Agates to Zeolites on the Oregon Coast

Tamie of Bend was just in with this very large zeolite she found while agate hunting on the Oregon Coast over the years. This is the largest one we have ever seen of these. Thank you for sharing this specimen with us.

Sorry my photography leaves something to be desired as I blurred this photo. Tamie if you are still in the area maybe I can re shoot this.

More Treasures Of The Sea being found daily!

Every day we are getting reports of more and more Japanese glass floats being found here on Oregon's central coast. All sizes, colors and shapes are found from the tide line to the cliffs. This has been like an Easter Egg hunt for our beach combers and yes they are also getting agates too!

Complete Agatized Clam

The translucent clam (clam belly) to the left has to be one of the largest completely agatized specimens we have seen in quite awhile. It just had a small area of the outer shell remaining plus the agate was amazingly clear and pretty well defined. This just goes to show you how the agates were formed here on the Oregon Coast some 15 - 20 million years ago. Agate filled anything hollow and took on the shape of that mold.

This beauty was found yesterday here in Newport by Bruce a rockhound from Reedsport, OR sharing a couple of days at the beach with his lovely and talented wife Kathy. Nice find Bruce, another great beachcombing find on the Oregon Coast!

Editors Note: Sorry the photo came out so fuzzy, the clam to the right is a fossil used for comparison.

Japanese Glass Fishing Floats are Found

Congratulations to all three groups of guest this weekend reporting finding old Japanese glass floats from 3"-10" in the Newport area! Here is a picture of Lauri and her glass float that she found on Moolack Beach during the Oregon coast discovery season. The float is 3" in diameter and blue with a hint of green. Craig and Lauri of Albany decided to look in the rocks at the top of the beach like they were told to do by FACETS Gem & Mineral Gallery. Just as they were ready to head to the car from their fun activity, BAM, Lauri finds the glass float sitting right up on top of the rocks. Nice find there girlfriend!!!

Beachcombing On The Oregon Coast

The agate beds have been shifting here in Lincoln County so much this year. We have been trying to explain this phenomena to our guest but they can't seem to understand it. We had a gentleman in earlier this month and he said "The first day I was here the beach outside my window was littered with gravel and I had a great time finding agates, jasper, fossils, etc. The next morning I looked out my window and it was all gone, nothing but sand!" This is what we mean by the change of the tide (every six hours) and the agate bed may disappear.

Obviously all of those cars parked at the beach during the winter can't be wrong. It does not mean the people are out there sun bathing, it just means the folks are having a great time finding treasures out there on the beach. You too will have to actually get out of the car, stand out there on the beach and look north and south maybe a 100 yards and possibly you will find a new gravel bed littered with agates, jaspers, and fossils.

Remember to - Seek, and Ye Shall Find.

Two warm dry weekends at Newport!

Wow not just one beautiful day but we had another full weekend of spectacular days here at Newport. We took in a great brunch at Izzy's yesterday, and enjoyed the breathtaking view over looking agate beach. The ocean was smooth rather than to be such a rolling sea for the boaters, the surfers were having a great day, many folks were strolling the beach and beachcombing. What more could you wish for? Oh yes, I would have loved to had time to go beachcombing too! But of course we had to get home for some repairs on the house but we so enjoyed savoring the wonderful brunch and the priceless view at Izzy's.

Last week, beachcomber and photographer Scott B. of Toledo brought in an impressive 2½" black agate, unfortunately my camera was not available. Maybe he will forward a photo for you to see.

Oregon Carnelian Agate at it's very Best!

Frank just found this beauty yesterday here on Oregon's Central Coast. It does not get any better than this. This beauty Pigeon blood RED agate measured 3'' long and weighed in at over 1/4 pound of the purest red you have ever seen.

He also had these other trophy pieces as well but this carnelian is beeeautiful!

I was invited out for a tour with a small group of folks yesterday morning for their TV film shoot of agate hunting at Newport. We were treated to an hour and 1/2 on the beach before the rain started. A good time was had by all finding a multitude of fossils, jasper, a piece of bloodstone, sea glass and agate. This 2 minute shot will appear the first week of February on FOX 12 Oregon Beach Vacations, February segment.

Beachcombing trophys found for the New Year!

