Rockhounding Idaho: A Guide to 99 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites (Rockhounding Series) [Paperback]

Garret Romaine (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rockhounding Series | Publication Date: May 4, 2010

Rockhounding Idaho is the one must-have book for anyone interested in collecting rocks, minerals, fossils, and gold in the Gem State. Completely up-to-date with over 200 pinpoint GPS coordinates in ninety-nine general collecting locales, it covers both popular and widely known fee-dig operations as well as four-wheel-drive adventures into the deserts and long winding drives through the mountains. The result is a complete guide to the state’s vast riches.

 

The author—a long-time field collector in the Pacific Northwest and an award-winning technical writer—clearly explains the broad outlines of Idaho’s many collecting locales and mining districts, and provides an appreciation for the geology underneath. Readers can use this guide to plan expeditions straight across the state or devise looping road trips that cover a single region in great detail. From agates to zeolites, from garnets to gold, Rockhounding Idaho is the ideal resource for rockhounds of all ages and experience levels.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Garret Romaine, an avid rockhound, fossil collector, and gem hunter, is the author of Gem Trails of Oregon and Gem Trails of Washington, as well as a columnist for Gold Prospectors magazine. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: FalconGuides; First edition (May 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762748125
• ISBN-13: 978-0762748129
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #465,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Geology > Specific Locations

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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough, easy reading, August 2, 2011

By 

nat2012 "nat2012" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rockhounding Idaho: A Guide to 99 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites (Rockhounding Series) (Paperback)

I just received this book as a gift from someone who knows i love rocks and gems. "Rockhounding Idaho" is a basic field guide for promising Idaho locations. Complete with essentials like GPS coordinates, directions to the site, any info on fees or regulations, even what kind of equipment you might need or the kind of vehicle you will need to get there, and what rock materials you may find at each location. I appreciate that each entry is concise and thorough without being lengthy. Since the entry for each location is only 2-3 pages long, it is easy to flip through this book without needing a long time to sit down and read the whole thing. The author includes his personal experiences with said locations in a comprehensible and helpful style, giving the reader a good idea of what to expect upon arrival. Some but not all of the entries include a map. I like how you don't really need fancy equipment for rockhounding (except an ATV and GPS would be helpful); most of what you need is just panning stuff and digging stuff that is not expensive at all. I had the opportunity to pan at the Emerald Creek site where you used to be able to dig for star garnets, and I went home with a couple hundred after a few hours of wading in the mud. It was awesome. Now the site has lost that hard core do-it-yourself charm and converted into a more touristy type place with pre-dug mud and a designated sluicing area (which the author also explains in the book). Having lived in north Idaho for 10+ years I am familiar with many of the places in the book, although I had never thought of them for rockhounding before. My only complaint about this book (which is the reason i can only rate it 4 stars instead of 5) is that all the photos are in BLACK and WHITE! Ugh! The photos are great but how could you ever use the photos to help identify your results when you can't even see what color they are? In light of this I don't think it could be entirely considered a field guide. It was published in 2010, I don't understand how the photos could not be in color. Aside from this glaring issue, the book is great. The appendixes at the end of the book include listings of websites, museums, schools, rock shops, and more which I found very useful.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars take it or leave it, October 19, 2010

By 

m - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rockhounding Idaho: A Guide to 99 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites (Rockhounding Series) (Paperback)

Not enough pictures in this book to know what you're looking for, and directions can be kind of random. Still there are lots of sites listed

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy the book, don't go there..., October 29, 2011

By 

Richard Huset (LUCK, WI, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rockhounding Idaho: A Guide to 99 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites (Rockhounding Series) (Paperback)

This kind of book is interesting in concept. Like selling 10,000 copies of an authentic map to pirate treasure.
So - Seriously this is an excellent book, with the descriptions of locations, routes there, and the types of rough stone to be found. Put it on your reference shelf, pull it out to plot future gathering trips - ideally in the fall of 2012. I'm going in late summer....!