Field Trip: Geology, Gems, and Minerals, Oh My!

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Hartsel & Buena Vista, ColoradoJune 13 & 14Join a group of fellow geology enthusiasts for a weekend trip to explore Colorado’s fascinating geology and the rich gem country of Chaffee County in the beautiful Arkansas River Valley!
The adventure starts on Saturday morning, when you board a comfortable air-conditioned 14-passenger van at Dinosaur Ridge and we wind our way up to 8,000 ft in elevation, with interpretive geologic stops along the way.  In Hartsel, that afternoon, after lunch (included), we will spend the afternoon rock-hounding for blue barite outside the Bayou Salado Trading Post in Hartsel.
Checking into our hotel in Buena Vista later that afternoon, we’ll have plenty of time for dinner on your own in lovely downtown Buena Vista.  A full breakfast is included at the hotel on Sunday morning.  We will start the day with a discussion of Colorado’s geological history and the formation of Colorado’s gems and minerals, which will orient us to the day ahead.
After checking out of the hotel, we will drive down the road to nearby Ruby Mountain (a National Monument) for exploration of the area to collect “Apache Tears” obsidian and deep red garnets, for which Ruby Mountain was named.  We can compare our spoils afterwards, while we enjoy lunch at the Simple Eatery in Buena Vista.
Then, we finish off our adventure with a short exploration of the Heritage Museum in town (included) before heading back down the hill to Morrison, with an ETA ~ 5 – 5:30pm.
Trip limited to 12 participants.  
DATE/TIMEJune 13, 8am – June 14, 5:30pm  
LOCATION, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND TRANSPORTATIONDepart from, and return to, the Dinosaur Ridge Main Visitor Center in Morrison, CO. All transportation included in one of our air-conditioned, 15-passenger buses. Meeting point for trip departure and return:Dinosaur Ridge Main Visitor Center16831 W. Alameda ParkwayMorrison, CO 80465
Hotel:Super 8 Buena Vista530 North Us Highway 24Buena Vista, Colorado 81211 
STUDY LEADERSRick Farrand will be the Geologist Lead on our trip. Rick has been a fossil enthusiast for a long time. He studied Geology at the University of Montana, and earned his Masters at the University of Texas, with a focus on Paleontology. Early in his career, he worked in oil and gas exploration, followed by over 30 years with an environmental consulting firm, in remediation. He’s been an avid long-time volunteer with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and now also enjoys leading science education programs at Dinosaur Ridge and sharing his enthusiasm for “reading the rocks” to interpret earth’s long and fascinating history.