Rockhounding - Follow the Signs 

Shadow says “thanks for watchin’!”

A big thanks to you UP NORTH! Really appreciate your encouragement. I must admit though that as I watch your videos I believe your knowledge is far beyond mine! I love RU-vid for that reason. So much to learn from others and I’m so grateful to everyone who has published videos over the years that have helped me in so many ways. From fixing my fridge to helping with my hobbies like Rockhounding and Astrophotography. Keep up the good work!!!!

Thanks Sterling! It’s crazy how our collections can grow.

Thanks for watching and commenting! A big Great Dane and a Golden Retriever would be great to have around when out rockhounding. Little Shadow is meal size for predators. Lol.

Thanks for watching and commenting! I am making a follow-up video to this video. I went back to where we watched the sunset and did indeed find some really great specimens of Jasper, agates and chalcedony. Good luck hunting in your area. I’m sure you’ll find interesting rocks! There always are!

Thanks for watching and the encouraging comment. Rockhounding is a healthy, fun hobby that anybody can enjoy. I wish you the best!

What a wonderful surprise to find a comment from one of my favorite places in the whole wide world - Australia! I was fortunate to be able to visit your country when I was younger, around 30. I was sent by the company I worked for, but I took extra time to enjoy the beaches and mountains around Sydney. People were awesome and being a lover of nature, I couldn’t get enough of the beauty of it all. I checked out your channel and watched a video and am hooked! Keep up the good work! Thanks for watching and commenting!!!

@@adventuresofshadowdog your very welcome and thank you🍻👍

Thank You Sassy! Appreciate your watching and the nice comment.

@@adventuresofshadowdog you’re most welcome 😊

Thanks Lisa! Hope to see you on future adventures. Take care!

Thanks Jax-rc! Really appreciate your comment.

I’ve thought of that! Lol. Just haven’t figured out how to make one. Good to hear from ya, Mo!

Thank you for the kind comment! Shadow is wagging his tail.

Hi Diana! Shadow is a mix between and Jack Russel Terrier and a Rat Terrier. Both are high energy. HIGH ENERGY! Both are very friendly and loving, but they need A LOT of exercise. Keep that in mind. But if you have the energy to give them the exercise they need, they are WONDERFUL little friends!!!

Thank you, Rose!

Close to Gunlock, Utah. There are multiple cinder cones and lava beds not far. Veyo, Utah is very close and you can Google the Veyo cinder cone (often referred to as Veyo Volcano) and the Santa Clara Cinder Cone (again, often referred to as the Santa Clara Volcano). That will give you a general idea of the geography in the area. Please offer any insights you may have.

Hello David! So, I've learned a lot more about "green" rocks since making this video. In this particular area, the green is primarily Manganese. However, not far from here and one can find Malachite (which is green) and Azurite (which is bluish). And then further up North about 45 miles I have found a different green often associate with lava rock - olivine. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching and leaving such a good question.

Thank You for watching and commenting. I truly appreciate it. I think I see where you are going with your question and point well taken. Thanks for pointing this out and I will take precautions going forward.

Thanks for watching and commenting. I’m typically looking for agates and jaspers to tumble. They are hard and made of silica. The colors of the jaspers are derived from silica being mixed with other minerals and elements. My tumblers are in the garage and with these hard stones, I’ve never had any issues of concern. As for cutting rocks, I always wear a respirator. Please feel free to add any comments if you have further suggestions in this regard. The area in which I live is Southern Utah. It is rich in minerals and there are many old mines that pulled out silver, gold, and copper. The geology is a blender of sorts. The earth has been lifted and twisted in so many ways that one can often find a variety of minerals and rocks. It is an earthquake fault zone and an area of past volcanic activity. I’m getting off topic now. But I wanted to share with you the variety in the geology of the area. Again, thank you for watching and commenting.

@@adventuresofshadowdog Thank you for responding. I'm in Nevada and a lot of the suggested areas in other videos are about an hour drive near former mines. I don't want to bring anything toxic home or waste time on rocks that wouldn't be safe to wear as jewelry as crafting is my main drive for rockhounding.

Yes we have encountered rattlers! I trained shadow with the shock collar to stay away from them. He figured it out real quick and avoids them. I also make sure he gets his annual rattle snake vaccine. That is really important. So far so good and he’s never been bitten. I do worry still, but I’ve taken the precaution of training him and vaccinating him. We go out a lot and he’s 5 years old now. Check out the vaccine. That gives me a lot of peace of mind. Hope this helps.

