Warm Sunday,beautiful scenery, and one great friend...priceless

We hadn't been out rocking hunting in 5 years we figured. So, Friday while playing "beauty shop" we plotted our escape. We'd get all our home chores done up on Saturday and run away for a girls rock hunting day on Sunday.

Sunday I woke up to lightening and some rain but that didn't put a damper on our plans. I made up some "perfect" wraps for lunch, grabbed a water jug,filled it with ice water, frantically hunted for and found my rock hunting backpack and headed out the door. I crossed the river and met Deb at her place. She was already packing up the car, guess she was as excited as I was. We decided that the Badlands was our spot of choice to the day. As we headed south of Philip we followed a car that was headed to what looked like the spot we had in mind. But as we neared Weta Deb starts talking about some older lady she had met in a cafe in Kadoka who had horses and lived down this way. Anyway that's what Deb remembered and how long ago was this? One,two, no I'm thinking probably 5 years ago, but don't worry Deb says. She pretty certain she know the way to the lady's place and didn't she tell Deb to come back anytime?! WHAT! Oh, she was a horse lady and a rock hound too. Well, we head down a side road and Deb starts saying yeah,yeah, this look like the right way. We do actually make it to the lady's place but there was no one home so we headed to Weta. (Wasn't that were we were headed in the first place?) As we near the choice rock hunting ground we see the car we'd followed from Philip. They were out of there car and hunting rocks like madmen. We hustle to our spot get out and start the sport. We found some really GREAT rocks and decided to take a break from the sun and heat to enjoy our picnic lunch. Just as we are getting settled up pulls the other rock people. They ask if we found any thing and Deb mentions we had a few good things. (Deb will talk to ANYONE!!) So they pull their car in get out and show us their find. One fantastic Fairburn agate!! We continue to visit and eat our lunch when they invite us to go to the next spot with them, so we do. As we get out at the new destination Deb notices that Ms.M is carrying a screwdriver and comments that they carry tools just like Deb does. That's when Mr.R whips out a HUGE hunting knife and says, "I don't mess around with the small stuff."

So I'm thinking...here we are out in the middle of nowhere with a woman who carries a screwdriver and her husband with a bayonet. Are we insane??! Deb and I head one direction and the weapon carrying deliverance couple head out the other way. After hunting around there for about an hour we all decide to call it a day. That when we got invited to their home to see their collection of Fairburn agates. I'm still not 100% sure this is a good idea thinking about the arsenal they were packing, but Deb says it'll be fine and off we head. We get to their house and out comes a Suitcase (honestly), chuck full of all sizes of Fairburns. Man, what a collection. So, on the way home, as I'm dumping the treasure I thought I'd found, out the window, we decide we're heading out again next week-end to find us some "REAL TREASURE" fit for a suitcase of our own!