Monday in Salinas, Kansas

I've been an Airstreamer for about ten days now--so far so good!

I'm en route from Denver to St. Louis where I'll see my sister Marcia and her family, then on to Ohio and a show in Cincinnati this weekend.

This past weekend was the Colorado Mineral and Fossil Show in Denver where I had a room. That show is at a Holiday Inn. You get a regular hotel room and set up shop there. There were approximately sixty of us dealers there. It was a slow show, that was the consensus from all the dealers.

I bought some fantastic things from other dealers who have good sources. These include various cabochons (gemstones cut in ovals or circles and polished, but not faceted) including cabs cut from high quality turquoise, fossilized dinosaur bones, fossilized palm wood, and Mexican crazy lace agate. These are pricey little stones but gorgeous and they will make beautiful pieces of jewelry.

Some of the turquoise is from a mine in Leadville, Colorado that has been closed since about 1970. This turquoise is almost impossible to find--it came from an old collection that was in storage for years. I love it! I have a strong personal affinity for Leadville where I spent time in 1988. It's the highest incorporated town in the U.S. at 10,152 feet. I also bought some Cripple Creek Turquoise. This is beautiful too. It's still being mined today but is expensive and hard to find. I got it from a gentleman who sells it straight from the mine.

I also met a few meteorite collectors and added to my meteorite inventory. There is nothing quite like a rock from outer space. I now have some Martian and lunar meteorites. How cool is that? They are tiny, tiny, but they're the real thing.

From a campground in Salinas, Kansas, with Jake (my pup) by my side on a beautiful spring evening,

Jim

Campsite Two above Bluff, Utah

This is where I ended up late at night last night after I got stuck in Navajo, Country. Not a bad spot.

At Window Rock, Navajo Country--ten miles northwest of Round Rock, Arizona

This picture cost me $69, four hours, and was the genesis of a mini-adventure. If I would have stayed where it's parked here for the night I would have been fine, but I was on a quest for the perfect campsite. Next thing I knew I was stuck in the sand with the truck's wheels buried. After over two hours of failed struggling to get out and a failed hitch-hiking effort, I unhitched, drove to town, found a Navajo man at a rodeo and talked him in to helping. He got me right out and I continued up the road at about 10 PM headed toward BLM land in Utah.

In front of the largest piece of Canyon Diablo Meteorite

Most meteorites are named for where they are found. Meteor Crater is in Canyon Diablo (devil's canyon) in northern Arizona. Hence, any meteorite found near there is a Canyon Diablo. They estimate that the meteor that created this massive hole was about the size of a football field. It shattered on impact into thousands of pieces of all sizes, and this relatively small piece is the biggest we've ever found.

Meteor Crater at Canyon Diablo near Winslow, Arizona

This crater is almost a mile in diameter and almost 800 feet deep. It was created when a large iron-nickel meteorite hit the earth about 50,000 years ago. It's impressive.

My first camping spot as an Airstreamer, Sedona

Come see me on the road . . .

Yesterday, April 20, 2007, I became a full-time Airstreamer leaving my former house in Phoenix early in the afternoon. I am writing from Verde Valley School in Sedona and am about to continue north and east through the heart of the Colorado Plateau.

I am working my way to Denver via Flagstaff, Meteorite Crater, Canyon de Chelly, Bluff (Utah), Moab, and Grand Junction. I'll cross the continental divide on I-70.

April 27-29
Denver
Holiday Inn/Denver Central
www.mzexpos.com

May 4-6
Cincinnati--Geofair
Cincinnati Gardens, 2250 Seymour Ave.
www.geofair.com

May 19-20
Detroit
Midwest Mineralogical & Lapidary Society
Southgate Arena (Southgate, MI)

May 26-27
Chicago
Chicagoland Gem and Mineral Association
Dupage County Fairgrounds (Wheaton)

June 1-3
West of Toledo, Ohio
Stateline Gem and Mineral Society
Fulton County Fairgrounds

Please email if you're coming: utahredrock@yahoo.com or call 928.300.8010

In front of Utahredrock's Booth--Ontario, California

The Whole Setup

Center Stage

Amber, Turquoise, and Onyx

On Display: Tiger's Eye!

Campo Two

This is the second meteorite I ever got. It's a 17 pound Campo del Cielo. I am holding it in the first Ontario photo to give you an idea of size. I sold it at this show, which was both a happy and sad moment!

My New Home

Here's a photo of my new home: A 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel truck and a 1973 Airstream Tradewind Land Yacht (25 feet). Yee haw! I leave Phoenix and become a full time Airstreamer on April 19, my grandmother's 99th birthday. Special thanks to Darla for her invaluable help in transforming the interior.