Stoddard Wells Trip

The Stoddard Wells tailgate has been an annual trip for many of our club members for, well, let’s just say a LONG time. According to the Bureau of Land Management, Stoddard Valley is characterized by an interesting landscape with steep rocky mountains (elevations of which can reach up to 5,000 feeet), rolling hills, wide valleys, and sandy washes. Vegetation consists of scrub, grasses, wild flowers, and of course the characteristic Joshua Tree of the Mojave Desert. This triangular shaped piece of land is formed by Interstate 15 and California Highway 247, just South of Barstow.

As beautiful as the desert is, our club members are usually more interested in what treasures other rock hounds have brought to sell at the annual tailgating event, of course! One of our members Craig Polliard was kind enough to write a few words on how the weekend went! 

A hardy bunch of SBLMS members, Chris, Peggy, Ken, Kitty, Joe, Maureen, Denise, Brandon, Nathan, Kathy, and I spent the day out in Victorville, CA for the annual tailgate rock show. Weather was the big factor as rain and wind were in the forecast. Larry and Leslie braved the torrential rains and wind gusts of 50 mph on Friday night, camping thru the weekend. The remaining members spent that night in the comfort of their own home arriving Saturday morning. The weather cleared and the sky was blue with just a slight breeze. Many stories were being told by the vendors of their night’s stay, from the food tent taking off like something out of the Wizard of Oz, to camper trailers almost being blown over. Larry, Leslie and Ken brought items to sell while the rest of us brought cash. Chris and Kathy were having a blast digging thru all the material. Chris was adding to his already award winning agate collection while Kathy was adding to our already award winning debt, lol. Ken picked up some nice material for future jewelry projects, before retiring at his own site of selling. Spoke long enough to Kitty to learn of her excitement of searching for club prizes. Peggy and Denise were their gracious selves holding down the camp while I was on the hunt for some unique rough jade to be fashioned into my own jewelry design. Brandon took the role of a rockhound leader and led his buddy Nathan to the top of the Mountain, I’m sure they slept that night! The day ended quickly and soon it was time to head home. All had a great time being part of SBLMS, long live rockhounding!

Thanks for reading.