We needed an adventure, one cold, dreary morning. We headed off to Studio Drive (Cayucos, CA) and the small dirt parking lot there. After all of the recent king tides and a small storm, we expected to see some new rockhounding material washed up. I was on the hunt for mushroom rhyolite.
Rhyolite is a volcanic rock, rich in silica, which makes it lovely to tumble-polish. Mushroom rhyolite is what local rockhounds call the pieces that wash up that have attractive curves and clouds – mushroom colored and shaped. Sometimes you can find pieces with other blue, translucent, minerals in them or that have some crystal, geode-like pockets.
A friend recommended the beaches in Cayucos off of Studio Drive, the one at 24th St (Morro Strand State Beach Day Use Area, Cayucos) and also the Morro Bay Dog Beach (west of Toro Creek Rd, Cayucos) as places to find this unusual and subtly beautiful stone.
While mom rockhounded, Joy and Rocko collected up some rocks they liked and played in the driftwood structure someone had built. The creek was almost flowing to the ocean, and the kids made some dams in the trickle. They also found an old, dried out pipefish, which seemed far from its element.
All-in-all a successful day at the beach (and carefully timed for when the tide was heading out).
Are you looking for adventures nearby? Check out this list!
Do you want to know what creatures you are finding? Check out this Tidepool Pamphlet.(I may get a small commission from Amazon, at no cost to you, if you purchase from this link.)
If you want to explore outside at night with a UV flashlight (so so amazing!), I recommend these flashlights from Amazon: TactEagle UV Flashlight 365nm. They are inexpensive, the right type of UV for minerals and insects, powerful enough, just need one AA battery, and they seem to last forever!
This website is a side-hustle for paying for future family adventures; if you want to check out our stones and crystals, please do!
