From the category archives:

California - Southern

Vidal Junction (S CA Site 20)

by JerryMarch 29, 2012 California - Southern

Directions: The site we visited was a couple miles north of the chalcedony site Mitchell describes. It is a designated rockhound area on the Parker District BLM map. At about 11 miles from Vidal Junction watch for BLM road 642 or a mile north road 634. Road 642 is the better road, you will need [...]

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Lake Havasu (S CA Site 23)

by JerryMarch 7, 2012 California - Southern

Directions: This site is not the “agate hill” that Mitchell describes and that is under claim by the Needles Gem and Mineral Society, but it is nearby, so I am listing it here. We found information and directions for the site we visited on the BLM map for the Parker, AZ, area. Follow Lake Havasu [...]

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Turtle Mountains (S CA Site 22)

by JerryMarch 7, 2012 California - Southern

Directions: For starters, Turtle Mountain Road is 26 miles north of Vidal Junction and the south side of the sign post says Indian Trail. But the road is hard to miss. It is also BLM road 434. There is a good camp site at 6 miles where the road crosses Chemehuevi Wash. There is no [...]

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Yermo (SoCal, Region 3, Site 47)

by pshiromaNovember 22, 2011 California - Southern

Directions: Mitchell’s map is fine.
Date: November, 2011
Site Notes: We skipped sites A and B and were going to head up to sites C and D. However, after making the left hand turn to the west of the dump, I began to notice a lot of large agates in the road bed and in the wash, [...]

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Hector Hills (S CA Region 2, Site 34)

by pshiromaJune 5, 2011 California - Southern
Thumbnail image for Hector Hills (S CA Region 2, Site 34)

Over the Memorial Day weekend we visited the Hector Hills location. Mitchell’s map is fine although the site is expansive and takes more time than we had available.
The road heading south from 66 that eventually connects to the Hector Mine is a well maintained county road fully passable by standard passenger cars. For those without [...]

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Lavic Jasper (S CA Region 2, Site 33 B)

by pshiromaJune 5, 2011 California - Southern
Thumbnail image for Lavic Jasper (S CA Region 2, Site 33 B)

We visited site B of the Lavic entry on Monday, May 30.
Mitchell’s map is fine although note that the rail road crossing no longer exists. The road is well maintained and passable by standard passenger vehicles.
Due to some mechanical issues with my car, we only went part of the way down Lavic road and stayed [...]

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Newberry Nodules and Agate (SoCal, R2, Site 36)

by pshiromaFebruary 21, 2011 California - Southern

Directions: The map will get you to the general location without issue. See notes section below.
Date: February 21, 2011
Notes: We were back in the Barstow area visiting another site and stopped at this location for about an hour. That’s simply not enough time to properly look through the area. Also, on further inspection, I realized [...]

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Field Road (SoCal, Site 50)

by pshiromaJanuary 30, 2011 California - Southern

Date of Visit: January 29, 2011
Directions: The location is easy to reach and the map is fine. We visited Site A.
Notes: As the book states, Site A is expansive. We parked at the end of the paved road and walked east towards the wash, going approximately 150 yards from where we parked. After all the [...]

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Jacumba Minerals (S CA Site 1)

by JerryJanuary 11, 2011 California - Southern

Directions: This site is easy to find. In-Ko-Pah is Exit 77 on I-8 at 3000 feet in the western Jacuma Mountains. From the end of the road you can drive another tenth of a mile before parking. There was a recent model trailer set up along side the road to Site B, but it appeared [...]

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Acton (SoCal R4, Site 66, Site C)

by pshiromaSeptember 6, 2010 California - Southern

Directions: Map will get you there without issue.
Date: September 6, 2010
Notes: On Hubbard Road, approximately 3/4ths of a mile from Escondido Canyon Road there is a dirt road leading north from Hubbard road into the low hills. At least one rockhounding site I visited indicated that this dirt road is passable for standard passenger [...]

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