We decided to interview each other for the field trip report.

Here are the questions that I asked Michelle.

Q: Michelle, I know that this was your first time to fly. How did you feel about flying before the trip and how do you feel about it now? Describe how you felt when we took off for the first time.

A: I've always been terrified of flying. As early as I remember, I've said that I would never fly. My philosophy was that "If man was made to fly, he'd have been born with wings!" Well, I sure got an attitude adjustment! I knew that the time had come to overcome this mindset. I didn't want to miss out on such a super opportunity as this. Now, since pressing on into my endeavor, I have been transformed. I am now hooked on flying. Yes, me! I am very much looking forward to future flights. When we took off for the very first time, I was surprised at how I felt. It was a very exhilarating experience. My favorite part was the sensation of power and speed. What a thrill! I hope I didn't embarrass Monte too much when I broke out into loud reverberant yells of "Yee-Haw!" and "Cool!" I couldn't contain myself, however I did regain my composure and settle back for an awesome adventure.

Q: What was it like to be picked up and chauffeured around town in that super stretch limo?

A: This was another first for me. I've always seen limos, but had never pictured myself in one. I felt like royalty. As we traveled all around town, people took notice. They would wave wildly from cars in traffic and from sidewalks. The very neatest part was when we stopped by a quick shop. It was so ironic to see a limo parked at a quick shop. This is not your typical occurance. We were also the most excitement Starbuck's Coffee had seen all day! This is sure something one could get used to very fast! It was a great day!

Q: What did you like the most about the show? The least? What did you think about how it was laid out?

A: The thing I liked most about the show was the diversity of cultures in attendance. I've not been very many places in my life. This was like seeing the whole world all at once. Not only did I get to see people from all places, but also gems and minerals from anywhere you could think of. It was a feast for the eyes and ears. I heard many different languages being spoken. What I liked least about the show was the parking. It was very limited. The layout of the show is fair. It is stretched out all across town. This has positive and negative points in itself. The positives are that between locations you can take in the sites of Tucson and rest  your feet as you ride. It makes it more interesting. Stores are set up in tents along the streets and also in rooms of every hotel and motel in town. The negative is that if you're not familiar with Tucson, it is easy to get lost. If you are in a hurry to see everything, timewise it will sure slow you down. Overall, it was fine for me. Of course this could be because I didn't ever have to drive!

Q: What was your favorite mineral type before the show? After? What specimen or mineral type stands out to you out of all that you saw, what made the biggest impression on you...even if it wasn't your favorite?

A: My favorite mineral before the show was smokey quartz. After the show, it was still in first place followed closely by Azurite on Malachite. I especially like the colors green and blue, so this one is now ranked right up there with ole smokey. The fluorescent minerals made the biggest impression on me. I saw a full room display of them in a special black light set up. The occurance of regular-looking rocks glowing neon under black light is just beyond cool to me!

Q: Of all of the countries represented there and all of the minerals and crystals you saw, where would you most like to go and what would you most like to dig or collect? Why?

A: I would like to go to Africa to collect cactus quartz. This is just a beautiful mineral. It is a quartz crystal with hundreds of smaller crystals covering it. Everything is semi-transluscent which gives it a three dimensional effect. It would be a double treat to see Africa and dig these beauties too.

Q: Did you learn or discover anything new on this trip? About yourself? Anything else? Rocks and Minerals?

A: This is what I learned on my trip:

I learned...

.....since riding in an airplane, there is much more space left on the earth than what I originally thought.

.....how to negotiate a purchase and that negotiation is accepted and expected.

.....how to say "hello" in Chinese, which is pronounced like "knee-haw".

.....that I should pack my carry on flight case as lightly as possible in the future!

.....that I can ride an escalator successfully.

.....that if you lock keys in a car, then that means you are locked out!

.....that wearing wrong shoes will cause big blisters on your feet.

.....that at the show, your driver's license is required when using a credit card.

.....how to spell TUCSON ...correctly.

.....that most middle-aged men DO NOT eat bran muffins!

.....that you must drink massive amounts of water in Tucson because the humidity is only 6%.

.....that I can do alot of things I thought  I couldn't do.

Here are the questions that I asked Monte:

Q: What was your favorite part of the trip and why?

A: My favorite parts of the trip were getting to meet people from all over the world and seeing the vast diversity of minerals from those places. I like to talk to people and find out what motivates them to deal in rocks and minerals. For some people, it is mostly motivated by making money. But for others, the selling of their finds goes to finance their passion for rockhounding and adventure.

Q: Tell me about something funny that happened.

A: The funniest thing that happened was when we stopped at Starbucks for coffee and a late breakfast. Michelle and I were eating when we heard a man say to his girlfriend ( who was trying to get him to take a bite of her muffin) that, "Middle aged men DO NOT eat bran muffins!" It struck both of us as funny....blame it on sleep deprivation if you want, but we got tickled. It probably wouldn't have been near as funny, but we both had our mouths full and we couldn't swallow and we couldn't spit our food out! So we sounded like two beagles on a rabbit trail sniffing like nuts!!!! We couldn't open our mouths either! We had tears running down our cheeks by the time we composed ourselves. I don't think the man was nearly as amused as we were!

Q: Who was the most interesting person you met?

A: The most interesting person I met had to be the man at the fluorescent mineral room. He and I got to talking about light wavelengths and stuff. He showed me this fish (pics in the photo album) that he had carved out of a kind of rock that fluoresces. It was beautiful in natural light but was magnificent under the ultraviolet light. He also showed me an invention of his that oscillated the frequency of the ultraviolet light waves from short to long. That causes the minerals to fluoresce different colors in response to the changes in wavelengths. He showed me a "fluorarium", an awesome way to display fluorescent minerals! It is like an aquarium or terrarium but is bathed in ultraviolet light to fluoresce the minerals inside. Way too cool!!!

Q: How did the show measure up to your expectations? What surprised you the most?

A: The show was WAY more than I could have ever imagined! The huge quantities of specimens for sale was totally overwhelming. There were so many different kinds of minerals represented, it was hard to even pick out favorites. I think the massive quantities of minerals is what surprised me the most. For example, the flourite specimens I saw... I have a small flourite crystal at home that is the size of a sugar cube. At the show, there were rooms full of tables full of flourite matrix pieces bigger than punch bowls!

Q: What did you learn from this experience?

A: I learned a lot about how people do business in the rock and gem world. I can't say that I know how yet, but I did get to see how things work. I also learned to keep my ears and eyes open and my mouth shut. I learned a lot by listening to the conversations going on around me.

Q: Do you have any tips for others who might want to visit the show?

A: Know what you are interested in and only go to the venues that cater to that interest. For example, there were several hotels that primarily had rooms full of specimens for sale from all over the world. There were also some places that dealt mostly with lapidary and jewelry items. If you have extra time left over after you have seen what you most wanted to see, then go to the other places. Another tip...do not dress up if you are planning on buying anything. The more affluent you appear to be, the more the asking prices will be. ...and most everything is negotiable. Also, learn some key phrases in a few languages. Most international people get a kick out of hearing us southerners attempt to speak their language! It's a great ice breaker and sometimes it can facilitate a bargain!! Lastly, if you find something you really want and the price is acceptable, get it then. Never ever say you'll come back and get it later. Chances are, it will be gone.

Click here to go to the Tucson Photo Album Page. Check out the Photo Journal of our trip!

Below is the initial field trip report. We left it just for those who are new to the site. I sure hope you enjoy reading about our latest adventure! You can leave feedback on the message board if you want.

  We have several more field trips in the planning stages so check back often.