Good morning!

[BigDan]

I am looking for someone within a couple hours drive of Pekin that might be a bit of a rock hound. I have several "finds" from a North Carolina mine which I need help identifying.

I would also like to find someone who does lapidary work. A hobbiest would suit my budget, and I would be intersted in having some stones made into cabs or maybe even faceted.

I would also be interested in hunting for geodes with anyone who is looking for a companion. I do not have any sites of my own.

I've got time, a car, and gas money. Monday thru Friday during the day work best for me.

 

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[DPBOB]

Welcome...
Sounds like another part of our great hobby that we call Treasure Hunting....
Can't help you out but I'm sure someone will here...
Again Welcome aboard.....

 

[snowskate]

sounds fun but I know nothing about rocks. I'll be in Pekin tonight, any restaurant recommendation?

 

[BigDan]

My favorite is Texas Roadhouse just a hop and skip North on 29 to East Peoria. For good Chinese there is the Fast Dragon downtown.

 

[Dirt fishing Wolf]

Hey BigDan, I've hunted plenty of rock, bought way to much rock, cut plenty of rock, I made spheres from 100's of rock, the barn is stocked with to much rock.
Do have geodes. I'm looking to sell most of my lapidary stuff. Have about a ton of rock from all around the world. It was just another hobby that cost $$$. Now I'm spending most of my free time hunting it ($$$). Good luck finding a cab cutter. There are plenty of them in Rockhound clubs. Rock & Gem listed show dates across the U.S.. Check it out. HH Richard

 

[BigDan]

Couple other questions

dirt fishing Wolf, what kind of lapidary stuff are you thinking of selling? Not that I have any money...yet.

I do both, rock hunt and Metal detect...but I'm just getting back into the second one.

And, Ok I was out in the yard and it's still frozen stiff...how are you guys digging up anything!?!?

 

[DPBOB]

Re: Couple other questions

how are you guys digging up anything!?!?

I haven't been out for a while but for the most part the Woods are pretty much diggable unless there is a long length of freeze
The leaves tend to insulate the ground....open areas are frozen though

 

[Lowbatts]

Hey Big Dan, we have a family reunion at the pavillion in Mineral Springs each year late July. Hope to make it down there this year. One of my late Uncles (lost three in the last 3 years) lived across from the park and the hospital. My Aunt is still there.

My Uncle told me he used to go to the circus and carnival when it came to town back in the 20's and '30's on the south side of Koch St., where I think the prison is now. Might be some good curbside detecting there, if you can swing within 40 or 50 feet of that big fence w/o setting off alarms....

Got some very nice coinage out of Mineral Springs Park over a few years also. Our kid was also associated with the tumbling team there so we had quite a few weekenders down there. Lots of goodies still in the dirt in that town I'm bettin'.

We've got some rock sites around here but what I know of them is from the local rockhounds I've met while detecting, got no rock sense myself to speak of. It's all concentrations of glacial drift, some varied where it's been deeply cut by washes along the higher river banks but most are typical.

I think there's a good pizza/rib joint there, not sure if it's up by North Pekin/Washington or Pekin and we liked Avanti's also, fast, cheap and hot.

 

[marinedad]

hi big dan, i may be going back to n.c. in march or april. if you or anywone else is interested in fossils let me know, got a good place to look. i may be able to identify some of your finds.

 

[snowskate]

ended up going to steak n shake

was in Peoria today and tried to go to Texas Road House (I love the place), but the wait was an hour and ten minutes!

lowbatts I am all about avantis too.. it was established in my hometown, same with steak n shake.

 

[Lowbatts]

lowbatts I am all about avantis too.. it was established in my hometown, same with steak n shake.

How every hunt should end.....

 

[p2c]

Ah Avanti's ... I remember in High School in the very early 90's being able to get a loaf of their bread for something like 5 or 10 cents (we had open lunch period). That loaf was 10% or less of the cost of the school lunch and probably 10x the flavor. By the time I graduated, they were up to 35 cents, but still a deal.

Back to OP, I'm not any bit of a rock hound. Funny, my dad was a Geologist, most recently on faculty at ISU but now retired, maybe why I have little interest in rocks. He used to buy a lot of Indian Jewelry out in Arizona when he'd travel out there for work. There was a reservation he'd visit he took me to once. I could not believe the price (how low) they would sell things like turquoise rings for. Definitely a lot of the jewelry end of things were made from rocks they hounded and also coin silver.