Rockhounding and hiking near Cleveland, Georgia, and spotted this black bear. Believe this is the same bear we spotted the day prior. Noticed that he was wearing a collar, so assuming this black bear is tracked by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Rockhound sites in Georgia are plentiful and vast. American Geode is camped out near Dahlonega, Georgia (site of America’s first Gold Rush), for the next few months. American Geode will chronicle all the rockhound adventures, gem and mineral discoveries, and encounters with wildlife (including black bears).
Right now we are exploring the area around our new temporary home. The chiggers, the overgrowth, the mosquitoes, and the ground cover are fierce. We would like to try gold panning, will definitely look for unusual stone formations, and this is an area that should be rich in Native American points and arrowheads. The main photo of this blog is the single arrowhead discovered here a few years back by the property owner. So we have a lot going for us except after 3 trips, I have been able to take some great outdoors photographs, saw a black bear, and are covered in chigger bites.
Nearby by Helen, Georgia are at least two commercial gold panning operations. They have gift shops, outdoors area for panning through soil and sand, and look like great fun for a family. That is an option that would be less pest-infested for certain, but I remain hopeful that this property will offer a treasure. We are also looking into local clubs, but we expect they will be very limited and suspended in field trips, and likely conducting meetings over Zoom.
As always, if anyone has suggestions, comments, or feedback, please directly contact American Geode through the website, http://www.americangeode.com.
While rockhounding and hiking outside Cleveland, Georgia on the morning of August 14, 2020, spotted, and was spotted by, a young black bear. He stared for a little while, I froze, and then he ran off. A magnificent sight to behold!
While rockhounding in Chester, Massachusetts, I discovered a strange Neo-Classical structure out in the middle of the woods. It had a very well manicured base of rocks, almost like an inviting entrance. The doors were stuck so unable to enter from the front. In the back however, there was a missing plank. I stuck in my hand with my cell phone and snapped these pictures.
This is in an area where there were mines long ago, so mayeb this has something to do with the old mines that once flourished in Chester? There is a pit and it was walled off with wooden planks. There were no markings or writings on the walls. Frankly, I am surprised it is still standing.
As always, contact American Geode through the website if you have comments, or can help us identify what in the hell is this little Neo-Classical structure.
Rockhounding in Massachusetts took us to Chester, Massachusetts, the home of many former emery mines. Now we were not searching those old abandoned mines this day, but we had the privilege of exploring private property that was full of outrcrops, even better. The area was in the same general region as the old emery mines that populated Chester back in the early 20th century and the 19th century. That emery mining operation was long gone, but traces and ruins remained. The property where we stayed sat behind a 200 year old farmhouse, and the land had never been explored. American Geode were in heaven. This rockhound adventure was planned well in advance, so we had all the tools, mosquito coils, walking stick, bug spray, and nourishment required to make a long day out rockhounding.
As the photos show, we discovered some great veins of quartz, and a marvelous specimen of calcite or fluorite, we need to examine it more closely once it is cleaned up.
Please look at the other blog entries about rockhounding sites in Massachusetts. We found more than just outcrops.
In summary, we recommend going to Chester, Massachusetts if you keep low and depress your expectations. Emery is not the sexiest mineral to acquire or sell, and we did not find anything wildly extraordinary, but it is a famous locale, and a beautiful part of Massachusetts.
http://www.americangeode.com
As always, contact American Geode through the website for question about rockhound sites in Massachusetts, or any other rockhounding questions.
