Last Updated: 29-NOV-2021
We drove 202 miles (3 hrs. 54 minutes) to Waverly, NY to visit the Austin Gravel Pits. This was RJ's info for this trip:
Austin Gravel Pits - 121 Talmadge Hill Road, Waverly, NY. 14892
I am truly excited for our fieldtrip to glacial pits in Waverly, New York. This is an unusual trip in that we are not hunting for a specific mineral, but rather roaming through the deposits made by glacial sheet advances into New York and Pennsylvania. According to ScienceDirect, there were at least four glacial entrances into Pennsylvania. They came in the northwest by Erie, and to the northeast by Sayre, PA. Geologists say that each new advance pretty-much wiped out the deposits of the previous advances. We are hunting the lower end of the melt. Our deposits hold treasures from multiple advances.
The material travelled hundreds of miles from the Great Lakes Basin in what is now Quebec. The debris moved at less than a snail’s pace for thousands of years, grinding the rocks as the tumbled along the landscape for hundreds of miles. The photo featured does not even begin to express the beauty and variety of rocks piled in one place. They will be a hit in your garden and perfect if you paint rocks.
There is a $10 per adult dig fee. Cash only, before we dig. Junior members are free. You will also sign the club liability waiver. Please wear safety vest or OSHA approved fluorescent colors. These rocks can be heavy, so I suggest steel-toed gear if you have it. Open to all ages with parent/guardian. Bring water and lunch for tailgate-lunch at 1 PM.
Saturday, November 14. Those who want to caravan and follow me can meet me at the Clarke’s Ferry Truckstop on Route 322 north of Harrisburg. The truck stop is the first thing that you come to on the right as you approach the strip. I will be at the south end of the parking lot in my red Trailblazer. Meeting time is 6:30 AM. It takes 3-hours to get there. I am allowing time for a pitstop in Williamsport.
The pits are located along and to the east of NY34 and again, all this material was pushed here.
Impressive amount of tumbled "round" rocks. Many were too large to pick-up and put in your vehicle. Not a bad day considering we were in the southern mountains of New York and it was mid-Nov.
You can see layers of tumbled rocks.
Various views. I really need to figure out how to get the big rocks in the back of the truck. I need to make a lift.
Mary looking for the perfect rock
Because my 1999 pickup is getting old I was a bit worried to take it on a long ride like this so we drove the RAV-4. We exceeded the cargo capacity driving back with our take but we made it.
Fellow rock hunters
The take from the Waverly, NY rock trip. Appx 1,000 lbs. of natural tumbled rocks. Will be adding to the rock gardens around the house.
