Think, Care, Believe

More Quartzsite Faceting at the Gem and Mineral Club

2012-02-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

My second project began as another piece of cut glass from my friend Jamie. The color is really beautiful. This will be a round stone and the pattern is called a Brilliant Cut.

This is my work station. The club uses Graves Mark IV faceting machines.

The stone is starting to take shape. Even though it is normally considered a flaw, I really liked the little air bubbles running through this side of the stone.

This top part is called the crown, the middle part is called the girdle, and the bottom pointed part is called the pavilion. I made the girdle a little wider because this was going to be a large stone and I plan to wire wrap it for my friend Jamie who gave me the glass. On softer material like glass, a thicker girdle is a good idea. Some will shatter upon setting into prongs.

And here is the result. At almost 15 carats, it is a monster, LOL.

This is a really, really beautiful color. I'm almost out of wire at the moment and in process of ordering more. So, the wrapping won't be right away.

After a year of saving, I put a down payment on a brand new Graves Mark IV faceting machine. It's considered a good, solid beginner faceter. Should have it in a month. I plan to do many fun projects with colored glass for something totally new for my ETSY shop. Hopefully to take shape in the next coming months.

Faceting at the Quartzsite Gem and Mineral Club

2012-02-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

Spent the day at the Quartzsite Gem and Mineral Club today and walked away with this baby.

This club is the largest in North America. It has numerous opportunities to have fun, participate and learn about all things rock.

Information on the club is here.

This is my second year here and first thing on my agenda was to get back into the faceting lab.

This is Paul, my instructor, who helped me refresh my memory and my skills. He was great. All the instructors are top notch and all are volunteers.

I wish I had taken a before pic of the chunk of glass I chose to work on today. It was given to me by my friend, Jamie, last year and I promised to do a stone for her.

This is called cutting the pavilion. It is the bottom of the stone. Each type of cut has a different pattern to follow. Faceting is fascinating.

This is the lap where the stone is cut. A series of measurements and settings determine the angles of the sides.

When the pavilion is finished, the stone is transferred to another dop stick and the sides or girdle is cut. The bumpy stuff shown on the top here is the remaining wax left over from the first dop, but that will be ground away when we cut the top.

Doesn't look like much now, but the next steps of cutting the crown and top or table will soon bring this stone to life.

Now it looks like something. Time to cut the table and we're all done.

How beautiful... you almost wouldn't know it was glass. The cut is called a Mini Barion and it is 6.5 carats.

I'll be spending the next two days in the faceting lab brushing up on my skills and trying to be a sponge and soak up all the information I can.

Some Color in Quartzsite

2012-02-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

This morning I set a goal to grind some of the stones I just cut. As I began to shape them, the wind picked up and gusted steady all day. An afternoon rain brought relief from dust and gave us a beautiful double rainbow.

Bill said that at age 62, it was the first full end to end rainbow he'd ever seen.

After I took some pictures, I went inside to put the camera away and grab my sweatshirt and I heard Bill say...

"Get out here you nutcase, now it's a double!"

I had to act fast to take my pictures...

...because the rainbow soon began to dissapate.

I had earlier moved my cabbing machine inside to work out of the wind, careful not to make too much of a mess.

And here is the result...

Left to right: Noreena Jasper, Aventurine, a real pretty unknown Jasper, and Ruby in Fuschite.

Left to right: that pretty Jasper again, Ruby in Fuschite, Chrysoprase, and Dinosaur Bone.

Here is just a tiny remnant of rainbow in the clouds.

I've been working on an entry for a team contest for my rock club. There are 10 teams and one person creates the cabochon and ships it to the other team member to wire wrap. Once all entries are sent in, pictures will be posted without names and online voting begins this Friday. You have to be a member of RTH to vote. At the end of the contest, I will post pictures of my team's entry here to share. Wish me luck!

More Rock Cutting Therapy in Quartzsite

2012-02-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

I had some news during my two day rock cutting session. A family member had passed away. So I was able to find peace in my rocks, cutting them open and reveling in their ancient beauty.

The beautiful patterns inside this Wonderstone lifted my spirits.

When I cut one of them, I was surprised to see these black patterns inside, and realized it was Salinus Wonderstone. This reminded me that in life, there is always a new surprise waiting around the corner.

When I looked at the inside cuts of this Serape Crazy Lace I saw a warmth I wasn't expecting. These stones suggested to me to live every day with warmth in my heart.

These slices of Red Horn Coral were the last before the red agatization disappeared and I was left with only white. It was a reminder to appreciate what you have, nothing is forever.

This beautiful Botswana Agate has a warm glow shining from within. This stone announced to me to continue to let my light shine.

I cut some Dinosaur Bone pieces. They weren't the highest grade Gembone, but I liked the colors and patterning, so I gave it a try. Some pieces crumbled, as they weren't fully agatized... but, I managed to come away with a few usable pieces. This indicated to me that losing comes with winning, but you don't gain anything if you don't take a chance and try.

