South Dakota 2005

Once again its time for our annual trip to South Dakota. Club members usually head out
the weekend before Memorial Day. We don't really have a schedule. We just like to stop
along the way to some of our favorite and proven sites to find those famous Fairburns
that everybody is always talking about. Ok that would be us talkin'!
Our first stop the weta beds, just outside of Kadoka, South Dakota. We only have 4 hours
here. We want to make it on into Wall before dark. Were meeting up with the rest of the
club members for the Fairburn rock swap in Rapids City in the morning. We'll stop back
here again on our way home.

We ran into Roger Clark at
the Fairburn rock swap. This
is the rock swaps first year.
Got to see the famous
Fairburn that Roger owns,
and a Tee pee Canyon Sphere.

Sandy got about 20ft. from the truck and found this Fairburn. Someone
must have dropped it. It had been hammered, but hey it's a Fairburn.

We got out of the truck and got our gear. All of us headed out. Miles and
miles of open range to hunt.
Here is Shirley blessing our hills. She has been coming out to this site for
the 20 plus years. We call this hill, Ebbe Hill

Roger, Cindy and
Don talkin' rock at
the rock swap.

Some of the Fairburns
at the rock swap

Dave talkin' rock with
another rockhound at
the rock swap.

On collecting day 2, we all met at the visitors center in
Wall. Sandy took this picture from the truck while
some of the club members charted our course for the
day. Which Way Do We Go!!!!!!

We all agreed to set course for Quinn. Its not to far from
Wall. About 7 miles or so.

Sandy and Shirley found a
Fairburn at Quinn. We
spent most of the day here.

Far out on the open range. There was an area that all the
rock had moss on them. Sandy picked up some rounder
shaped ones for her grand daughter Kaycee. When she got
home, her and Kaycee started cleaning the rocks. Soon
Kaycee gave up cleaning and told her granny she could
have the rest. So of course Sandy finished cleaning the
moss off. Much to her surprise There was a black and
white Fairburn. Very happy Kaycee didn't see this one or
she would have kept it. (Kaycee likes the lacy ones) *The
moral of the story; When Shirley says we need to clean
the rocks after collecting in the kitchen of the motel, we
should do it!

On collecting day 3, we set out to walk the Cheyenne
River to look for agates. We went straight north of Wall
about 25 miles. One of the members had obtained
permission to go on some private land. It was hike down
to the river, but it was warm and sunny. We could not
have asked for a better collecting day on the river.
So off we went. We were out on the river about 45 mins.
Some of the members were 1/4 mile down the river in
both directions, and here came a storm. As the sky
rumble, we made are way back to the trucks. By the
time we got back to our vehicles, the storm passed. The
horses were standing out in the field, not bothered by
the storm at all.

Doug stopped to pull a
prairie agate out of the
graded road.

Don sporting sunny
goggles

On collecting day 4 We went out to Rail Road Buttes. We only spent a
few hours out there. Bad weather was moving in. You don't want to
be off road when it gets wet, many collectors have been stranded out
in the middle of no where.

Storms a comin' Too late Dave you're wet.

Our last day collecting we went up in the hills to Custer, to look
for Teepee Canyon Agate. Dave found a cute little nodule with
some patterns. Shirley and Sandy found them growing under a
tree. There was enough to fill a bucket. We spent all day
collecting.