[Rockhounds] 2007 KY Fluorite Fieldtrip Reports - Part 1 (was: Got Fluorite?)

[Nathan Martin]

Kreigh,
Thanks for the kind words.  As for a trip report, I sent a series of email
messages back to the Boston Mineral Club email list last year.  I'll dig
them up and send them out over the next few days just to give people a
better idea as to what the trip is like.  Here is the first installment:

------------message from 10/5/2007-------------
Hello BMC,
I thought I'd send out periodic reports on the progress of the KY fluorite
fieldtrip.  Its Thursday night and I'm staying in Jasper, Indiana.  I took
the long way to Marion so that I could collect at the famous geode locality
on State Road 37 just north of the turnoff to Harrodsburg, IN.  This
locality has 3 benches and geode layers are evident on various levels up the
face.  For a collector born in Indiana this is a must visit locality and I
had never before been there so this had to be the day.

This morning I was visiting my son, his wife and my 5 month old grandson in
Columbus, OH so I didn't exactly get an early start.  I didn't get to the
roadcut until about an hour before sunset.  There is plenty of room to park
right by the cut on the southbound side and I pulled up to a promising spot
where geodes were clearly visible in the wall above.

Many parts of the roadcut have been severely undercut by generations of
previous collectors but I was able to climb up about 10 ft to get to a geode
layer.  I mainly salvaged geode halves left in the wall by previous
collectors but I did also work a few small geodes out of the productive
layer.  I was a little cautious because my car was right below me and I
really didn't want to bring any major rocks crashing down on my wheels.  By
the time I had figured out how to efficiently work the rock the light was
gone and I gingerly worked my way back down to the car.  At least I now have
some specimens from this classic locality.  Next time I'll bring a ladder!!

Tomorrow its on to Marion, KY and then across the Ohio River to Cave-in-Rock
to scout out localities for our Sunday and Tuesday collecting.

If you are bored by these reports just delete them and accept my apology.
If you find them interesting....stay tuned.

best regards,
Nate Martin

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 10:25 PM, Kreigh Tomaszewski <Kreigh at tomaszewski.net
> wrote:

> Hey List,
>
> A year ago I drove 18 hours (one way) to be able to join Nate and the
> Boston Mineral Club for a collecting trip that was one of the big the
> highlights of the ten day camping journey/family reunion. I would not have
> gone without the collecting opportunity.
>
> I'm sorry that previous family commitments will prevent me from seriously
> considering this trip. I sure would like to go. The Boston club rocks!
>
> Thank you Nate for remembering the List. I'll be looking for your trip
> report.         ;-}
>
> Kreigh
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, Sep 17, 2008, at 08:52 America/Detroit, Nathan Martin wrote:
>
>  This is an invitation to anyone on the Rockhounds mailing list to join a
>> Boston Mineral Club fieldtrip to Marion, KY over the Columbus Day weekend
>> (Oct 11th to 13th).  We will be collecting at the Eureka, Columbia and
>> Mary
>> Belle mines near Marion, KY with the permission of the Ben Clement Mineral
>> Museum.  This is different from the museum's monthly schedule of trips in
>> that they will be doing some special excavating for us at a location near
>> the Eureka Mine that we identified as promising during our trip their last
>> year (I took out 20 decent fluorite specimens within 6" of the surface).
>> There will be a fee to help cover the costs of the excavation in addition
>> to
>> the museums normal $20/day/bucket collecting fee.  All proceeds from this
>> special fieldtrip will go to support the museum - a very worthwhile cause!
>>
>> This will be my 5th trip to Marion, KY and I will be driving 1200 miles
>> one
>> way to get there.  That alone should be enough to tell you that I think
>> the
>> collecting will be worthwhile.  Trip attendees will also be given
>> directions
>> to some Indiana geode localities as well as KY and IN fossil localities
>> that
>> can be visited either on the way out or on the way home.
>>
>> Some of our members will be flying out for this.  Southwest Airlines (2
>> checked bags free) flys into Nashville, TN which is about 2.5 hours drive
>> south of Marion, KY.  I have done this twice and it is a reasonable way to
>> go.  Those of us who drive will have heavy tools to share with those who
>> have luggage constraints.
>>
>> If you have any interest in this trip please email me off list and I will
>> provide you with the complete details.
>>
>> best regards,
>> Nate Martin
>> Lexington, MA
>>
>>
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