This awesome slice of Noreena Jasper was a thrill and made me feel grateful for every moment I have to experience things like cutting rocks.

Not sure what this Agate/Jasper is called, but I thought it was kinda pretty, even if it was a little dark. The outside was much darker, so it was nice to see these colors. This was an indication that when things look darkest, look harder and you will find something of beauty still exists, maybe even some crystal pockets.

Compared to the previous Noreena slice, this one is a little boring. But...as I was reminded... boring can be beautiful and we should appreciate boring too. Okay...this one is not all that boring.

Angie was a good little helper and took a nap the whole derned time. Don't know how she can sleep with that saw running, but she'd rather be out rock cutting with me than not... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Whether we're on this side, or on the other side, remembering that we're all in God's hands, through good and bad, helps us to keep moving forward on our journey. We're only on this planet, in this skin for a relatively short time, compared to the ages of these rocks, that is... let's make it count!

Nearly 1 Million Dollars in Sunstones Stolen From Tucson Gem Show

2012-02-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

The following is copied from tucsongemshow.blogspot.com, a blog covering the Gem Show in Tuscon, AZ. An article on the theft can be found here. I am saddened by this and am sending out the good thoughts that this is resolved soon. Please read and keep your eyes open for any sign of these stones.

Update... there is a reward now: http://www.desertusa.com/dusablog/stolen-at-tucson-a-reward-is-offered-by-the-world-gem-society.html

THEFT ALERT! SUNSTONE DEALER ROBBED AT #TucsonGemShow

DO NOT BUY SUNSTONE FROM STREET VENDORS WITH OUT SHOW CREDENTIALS!!!

A SUNSTONE DEALER HAD THE FOLLOWING INVENTORY STOLEN FROM HIS HOTEL PARKING LOT!!!

PHOTO FOR EXAMPLE ONLY
...these belong to another dealer

2000 faceted Sunstones in multiple size and color range
15 strands of Sunstone beads
150 pair Sunstone earrings
150 Sunstone pendants
150 Sunstone rings
6lb of rough Sunstone in a range of colors

POLICE CASE #1202070122

POLICE RECOMMEND - IF YOU SEE ANYONE SELLING OUTSIDE SHOWS OR IF YOU ARE A DEALER AND SOMEONE APPROACHES YOU - CALL 911

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE LOCALLY THAT IS BRAGGING OR TALKING ABOUT THIS PLEASE LET SOMEONE KNOW!!!

Cutting Rocks in Quartzsite

2012-02-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

Okay so the strong winds didn't let me cut my rocks yesterday, but I did get to cut today.

First up, this was called Zebra Crazy Lace, but to me it looked like a banded Rhyolite with Lace. I grabbed it. How cool is this rock?

And how cool are these slices?

Next I cut some Ruby in Fuschite.

Then I cut some Chrysoprase.

A little Noreena Jasper.

A little more Noreena... I thought these looked like they had flames in them.

A little Rainforest Jasper.

This piece of Rhodonite.

I wasn't very happy with these pieces of Crazy Lace for cabochons for my jewelry, so I put them in the tumbler.

Blackskin Agate from India.

Some Dinosaur Bone with pretty color.

Some beautiful Green Moss Agate from India.

Some real pretty Tiffany Stone from Utah. This isn't the dark purple that most are used to, but more pastel shades. I thought it was real pretty.

Cut some of the prettiest Aventurines that I think I've ever seen.

That's all for today's cuts.

Lots of beautiful color in these slabs.

I'm really looking forward to grinding these into shapes and polishing them into cabochons.

They are going to become beautiful pieces of jewelry in the coming days of this year.

Purty, purty color.

The plan is to cut more tomorrow.

Quartzsite Notes

2012-02-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

More vendors packing up and leaving in all the various venues around Quartzsite. It's kinda sad, but gives us southwest snowbirds a little breathing room. I've just gotten over a flu-cold crud that took most of my energy away and am slowly getting my energy back. Hate it when all I can do is lay in bed and have so many things swirling in my head waiting to be created. Luckily Angie kept me company.

My first Fossilized Sand Dollar pendant found a home. This is my wonderful neighbor Roberta with her new treasure. She loves it and looks beautiful wearing it. I've since made two more pendants. The sand dollars come from California and I bought them from a vendor here who dug them out herself. She says it's a labor intensive process, cleaning them off with hand tools to uncover the fossil. The site where these sand dollars come from is closed to hounding now, so chances of any more coming from that location are slim.

Did some shopping for a client who collects hearts. She loves Malachite and I searched all over for one of these and finally found one. I also found some crystals and slabs for her. They should arrive today. Hope she like them. ;)

This piece of Agatized Red Horn Coral intrigued me so I purchased it from my friends at Idaho Rockshop and took a slice off. It sure was purty and I couldn't hardly wait to see how it would look turned into a cabochon.

