Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Bookends cut by bisecting a single face (as opposed to cutting the stone in half and displaying the matching halves). These are from the "bog" wood up on top of Saddle Mt, near the radio towers.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Bookends cut across the grain from "The Stump" down by the power line. These were part of the root system of a tree 8' in diameter standing upright in a slanted basalt bed (which doesn't really make sense.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Bookends cut along the grain from "The Stump". Dark and light banding is typical of this wood. It takes a polish beautifully.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Bookends cut along the grain from "The Stump". Small gaps between bands in the wood accentuate the pattern.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Backside of the bookends in the previous image.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Bookends from a root of "The Stump". These were about 10' below the surface and cut from a piece of rock which tapered downward to a point, apparently the tip of a root.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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This is the back (non-matching) side of the bookends, which I polished as well as the face because of the striking pattern.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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More wood from "The Stump". The side on display was facing the outside of the trunk or root. The cut surface which would face the books shows concentric growth rings.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Dark area at lower left was a surface of the petrified piece and is more opalized than the grey area above it which was deeper inside the piece.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Unmatched but very similar rip-cut pieces of the big stump.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Dark bookends cut from one of the deepest roots of the big stump.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Small bookends cut from the big stump.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Small bookends cut from the big stump.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Small bookends cut from the big stump.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Thick bookends cut from wood collected near the top of the ridge.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Small bookends cut from wood collected near the top of the ridge.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Small paired stand-up pieces from log on east side of the stream valley.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Rip-cut piece of wood from "The Stump". Rings are discernible in the base of this piece.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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This piece matches the back side of one of the Root-tip bookends.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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This piece matches the back side of the other one of the Root-tip bookends.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Yet another pattern of wood from "The Stump". Rings not discernible in this wood.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Portions of wood from "The Stump" were white with a black rim, and shiny on broken surfaces, which I interpret as being more opalized. This piece was oriented as displayed.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Roots of "The Stump" seemed to get more colorful the deeper they were.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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"The Stump" consisted of small and large chunks of petrified wood separated by areas of crumbly silicified "sawdust" and clay-rich soil. This was a small chunk. Some of the larger chunks must have been over 500lbs, too solid to break and to big for us to move, although someone apparently moved them because on subsequent visits they were gone.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Another small chunk. The crease near the bottom reminds me of some I've seen in punky waterlogged wood buried for centuries under volcanic mudflows. My guess is that the stump had been saturated with water for a long time before it was encased in basalt.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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A slice off the base of a small chunk of "The Stump". Brown areas are translucent enough to transmit light where less than an inch thick.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Collection of Saddle Mountain wood
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Pieces of wood from Saddle Mountain.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Cubes are 45mm on a side, which equals 24 turns of the handle on my saw cradle. The two on the left are from "The Stump"; the other two are "bog" wood.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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A chunk of "bog" wood. The bog wood appears to be petrified driftwood. It is typically dark near the surface, sometimes translucent, and gray-streaked in the interior with small cracks containing rusty color, blue agate or a metallic mineral, perhaps hematite.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Cross-cut base of the previous piece.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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Back side of the previous piece.
Petrified Wood from Saddle Mountain
Extensive deposits of colorful petrified wood lie on top of Saddle Mountain, the high ridge bisected by the Columbia River 10 miles south of Vantage, WA. Access to the BLM land where the diggings are located is from the south side of the ridge via "R" road a few miles east of the town of Mattawa, which is on the east side of the Columbia river. Stumps and logs have been dug out of basalt on both sides of the valley to the west about 5 miles up the "R" road, and bog wood is found near the top of the ridge in the shallow valley to the south of the road.
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"Bog" wood showing the smooth texture of the surface. When wet it looks like a muscled limb of a skinned animal. A small knot is visible in the center of the piece.