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The sky was a leaden gray and the rain that was beginning to fall mattered little to me. A chill wind blew gently through the trees that surrounded the entire area. This was new territory for me, undiscovered territory for me. My husband of barely a week
drove slowly through the forest to give me a chance to look and experience the surroundings. The empty, two lane road wound through the forest and through spectacular rock formations. Suddenly, we drove through a cut in a wall of stone. I looked at the
rock as we passed through it...of course.
"STOP!" I yelled. "STOP...NOW!" My husband was a smart man, he stopped the car in the middle of the road and asked me if I was in pain, or what. Well, we hadn't seen another car in over an hour so I knew I was safe in leaping from the rental car and
running over to the wall of the road cut. Standing before me was a wall of lava that reached up to the sky. The road cut that I stood in made only the tiniest scratch in the
overall flow. Where am I? Montana. Exactly where in Montana? Can't remember now (more likely won't admit to the location is closer to the truth). What kind of lava? Obsidian. Did I want some? YES!!!
These were the best of times for me, and also the worst of times. I was on my honeymoon, I was in a place that looked like paradise to me, and I was standing only a foot away from a pile of collectable rock samples. What did I do? What any other
rockhound would do. I tried to figure out how much I could carry as I turned to my puzzled sweetheart and said, "I have GOT to have a little of this. It's first rate stuff (stuff being a technical term meaning a substance that I really, really wanted).
"I'll just...." The sounds of an approaching vehicle stopped me. Just when you think you're alone, well phooey. "Quick," I said sweetly. "Just go up a way and turn around and come back and get me. I'll just get a few pieces of this."
My husband looked at me like I really was crazy, but he knew that I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself for a few minutes, and then he drove off. I could see him shaking his head. It was kinda cute. Well, I jumped off of the road and ran into
the woods. A car with local license plates sped by moments later. Well, there wasn't a moment to spare indeed. I jumped back out of the woods and started to collect the prime pieces. It was wet and cold, but that didn't matter to me. By the time my
husband came back and turned around in the road, I had a pile stacked up and waiting. I opened the car door when he stopped for me and started pitching the rocks into the front floor of the car. Not small pieces either, I wanted to do some knapping and
you need larger pieces for that.
Well drat, I heard another car coming. Could this possibly be the 'Grand Central Station' of Montana? I leapt back and slammed the car door. "Just one more time, honey," I said. He drove off again, shaking his head again. It was getting wetter and colder,
no problemmoooo.
Well, needless to say it took two more trips to satisfy me. I got soaked, which is not good at high altitudes, but I also got a pile of shiny black treasures.
By the time we left Montana, my husband had to buy a steamer trunk to carry my goodies home in. Now, the trunk contained other things besides rock samples, but not many. There was this really neat stock pot, and the really neat western pants...and rocks,
rocks, rocks. I wished the baggage handlers well with it.
There are several lessons here. Maybe you have guessed them by now.
- Don't be greedy. I can say that I was much younger, but it doesn't excuse the lack of common sense. Leave something for others and take only a little.
- Have a care where you collect. Check first before you collect your treasures. Vast tracks of Federal lands have incredible specimens on them. If it's a National Park or Monument: Don't do it...resist the urge
to just take one little piece. It's theft, it's wrong, and prison gray isn't a fashion winner.
- Get real about taking care of yourself. Standing in the rain at high altitude without a coat on is just plain dumb. Wear a coat, carry an umbrella. Your Momma taught you better than to stand out in the rain.
I survived the cold and wet, I'm still married to the same man, and I still collect rocks. But now, I'm
smarter about how I do it. And I still have the obsidian.
Enjoy.
Jan Noble
The Steel Magnolia
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Copyright, 1997 by Jan Noble
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Writer, traveler, contract E/M designer, rockhound and Mom are only a few of the descriptions that apply to Jan Noble. When not on assignment, she lives in Atlanta with her
husband, two daughters, ten cats and two dogs.
Jan is a genuine lover of geology and enjoys taking her
children with her on field trips when ever time permits. She
always has rocks in her pockets and time to hear a good story.
Besides filling her time with rock hunting, writing and work,
she tutors her youngest daughter in home school. She's a
loving mother and talented writer.
Jan can be reached at inthewind@mindspring.com.
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