The Cellar - Anybody wanna see how nuts I am IRL?

If anybody feels like checking out Montana in May, there's something kinda fun going on in my little adopted hometown! If you and any traveling companion are fond of geology, mineralogy, gemology, or just really love shiny rocks, consider the Bitterroot Valley the weekend of May 19-21.

A couple of years ago, after 25 years of searching and attempts that ended in rejection, I finally found My People. They happen to be the Bitterroot Gem and Mineral Society. whose main annual activities are a boatload of rockhounding field trips and one show, held like 6 blocks from my apartment at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds.

This year, we're not just throwing our usual (awesome) show, which runs 2 days and features vendors, activities for adults and kids, sapphire panning, display boxes, and usually a group from Two Medicine Dinosaur Center who bring REAL fossils (and real interns to clean them & talk about what they're doing) along with a half-size cast of the skull of Sue the T-Rex. This year, we're hosting the Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies show. NFMS covers SIX states! Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, and Montana.

My active participation in the show is limited by my chronic total inability to deal with time pressure or lots of people, but I'm around the shows a lot as a shopper. If you're headed thisaway in mid-May and want to drop by the show, just pop a reply on this post; I'll set it to email notify. As for field trips, BGMS officers are already looking into trips right after the show, and I think some or all may be open to the public. Come check out the beauty of the Bitterroot and see what kind of shiny rocks we dig up around here!