KOFA National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona - February 2009 - photo by John Veevaert
John Veevaert    6152 Mia Vista Dr., Reno Nevada  USA  (888) 689-8402



 

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Show Reports
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Tucson 2017
 
We arrived in Tucson on January 26th.  We had hoped to leave a couple days earlier but winter this year in Reno has been a lot whiter than normal.  It was okay as I could use the two extra days to get more prep work done.  It feels like a 12 hour a day job for 2 weeks to get ready for the month long stay in Tucson.  It is easy to saty motivated though as you know you're going to see a lot of friends and be able to wear shorts, short shirts and maybe even a little tanning butter.  Like I said we left January 25th with Henderson, NV in mind as our 1/2 way point. The scenery was incredible with the neon blue skies and brilliant white clouds.

 

Here we are January 25th on US HWY 95 headed south near Schurz, Nevada!
 
 

 

A snow squall ahead just east of Hawthorne, Nevada.
 
 

 

Tonopah off in the dustance.
 
 
 

 

The western entrance to Tonopah.
 
.

 

Downtown Tonopah .
 
 

 

Headed out of Tonopah.
 
 
 

 

 
 
North of Goldfield in 2016 and north of Goldfield in 2017 respectively.
 
 
 
The northern entry into Goldfield, Nevada.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The old Hotel in Goldfield, Nevada.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
South of Goldfiled and the first Joshua Trees appear - a sign that we're entering the Mojave Desert. 
 
 

The northern extent of Amargosa Valley and The Spring Mountains dead ahead - Las Vegas is on the other side.
 

Longer shadows mean the day is coming to a close. That is Ronna in the side view mirror.
 

Near Indian Springs, Nevada and we're just north of Sin City .
 
 
 

The next day and we're on the road to Searchlight, Nevada.
 

This is what free electricty looks like - a 3 or 4 sqaure mile field of solar cells powering a big chunk of Las Vegas.
 

Entering Searchlight Nevada.
 

A mine in downtown Searchlight.

Stopping for gas in Needles, California. If you're wondering gas in Tucson is between $1.98 and $2.05/gallon for regular.
 

After crossing into Arizona at Parker we see our first Saguaro cactus!
 

The land forms of Arizona are quite striking!  This is along I-10 75 miles west of Phoenix.
 

He we are!  Tucson!  Look at all that blue sky! Whoo hoo!
 

Okay - the road trip is over and we're in Tucson.  The Hotel T ucson City Center Hotel (Inn Suites) (HTCC) has gone through a nice renovation.  The lobby is quite nicely done and the grounds, which looked like the desert we are in are lush and green.


The pool area at the Hotel Tucson City Center.

 

On to the rocks! First is a spectacular display of azurite "suns" or "dollars" from the Malbunka mine, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.  John Cornish and Rosemarie Roberts have these in John's room at the HTCC.  I did obtain a very nice dioptase on calcite specimen from Tsumeb from John.  On the 6th there is a special Tsumeb event planned and I will be one of several dealers offering specimens from this venerable mine.

 


The best case of these I have ever seen!
 

6.5 cm specimen of dioptase on calcite from Tsumeb.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dudley Blauwet of Mountain minerals is your best source of minerals from Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Dudley actually goes there regularly despite the chaotic political climate.  The guy has nerves of steel!  I found several interesting items from him including a polychrome sapphire from Sri Lanka with an unusual pinacoidal termination.  I also could not resist a very fine specimen of crystallized ruby from Vietnam in his stock.


1.5 cm, doubly terminated sapphire.

4.5 cm specimen of marbel with deep cranberry red crystals of corundum var. ruby.

 

I made a visit to Dennis Beals (Xtal) for my annual meeting over a shot or two of tequilla.  Dennis has a large array of new wulfenite specimens from the Ahumada mine, Los Lamentos, Chihuahua, Mexico. He has TNs, Miniature and cabinet sizes.

 


15 cm specimen of the new wulfenites from Los Lamentos in Dennis Beals' room.
 

Pani Ahmed is set up in the HTCC and I found a couple of specimens of something I have never heard of before - vanadinite pseudomorphing mimetite.  The centers of thse crystalline aggregates is bright lemon yellow.  He saud he had them tested and the centers are mimetite.  They are from Taouz, Morocco.


7 cm specimen of goethite with vanadinite ps mimetite from Morocco.

 

Teodociao Ramos had an interesting novelty here at the show - pink apophyllite from the Huanzala mine, Huanuco Dept, Peru.  This is the first reported find of this mineral from the mine.  He had five specimens and it took about 13 seconds for me to write out a check for all five and add them to the minerals to be updated here from Tucson.


7 cm specimen of lustrous pink apophyllite from th eHuanzala. mine.

 

There are a group of dealers who got together under the leadership of Isaias Casanova to form a three day show at the Elk's Lodge off Oracle.  This year the show ran from January 29th to January 31st.  Unique Minerals, Don Olson, Trinity Minerals (me), Gaia Agates (aRonna Jewett), Well Arranged Molecules, Leonard Himes, IC Minerals, Geokrazy Minerals and Weinrich minerals are set up there this year.  It was quite a turn out!

 


Bob Jones (center) watching the tables at Unique Mineral's booth.

 


Isaias Casanova (love that guy's name) had this unusual fluorite from China. 

 


Of course leave it to me to find that one defect that had to be cleared out...

The Elk's Lodge show was well attended so we'll all do it again next yeat year for sure!

Okay, this is just my first stab at what's happening here in Tucson.  Spoiler alert:  I have seen actual crystals of talc! You heard me right!  Crystalline talc. I will be talking a lot more about this remakrable new find in the next report or one after. They are realllllly cool. Lots more to come over the next two weeks!

 

Past Shows & Reports
PLEASE NOTE: The minerals that were offered on these pages are all sold
1999
Munich Show
2000
Sainte Marie Show
Munich Show
2001
Sainte Marie Show
Munich Show
2002
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2003
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2004
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2005
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2006
Tucson Show
Bologna Show
Sainte Marie Show
East Coast Show
Munich Show
2007
Tucson Show
Dallas Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2008
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2009
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show

2010
Tucson Show
San Francisco Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show

Munich Show

2011
Tucson Show
San Francisco Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show

2012
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show  
Munich Show

2013
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
Crystal Days (Poland)
East Coast Show
Munich Show

2014
Tucson Show
Denver Show 

Munich Show

2015
Tucson Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show 
Munich Show

2016
Tucson Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show 
Munich Show

 
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