00 AM EDT I spent the weekend checking out a few sites. I will post the entire trip report this evening .. I started saturday morning going to a site i found on google earth. 46°23'46.59"N 122°41'20.57"W I noticed 2 quarrys and some river and creek access so i thought i'd try my luck. Upon arriving at the first quarry i met a gate and lots of go away signs.. sitting there gathering my maps to get to point B, I met a guy who came flying up towards me on a gold cart very worried. His name was Anthony, and he oversees the warehouser land near salmon creek and this quarry.. he calls it the "Mt St Helens tree farm" .. We spoke for about an hour and the quarrys are still in use and off limits because of tweekers stealing stuff .. but and I got his contact info, and he took me to a private access point to the creek and said im welcome to come back with or without a group and just vie him a call.. I spent an hour in the creek and pulled out some smaller nice super clear agates. He was super cool and a hoot to talk to! It was getting very hot by then on saturday and i was about 300 yards up the creek. the creek was low enough to walk through it in most parts and i didnt have to wade.. I found a few corporlites and some agate.. nothing compared to the quality or size i've been pulling from Adna. After i left this area i headed up 505 to I5 back to the 508 and up towards the books location for Lucas creek. I used the directions from the gem trails book since i didnt bring the directions from here.. looking back that was probably a mistake.. when i arrived to the first place, the road that was meantioned in the book was very over grown, and the trees at the bottom of the hill looked 10 years old, and were very much blocking any creek access. ID ont know about you, but i didnt feel like trying my luck in waste high grass i couldnt see through.. I made it back to the car after wandering down to some old diggings. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
syonix	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jun 30 2008, 11:07 AM EDT After I got back to the car i went down the hill and found the motherlode of people working the creek. I counted 15 cars near the creek access. I spent some time down there with the masses and found a few quarter size clear agates within 10 minutes so the place is still producing .. I didnt much like the screaming kids and someone had a boom box with very load music .. not that idont mind just a little hard to focus with screaming kids and music.. note to self, check other places in the creek. The first bunk location was @ 46°38'53.21"N 122°42'31.37"W and the creek with the people was at 46°39'4.34"N 122°42'13.63"W I left there looking for more booty and found myself up the hill a little bit staring at another locked gate.. When i turned the car around something caught my attention .. sliver and flashy i got out and noticed a frikken nice camera laying in the grass.. whoaman .. someone lost a damn nice 400$ digital camera .. there was 2 piuctures of deer on it but not identiying marks.. I've hit up the craigslist to see if i can find the poor saps whos probably having a terrible day .. the camera looked like it had been there for a couple of days .. it had a slighty bit of dirt on it .. it did not have working batteries but when i put new ones in it fired right up ... I spent another hour around there looking at access points to the creek. I couldnt find one place where there wasnt people working the creek so i'll mark this one off my list.. obviously its still producing if there are that many people around.. I left for Pigeon Springs, and found a nice access point ot the river at approx 46°37'58.61"N 122°36'36.83"W There is a place you can pull off this was the only place i could find on this road to get down to the river not going thru someones property. there is an old muddy road, some trash and steep trail down to the river. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
syonix	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jun 30 2008, 11:11 AM EDT The river itself was going pretty strong and you will have to wade accross it from this point to get anywhere.. expect to get WET.. lol.. reminder, dont put cell phone in pocket, it goes in the backpack ;) I made my way up the creek, it was nice and cold for the time of day and the 100 degree weather.. I made it right across from the road and found a pretty unworked gravel bar.. in just a few minutes i found probably 5 oz or more agates.. nothign special though, nothing worth writing home about.. There is alot more to explore here, but i was getting cold and running out of time.. i was also anxious to find out if i could find the owner of this camera.. while making my way back over the river i found a 2 and a half pounder in the middle of the creek.. its solid white not super pretty but its a large one .. I took a picture of it using the camera, but will have to do again using my own so ican get and post pics.. well it was a fun weekend, alot less or more than i expected in some areas. I wont give directions to the first site becuse its private, but we can go anytime.. the last 2 sites are in the books i think, so use the GPS coords i gave and you should find them easily (though i dont know if youd want to hit up the frist place).. pictures after work tonight.. rock on! Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
pvjjh	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jun 30 2008, 3:59 PM EDT WOW! What a nice weekend and report. Very informative. Will have to put this info on the state site. I look forward to seeing the pics. Keep rockin' man! Paul Post reply Do you find this valuable?
