Cash and Treasures: Digging for Benitoite

by Jamie Rhein on

Cash and Treasures, as mentioned in a previous post, is a Travel Channel show that features kid friendly places. Host Kirsten Gum, an engaging sort, heads to where you can dig up treasure with or without kids.

Episode: Digging for Benitoite

What is it? Benitoite is an electric blue gem considered rare.

Location: California State Gem Mine. Between Hollister and Coalinga, California. The mine, first opened in 1907, has been active at various times, depending on who owned it and world events. It was closed during World War I, for example. It opened to the public in 2005.

Digging details: If you’re going to find benitoite, the best time to find it seems to be at night using a black-light headlamp. “Oh, my goodness. It looks like a full constellation on the ground,” said Gum when she switched on her light to look around.

During the day you pay $100 for a whole day of digging which allows you to fill a 5-gallon bucket. At night the cost jumps to $500, but can be split between two people. One person wears the lamp and both people look. You can rent the black light for $100. Gum found her stone worth more than the cost of the dig at night. The total value of the gems she found was $2,040.

What you pair digging with: You can camp at the mine or at a campgrounds near by. The area of the Coast Mountains and the San Joaquin Valley is stunning and there are remnants of the area’s mining history. The mine’s Web site suggests riding OHVs, motorcycles or dune buggies to the mine since the road is rugged. Don’t bring the family car unless it’s hearty is the basic idea behind the suggestion.

Digging drawbacks: You can dig all day without much success of finding benitoite, although, the thrill of the possibility can keep one looking. At night, the word cold doesn’t even capture it. Gum said it was 15 degrees.

Family Plus: This is something the whole family can do and kids under 14 are free. Camping at the mine is only $20 per night per family. Even if you don’t find benitoite, you’ll find other minerals. Kids like rocks.

There’s more: Head to W. Scott Forrest Gemstones in Clovis, CA to get the benitoite appraised and then to Leher Design in Larkspur, CA to turn it into jewelery.


Read all of outdoor magazine Wend online and for free

by Anna Brones on

If you are an outdoor aficionado, you may already be familiar with Wend. The outdoor magazine based out of Portland, Oregon fills its pages with stories from around the globe that peak the interest of not only outdoor enthusiasts, but anyone with a wanderlust. The latest issue covers a trip through Iceland, volunteering in Indonesia, trekking Afghanistan and surfing the Great Lakes; that’s what I call good reading material.

Being the eco-friendly souls that they are, the Wend crew finally put the magazine online, making all of the articles accessible via your computer. You can still buy the print version, but if you are out traveling — or just want to save on paper consumption — the new online version is just as satisfying. And it’s free.

Check out the virtual version of the latest issue here. And if you are feeling truly inspired, shoot them an email and pitch a story.

How to hike the Inca trail

by Jerry Guo on

Every time I took a step, my wet sneakers made the same sound as when I’m slurping spaghetti. I just crossed Dead Woman’s Pass (which won’t seem as derogatory once you hear the full backstory) at 13,700 feet and all I wanted was to sit down, get out of my soaking clothes, and take a hot shower. But I couldn’t, because I was on a four day trek on the Inca trail to the lost city of Machu Picchu.

Besides the rain (the rainy season is December to February), you’ll have to deal with the cold (Under Armour helps), the sun (bring lots of sunscreen, trust me), the snow (one porter died a couple years ago at Dead Woman’s Pass), the endless steps (both up and down), the wake-up times (4 am on the last day to get to Machu Picchu by sun-rise), and the traffic (thousands of tourists crowd the trail during the popular season, June to August).

Oh, and there’s also the $300 or so you’ll spend on mandatory porters and a guide.

Even with these hassles and expenses, I guarantee you won’t regret hiking the Inca trail. In fact, it’s a classic favorite on any traveler’s life-list. These days, though, many guides like Lonely Planet will try to convince you to take an alternative hike, citing the crowds on the trail and a rushed itinerary.

But it’s not just any old trail. Taking an alternative route will mean missing out on seeing the 10+ amazing ruins scattered throughout the 33-kilometer trail. And you can avoid most of the crowds by going outside of June to August, like I did. If you can afford it, hiring a private tour will help you feel less claustrophobic, since you can just zip right past other groups-or slow down and enjoy the ruins. Having said that, the standard 3-night / 4-day itinerary really gives you plenty of time to soak it all in.
What to expect


You’ll be hiking on a 500-year-old+ trail that’s wide enough for foot traffic in both directions. Granted, going down the steps can be treacherous sometimes, especially after it rains when the trail can turn into just another mountain stream. The first day is very relaxing as the terrain is level. The second day is grueling, as you’ll climb two passes, starting from inside a cloud forest up to snowy peaks; expect to hike more than ten miles. The third day is again fairly easy-I got to our camping site by lunchtime. And the fourth day, you’ll wake up when it’s still night and hike to the Sun Gate, where you’ll see the sun rise over Machu Picchu. Simply spectacular.