< - - Jeremiah of Newport, found this beautiful sagenite carnelian agate Saturday beachcombing south of town while hunting for agates with his dad for New Years. It is about the size of the nickel beside it. He also found another beautiful trophy of carnelian (as shown below) weighing in at just under a pound and measuring 4 inches wide.

This is great fun as a family activity when done in pairs for safety sake. His dad also had some treasures as shown in the photo to the right above his large carnelian, the other agates were drying out in the photo but the color and sizes are impressive. The white agate laying on the large carnelian displays a nice white banded design throughout.

Storms have started!

Have you read the latest Rock & Gem (October issue) magazine yet? They have a wonderful article on the Origin of Agate, written by Steve Voynick a mineral collector and former hardrock miner. For all of you that want to know more on the formation of agate this is an article you won't want to miss.

Here on the Oregon coast the rockhounds are all anxiously awaiting the scouring of the beaches for the agates and the fossils to reappear for all of our beachcombers to experience treasure hunting during the discovery season now through May.

Oregon Fall Beach Cleanup a Success!

Facing the threat of cloudy skies and rainy conditions on much of the coast, more than 3,700 beachcombers volunteered for the 25th anniversary of the SOLV Great Oregon Fall Beach Cleanup on Saturday. The entire Oregon coast, over 362 miles, was cleaned of debris that had accumulated since last spring. Volunteers removed an estimated 54,460 pounds of trash from Oregon’s beaches.

The SOLV Great Oregon Beach Cleanups occur twice a year when thousands of volunteers head to their favorite spots on the coast. Every beach is cleaned up of litter and marine debris, from the California border to the Columbia River.

Founded in 1969 by Oregon Governor Tom McCall to address litter and vandalism problems, SOLV’s mission has expanded to reach every county in the state and brings together government agencies, businesses and individuals in projects to enhance the livability of Oregon. Governor McCall also signed the 1967 Beach Bill into law, creating the Ocean Shore Recreation Area, managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for the benefit of all Oregonians.

Naturally the weather was picture perfect for sunday, monday & tuesday with a high of 90 degrees Monday here in Newport. September and October kicks off the lower rates at the coast and generally offers our guest to the coast better weather than June - Labor Day. Now we are all waiting for the great storm watching weather to start the beachcombing season for the agates to be exposed (removal of the sand by the storms to expose the gravel beds).

Upcoming lowest tides of the year for the Oregon Coast!

Video by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Oregonian - The tide was so low Wednesday May 27, 2009 that, in addition to gaining access to areas normally under water, people could easily reach the boiler for which Boiler Bay, just north of Depoe Bay, was named. Lower tides are forecast for June 23 & 24.

Wow what a week on Oregon's Central Coast!

Summer is definitely on it's way the weather has been beautiful. Sunny with a cool breeze for flying kites, great minus tides for the beachcombing of coastal treasures and tide pooling, what more could we ask for? In twenty plus years we have never seen this kind of a response for a Memorial Day Weekend. It is really impressive, looks more like the beaches of southern California with people frolicking on the coastline of Oregon. Some people were surfing while others were wading along the surf line some even swimming, seems a little cool for a dip in the ocean to us.

Be careful on those roads out there and we hope you ALL have a safe Memorial Day!

Skip the eggs and head for the beach.

Better instead to participate in the natural hunt that nature puts on and find a bunch of shells, driftwood, agates and other neat things at the beach.

In Newport, head to Beverly Beach State Park or South Beach State Park. "This is one of the best times of year to go beachcombing on the Oregon Coast," said Sunny Golden, a spokeswoman for the Newport Chamber of Commerce. "The winter storms bring all sorts of exciting things to the shore, including unique shells, agates, colorful jaspers, driftwood. When the tide goes out, it uncovers a blanket of treasures and gemlike stones for the taking."

Along with the agates and shells, lucky visitors also may find a fossil.

Editors Note: Be sure and read the entire story by K. Williams Brown, of hidden treasures await at coast.

Agate Hunting at Roads End in Lincoln City, Oregon

Enjoy 4 minutes of beachcombing at the surf line and around the cove during the low tide for agates on the beach at roads end with Jafravh. Her bonus footage will also include close up views of the tide pools, home to a variety of colorful sea stars and sea anemones which are groups of water dwelling, animals of the intertidal area plus a spectacular close-up of our national symbol the Bald Eagle perched on a rock out crop at the Oregon Coast!