Trip Report: Jalama Beach June 23rd
Jalama Beach, June 23rd
Got to Jalama Beach about 9:30 AM, warned the gate we were coming, and found parking near the store. Weather was clear and cool, with the June gloom hanging about a mile offshore.
There was a lot of sand in front of the parking area, and a lot on the beach too. I walked to the north to scout the area, then to the south. There was alot of sand with pockets and stretches of rock below the cliffs.
It was about 10:30, so I headed back to the car to greet my fellow boneheads:)
A carload of RockChippers met me at my vehicle, and we sat down for a quick tailgate on whalebone- what to look for, how to attempt to tell the difference between bone and leaverite, what else was there (some of the best rootbeer chert I have ever seen), and what to stay away from.
The group headed to the south and I waited for any stragglers.
I headed south about 11:30 and found a couple specimens as I was catching up with the mob. A bunch of chert, agate, and possibly moonstones were found (as informed by a local who collected there regularly). But not much bone :( The rockbeds which usually yield the best finds were under a foot or so of sand for the length of the beach. We found a couple small pieces in the surfline, and the previously mentioned pieces, but that was all. I believe each family group in the car left with a piece of bone.
All in all, it wasn’t a great day for whalebone, but I could have been at work instead :)
Jon Meredith - Trip Leader