Picking a tour

You can’t hike the Inca trail by yourself. Government regulations require you to pick a tour company, which will supply a guide, the tent, plenty of porters, and all the food you can eat. It’s a very good deal if you think about it, but expect to pay around $300 for a good tour. I’ve heard of one company that does it for $175, but you get what you paid for, which is a giant group of 25 hikers and little personal attention (and they treat the porters poorly). Recommended:

  • Llama Path (telephone: 50-0822)- I went with Llama Path, which was an amazing company that’s quite affordable. Ask for Dimas to be your guide-he knows everything about Peru and the Incas, and he comes with good stories.
  • Peru Treks (50-5863)-Locally owned
  • Aventours (22-4050)-Expensive, but good quality equipment and service
  • Andean Trek (617-924-1974)-Run by an American, with great guides

Not recommended:

  • SAS (25-5205)-Their group camped next to ours. They had something like 20 hikers with only a few more porters than in our group of 7. This is the most popular agency, but don’t fall for it!

How to get there

Fly or bus in to Cusco. Make sure you stay in Cusco for at least two or three days to get acclimated. Or get acclimated in neighboring Arequipa, which is what I recommend. Your tour company will arrange all transportation to and from Cusco.

See my gallery of the Inca trail and Machu Picchu here. I have galleries of Lake Titicaca, Lime and the Peruvian coast, the Sacred Valley, and canyon country up too.

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Hanta Virus in American Southwest

by Erik McLaughlin on

The Hanta Virus is a little known problem of those who live and travel in the American Southwest. Unfortunately, Hanta has a reputation for killing people and should be taken seriously. A recent article discusses a case from February, 2008. Knowledge of transmission and prevention are needed to prevent a great “Indiana Jones” style adventure, visiting ghost towns, from making you very sick.

Hanta Virus first got major media attention with an outbreak in New Mexico in the early 1990’s. The “Four Corners” area (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado) was the epicenter of infectious disease and epidemiological research. This outbreak allowed researchers to determine that the disease is spread through contact with infected rodent urine and feces. Spread of Hanta between humans, directly, is not common and believed impossible.

Rodents are ubiquitous in the American Southwest and they are the primary vector for disease transmission. People especially vulnerable to this are hikers and backpackers and those who live in more rural areas. Exploration of ghost towns is a popular vacation activity and caution should be taken when doing this. These ghost towns attract the rodents and visitors to these buildings are putting themselves at potential risk through contact with animal urine and feces. However, of more than 100 reported cases, only 2 have come from hikers. The rest are from people cleaning their garages, vacation homes and other areas that include rodents excreta. Bleach solution and rubber gloves are proper protection measures, along with adequate ventilation while cleaning vacation homes or garages.

Hanta Virus symptoms include a flu-like illness with muscle aches and pains, headaches, nausea and vomiting and fatigue being common. There is no cure for Hanta Virus and care is supportive (treating the symptoms only). Worse is the Hanta Pulmonary form that classically appears after the person appears to have recovered from the initial infection. The person;s lungs fill with fluid and progression can be quite rapid, in hours in fact.

There have been 76 cases in New Mexico, since 1993, with 31 deaths.

Should pilots have to compete for your business?

by Kent Wien on

You’ve always dreamt of flying out to a remote lodge in the middle of nowhere in Alaska, but you’re a bit concerned about the pilots. Are they really good enough to get you into that 1000-foot strip? Wouldn’t it be nice to know just how these aviators rank?

Well, the May Day Fly-In and Airshow in Valdez, Alaska has a bush pilot competition that ranks pilots and their planes in their ability to takeoff and land in the shortest possible distances. These airplanes are highly modified to handle the tightest gravel bars Alaska has to offer. And their pilots know how to get the most out of them.

If you’re looking for some experienced pilots to take you to a great lodge, you can’t go too wrong with the Claus family. Dad, Paul, accomplished the shortest takeoff at 19 feet, and his 18-year old son Jay scored a 39-foot takeoff, which was good for 4th place in his class. The Claus family own and operate the Ultima Thule Lodge.

Here’s 18 year old Jay’s 39 foot takeoff:


I think I’m ready to go visit the Claus family and see just WHERE they’re taking this airplane!

Join Kent at Cockpit Chronicles which takes you along on each of his trips as a co-pilot on the Boeing 757 and 767 out of Boston.