Root Farm Rockhounding Fest

This morning the Santa Lucia Rockhounds conducted their June 2014 field trip for which I was appointed coordinator as our president was occupied with grandfatherly duties elsewhere. We visited (with a warm invitation) the Root Farm east of Paso Robles. This was my third visit here but it was the first visit for most of our guests today as all but five (myself being one of that quintet) were newer or even brand new members. While the ongoing drought caused the creek (images above and below) which is the focus of this adventure each time it occurs to have gone un-scoured yet another year and brush to have continued to overgrow the bed a great time was nonetheless had by all.

Here is Dr. Tom "Geode Killer" Wylie working some gravel next to me and a newer member. What can be found here is agate/chalcedony, quartz-chalcedony nodules, petrified whale bone, petrified wood, arrowheads, and assorted other Chumash artifacts and antiquey items like old glass bottles. For a glance at one of my previous adventures there go HERE.

In the recently plowed field adjacent to the creek I found this fire ring stone still stained by carbon all these centuries later.The Root Farm is built on the same location as a Chumash camp was once located. Both habitations were located here due to the presence of a year-round spring.

I also found my prize of the day in the same recently-plowed field: this Chumash stone pestle. I also found a part of an agate and quartz geode or nodule that had been split which I summarily gave to a family who just joined the club so they can tumble it with other things they found.
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).