Back in October, I was talking to a fellow antique dealer about how I drive to the Leelanau peninsula every spring and hunt for Petoskey stones, the state stone of Michigan. By coincidence he happened to own a house in the area and told me about a beach nearby that only the locals went to. He asked me not to tell anyone the location, and I'll honor his trust. I can say that it's a beach on Lake Michigan on the Leelanau peninsula, and it's not one I've been to before. It turns out that it was a great tip, and Litha and I found our best haul of Petoskey stones in the three years we've been looking.
There was still some ice along the beach, and you had to watch out for ice blocks smacking you in the back of the ankles. The day before waves in this area were 6 - 10 feet high, today they were down to 2 - 4 feet. Here's a picture of me next to a large chunk of ice with icicles forming on it.
Here's a nice little stone I found with dark 'eyes'.
One of the unusual rocks I found was this silicified fossil coral with a small vug and quartz crystals inside.
Litha couldn't make this trip last year, but was back this year and in top form, finding all the best pieces. This next one is the best she found. It is 3.5 inches long and has great pattern on 95% of it's surface.
Next is a strange brain like coral that is actually chain coral.
I may have even found some agate. This is the biggest piece.
Last is a picture of the whole take for the day.
These should be enough Petoskey stones to last ... well at least until next spring.
