I recently was picking through some photos I had taken on the Michiana Gem and Mineral Society bus trip from last summer in order to share a few on the groups facebook page and I figured it would be as good a place to start as any for my new blog. The Michiana Gem and Mineral Society (MGMS for short) is an amazing group open to members of all ages and knowledge levels. The mission of the group is to expand knowledge of any subject that might even slightly fall under the category of geology through presentations, knowledge sharing, and group expeditions on gem/ fossil/ rock hunts. I have never met another group so willing to work for common goals, one of those goals being the group bus trip in the summer. This allows more members to get to a dig or event that otherwise some of themembership might not be able to attend. This last summer we went to Geode Fest in Keokuk, Iowa. This was my 2nd year attending, but the first year for the group. The Geode Fest organizers were very welcoming to such a large group and were extremely hospitable. The Keokuk area is known for their geodes, and Geode Fest is amazing in that residents are willing to open their private lands in order to allow people to come in and collect. There are waivers and a registration fee, but it is very much worth it for the abundance and quality of geodes in these locations. Here is link to some Keokuk Geode Information. Also, you can visit my profile on Trip Advisor for review of the area. We found so many geodes our group had to send some back with individual members, it was too much weight for the bus! I will be adding images of the geodes themselves but for now, here are photos of the group during a few of the site digs. As you can see there are all sorts of dig sites and it’s messy, but it’s so much fun.
