Rock hounds go on the hunt in Sisters

They come out on every Fourth of July weekend in the Sisters Country. They're rockhounds, folks with a passion for geology and the beauty to be found in the bones of the earth.

Terry and Betty Hicks of Stevensville, Montana, have been doing the gem show circuit for about 10 years, ever since Terry retired. The friendly and outgoing Betty will tell that she took up the trade and became just as passionate as her husband.

"I married him, and I didn't want to be a rock widow, so..."

The couple travels the show circuit in a trailer that doubles as a rock shop. They cut and polish petrified wood, and Betty makes jewelry.

"We love the lapidary arts; we enjoy making pretty things out of rock," Betty said. "We're right at 70 - he's pulling it and I'm pushing it. It keeps us going."

Browsers and buyers strolled past the stalls, asking questions and examining the goods. Trade was not terribly brisk.

"It's alright," Hicks said. "All the shows have been down about 30 percent, and that's the economy."

Robert Steen of Mill City, Oregon, specializes in thunder eggs, but he allows, "I kinda do a little bit of everything."

As it is for most vendors, rock hunting and the lapidaries are a lifelong passion.

"I was always interested in rocks as a kid - always picked 'em up," he said.

Once his kids were grown, he threw himself into the work full-time.

"I got my wife interested, and she went about as crazy as I did," he said.

Steen's eyes light up when talking about stones and crystals. Sharon Scott was in town for a family reunion at Camp Sherman, and she got into an animated conversation with Steen about some green crystal malachite from the Kimpser Mine in the Republic of Congo that shimmered under the Sisters Country sun.

"I just started learning about this sort of thing in the past year," she said. "I've been reading all kinds of geology books. It's

wonderful!"

Recently retired, Scott and her husband left Salem to travel in a motorhome. Her newfound freedom has brought out the latent rockhound within.

"I have been interested in geology since I was in college eons ago," she said. "Actually did poorly in the class. Now that I no longer have a job I can just do it. I love the outdoors; I love to hike - and I love pretty rocks."

And in Sisters last weekend, she was stalking the right hunting grounds.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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