And here is the result. The piece is nicely agatized revealing amazing color, depth and detail. I'm visualizing the wrapped pendant now and will probably produce something in the near future. Still deciding whether to use gold or silver... decisions, decisions.

We're having some beautiful days here. It's gradually getting a little warmer, but nights are still cool, in the 30s and 40s. Every time I take on more rock, I have to bring everything out and re-organize and that's what I did yesterday. Gotta cut some of the rough I bought. That's on my agenda for today. Then I'll line them up for grinding cabochons. We have set aside next week for taxes, and then when they are finished, I'll start some classes at the Gem and Mineral Club here in Quartzsite, the largest in North America.

I've been putting a box together for my friend Randy, so I went to T-Rocks to see what they have. I'm planning to go back to take pictures for an upcoming blog post so keep your eyes open for it. It has a huge and amazing collection of rocks to buy and is highly educational to see all types of rock in rough form.

Bingo started up again last night here at the campground. I feel silly to say how much I've been looking forward to it. This is a small group and is very low key (Bingo can get pretty serious), emphasizing fun. It was great to hear our host Tommy calling out the numbers again and his beautiful assistant Cheryl doing the Vanna White thing. It's White Elephant Bingo, so the prizes always make you chuckle.

Lastly, our neighbor Ralph has been making Tin Men. He started yesterday and I got a picture of Ralph with his creation.

They are just too cool.

A Drive Down Main Street in Quartzsite, AZ

2012-01-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

This is a view of Quartzsite coming in from the west (California) on the I-10. Usually there is a halo of dust in the month of January.

In the open land on the outskirts of town, BLM land, there is dry camping. That means no hookups. No electric, no water, no sewer. Some dry campers have their rigs fitted with solar panels or use generators. Water and sewer dumping trucks come out and service them for a fee. It's quite a popular thing here. More information can be found on the BLM website here.

Now we're going to visit Main Street which runs parallel to the I-10 on the northern side. On the left (not shown) is T-Rocks, an open all year rock shop, and ahead is the Main Event, the first selling venue in Quartzsite. It's popularity has decreased somewhat in the last years and has shrunk a bit.

As we turn right on Main Street we see Quartzsite's newest restaurant on the right.

This camel is in front of Gem World. Camels have a historical significance here in the desert southwest. The US Army ran a project to try out camels for carrying supplies. While they proved suitable for the work and the terrain, their dispositions made them difficult to handle and the horses were afraid of them, so the project was abandoned. The lead camel driver was named Hi Jolly and lived out his days here in this townand is buried here. The camels were bought by a man who took them to British Columbia for use for the gold rush. Some camels escaped and sightings of feral camels existed into the 1930s.

Continuing down Main Street heading east, we see Hardie's Beads, a lapidary supply store that is open from October through May.

More shops and stores with everything under the sun.

Southwest style gift shops.

The Q-Town Cafe is the second newest restaurant in Quartzsite and it is very good too.

More flea market style venues.

The Big Market, one of the three grocery stores in Quartzsite.

You have to be careful driving Main Street. You never know what type of driving you are going to encounter, so it's best to drive with caution.

One of the several RV parks along Main Street. Information of Quartzsite's RV Parks can be found here.

This is Tysons Wash. It runs north-south through the center of Quartzsite. When it rains hard, the water has to run somewhere and this dry river bed comes alive with running water. When it is dry, like now, it is used as an off-road trail.

Yummy things here.

Silly Al's is probably the best pizza place in town.

The road to the QIA where several community events and the Pow Wow are held.

La Mesa RV dealership is one of several RV sales venues on the east side of town on Main Street.

You can find fun little spots like this all around town.

The eclectic charm of Quartzsite.

Not to miss is the bookstore, home of The Naked Bookseller, Paul Winer, just before leaving town.

Hope you enjoyed our little drive through town.

Quartzsite's Tyson Wells

2012-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

It's the last week of January. Many of the vendors pulled out after the Pow Wow and headed for the Tucson shows. Many still stayed. More will leave the first of February, and so on as they trickle out and the rock related business closes out by May with only T-Rocks and Hardies Beads remaining open.

Well, I've shown you two of the Quartzsite venues, Desert Gardens and the QIA Pow Wow. Now it is time to show a little of Tyson Wells, which is on the southern side of I-10, next to Desert Gardens. Traffic can get pretty tricky through here in the month of January, so, in these pictures I'll try to show many of the modes of transportation you will see in Quartzsite.

This is called the big tent. There are a couple of large buildings and a couple more large tents here.

Inside one of the tents.

Lots of these too

Lots of these all over

Walking

Bike

Dune buggies.

Lots of golf carts.

Scooter.

I see a green bug.

A three room log house made from a giant redwood.

