Directions: Follow US 97 northwest 14 miles from Madras as indicated in Gem Trails and watch for the sign to Ashwood. Turn south on Pony Butte Road which winds through the hills for 15 miles to hte village. In 2008 the Rockstock site was on the Friend ranch, marked by a temporary sign about 1 mile before reaching Ashwood.
Google Map
Date: May 2008
Notes: At present most of the Ashwood sites are on private ranches and most are open only for escourted outings in conjunction with Ashwood Rockstock events and the Prineville and Madras annual Rockhound Pow Wows. Recent Rockstocks have been scheduled over Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day weekends. Check their website for dates: http://www.ashwoodrockstock.com. The standard Rockstock charge is $1/lb for whatever you take.
We went for the 2008 Memorial Day Rockstock and despite bad weather that closed Marstens and some other sites, we came away with awesome rock. At McDonalds in addition to some very nice wood, we obtained about 25 lb of beautiful angel wing agate from a newly opened vein. At Friends we bought some red and green “apple” agate. Others braved the mud to dig out Friends thunder eggs.
We also picked up about 50 lbs of Priday Polka-Dot agate, including some ice blue. This quarry is nearby but not specifically part of the Rockstock. Priday agate runs $2 to $3/lb.
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