At the Tucson Gem Shows, Eleanor and Emma have always loved the turquoise displays. A lot of the local turquoise comes from the Sleeping Beauty Mine, in Globe, which happened to be right along our path today.

The mine operates a wholesale ore shipping business in a building near the historic center of Globe. Although they don't actually make anything from their own turquoise, they do re-sell jewelry and other items made by artists from Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, and that brought us in for a look.

If you go, you can park your trailer or motorhome in the big lot next door and walk over. But hang on to your wallet because the shop is loaded with great art & jewelry made from turquoise, sandstone, wood, and clay. Prices run from $25 to $7,000.

Eleanor was kind to our budget and chose only a pair of earrings. Emma got a few small bits of turquoise and peridot for her collection. I browsed the local newspaper and ended up with a 2-for-1 coupon for buffet lunch at the local casino ... which we hit later.

Hawk and Airstream: click for larger.

Our trip ended at Catalina State Park in Oro Valley, a community just northeast of Tucson. It's very pretty here. Grassy level ground and mesquite trees, with an incredible backdrop of the west side of the Santa Catalinas. I went out to get a photos and a Coopers Hawk swooped by at low altitude right past the trailer. I had the Nikon in my hand, ready to shoot, so I managed to capture two shots of it in flight. You can see one of those photos above. Look to the lower left of the photo, by the bumper, and you'll see the bird.