Future Project Quartzsite Acquisitions

2012-01-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my latest Quartzsite acquisitions. All of these are planned for future projects that I have in mind for the year ahead. Look for them in my ETSY Shop in the future.

Archaen Butterstone is a stromatolite, which is fossilized algae in rock. This one is from Africa and was a gift from my friend, Barb. She said she saw some earrings made with it, and said they looked awesome, so I'm gonna try it out.

Labradorite.

Bumble Bee Agate.

A pretty Crazy Lace Agate.

Bowlerite, which is actually a piece of a bowling ball.

A cluster of fossilized coral.

A Picture Stone archway.

A green Moss Agate slice.

This slab with some fossilized critters.

Some cut glass for faceting.

I see an owl in this one.

Some Laguna Agates.

Condor Agates.

Some Botswana Agates.

Sharks teeth.

More Crazy Lace.

Varigated Tiger Eye.

Seraphinite.

An Owyhee slab with a turtle in it.

Beads

Marra Mamba

Still more Crazy Lace.

Some incredible Moss Agates.

Wonderstone.

Dinosaur Bone.

This beautiful Moss Agate piece.

Malachite

Some cool funky, wonky stuff.

Some Rainbow Cal-Silica.

Some Native Copper.

Luna Agate.

Yet more Crazy Lace.

And... last but not least... Ruby in Fuschite.

RTH BBQ in Quartzsite

2012-01-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we woke up to the most beautiful sunrise I think I've ever seen. But the wind had picked up starting in the morning and that meant we were in for a dusty day.

That evening was our RTH Club BBQ and by then the whole town was in a dust fog. You could hardly see Q Mountain (in the background here).

We still had some fun chatting with friends.

Everyone had their smiles on despite the dust.

We got to look at some cool rocks...

... talk rocks...

... eat some good food...

... and try not to eat too much dust.

Basically, a good time was had by all.

More of Quartzsite's Pow Wow

2012-01-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

Our friends Barb and Charlie headed home to Canada this morning.

Before they left, they showed off their magic tie-dye socks, made by their beautiful daughter, Michelle.

Barb thought the socks would come in handy in case the car broke down and they needed to hitch hike.

Though it was short, it was sweet to have the gang together again.

On to more Pow Wow pictures.

This is a sea turtle carved from Australian Boulder Opal.

Gorgeous bead work.

More bead work.

These geodes have been dyed and their outside painted black. Then treated with a coating of Hematite.

Dichroic Glass cabochons.

Fossilized Dinosaur Bone.

Home made honey and some Jade.

Jade.

This Jade knife is amazing.

Gold nuggets.

Divining rods.

Gold pans.

A gigantic Azurite.

Dinosaur poo.

Thunder eggs.

Obsidian needles.

Clams.

Sphere blanks. This is what you start with when you make a sphere.

Mexican Fire Opal

And Rainbow Obsidian.

Quartzsite Pow Wow Exhibits

2012-01-19T22:31:00.000-08:00

Inside the QIA Building, along with the cafeteria and some vendors, there are some exhibits by some members of the Quartzsite Roadrunner Gem & Mineral Club. These were some of the most impessive displays I've seen, including the museums we've visited in our travels.

Tiger Iron from Australia by Russ Wentworth

Display by CRS Grippers.

A beautiful Thompsonite tree by Hillary Klass.

China Hollow Picture Rock

Thunder Eggs

Blue Mountain Picture Jasper

Malachite (green), Petrified Wood (violin), Blue Cornetite, Cobolto Dolomite (pink)

Fairburn Agates

Jewelry by Ted Klass, trees by Hillary Klass

Three incredible agates.

Some incredible Petrified Wood.

Some incredible Opal from Australia.

Mammoth tusk carvings.

I couldn't believe there were little critters inside these.

These were carved by William So.

This was a fascinating exhibit. Slabs of rock with pictures on them in vintage picture frames.

It was an effective presentation.

Picturesque even.

Amazing to think that these scenes were trapped in dirty old rocks until an artist freed them.

Some incredible jewelry by Plasma Cutting Oils.

Some exquisite beaded pieces.

Some framed photos of slabs on canvas by Mike Woodward.

The slabs used are displayed next to the artwork.

Beautiful Bruneaus.

Flintknapping.

Some impeccable wire work by Carol Whearty.

Black Pottery by Maria Adelteche. The Pueble houses in the center are kitchen canisters.

And then, there were dinosaur eggs.

Quartzsite's QIA Pow Wow

2012-01-18T19:46:00.000-08:00

This is the Quartzsite Improvement Association. It's where the Annual Pow Wow is held. This is what it looked like last week before the Pow Wow.

The first vendors arrive.

The porta-potties arrived.

A little more activity.

Tables appear.

A few more arrive.

Looking like an event now!

Open for business!

Just a few of the items at the Pow Wow...

