Even though it was still fairly early in the day, when the summer sun came over the rim of the Purple Cow Ledge we knew we wouldn't be able work much longer. It was HOT working there even before the Sun appeared.

From the left: George, me, "AJ" and another friend who seems to be holding a box of zunyite specimens.

For George and me, it was the end of a long Fourth of July weekend - since leaving his house in Phoenix, we'd driven all the way to Holcomb Valley in the San Bernadino Mountains of southern California.....then back to Castle Dome, Arizona......then up to the Purple Cow Ledge near Quartzite. It was one exhausting collecting trip - and good training for the trip to Canada. George wanted to see how well I could handle a serious collecting expedition. By that evening, after I got all my new specimens safely back to California on the plane, I knew the Ontario trip was going to be tough but rewarding. But I underestimated just how tough (AND rewarding!) it would be.