Road Tripping Pt. 12

Darcy showed them the vast open area behind the shop and told them. "Near the main building here you will find smaller pieces all about if you do some screening and the dirt is soft and easy to dig. But if you look out about a hundred and fifty yards to that small rise you will see some small stuff starting to weather out and most of that area has never been dug. It's harder ground but your spade and one of those rakes with the wheelbarrows will help you guys."

Lou looked out and saw a path leading out past the main area that looked heavily worked and agreed that was the right plan.

"Thank you, Darcy. I agree with what you are saying. It will be more work at first but there will be better stuff below. When I was here before I went to the edge of the diggings and found the pieces I did and digging into the untouched edge."

"Stay safe out there. It will be hot out today, even though it's April. You kid's from back east are not used to sun like this. Use that shade you brought and come in for breaks in the AC. I will come out and say hi in a little while. I usually get a few people early and I'll see how the day goes."

Lou thanked her for everything, and Molly went out and chose a white wheelbarrow for their stuff and they went out to explore the vast emptiness. Lou made a beeline for the area she had pointed out as Molly kept up.

Molly looked all around and even bent down to pick up a small piece and put in the bucket saying. Cool first one in already as she saw the three colors swirled in the small stone as knew it would be an interesting day.

Lou stopped at the place Darcy had pointed to and went up the five-foot rise at a point where he saw several small chunks peeking out of the hard soil. "This looks like as good a spot as any Molly to set up I'm planning to take the edge of this rise here and see what we find in the different layers going in."

For the next ten minutes they looked all around the planned area and picked out another dozen chunks of petrified wood and found two more that needed a shovel to remove including one almost baseball size.

They set up the screen on the wheelbarrow under their umbrellas and Lou began to cut into the hard ground and shovel the dirt in for Molly in the shade to hand rake, sift and get any good rocks out she saw.

After fifteen minutes Lou had made a dent in the hillside and there were small pieces going into the bucket at a rate of two or three a shovel, with another two larger pieces with partial bark on their edges and cool colors throughout. Molly looked at Lou and herself saying. "It's not even 9:30 and were filthy already. I think we'll just burn what we're wearing in the fire tonight. It will all be done but our hats, boots and maybe our socks."

Dirt was already sticking to the sweat and sunscreen as Molly took the spade and hit the hard dirt and a stone that jarred her with her first shovel full, but a lemon sized and shaped piece she had hit came up with her second one for Lou to sift.

Two other groups showed up before ten to dig in the main area. A middle-aged couple who dug for two hours and left with a bag full, very happy, and a family with 3 kids, all under ten, who were all over the place and eventually got all the way up to where they were working to see what they had found.

They had been at work for an hour and a half and enjoyed talking to the two kids who came up to see them and showed them some of what they had found. They had been drinking water at each switch off to shovel and sift and stopped to talk and have some chips.

They had worked off a chunk of the little hillside and at two feet down the pieces got larger and less broken up, like this layer had gone even longer without being disturbed. Darcy came out to say hi to all who were digging and see all were well and finding good things. She always made sure the kids left with something.

The kids were leaving Lou and Molly and said hi to Darcy, showing her all they had found, and a few different colored pieces Molly and Lou had given them. "I see you guys have hit the darker layer. There are bigger pieces in there and branches and logs the further you dig. That big log by the entrance came from that layer about a hundred yards from here fifty years ago when my former husband dug it out and we moved to the front for kids to take pictures on."

"I don't know what I would do with something that big, but it would be cool to find. I'd be happy with something firewood sized," Lou chuckled as he picked up the spade.

I'm going to fire up the grill for lunch for everyone. Do you guys want any burgers or hot dogs. Molly said they would love four burgers for the two of them and gave her the money before she went back. They said they would come in, in half an hour for a break and show her what they had so far. The family ended up staying for lunch too and Darcy had a good day at the counter as one other couple came in to eat and go dig for a while. The morning had filled one of their buckets almost to the top and Lou got one of the milk crates to put some of the bigger pieces in.

