Rockhounding Already!

It feels like we just got out of the cold weather and we’re on the desert looking for rocks. It wasn’t really that fast since we spent the first night in Butte Montana at 17 degrees F. below zero!!!! Yes, that cold. We had to keep our truck running all night long and even that didn’t stop our water from freezing up. My toothbrush froze! I also found out something interesting about the memory foam on our bed; when it gets really cold it hardens like a plank. I almost bruised my knees crawling on it. It softens up when warm bodies get into bed but you can be sure I wasn’t the first body to get in. We made it to Utah and Dale’s sisters place the next day and although they were complaining about the cold, 17 above,  it was fine with us. We spent an expensive 5 days there getting two things fixed on the truck and celebrating Pat’s birthday. We then headed to St. George but made it to Mesquite and stayed at a Casino that night. It had warmed up considerably so the next day we went to Burro Creek and settled down for a few days.

Burro Creek has been a good rock hounding area so we took ‘Babe’ (our ATV) out on a 28 mile rock hunt. It was a fun though dusty ride and we found some really good pastalite and opalite as well as some interesting unidentified rocks. I gathered a bunch of a large mica sheets to use in an art project. Fortunately, I have managed to do some art along the way. I have always been interested in wolves though its often a controversial subject, especially around Hunters (and hunters), where we live. But undoubtedly they are beautiful animals and I have been painting a few.

Dale is out hammering rocks and I am in painting so it’s back to our regular traveling routine.

Today we are going to Queen Valley outside Apache Junction, one of our favourite places.  We have friends to visit there so maybe we can score a Thanksgiving Dinner

Travel’n Gal