A replica of a circa 1700 Dakota Sioux Indian necklace

Ice Age Bison horns

Devils Toenails

Ruck's Pit Mossusk Shells

Petrified Star Fish

Big teeth!

and old Bones.

The Pow Wow will be going on through Sunday. We'll be visiting alot more and will share.

More to come.

Sphere Shopping in Quartzsite

2012-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

I searched and priced some spheres for my friend Debbie and thought I'd share them here. I saw spheres that were quite reasonable and some that were charged by the gram and ran well over a hundred dollars for a 4 inch sphere.

I believe these were $30 each.

These are $10 each and were about 5 inches...

... and close-ups of the $10 spheres.

More $10 spheres, about 5 inches.

I think these were a little larger at $15.

$5 each and 4 inches, I think.

Coral and shell, $30, 6 or 7 inches I think.

These were $40 each without the stand. The stands are an extra $20 and were hand made by the seller's friend.

Close-ups of the $40 spheres.

The larger ones are $60 and the smaller ones are $40. The dark ones are different types of Obsidian. The larger ones are 6 inches.

Smaller ones $40, larger ones are $60.

I think this was a $40 one, a Red and Green Moss.

A $40 Crazy Lace.

A $40 pretty Moss Agate. I did see some vugs on the outside of this, but they add character, IMHO.

A $40 Amethyst sphere.

I have to go back for the prices on these, but I think the medium sized ones were $30 (the boss was out). I think they are some type of Rhyolite.

That's it for sphere shopping. Hope you enjoyed the spree! ;)

Good Friends, Good Times in Quartzsite

2012-01-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

The other night, we were treated to a fabulous sunset...

...and then we were surprised by our Canadian friends, Barb and Charlie. They were our neighbors last year and we thought they weren't going to make it this year due to family obligations. Sure was great to see their smiling faces.

The next evening, after overcoming some mechanical difficulties, our friends and other neighbors from last year, Ralph and Roberta arrived with "The Bug"!

Sure was great to see the whole gang together again. These four (with Ralph's son John who is here for a week) have been good friends for the past 7 or 8 years and we were lucky enough to be included in their posse last year.

Angie was gonna make sure they didn't go anywhere by claiming Charlie's foot for her own, LOL.

Ralph, who is a fantastic flint knapper, brought a couple collections of his work to share with us.

Ralph is 84 years old and has survived several health issues. He refuses to let them slow him down. It's an inspiration to spend time with this man and he will always be affectionately known as "The Director".

Tomorrow is the first day of the QIA Pow Wow and I'll be sharing some of our adventures there.

More of Quartzsite's Desert Gardens

2012-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

A few more Desert Gardens pictures. Desert Gardens is just one of several vendor areas of Quartzsite. This is the Desert Gardens from afar, Tyson Wells is just beyond on the same side of the Interstate.

It's right near the mountain with the Q on it.

Diamond Pacific, maker of lapidary machines, has a permanent building there.

Lots of slabs priced from fifty cents to fifty dollars.

Amethyst Crystal plates.

Equipment. This is for automatically polishing large flat pieces.

Jewelry.

Aragonite clusters from Morocco.

Fossilized turtle shell.

Pietersite.

Peruvian Opal.

Cherry Creek Jasper.

Petrified Wood.

Dinosaur Bone.

White Jade carvings.

Whoooooo

Some marbles on steroids.

Sodalite dolphins.

A Porphyry lizard.

Picasso Marble.

Snowflake Obsidian.

Tiffany Stone.

A Flint Knapper working with obsidian.

And this is his work.

Some artifacts.

Arrowhead wind chimes.

Petrified Wood tree rounds.

Educational materials.

Even some fossilized fish.

Angie was really hoping there would be some stuffed animals somewhere. We came around the corner and she saw this...

A buffalo hide. She asked me to take it home to put on her back seat and make it nice and cushy for her, but I had to say no.

Quartzsite's Desert Gardens

2012-01-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

Quartzsite Arizona has several venues in different sections of town where you can buy wonderful rock related stuff. Desert Gardens is one area that runs along the south side of I-10. This is Idaho Rock Shop and Stonesthatrock.

Specializing in Owyhee Picture Jasper, Idaho Rock Shop has rough rock and equipment of all size available.

Just across the way, you can find a Meteorite display.

And this is what meteorites look like.

Next up is a table of Obsidian Obelisks, halved Thunder Eggs, and geodes.

Thunder Eggs are at the back, they have solid agate inside. To the front are two geode halves, with an air pocket and crystals inside.

To the back are Septarian Nodule halves with Picture Sandstone spheres in the foreground.

This is a huge checkered Sodalite sphere.

Beads, cabs and Sandstone art.

Tables of tubs full of water with slabs immersed to show the full beauty of the rock.

Fossilized Sand Dollars.

Fossilized Ammonites.

Malachite and Chrysocolla.