After their break Lou, Molly, and two of the kids headed out to the digs. Lou showed the kids all the pieces scattered on the surface near them to collect easily for themselves, with a hand rake he loaned them, making the area look less promising to others in the future.

Lou liked this spot and intended to go back here again in the future. He could sense good pieces were here to be found. After another hour Molly went to the car and got two more fresh shirts for both of them and did a quick change in the bathroom and tossed out their shirts from the morning. Hers was beyond filthy and his was as dirty and now torn.

Once all the other people left for their hotel pools Molly was happy to ditch the shirt and was now just in an old tank top destined to join other clothes in the barrel near the door, where clothes went to die. Darcy came out to see them as she had locked the front door after the others left and could see any new customers approaching from two miles away.

'You kids did some digging today. You took a good portion off of that knob on the hill. Good plan to dig and see what's here and not literally get yourselves in a hole." She laughed and took a swig from their fourth water jug of the day.

"Keep it up and you will leave here with some real good pieces beside all the nice ones you got already, but you two have worked for them and you were nice to those kids. They got their parents to stay through lunch and every sale helps out here. Thank you." She gave a sweaty Molly a hug as she pulled some more pieces out of the screen.

Darcy then pulled out a small silver flask and took a swig and handed to Molly who was stretching her back saying. "This will loosen your muscles honey and then pass it to him; he's earned a drink too, but I don't think he's going to be good for much else tonight." She said with a wink at Molly who laughed.

"I know. Molly coughed a little, feeling the shot of "Wild Turkey" burn her throat, while passing Lou the flask, but it did feel good. Were both going to be too dehydrated and exhausted tonight at the campground, but we got a good hotel tomorrow for the festival in Sierra Vista. It will take several showers to get all the dirt out of me." Molly laughed as Lou heard another shirt rip, and both women looked to see him check to make sure it was not his shorts, which were just holding together.

"Hey kids I may have a favor to ask of you if you are really going there tomorrow. I need to make a call, but I may have a deal for you."

Darcy made good time back to her home/office as Lou went deep into a new lower layer and hit something very solid that extend out in two directions.

For the next half hour as the sun got lower Lou worked like a machine digging the side of the hill and just throwing ten shoves at a time in the screen before letting Molly check it as he took more of the hill down to expose the ever-growing petrified log. Once ten inches had been exposed Molly made him stop and rest while she took over the spade and began to try and work under it to one end to find an edge or end.

Fifteen minutes later, tucking her sunscreen and dirt covered left breast back into her tank top, Molly looked like the winner in a mud wrestling contest from the dirt, sweat, and next layer of sunscreen. "I got one end Lou. It looks to be oval and about seven by about five inches at the max and bark all around. Your turn."

Molly got out of their now hole and took the water and just poured some over her head after taking a good swig from the jug and took a look at some of the pieces she had dug up and added to their collection.

Darcy came up laughing as Molly was looking at herself laughing about how she looked. "Well, I guess you guys are serious, you're going to wear half the place out of her."

She then took a second to look down where Lou was digging and said "Holy Shit, you guys found a good one if you can get it out of there. You got an hour until five and I think the boss will let you stay a little later if you need to." She added.

"Thanks Darcy." Lou said as he went to work some more dirt off the top at the other end, burying all for a few moments until he ran twenty more shoves through the screen and got another two dozen smaller pieces and filled the wheelbarrow with another load to dump ten feet away in a growing pile. Darcy went back in to let them work for a bit saying they would talk in a little while she tried a call again and closed up the front for the night.

By the time she was heading to them, back Lou had reached the other end of the almost two-foot-long log. Darcy handed them each an ice-cold bottle of Lone Star beer, just after Lou popped the ninety-pound log loose from the ground it had lain in for tens of millions of years.

For the next half hour, they worked to get all of their petrified wood into the station wagon. The Log ended up on the floor in the back opposite the two boxes from Hector to balance out the weight.