aubreyreynolds9@gmai	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jun 30 2008, 3:59 PM EDT Great information. You are a man of your word. You said that you were going to feed us good information and youkept your word, I enjoyed reading the report. I hope you have even better luck next time. Bill Post reply Do you find this valuable?
syonix	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jun 30 2008, 8:33 PM EDT "Great information. You are a man of your word. You said that you were going to feed us good information and youkept your word, I enjoyed reading the report. I hope you have even better luck next time. Bill" Thanks.. I'll get them pictures up here in a few ... ... also, Reading the directions posted on the wiki to Lucas Creek .. =======they read====== How to get there: Take I-5 to exit 71 (508 Exit) Head east on 508 for 2.4 miles. Turn Left onto Jackson Hwy for 1.8 miles. Turn Right onto North Fork Rd. for 4.9 miles Turn right onto Lucas Creek rd. for 4.1 miles to just before it turns into a gravel road. On your right you will see a gated road. Visit the following site for complete information: ======= I think the gated road right before the gravel is a bust frankly. it's so overgrown and you cant really get to the creek without bushwacking some serious grass and i dont know about you but hot days, grass to your eyeballs and who knows about snakes.. Frankly I would change. Turn right onto Lucas Creek rd. for 4.1 miles to just before it turns into a gravel road. On your right you will see a gated road, Keep going for another couple hundred yards on the gravel road until it dips down and you will see the creek on both sides. From here there is ample oppertunites to dig in or around the creek. If you continue up the gravel road for a half mile there are numerous spots with easy creek access. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
syonix	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 2 2008, 11:29 AM EDT I got a few pictures up finally. I am going to cement that cable in my pc i lose it every other day .. when i get off work i'll put some more up .. they didnt come out well and need to retake .. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
pvjjh	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 2 2008, 10:00 PM EDT Those cables have a tendancy to crawl off if you are not careful. I think they have a mind of their own. Get them pics up. The ones you did post look nice. Very nice report and descriptions. Nice job! Paul Post reply Do you find this valuable?
washatonian	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 2 2008, 10:20 PM EDT It sounds like your adventure paid off digitally. Great report. We will have to hook up for an agate adventure. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
pvjjh	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 2 2008, 10:37 PM EDT "It sounds like your adventure paid off digitally. Great report. We will have to hook up for an agate adventure." Andy you and your agates!! lol How was the last sadle mtn trip?? You hadn't mentioned anything about it, Just curious. Paul Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
TallTomSr	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 2 2008, 11:22 PM EDT Hey all Jake is correct about the Lucas creek site. The first spot where the pavement ends has been hit terribly hard. also alot of the other areas that were put in the book and posted on the other site. That is one reason why I don't post where I go. Some friends of mine went down to Lucas creek recently and said alot of the creek bed had been dug up and not refilled. And the people doing it were from a seattle rock club, so they left and went to another creek I shared with them. It is sad when these things happen. I will probaly run down in a couple of weeks and check for my self but I won't hunt in the posted areas. Tom Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
syonix	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 3 2008, 12:41 AM EDT "Hey all Jake is correct about the Lucas creek site. The first spot where the pavement ends has been hit terribly hard. also alot of the other areas that were put in the book and posted on the other site. That is one reason why I don't post where I go. Some friends of mine went down to Lucas creek recently and said alot of the creek bed had been dug up and not refilled. And the people doing it were from a seattle rock club, so they left and went to another creek I shared with them. It is sad when these things happen. I will probaly run down in a couple of weeks and check for my self but I won't hunt in the posted areas. Tom" There are just piles of rocks on the banks of the creek. it's weird looking .. the creek area i saw had no single rock unturned. Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
