Garret Romaine has been an avid rockhound, fossil hunter, and gold prospector for 35 years. He is a long-time journalist, columnist, and technical writer, and teaches technical writing at Portland State University. He is a Fellow in the Society for Technical Communication. He holds a degree in geology from the University of Oregon and a degree in geography from the University of Washington. Since 1997 he has written a regular magazine column for the Gold Prospectors Association of America entitled "Mining the Internet." His first book, Gem Trails of Washington, documented popular collecting locales in that state. He revised and updated Gem Trails of Oregon in 2009. This is his third book. Garret writes from Portland, Oregon.