rock and gem groupie: Ellensburg Blue and the Yakima Valley

With the lack of a Gem Show this week, we groupies decided to head out on a road trip to get acquainted with the ever-so-rare Ellensburg Blue Agate. Purportedly found in a meager one square mile of land, the Ellensburg Blue's main attributes are its remarkable hues, its rarity, and its price tag. While some of the specimens we've seen seem like dead ringers for a one dollar piece of Blue Lace Agate, other pieces we've seen do the name Ellensburg Blue proud. Translucent, with an ethereal, blue color softer than the sky before dawn-words seem to lack descriptive power for this rock. Imagine the rockhound who could resist such a thing!

Ellensburg Blue Agate

A while back, we got a tip from a third party that Ellensburg Blue could be purchased at the Ellensburg Agate and Bead Shop. We knew it was going to be expensive, but it was a risk we as faithful rock and gem groupies were willing to take. It seemed only proper to purchase Ellensburg Blue in Ellensburg.

In the morning, we headed East on I-90. While Seattle behind us was gray and cold, the Snoqualmie Pass ahead greeted us with blue skies and surrounded us with verdant forest. That's the nice thing about having a mountain range- it breaks up all the crummy weather.

Keechelus Dam and Lake (I-90)
While the lake appears to be in the distance to the left, during the winter and wetter months of the year, the water reaches and covers the tree stumps.

pretty wildflowers

We would be lying if we said the sole purpose of this trip was to get Ellensburg Blue. It would be a shame if we didn't at least take in the local flavor and take advantage of Eastern Washington's fine agricultural produce. That being said, we broke through Snoqualmie Pass, bypassed Ellensburg, and headed toward Yakima-The Heart of Central Washington.

The road to Yakima had splendid views

Manastash Ridge

Where we ACTUALLY stopped first was the city of Toppenish, WA. It was the promise of food at the Pioneer Kitchen that lured us there. Pioneer boasted a five time nomination for best breakfast in town--check out the bacon on the platter in the advertisement (see below)! Naturally, we had to investigate to make sure this claim was correct.

we just couldn't say no to this ad

The Pioneer Kitchen

Kathy Moonstone ordered the biscuits and gravy and Cindy Sunstone ordered the chicken fried steak. While the bacon was awesome, the gravy had a very heavy rosemary flavor.

We gave this meal a 3/5
Pros: good portions, good biscuits, good bacon

Cons: gravy that starts to taste like dirt because of the rosemary

The town of Toppenish is known for its collection of somewhere around seventy murals that adorn the town. The architecture stays true to a Western theme and most murals depict Toppenish history. Artists gather every year to work on the murals. In the past, this collaboration of painters was to create new additions to the town, but nowadays artists work to preserve existing murals.

murals!

murals in the windows

Mural of workers farming hops. Yakima Valley produces almost 77% of America's hops used for brewing. For people that don't drink beer, hops is what gives beer its distinctive flavor.

Mural of Irishman getting attacked by bear. This is based on a true Toppenish story. The Irishman found the bear as a cub and raised it, later trading the bear to the local saloon for a bottle of alcohol. Said Bear goes out of control, and the Irishman steps up to the plate to tame it. The story ends happily (sort of). The bear gets controlled and the Irishman survives with some cuts and scrapes. What's charming about this picture is how this man, with his flaming red hair, is getting the Irish mauled out of him, and yet he seems more concerned about the bottle of alcohol that got knocked out of his hand. Is this a Toppenish social commentary on Irish drinking? Hmmmm.

Stop Global Warming. Johny's Super Service Station might offer gas and good service, but the horse drawn cart is KING in Toppenish.

love the contrast of the Pepsi Cola mural

Toppenish's Public 'Westroom'

It's nice to be in the Yakima Valley and so close to the source of our food....and also nature's freaks

After taking in the sights that Toppenish had to offer and hitting some produce stands, we decided it was time to get serious about our trip. We were definitely ready to get our hands on some precious Ellensburg Blue. The Ellensburg Agate and Bead Shop was easy enough to find- it wasn't far from the Visitor's Center. Inside, we found glass cases with a good, but expensive, selection of Ellensburg Blue jewelry. The store also stocked faceted Ellensburg Blue, as well as cabochons, other loose gemstones, nice crystal specimens, tumbled rocks, rough rocks, books, and a plethora of beads.

right off the main drag

We were definitely not prepared for how pricey Ellensburg Blue can get. While the faceted stones lived in the $1000 range, the cabochons were more affordable. This cabochon, which is approximately a 4mm round, was purchased for $40. Our infatuation with Ellensburg pretty much ended at this point, as we pretty much realized we plopped down a good amount of money on an agate the size of a booger.

Historic Ellensburg

Kittitas County Historical Museum

Another place us Rock and Gem Groupies wanted to visit while in Ellensburg was the Kittitas County Historical Museum. One of the museum exhibits include a rock and mineral collection donated to the institution by the Rollinger Brothers. We were very excited to see what sort of wonderful rock treasures these pioneering rockhounds had collected all those years ago.

However, when we arrived, the museum was closed.

"...but I want to see the rawcks!"

Disappointed, we drove away from downtown Ellensburg. We missed the museum closing time by some thirty minutes. It would be a conquest for a different day; and with this thought we thought we would see one more rock while we were in Ellensburg. This rock is a big rock. Lion Rock.

Lion Rock is a scenic viewpoint located approximately seventeen miles away from downtown Ellensburg. Granted, we could never make this rock a part of our collection, but it seemed worthwhile to visit. The information from the Ellensburg Visitor's Guide stated that on a clear day, one could see views of Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, and the Stuart Mountain Range. The road that lead there stretched along pastures with grazing cows. The wind was strong in the valley, and a couple of times our car got nudged by a gust of wind. It was peaceful though. When we rolled down the windows there was no drone of the city; all you could hear was the grass and the wind.

a ways to go until we reach Lion Rock

getting higher

view from the top of Lion Rock

it was worth the drive to make it to the top

the sun setting on Lion Rock

A fine way for a Rock and Gem Groupie to end their day in Ellensburg is to go to Rodeo City BBQ and order up a dessert called "Ellensburg Dirt". It seems only proper that a rockhound would enjoy digging their spoon into something with this name. Thick, white mousse with a rich, french vanilla flavor layered between oreo cookie crumbles, topped with whipped cream and a gummy worm--it was worth ordering and a fine way to end the stay in Ellensburg.