I started collecting at the age of six on a trip with my Dad to the dumps of The Tilly Foster iron mine in Brewster, New York. I still have the piece of Magnetite and Chondrodite I found all those years ago. And that same year, my Dad and I had the privilege of going inside the Phillips Mine near the Bear Mountain Bridge with Mr. William Hoeferlin, who was responsible for mapping many of the Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain trails. That trip started my life long obsession with undergound mine exploration.

New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania are my main collecting grounds and I am delighted to have my twelve year old son join me on explorations. He was inspired by an earth science class he had in third grade. I also frequently collect with many cool folks met through this board.

My collection is quite varied and I would say ninety percent of it is field collected. But I do have a great interest in secondary Cu specimens and look for them enthusiastically at the various mineral shows we attend.

As you look through my photos, you will note that they are all locality shots. My aims are as follows:

-to demonstrate that you can get up every morning and find something new and exciting to do
-that localities written off as exhausted or extinct are not so
-to document the many localities in the NJ, NY, Ct, and Pa area that supplied the raw materials, and employed fine people for the greater good of the USA.
-and for those who enjoy armchair tourism, provide an opportunity to see places you might not otherwise visit.

Please enjoy and feel free to contact me with any comments or corrections. However, please note that in most instances, I will not furnish directions to the places I visit.