Gem Trails of Washington [Paperback]

Garret Romaine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

The first comprehensive collecting guide of its kind for the Evergreen State. Features over 75 of the best locales for exploring and collecting rocks, minerals or fossils. Sites are presented with detailed directions, site maps, GPS readings, descriptive text and numerous black and white photos. A handy mineral locator index, glossary, lists of rock clubs and a full-color photo insert of rock fossil and mineral specimens are included to enhance the collecting experience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Gem Guides Book Co (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889786403
• ISBN-13: 978-1889786407
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Fossils
  • #66 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Rocks & Minerals

More About the Author

Garret Romaine is an award-winning journalist and technical writer hailing from Portland, Oregon. His grandfather, Harold Banta, was an attorney in Baker, Oregon specializing in mining law, and his grandmother Floy ran a rock shop in Baker. As a boy, Garret visited many collecting areas, mines, and ghost towns in the Baker area, and was hooked for life on field work. He earned a geology degree from the University of Oregon, studying under stalwarts such as Dr. Ewart Baldwin, Dr. William Orr, and Dr. Allan Kays, and followed that up with a master's degree in geography at the University of Washington and an MBA from Portland State.

Garret has written for multiple publications in the Portland area, and has managed technical writing teams for several technology companies in the area. He has taught technical writing at Portland State since 1997, and serves on the board for the Center for Excellence in Writing.

Since 1996, Garret has authored a regular column entitled "Mining the Internet" for the Gold Prospectors Association of America (GPAA). He has written features, product reviews, personal interviews, field reports, and research compilations for many areas across the west. It was logical to turn to writing rockhounding guides in 2006, starting with Gem Trails of Washington. He updated Gem Trails of Oregon next, and recently completed Rockhounding Idaho.

Mr. Romaine continues to recon and explore, and with the help of Marty "Dusty Fingers" Schippers, he has recently produced a series of YouTube videos modestly titled "Garret's World of Geology." It's an easy Google search. The inspiration behind the videos, each under ten minutes in length, is to share great rockhounding spots and encourage people to get out and explore.

He also has a blog at http://writingdocs.blogspot.com/ and can be found on LinkedIn and Facebook. He also contributes regularly to the wiki at Cash and Treasures.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a good gem, fossil & mineral guide for Washington State!, October 3, 2008

By 

Orerockon "OreRockOn" (Nunnya Business) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gem Trails of Washington (Paperback)

Be forewarned: this is a biased review. I am mentioned in and am the source for quite a few localities in this book. That said, I am generally very critical of rockhounding guides in general (vis a vis the terribly outdated and wildly inaccurate Gem trails of Oregon by James Mitchell, and the unmentionably abysmal GPS Guide which is a total waste of money). I tried hard not to be biased in this review; I have dissed other books for which I was a source of information (listed or merely stolen from).

This book is the best, up to date, and only guide to Washington rockhounding that 95% of casual rockhounds will ever need. The book presents, in exhaustive detail, more sites than one could visit in several summers of nothing but rockhounding. Most sites that I am aware of that contain good lapidary or gemstone material are in this book. Of those that aren't, many are currently or have been under a mineral claim, and some are just plain dangerous to collect or require a strenuous hike or other dangers that the casual rockhound shouldn't be attempting in the first place. In addition, there are dozens of sites that haven't been described in any literature published to date (which, by the way, is a very short list for WA, ALL of which are referenced in the book).

The descriptions of the sites are accurate, at least for the ones I have visited. The reader is constantly encouraged to contact the sources listed for each site for more detailed information and maps, a welcome addition which has never been included in the Gem Trails series to date. And, surprise surprise, the author actually visited each and every site in the book! Something that cannot be said for the author of Gem Trails of Oregon, James Mitchell.

Others have commented that the number of "stream walk" or "tumbler material" sites are excessive. I say, the more the merrier, since "newbie" or "weekend" rockhounds can find something to throw in their tumbler at any of these sites. If you don't want to walk creeks looking for pretties, then don't, it's as simple as that. I don't think the author threw out "digging" sites on order to make room for these.

The maps are decipherable, if a little crude (my bias here; I love topo maps too much!). The road directions are 99% accurate. A few typos are easily corrected by looking at highway or forest service maps, or the Delorme WA book, for instance. The GPS waypoints are incredibly useful and guarantee that you won't get lost if you take the time to input them into your GPS unit before heading out. Nitpicking: I have found a few errors in the waypoints but I am sure if you email the author you can get the corrected waypoints (right, Garret?). Besides, there are other sources of maps and wayponts, all of which are mentioned numerous times in the book.

The information at the end of the book is extremely valuable as a resource on its own, and includes the only complete list of WA state rock shops, gem & mineral websites, clubs, and prospecting clubs that I have ever seen. The list of sources similarly gives the reader a huge number of resources to consult for further information.

Am I really a hoot to collect with, Garret? Did you perhaps mean shoot, boot, toot, moot? Only the Shadow knows... :) And HEY WHERE IS MY FREE AUTOGRAPHED COPY??? WAH!!!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny, August 5, 2009

By 

Sacred Symmetry - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gem Trails of Washington (Paperback)

A long over-due addition to mineral and gem collecting in Washington State. Especially valuable is that all the sites listed are readily accessible to folks of almost all ages and abilities. An edition with information on more remote locations would round out the offering.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gem Trails of Washington, February 14, 2010

By 

Mark Ritz "ritzaceking" (Marysville, WA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gem Trails of Washington (Paperback)

If I could find time to go to all of these wonderful places I'm certain I'd come back with a bucket of interesting rocks--some even semi-precious! Some very intruiging leads....Mark Ritz (ritzaceking)