Thursday, September 6th, 2012
This day we set out on a Quest. Not just any old quest, but a Quest for Sapphires.
We drove 225 miles from Gardiner to Phillipsburg, through Butte and Anaconda, Montana.
(^Handy Map)
Anaconda looked like a cool town to poke around in, but we didn't have time to stop. It's on my list of places to return to (once I'm rich and have all the time in the world, of course.)
North of Yellowstone we could see little bits of forest fire every here and there, and smoke was drifting through the mountains. It was a long drive up there, but the scenery was worth it.
To the people who live in gorgeous places: Do you ever get over it, or are you constantly stopping to marvel at the creation around you?
I'll quote from my Twenty Trip book ( Embarking on a Once in a Lifetime Adventure, Kiwifruit press, author Mrs. Fruit) on the sapphire-hunting process.
"Step #1:
Wash the gravel in a long trough full of cold water. Try not to splash yourself as you perfect the proper swish, rock, turn, and shake technique."
"Step #2:
Tilting the tray toward yourself, dump the washed gravel in one fluid motion onto the tabletip. To not accidentally dump it onto the ground, or you will be ridiculed mercilessly."
"Step #3:
Begin looking for tiny pieces of translucent glass. These are actually sapphires. Use tweezers to snatch them up before other members of the family have a chance."
Mom was best at step 1 and Dad excelled at step 2, and I suppose I wasn't too bad at step 3.
Guess which one of us took home a total of 31 carats of sapphires?
Guess which one of us took home a total of 31 carats of sapphires?
That's me with my riches!
Lake Georgetown, Montana.
We also stopped in Philipsburg itself to look at Gem Mountain's store and poke around in an antique shop. (yet) Another pretty little town, but I can't seem to find any pictures of it. I thought I took some...
~Kiwi~