Molly got Darcy to take several pictures with the polaroid camera and one with their regular one of them all filthy next to an equally filthy Andromeda. Lou took one of Molly and Darcy together and they gave her one showing all they had found with them in the photo smiling widely for her to hang up with pictures of other happy people who found good things there.

They had the everything up to the office to load and Darcy said she had asked a favor also after Lou asked if she would do something for them. He wanted to have a written receipt saying he had dug all of the rocks in the pictures were dug LEGALLY!

Darcy understood and agreed to do that for them so they would have no trouble selling their hard-earned rocks.

After she did this and they were all loaded up. Darcy sat them down and said I've got a deal for you two. You see out in the distance those areas with sticks and ropes. Those are areas people have paid to stake a claim for a year or more and only they can dig in that spot.

I will let you make a claim for the rest of year for free if you can bring some buckets of Petrified wood to a dealer, I know who will be at the festival with a booth tomorrow. His name is George Perez and here is his card with his number. I will call him back if you say yes, and then you call him when you get there tomorrow and you can meet and give him the buckets and he will send me a check, so you guys don't have to handle any money.

Darcy showed him the four sealed five-gallon buckets she had, and Lou and Molly agreed to the idea, since now they knew the hard work, they had done today could be built upon in later visits they planned on. They loaded the wagon doing their best to balance out the weight. Andromeda was now several inches lower then when they arrived.

Lou went out with the stakes and string to make a twelve-foot by twelve-foot enclosure around the place they had dug today. He took pictures of the imprint the log had left in the ground before doing a quick cover of its impression. No need to give anyone else any hints to dig near them.

Molly got a change of shorts; a t-shirt and Darcy showed her the hose and stall reminding her not to drink the water or she would be sick for a week.

"Don't worry about getting your kitty wet with it though. I've been washing with it for over fifty years, and it hasn't hurt mine any. Just tough finding any good men to come and say hi to her anymore. Keep him, he looks like good one honey. I can tell he loves you as much as you love him." Molly smiled at her as she washed off behind the outdoor stall door.

"It's good to see a young couple out here working hard together. Our ancestor had to work hard and get dirty together. People forget that now!" She added spitting on the ground and handling Molly a towel and her flask again.

"You're not driving out of here and you worked hard out there too, you can have another honey."

Lou got done and came back and Molly handed him some fresh clothes and Darcy showed him where to wash up. Molly bought two t-shirts, a window sticker for Andromeda, and a few post cards for her collection and to send to friends. Twenty minutes later they left with hugs, saying they would be back next month. Lou drove Andromeda, very carefully over the rutted roads with the heavily loaded car, until he got to the gravel roads which were at least flat. After a quick stop in camp to shower good and look half clean for dinner in town.

The pizza was only fair, but the AC and sodas were very welcome, after a long day in the sun. Molly joked that they had lost ten pounds today between the two of them, once the dirt was off, and they would need a big breakfast in the morning too. In the fading light of the camp Lou washed off about a dozen small pieces and a few larger ones to see some of the colors and patterns in the ancient rocks. They drank all their juice and more water for the next hour over a low fire watching the stars come out.

They had the bed ready and went for a walk to share a joint and look out at the universe before heading for their bed after one more snake check. Both were asleep before ten and slept for eight hours solid waking to a bright six AM.

The heavy morning dew, and light breeze coated the tent and car in another layer of dust, as they packed all up in their loaded car, and were on the road for the diner quickly, to get to Sierra Vista as early as they could. Their route there was fairly straight but none of the roads looked to be major highways, so this drive could take longer than they expected.

It was another sunny day that baked the second layer of Arizona onto Andromeda, by the time they went past the highway they had exited from, after they filled up on gas again at the exit. Molly took over for another hundred miles of the two-lane roads, crossing a few towns along the way.