Hi @FAMILYFUN! What you want to look for is Silica deposits. Quartz, Agates, Jaspers, Chalcedony, and many gems such as Amethyst are all formed from and comprised of predominantly Silica. Typically, water mixed with Silica washes into cavities and crevices where there is/was geothermal activity. Over time the silica layers and with heat and pressure starts to form quartz. Chalcedony, Agates and Jaspers are microcrystalline quartz. Under more heat and pressure it will start to form visible crystals. I'm giving a very simple overview, but I hope to convey that you want to look in areas where silica deposits exist. Often this is where there was volcanic activity. The area I was rockhounding has/had geothermal activity and past volcanic activity. So the answer to your question about the basalt is that the basalt is a clue that this area did have volcanic activity. There was also surface rock from past lava flows that was an obvious clue. There is a lot to learn, but it's a fun journey and I am still on that journey and learning more every day. There are lot of good books to learn from. Also, I would recommend another RU-vid channel called Currently Rockhounding. Jared at Currently Rockhounding is a wealth of knowledge and I learn a lot from his channel. There are also calcite crystals and lots of other beautiful rocks that are fun to collect. But I tend to focus on Silica/Quartz rocks as I like to tumble and polish them and these rocks are hard and take a beautiful polish (ex: Jaspers, Agates, Chalcedony, etc.). Oh, as for the sound . . . I like to tap on rocks but I'm primarily just testing the hardness, which can be a preliminary clue as to what it might be. Basalt is pretty hard. Sometimes Limestone can be similar looking to basalt, but it is much softer and will mark easily. And, honestly, it's just fun! Tap Tap Tap! Thanks for watching and your questions are good questions. Good Luck Rockhounding!

Super informative, thank you!@@adventuresofshadowdog

Bobcats aren't as much a concern to animals near their size. They go for smaller critters. Coyotes and cougars are my biggest concern, either would attack a husky but coyotes are brazen! Cougars are just territorial but that can cover a large area

Hi! Check out CoyoteVest.com. I purchased the spikes and a couple of vests from them. Then I cut and sewed and fabricated my own version. It was a lot of work, but as you know, our dogs are worth it! Let me know if I can help you further.

Yes there are Joshua Trees in this video. You might enjoy another video I made called “Rockhounding Under The Joshua Tree” where I do a deep dive into explaining about and showing Joshua Trees. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@adventuresofshadowdog I went on Outward Bound 30+ years ago at Joshua Tree in California. I saw some driving through Arizona on my way home to Texas (from Provo) for Christmas when I was trying to outrun a winter storm. I still got stuck in El Paso, so it didn't work...but it was nice to see Joshua Trees again.

Sorry for the late reply. Joshua Trees really are fascinating. And they only grow in certain locations. I’m glad you’ve seen them. Many people never get to see a Joshua Tree in person. Thanks again for commenting!

Trying to learn more about doing my own rock hounding and love your videos. I guess I never really paid much attention to Joshua Trees until I went to Joshua Tree Ca. a few months ago. Went there with my son about 6 months ago and spent time at his Airbnb. Learned more about Joshua Trees and really had the time to soak in their beauty!! Watching more of your videos 🌵

Hi Bonnie! In this video I wondered around in various places within the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation area. I entered off Old Hwy 91 onto Lytle Ranch Road. From there the first place I went to was Welcome Spring, walked up the stream bed, and then drove in and walked several other areas within the preserve. If there is a minute marker in the video where you want more precise GPS coordinates, please let me know and I’ll do my best. Thanks!

Thank You!

