prospectors, amateur geologists, fossil hunters, rockhounds?

[mulderitsme]

I love gemstones, minerals, and fossils (especially megalodon and other shark teeth). Along with gardening, they've recently become an interest of mine. Any one else have the same interest? Any spots in California you're willing to share about? Tips?

I know gold is everywhere, where and how to look for it, however, it's on the backburner for me (not that I wouldn't love to find some gold). There's a garnet spot nearby I have yet to go to and I know there is Shark Tooth Hill in Bakersfield, however that's about $70 per person, a bit of a drive, and too much digging in hard dirt for me. I don't mind digging, but that's a little intense for me at this point in time. I might just be outta luck considering my location. If only I lived in North Carolina, I could walk down river beds and find teeth

[Lindsaylew82]

We do a family vacation every year to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As far back as I can remember, my aunts and Nanny would take us kids out in the evening low tide to look for Sharks' teeth. My 5 year old found a really nice one last year. Great fun for kids and adults, too!

[HoneyBerry]

I used to collect rocks. My Dad got me into it. He had a friend who called himself a 'rock hound'. He gave me some obsidian, black and shiny with sharp edges. My Dad traveled for his job and when he was away, he would bring me rocks from where ever he had been. So I ended up with a sizable collection of rocks. He brought me some petrified wood from California. I think it was from the Redwood Forest. I found a big piece of rose quartz on the beach once. I realized many years later that my Dad probably strategically planted it so that I would find it. It wasn't the sort of rock that one would typically find on that beach. I had some small stuff - a shark's tooth, gold ore, agates, fossils, etc. I carried that rock collection with me for a long time into my adulthood. It was heavy to cart around, but was special to me. So many memories of my Dad were in those rocks. Finally one day I gave it to my neighbor Marcy. She was about 7 at the time.
I have only a few rocks now - purple amesthyst (don't think that's spelled right), some river rocks and a small piece of raw opal.
I love geodes. I heard there are some around Mt St Helens, in Washington, but I have never been geode hunting before.
I am thinking about doing some rock painting. Not bright colors or thick heavy paints, but rather letting the natural shape of the rock determine the result. It's hard to describe. I can post some examples if you are interested.

[mulderitsme]

We do a family vacation every year to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina...

That sounds awesome! I'd love to visit Myrtle Beach in the future, seems beautiful. I've visited California's northern coast and lived in the central coast for a short period of time and I never had success finding shark's teeth on the beach. I did always find sand dollars, though

[mulderitsme]

I found a big piece of rose quartz on the beach once.... I am thinking about doing some rock painting.

I was gonna say how lucky you were to find rose quartz on the beach because I've never known rose quartz to be found there lol. How sweet of your dad to do that. Yeah I would love to see some examples!

[HoneyBerry]

I want to clarify that I haven't done any rock painting yet. But I want to. I want to do a painted rock version of the Cheshire Cat first and set it up on a branch in the tree in my backyard. I haven't figured out how to get a painted rock like that to stay put on the tree branch without hurting the tree. I don't want it to fall on someone's head! The Cheshire Cat is the only colorful rock painting that I want to do. There is a particular rock painting style that I am interested in doing. The colors and themes blend with nate, with a garden. I was inspired by some painted rocks that I found on a blog. The artistry is fantastic. I am not sure if I may share that blog with you here. The painted rocks were for sale in Vancouver at a gallery. That was quite a while ago. I don't know if the painted rocks are still at that gallery or not. I found the blog earlier today but not the pictures of the painted rocks. I will look for them and let you know if I find them. I am trying to find something that I landed on years ago.

[HoneyBerry]

I found the blog. I would be happy to post a link if the HG gurus will allow it. Otherwise, I guess I could do it by PM.

[imafan26]

Around here there isn't any gold. Shark teeth, sea shells, obsidian, olivene are pretty common though We can get some lava rock but we use it mostly for mounting plants. Anthuriums and bonsai are the most common uses for it. Driftwood is not as easy to find any more. Neither is the good seaweed but if I can find pieces it is good for mounting orchids, small bromeliads, and tillandsia.

[ButterflyLady29]

I've seen some lovely rock paintings but not in the style you wrote about. These were silhouettes on picture jasper. Something like a cowboy on a horse in what looks like a canyon, or a tree on what looks like a riverbed.

BLM lands are always good places to rockhound. On a trip to Colorado we picked up several buckets full of rocks.

I want to visit the diamond field in Arkansas. No time or money this year, maybe next year.

Hubby hates it when I do any digging in the yard. I leave pots with rocks in them all over the place. They have to be washed before I know if I want to keep any of those rocks or not. I'm always searching through the big garden for pretty stones after I've tilled it. I found an arrowhead in it as well as several marbles.

But my big attraction is carved stones. I've got several small animal figurines carved out of various materials.