A little Petrified Wood.

Slag Glass that came here packed in crates and in barrels.

Painted rock art.

A table of Mookite all the way from Australia.

A rather large piece of Kambaba Jasper from Africa.

Beautifully carved walking sticks.

Ozark Wood fish.

Miles of cabochons and beads.

Lighted Aragonite art pieces. These are lit at night and are really, really beautiful.

An Aragonite bird bath.

Last year, I got a picture of this gentleman drilling one of his pieces and it was pretty impressive. I spoke to him for a few moments today and he said he will be drilling very soon. The name of his business is Golden Light Aragonite. Here is his website: http://www.goldenlightaragonite.com

I told him that I liked his flag holder and he told me it is actually a fountain, LOL.

That's it for today's visit... we're running some errands tomorrow but will be out to explore Quartzsite again soon.

Tombstone to Quartzsite

2012-01-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Boy, this 11 day trek has been tiring us out. But today was the last leg of our journey. Just want to mention that our Garmin Nuvi has been a champ, getting us to all our destinations. We have one of the models that downloaded Audible Books and coordinates the directions with the book. It was really cool on this trip when we listened to "The Help" and the name Pascagoula was spoken, we saw it on a road sign as we passed through Mississippi. The second book we listened to was "Water for Elephants". We're three quarters the way through right now, and will have to take a few road trips because we're dying to stay with the story. We highly recommend either of these for your road trips.

Okay... now to today's journey.

We said goodbye to Tombstone this morning and waved to the statue of Wyatt Earp that stands guard next to his house, keeping his eyes on everyone who comes in and leaves his town.

We saluted the legendary townspeople in their eternal resting places on Boot Hill as we got the heck out of... er, um... Tombstone.

Since Tombstone is just an hour north of the Mexican border, we went through another Border Patrol Checkpoint. I confidently tried to distract Angie again as we passed the K-9 Security Dog on duty, but she was wise to me this time and spotted the official looking German Shepherd and tried to pick a fight. That poor hardworking dog barked back at her and his handler scolded him. Geez... Angie. We were waved right through.

We headed north back to the I-10 and pointed the rig west one more time. Bill drove through Tucson and then I got to do Phoenix. Going through the big cities has been the most stressful part of our cross-country trip, but we're grateful we got through them unscathed.

Crossing to the far western side of Arizona we were reminded by several impressive formations about Arizona's volcanic past. We could see the volcanic rock scattered down around many dormant volcanoes and lava flows. If not for all the ancient volcanic activity, Arizona wouldn't have such wonderful rocks!

And here we are, finally made it. The I-10 southern route brought us straight into Quartzsite safe and sound.

The town of Quartzsite is approx. 36 square miles and normally has a population of 3400 people, except in the month of January when it swells to over a million.

That is the QIA Building behind us. QIA stands for Quartzsite Improvement Association and is the home of the famous Pow-Wow, a Gem and Mineral Show that will take place next weekend. We'll have a front row seat.

Angie settled in and was right at home, taking in all the sights and sounds. It was great to see our old friends again and we look forward to seeing more friends while here.

One of the first things I did was change over my tumbler load. This load tumbled all the way across the country.... sort of... actually, it was unplugged and put on the floor while we drove and plugged back in at night. It was very cool because we took a walk around the block this evening and picked up rocks and put them right into the tumbler for the next load. Kewl huh... only in Quartzsite.

We'll be here for three months, so I'll be sharing lots of fun tid-bits from Quartzsite.

Tombstone!

2012-01-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

This is our spot at Wells Fargo RV Park in Tombstone with Boot Hill in the distance. We chose this spot for the night because it is the only one right in town, within walking distance of all the action. Not thrilled with the management of this park, with all the parks we've experienced, Wells Fargo RV Park would be at the bottom of our list.

Wyatt Earp's house where he lived with his wife, Mattie, is across the street.

The OK Corral is a half a block away and was a livery stable. Now it is a small park and the building has a museum and reenactments.

This is Wyatt Earp's actual saddle. It is a plantation saddle and was typically used in the 1860s. Kurt Russel used this very saddle in the 1993 movie.

And here is a picture of the Clantons after that fateful day at the OK Corral.

And this is the type of coffin used for them.

This is the plaque that stands in the park at the site of the Ok Corral.

Wyatt and the boys hanging around the middle of town, making sure everything is safe and peaceful-like.

The stagecoach waits to take visitors up and down Main Street.

It's pretty cool how the town sits atop a hill, surrounded by breathtaking Arizona mountain scenery. Easy to see they had an advantageous viewpoint to be able to see who was coming in from all sides. But, Tombstone was established on this very spot for another reason. Silver, gold, copper, turquoise, chrysocolla and malachite were mined here.

We took a tour of the Good Enough Mine. With hard hats adorned, we learned how those early miners dug by hand with the use of dynamite for 3 dollars a day.

