Digging for Thunder Eggs at Richardson Rock Ranch

The minute we learned about Richardson Rock Ranch, Isla and I began dreaming up a trip to dig for thunder eggs. We made a trip to visit family in central Oregon last month, so it was the perfect opportunity to stop in Madras and visit the ranch.

We arrived to the rock shop just before 2:45pm. This is the firm cut off time for going out to dig, as you are expected to leave the beds by 4:30pm and leave the ranch by 5:00pm. After signing in, we were given picks, a simple hand-drawn map, and safety instructions about where to dig. In our rush, we totally forgot to take buckets with us, but they have plenty of those on hand for you to use as well. We hopped back in car and drove another 20 minutes until we reached our desired rock bed. We passed through pastures (the ranch also raises cattle) and as we drew closer to the rock beds, the terrain became dry and rocky- a good sign! While the folks at the rock ranch don’t advise waiting until the last minute to go out into the beds like we did, we found that with two small kiddos, 45 minutes was the perfect amount of time to dig, so thankfully everything worked out just fine!The thunder eggs were so prevalent and easy to dig up (some were just laying out on the ground!) we had no trouble collecting an armful in just over a half an hour. When collecting at the ranch, you use the honor system and pay for your rocks when you return to the rock shop. There is a $12.50 minimum, which is about 12 tangerine-sized thunder eggs.

Cole got a kick out of holding the thunder eggs and, of course, tasted every single one we handed him.

We keep doing double takes when we look at Isla because she has grown up so much in the past few months! Her legs are stretched out long, like a big kid’s, and her knees are no longer pudgy and dimpled. Oh, my heart! I’d really just like time to slow down.

Our thunder egg haul.

Our proud little collector!

When we returned from the rock beds we actually had a few minutes to spare, and so we were able to have a few of our thunder eggs cut open while we explored the vast rock shop. It is absolutely loaded, both inside and out, with rocks and products made from rocks (jewelry, statues, candle holders, figurines, etc.) from all over the world. Isla went crazy looking at all of the wonderful treasures, and I was able to sneak a few items up to the counter without her noticing, which we will surprise her with on her birthday next month.

Our experience at the Richardson Rock Ranch was just wonderful, and I have no doubt we will go on more digs there in the future!