pvjjh	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 3 2008, 1:09 AM EDT "There are just piles of rocks on the banks of the creek. it's weird looking .. the creek area i saw had no single rock unturned. " Yikes that is a bummer! Must be a very popular area. Hey I liked your pic of the poop looking thingy. It would make a necklace. lol Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
syonix	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 3 2008, 2:32 AM EDT "Yikes that is a bummer! Must be a very popular area. Hey I liked your pic of the poop looking thingy. It would make a necklace. lol " Yeah im not sure how/if you clean those things up.. i cant imagine you could polish a turd .. lol Tom is so right, I would love to post some other sites i know about, but frankly the best i suppose should be kept out of the public arena.. that's why we get together and go hunting as a group! :-) I cant wait for september and sagebrushminers trip.. i'm saving every penny and ounce of energy :) Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
gromaine3	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 4 2008, 12:23 AM EDT "After i left this area i headed up 505 to I5 back to the 508 and up towards the books location for Lucas creek. I used the directions from the gem trails book since i didnt bring the directions from here.. looking back that was probably a mistake.. when i arrived to the first place, the road that was meantioned in the book was very over grown, and the trees at the bottom of the hill looked 10 years old, and were very much blocking any creek access. ID ont know about you, but i didnt feel like trying my luck in waste high grass i couldnt see through.. I made it back to the car after wandering down to some old diggings." Great report! The reason that overgrown spot is in the book is because it's reliable - and it's reliable because it's overgrown. Plus, it's open. Just about all the easy access spots in this area are either private or wiped out, so that was my reasoning. Plus I couldn't just say "wait for the guy in the golf cart to show up" for access to a private spot. But that is one of the tricks to western Washington collecting - be reasonable, spend time getting to know the area, and keep looking. The other trick, as you say, is "expect to get wet." Just about everything out here is a creek walk. Post reply 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
TallTomSr	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 4 2008, 1:33 AM EDT Hey Guy I wasn't talking about your post. I was talking about the post on anothr rock club site. The seattle club that my freind ran into were very sloppy and left all their diggings in heaps and dig not refill their holes. I hunt the over grown access areas myself. I also know of some good open access areas that are out of the way and do not get much hunting by others. If a person looks and is patient you can find what you are looking for whether it is stones or access. Tom Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
gromaine3	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 4 2008, 2:14 AM EDT Tom: Actually, it's my book. I wrote Gem Trails of Washington... Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
aubreyreynolds9@gmai	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 4 2008, 10:08 AM EDT "Tom: Actually, it's my book. I wrote Gem Trails of Washington..." I haven't got a copy of your book. Is it available on Amazon.com or can I buy directly from a site you have? Also, thanks for joining our WIKI. It always good to have people who are knowledgable about the area. Bill Post reply 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?
aubreyreynolds9@gmai	RE: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs Jul 4 2008, 10:24 AM EDT This is what closes so many sites to the responsible rockhound. It seems that the irresponsible jerks ruin it for everybody else. If a club is doing the damage they need to be reported to AFMS. I enjoy the hobby and I do believe that there is such a thing as a enviromentally sensitive rockhound. Tom, the Georgia mineral council does not post locations for the same reason. Bill Post reply Do you find this valuable?
washatonian	RE: Gem Trails of Washington Jul 4 2008, 10:33 AM EDT "Tom: Actually, it's my book. I wrote Gem Trails of Washington..." Greetings and Happy 4th gromain, Kudo's to you for writing and publishing the book. Need more of your kind. I didn't realise I was so close to a celebrity rockhound.:) Look forward to a time we can meet and share. I'll even buy one of your books if you'll sign it >>>>>>>>>>> :) Rock On Andy Post reply 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?

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Discussion: Trip Report: Lucas Creek, Salmon Creek and Pigion Springs

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