The Goodenough was one of several mines of Tombstone and they had to be very careful to stay within each mine's boundaries when digging.

Our guide explained to us that the mine area is like one big, huge ant farm with multiple levels of tunnels.

The main product was silver, because our country's monetary system was based on silver at the time. Miners would blast the silver loose, shovel it up and into a trolley car and then wheel the cars out the front to be processed and the silver extracted.

The black color on the wall is the silver. Our guide said that the silver was sent to New Orleans to be minted into silver money. He said that any Morgan Silver Dollars dated between 1880 and 1884 with an O on them were made of silver from Tombstone.

Our guide points out blue/green Chrysocolla.

The walls really were colorful. The green in this picture is Malachite.

The whole cave was really quite beautiful. Our guide told us that there were many accidental deaths here, but no ghosts because SYFY's Fact or Fiction investigated and said so.

This is a fault line that goes straight up through the crust and is visible from atop the ground. Miners put wooden boards into the cracks and if the wood moved, they knew a cave-in was possible.

We really enjoyed this tour and highly recommend it.

Back out in town, the local color was in full swing.

All kinds of shopping.

We really felt that the town was a perfect convergence of old and new.

There are many tours and not possible to take them all in one day.

Most everything was within walking distance.

We also took a tour of the Bird Cage Theatre. That is where Wyatt's second wife, Josie performed. It is said to be haunted and I think I've seen Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures programs where they investigate this very place.

Unfortunately we cannot show pictures from the museum inside because they do not allow them posted on the internet.

We really enjoyed experiencing Tombstone. We felt it was really well done, not too commercial, and would recommend it just for the experience of being there.

Deming to Tombstone

2012-01-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

Woke up to a beautiful New Mexico sunrise in Deming this morning.

A little morning mist made for a surreal landscape as we traversed the southern portion of New Mexico.

Much of the mountainous landscape is actually either a dormant volcano or lava flow. New Mexico has more volcanic history than any other state, thus it's old nickname "The Volcanic State". Unfortunately, that name didn't bring the tourists rushing in, so they decided to change it.

Before we knew it, we were in Arizona. That land form you see in the distance is actually a wall of rocks. It's called the Little Dragoon Mountains

Once you enter the gauntlet, it feels like an alien world. This is called Texas Canyon. It is the route stagecoaches used to take and is Apache Territory.

This is where the famous Apache Indian, Cochise, fought his last battle to keep his stronghold.

Gigantic Granite boulders so close to the highway make you go "Wow".

Pretty soon, we make the southerly turn toward the town of Tombstone.

I imagined what it would be like riding across this rugged territory toward the tiny town in the late 1800s.

Very cool to see this sign.

We're getting butterflies... we're getting close... it's right up there on that hill ahead.

Now we know we've made it to Tombstone...

Escaping the Snow- Van Horn to Deming

2012-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

By the time I woke up this morning, Billy had been up for a couple hours watching the storm on the news and assessing our situation. He announced that it had gone a little more north and east than they had predicted and he thought we should go for it. I had prepared myself for hunkering down for the day so I had to get moving and kick it into high gear!

We left the campground which had very little snow sticking and headed back for the I-10 and headed west again. Visibility wasn't too bad, the roads were wet, but not icy. We took extra care, especially because of the bridges which will freeze before the road because they are completely surrounded by air (roads are partially insulated by the ground).

Pretty soon though...

visibility deteriorated and the Chihuahuan Desert transformed to white.

We were a little worried we had made the wrong decision.

I realized this wasn't something one gets to see very often... the Davis Mountains with snow on them.

But, as we left the mountains behind, we saw less snow and visibility slowly improved.

When we reached El Paso, the sky started to brighten. This is Concordia Cemetery with the Franklin Mountains in the background with the Patriot Freeway overpass.

This area is called Borderland. It is between the interstate and the Rio Grande, which is the river dividing the United States from Mexico.

There is one stretch where the I-10 runs right on the border and you can look right over into Chihuahua, Mexico.

Another something you don't see very often... the Franklin Mountains covered with fresh snow.

We said goodbye to Texas and looked forward into New Mexico, and the skies immediately cleared.

We passed Mesquite and saw LOTS of cattle...

...and orchards.

Looking out at beautiful New Mexico, we were reminded that it is called The Land of Enchantment.

Then we were funneled into a border patrol checkpoint.

This isn't the one where Snoop Dogg was arrested today. That was the one on the eastbound side of I-10 and that checkpoint is east of El Paso (this one is the westbound side).

I distracted Angie's attention so she wouldn't bark at the K-9 Security Dog on duty this time. She was a bit peeved at me.

And so it was on to Deming, New Mexico where we would spend the night.

Couldn't believe how picture perfect this day was turning into. The colors in New Mexico just seem to be different somehow.

