Agate Hunting on Heceta & Baker Beaches

I started walking 5 to 10 miles a day in October 2011, and having been doing it ever since.  From the minute  I started walking, I started finding agates.  I have a neighbor who walks everyday as well and he never finds them, and we walk the same beach.  So maybe it's the way my brain is tuned, but I can't get out on the beach without finding one and sometimes as many as 15.  I do have to point out that my parents starting me hunting for agates on the beach when I was 5, on our yearly coast vacation to Oregon.  By July of 2012, I had filled up a brown grocery bag half full, and realized wow, I need to do something with these.

 Then in June my neighbor offered to loan me his tumbler while he was on vacation, and I starting polishing - I haven't stopped polishing since.

Picking Agates for First Load

Grocery Bag

I  didn't realize when I started that it took a month to do 1 batch, it's a 4 step process, and each step takes 7 days. So here's the first bunch I finished at the end of July.

In August (for my birthday) I got my own rock tumbler - exact same one as I borrowed - as you can do 2 batches and keep them rolling.

All the uniform roundish/flat ones are going to a neighbor who is going to make a stained glass and agate lampshade

All the odd shaped ones, I guess I'll be keeping ans I prefer them unsymmetrical.

Septmber 30, 2012

September 30, 2012

October 4, 2012

Jasper

October 4, 2012

December 2012

Jasper 

December 2012

Here's what one looks like in it's natural state on the beach - found on January 16th, 2013!

The following are a few of my favorites out of my February 2013 group

Today, I got in a short walk just 2 miles on the beach, and I still got off the beach with 2. A very nice clear one, and a red one.

So here's what the beach looked like today, near the tide line.  I always walk close to the water but am prepared to run! The running and the bending over and constantly picking stuff up is great exercise.

The Red Agate I found, just sparkling in the sun.

The super clear agate I found - both will look even better after they are polished.

So what am I doing with all these polished gems?  Well at the moment, I have them in jars so the sun shines through them.  My husband says, I'm causing the house to settle forwards and I need to starting putting some on the other side ;-)

I've been using these great little books Oregon Under Foot put out by OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry) in 2002 and the other put out in 1977 Agates of the Oregon Coast.  They are nothing marvelous, just easy to use and dedicated to Oregon Agates and hunting them.  If you find them used somewhere for a couple of bucks they're a great resource.