Thank you for watching and for your comment. Apparently I did a very poor job in conveying my intent regarding books. I love books and have many on rockhounding and on where to go to find agates, jaspers, etc. Having said that, I may need to read them more carefully! I wish I could make this video all over again so that I could convey better my intent, which was that one does not necessarily "have to rely on a book" to find locations that may be good rockhounding areas. Furthermore, the adventure of exploring and looking for signs that may lead to good locations is an experience in and of itself. I would have considered the whole day a success if I found absolutely nothing as being outdoors in the beautiful mountains is a wonderful experience. I obviously failed to convey this, which leads to your comment that my "intro is misleading." I apologize for that and leave all comments for others to read to help correct for that. As for the area, in all honesty, I did not go to one that is identified in any of the books or literature or google searches on rockhounding. I had been to the area before, but had not done any serious rockhounding. It looked promising, so I picked it. Having said that, the entire region is full of areas that are rich in silica, chalcedony, agates, jaspers, quartz, etc. I truly wasn't trying to be misleading here. Nonetheless, I am sorry if that is how it was perceived. Finally, thank you for the correction on Basalt and Granite and pointing out the "igneous vs. sedimentary" not being absolute and is area specific. I will be more area specific going forward. Please know I genuinely do appreciate your comments and civil tone. I stand corrected and will strive to incorporate what I've learned from your comments in future videos.

@@adventuresofshadowdog Thank you for responding in a kind way. The vibe of the video really came off like "I know things, listen to me and ill teach you" which is fine but if you're going to have that angle you better be spot on with it. To be fair here I don't even live in Utah but I have been down to that area to the NW of St George and west of Cedar City...etc. and I know it has agates and jasper all over the place. Mindat has mentions of it, facebook groups have mentions of it, there is lots of material written on Washington County Utah and the rocks and minerals found within. A Collectors Guide to Rocks, Minerals, & Fossils of Utah from 1995 even says as much. I know its not the exact area you were at but even Rockhounding Utah from 2020 the first listing is for an area not too far from where you were at that has agates. My take away from this video is that you went to an area or region known for those rocks and made it seems like you used clues from the landscape and geology to find them but you were at a shoot fish in a barrel location. I wanna like your videos, I watch a lot of rockhounding channels as well as make my own videos but it really seems like you're trying to play the role of an expert here and I think you may have missed the mark with this one. That's just my opinion. All of this said I will keep watching your videos.

I so appreciate your feedback. Please keep an eye out for my next rockhounding video because I am going to take your candid comments to heart and incorporate respective changes going forward. Thanks!

Hello Currently Rockhounding. I hope you have a chance to check out my latest Rockhounding video. I’m almost afraid to ask . . . but I do value your feedback and appreciate the corrections in your previous comments. I learn a ton from watching your videos and appreciate your excellent content. If you ever get to Southern Utah, please let me know. It would be a true pleasure to meet you.

@@adventuresofshadowdog I missed that one but Ill give it a watch.

Hey Conor, you make a good point. Let me give you my perspective, and let me know what you think. These cows in these mountains graze and survive in harsh conditions and amongst large predators. Shadow just likes to run up, bark, and run back. They usually just look at him and snort. So I’ve never considered it a concern. Having said that, let me know if you think I’m mistaken. I don’t want to cause any harm. It seems harmless. But tell me if I’m wrong. I do respect and appreciate your comment and thoughts. Thank You.

I understand that but it stands that they are someone’s private property and source of income and should be left alone. Some dogs may bite and injure them or make them run and get hurt that way, and if a cow on a range gets hurt enough either from a broken leg or infection it will most likely die and the owner will be out thousands of dollars. Yes there is a lot of risk having your cows out on a range so the more others can do to keep them safe the better. Your dog may not hurt them intentionally but showing it in your videos is showing others that it’s ok to harass others property and way of life and that’s where I have a problem.

Conor, you convinced me! I would never want to cause any harm. Your explanation has helped me see what I didn’t think of before. Shadow is a small, playful dog. So I never thought any harm could come from letting him run up and bark at the cows. But, even in the off chance that it could result in an injury to somebody’s valuable cattle is not a risk I want to take. And, as you explained, it sets the wrong example. I am taking your comment to heart and will not let shadow run up and bark at cattle again. I seriously appreciate your comment and explanation and correction. Thank You!

Great, thank you for being open. I know most people are not familiar with the ranching ways so yes please just keep it in mind. I apologize if I came across harsh, I have seen what can happen to livestock and how people treat them on public land and it can be downright disgusting and I know what it can do to a rancher. It’s hard enough these days. Thank again.

Hey Conor! You did not come off as harsh at all. Quite the contrary, you were very polite. I have edited the video and removed the part with shadow barking at the cows. I do not want to set the wrong example. I really appreciate you pointing this out because I really do not want to ever cause any harm, nor inadvertently encourage others in a way that could cause harm. Thanks Again!

Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@adventuresofshadowdog that's pretty cool what you built for your dog🐕 😎🤙 keep rocking