Illinois and Texas Bound, A wild Stallion in the Red Desert

Our place is in the mountains. Two years ago, we got twenty-one feet of snow and we hire a man to shovel the snow off our roof, The forecast for today is for sixty mile per hour winds and for six to fourteen inches of snow. Thats why we left last week) We looked at the weather forecast and the winds were predicted to be over forty miles an hour with snowstorms. Two of the passes were expecting heavy snow. That made our decision on our route for us…

The route we chose was to go south over Salt Pass and then east, crossing the Wind River Mountains at Atlantic City, (which is almost a ghost town). Crossing the Red Desert north of Rock Springs, we kept watch for wild horses. We did see a group of three, but they were too far away. A little further we saw a car stopped. A lady was taking pictures of a wild mustang, and we pulled over. The beautiful horse stood proud and gave us a perfect profile. At one point it turned and looked directly at us before walking away. Continuing we drove east and passed a rock shop. It was open and so of course we stopped. Renita mentioned that she thought we had enough rocks, but she was wrong. We added to our collection with some cabochons, already cut. The ones we purchased were Graveyard Plume Agates, from Washington State, green aventurine, a blue optical fiber piece, and five pieces of red carnelian, (one of five gems mentioned in the bible).

While I make my own cabochons and love making them, these save me about two hours of work for each piece. I am simply buying time, which is the most precious thing one has. I also bought two slabs of Teepe Canyon agate from the Black Hills and a slab of Montana moss agate from the Yellowstone River. Renita purchased a ring made of moonstone set in sterling silver. We were both excited about our purchases, and when we arrive in Texas I will set mine in sterling and 14 K gold-filled wire. Clear skies

Prairie Agate Rock Shop, Crawford, Nebraska

As we travel, besides wildlife, we also keep an eye out for rock shops. So, when we passed one in Crawford, Nebraska I told Renita and of course we had to turn around and check it out. The door was open, and the proprietor was sitting in an easy chair enjoying the sunshine. Parking, we saw that the yard was full of the usual. Piles of rough rocks and rows of bins containing slabs.

Gary, the owner told us that he had lots of fossils, polished slabs, and high-quality rough inside. He told us of the titanothere skull his son had dug out and prepared and that it was enclosed in a glass case. It was a perfect two horned specimen and other large skulls were nearby. One case contained wooly mammoth teeth and teeth from other Pleistocene mammals.

All of his specimens had documentation that showed they had been legally collected and Gary showed an incredible knowledge, one of the most knowledgeable we have ever met. I asked him if he had any blue agate and he proudly told me all about the Nebraska State Gemstone, Nebraska Blue, Its found in the White River Formation which is the rock that that Crawford rests upon. As he told us about it he took out a UV flashlight and explained that much of the agate emits a strong green fluorescence.

We both decided we had to have some for specimens and for making jewelry. He handed us each our own uv light and then showed us piece after piece. Now not all the agate fluoresces only that which contains adamite. That mineral will then only fluoresces if it also contains some Uranium Oxide. Uranium is in almost all the petrified wood and fossil dinosaur bone out west. One storey goes that the first atom bomb partially was made from uranium collected from such fossilized wood. As he showed us piece after piece, we grabbed each one and he suggested we should go into his Ultra Violet Dark room where he had many specimens on display. All were for sale, and we left the room with more exquisite pieces. We now have so much Nebraska Blue that we probably have a lifetime supply. When we return to Wyoming next spring the first order of business will be to make a case full of cabochons for our summer shows! If you are ever in the town of Crawford, Nebraska be sure to stop in and enjoy the rocks and fossils! Clear skies, and of course rock on! Ps I am having trouble taking pictures of the green color as my uv light overpowers the green fluorescence with the strong visible purple that the light emits. Arrgh!