Most months the club plans field trips to the coast, desert, and other interesting places where fascinating stones and minerals can be found, collected and or worked for tumbling, cutting and polishing. We offer day trips and overnighters for both the novice and experienced rockhound. Our field trips are great fun for the entire family.    Times and dates are posted in our monthly newsletter.

FGMS Field Trip, Saturday, April 9, 2011
Rainbow Ledge jasp-agate claim & 
Sierra Pelona travertine claim, Mojave Desert

     Rainbow Ledge, oftentimes mistakenly called Rainbow Ridge, is the name of the claim held by the Indian Wells Gem & Mineral Society. It is located approximately 15 miles south of Inyokern, Ca. and has been well a know collecting site for over 50 years. Because of greed shown in the past, the claim is closed to the general public, and collecting is allowed only on hosted trips. High clearance vehicles are recommended, but not necessary if driven carefully. 
     The material at the claim is a jasp-agate in a rainbow of pastel colors. Also found is a yellow and gunmetal blue with dendrites. Much of the material has vugs of druze quartz crystals - there are boulders there where half one side is covered in quartz druze.
This is a physically demanding site, the hill steep and covered with very sharp rocks. The best material is found at the top of the hill, but good material can be found at the base, without making the climb up the hill. The scenery is fantastic! 
     Due to the challenging desert terrain and sharp rocks, this is not a child friendly site. 
     The second stop of the day will be the Sierra Pelona travertine onyx claim, east of Aerial Acres, Ca. Owned by the Sierra Pelona Gem & Mineral Society, the claim has some of the best travertine onyx to be found, ranging from softer calcite onyx to highly silicified onyx. Opalized areas aren't uncommon, and calcite crystals may be found on some chunks & boulders. The colors are vivid & varied, making this a premium cutting material.
     The terrain at this site is flatter desert, and the best material may require digging in open shallow trenches. Crowbars, gads, chisels & sledges are recommended. Agate, chalcedony & jasper are also found at this site. 
We'll depart the FGMS Studio at 6am sharp, and meet behind the Market on the southwest corner of Inyokern & Brown Roads. We plan to leave at approximately 10am. Karl Zellner, field trip chairman for the IWGMS, will be leading us to Rainbow Ledge, and we hope to have members from IWGMS & other CFMS Societies in attendance.

We're looking for this:

We'll depart the FGMS Studio at 6am sharp, and meet behind the Market on the southwest corner of Inyokern & Brown Roads. We plan to leave at approximately 10am. Karl Zellner, field trip chairman for the IWGMS, will be leading us to Rainbow Ledge, and we hope to have members from IWGMS & other CFMS Societies in attendance.      We'll plan on leaving Rainbow Ledge between 1:00 - 2:00pm, and proceed to the Sierra Pelona claim. Latest suggested departure from the Sierra Pelona is sunset, approximately 7:30pm. If attendees find time and desire more collecting, there are additional sites nearby.      We're planning to take several large double cab 4 wheel drive vehicles, and encourage FGMS members desiring to share rides to contact the trip leaders as soon as possible, since we're trying to travel like sardines to share gas costs. Please RSVP if you plan to attend this trip.      To RSVP for more information on this trip, call Kris Rowe at 250-5057, or Jerry Wells at 227- 4289.