They ran the AC for a while before Molly noticed the temperature needle move just a little from the heat and the strain of over seven hundred pounds of rocks in Andromeda plus everything else, they were carrying. The AC was off for the rest of the day, and it was open windows and an eye kept on the gauge which returned to its normal position.

The rest of the trip was uneventful through the sparsely populated landscape until they got to Tucson for gas before continuing on to Sierra Vista. The hotel was found quickly, and they called George to find out he was setting up nearby in an hour, so they went for some lunch in the hotel since they were there for the music more than the food.

The streets nearby had been closed for this first day of the festival after One PM, with Andromeda cooling inside the hotel parking garage. After they ate, they walked the three blocks to George's booth and found him and his twenty-year-old son Felix working to finish setting up while their first customers were looking at their various polished and unfinished rocks, gems, and jewelry.

They walked up to the booth and Lou said: "Hi I'm Lou Bergen, and she's my partner Molly Drunham. We're looking for George Perez. Darcy from the Petrified Wood Mine asked us to bring him four buckets of stones."

"Hi guys, I'm George and this is my son Felix. Reaching out over the front to shake both of their hands. Glad to meet you and that was great of you guys to bring the petrified wood here today. I may sell some of it before the festival is over."

"We are happy to help Darcy out, she is real good people. Molly added. We loved digging there yesterday."

"Did you guys find anything good?"

"Yes we got most of two buckets of small stuff, a milk crate full of larger pieces, and a log almost two feet long that Darcy weighed at ninety-one pounds. Lou told him. We have your buckets in our car in the hotel garage just down the block." Lou pointed to their hotel

"They won't let you drive here now. Felix will give you a hand Lou with our small cart it will take you two trips I think."

Molly offered. "I'll help you watch your stand while they're gone and take a minute to see what you have."

Lou and Felix went over to the hotel lot to get the first two heavy buckets loaded and Lou showed him the log on the back seat floor. By the time they were back both George and Molly were talking to customers.

Felix went to help but George sent him for the other buckets saying Molly had sold some of the petrified wood already. He had the lid off and poured a shovel full onto a tray for the people to look through fresh and rinse in a pan, as Molly told them of their digging yesterday.

On the way back for the second pair of buckets Lou told Felix of their travels following the Grateful Dead across the country and their plans to be in Los Angeles tomorrow.

They could smell the pot smoke in the hotel as they made their way to the garage and Felix asked quietly if they had any.

"I don't have any to sell but Molly and I would love to have safe place to smoke with any cool people and we may trip on some magic mushrooms later if the festival is cool."

"My Girlfriend, Marta lives a few blocks from here and she would love to smoke and meet you guys. She loves the Dead and she saw them two years ago in LA with her cousin. I've never seen them, but I like the music and their scene looks cool."

Lou told him of their tour so far, "I've been following them for over three weeks since Virginia, and Molly and I have been together since Hartford Connecticut. We've had a great time out here so far and can't wait to see more of America and we will even be in Canada in a few months for a show."

They talked and agreed to meet at a fountain in the nearby park at 3:30 when he was free from work for the day. His father had told him so he could have some fun at the festival as long as he was back to help him clean up at 9:30.

While Molly was helping George and talking and telling him of some of their trip too she saw a two thirds full bucket of Turquoise chips of various smaller sizes.

"How much is the bucket of Turquoise chips George. I've been working on some jewelry making with friends of mine and that would be good for many of them if I can sell it at a good price."

"What's in there is smaller than most around here want to work with but if you think you can use it I can give you a deal. It all should polish good if your careful, and you will still get a lot of small good pieces or keep them raw for other types of textured work. My father has a claim where he digs the turquoise from, and these are some of his small pieces."

"How does $200.00 sound for the whole bucket Molly. You guys have been a help out here with bringing me the petrified wood and you have already sold fifty dollars of it for me.

Molly agreed in a second to the deal. She knew Star would be excited to see all of the turquoise to use in her jewelry, and it would give Molly more stones to work with and even polish when she and Lou settled down for a time in the future.