We pulled into Low-Hi RV Ranch and Angie was on the lookout for the roadrunner. She must've remembered him from our stay here last year.

Low-Hi stands for Loners on Wheels Headquarters International. This is their home base and it is open to the public.

They really seem like a fun group and the RV Park feels very homey. If you are, or you know someone who is single and loves to RV, this would be a great group to join. They have chapters all over the US. Here is their website: http://lonersonwheels.com/index.html

Angie and I went to go see the Labyrinth.

It's a maze of paths made by the Low members and is lined with stones and personal items.

Each step through the maze brings a renewed smile to one's face.

I really had a heck of a time with Angie. She kept jumping the lines in the maze and found Ernie and tried to take him home with her. I tried to reason with her. Thank goodness I won this battle.

We delighted at the mementos and memorials along the path.

Great to visit Low-Hi RV Ranch again.

I even found a few agates in the gravel for the tumbler.

Tomorrow it is on to Arizona and a visit to Tombstone.

Through West Texas

2012-01-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

Woke up bright and early to a beautiful sunrise at our little spot by the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. Today's stretch was gonna be rather long, so we needed to hit the road early.

As we pulled out, I looked over at the island across part of the river and saw three deer munching on grass.

And so we hit the road for a day full of beautiful Texas scenery.

We wound through the hills of Kerr County as they revealed canyons of dry rocky soil, brush, bushes and low trees.

The tractors were sexy.

Back on the I-10, and we headed west through hills...

...that seemed to multiply...

And then at the end of those hills, the world seemed to open up.

Off in the distance, they hills seemed to grow...

...and grow.

Then on top of those overgrown hills, we began to see a familiar sight.

Wind mill farms.

And it wouldn't be Texas without seeing oil wells.

And then we finally pulled into our spot at the Van Horn KOA, just as a front was rolling in.

This was the view from our back window. Somehow on our journey from Kerrville, those hills turned into mountains and Texas became the southwest.

Angie and I took a walk to experience our surroundings as the temperature dropped, wind began to blow and clouds took the sun away.

I had to remind Angie to look out for the cactus because they bite!

A southwest storm is rolling in. 3 to 5 inches of snow and high winds expected. Should be much better to the west of us so we will have to see in the morning if we will be leaving in the morning. We may have to spend another night until it all blows through.

Columbus to Kerrville- South Central Texas

2012-01-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

Another foggy morning greeted us as we left our campsite at the KOA in Columbus, Texas. As we pulled onto the I-10 heading west, the fog surrendered to an overcast sky.

Hills began to pop up around us and we knew we were in prime Texas farm territory.

Lots of business selling heavy equipment, hay, feed, trucks, tires.

Rustic remnants of days gone by.

Tourist attractions steeped in Texas flair.

Even a Rock Shop.

As we turned north to take the beltway around San Antonio, the hills grew.

And took on a Tex-Mex flavor.

Would have liked to drop in for some dancing, but we had a schedule to keep.

An so it was on to tonight's stopover in Kerrville Texas.

Where we camped at By The River RV Campground, right on the Guadalupe River.

A beautiful, clean, friendly campground at a reasonable price.

And... I got to hound for some Texas Flint to feed the rock tumbler.

Louisiana to East Texas

2012-01-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

While staying in Duson, LA, which is in the southern part of the state, a friend came down from northern Louisiana to visit. This is talented artist Melody and her handsome son, William. Melody has done some beautiful work in wood and is delving into stone intarsia work.

Adorable daughter Gillian shares some of the stones they polished on their brand new cabbing machine and some fairy wings she and her mother made with tissue paper, wire and glue.

We enjoyed our short visit with them and appreciated them driving down just to see us!

Humidity was high in southern Louisiana and a heavy fog rolled in that night.

But it cleared this morning and we were able to head out onto the I-10 and continue our trek west.

East Texas still had swamps and bayous but soon opened up in a way only Texas can.

It started to look like Texas too.

We were happy to see the resultant puddling from a recent good rain in Texas, something sorely needed after one of the worst droughts in Texas history. When we crossed the Texas panhandle last spring, we experienced that dryness and wild fires springing up all around us while we stayed there. But there has been a silver lining to the drought cloud... drying bodies of water have revealed hidden treasures. Check out the NY Times Article here.

So we came to our first of three stops in Texas, here in Columbia.

Angie enjoyed the doggie park, even though it was a little strange for her to have to act like a real dog for a change (and not a spoiled kid).

The neighbors by the doggie park called these the weather rocks. Kind of a joke in Texas. If the rock is wet, it rained. If it is swinging it's windy. If the rock is gone, there is a tornado. ;) I think the holes were either made by nature or by Ancestral Native Americans.

And what could be better than finding some cool rocks for the tumbler! Texas Flint in it's many colors.

Looking forward to tomorrow's overnight stop on the Guadalupe River. We stayed there last year and it was a great rockhounding spot.