Pick of the Week
Go Mining!
Purchase sapphire gravel to 'mine'
sapphires from the comfort of your own home. Makes a great gift idea!
Dear Russ and Deb Thompson,
"Hello, this is Deana. My husband Clay, my girls and my obnoxious dog as
well as myself were there this past Monday and Tuesday. I just thought I'd
drop you a brief line to let you know that we found 20 sapphires totaling
38 carats, many of them 2 carats and over. We had a great time! I really
enjoyed myself. Thanks you." Deana
Q.Can you recommend a place to stay?
A. You can contact the state commerce department 1-800-visitmt or go to their link on our site at www.sapphiremine.com and request an accomodations guide and travel brochures. Helena, the state capitol, is a ten mile drive. Also check Helena Chamber of Commerce (1-406-442-4120). You have choices of motels, bed and breakfast, forest service cabins (US government in the phone book-1-406-449-5490) or campgrounds within 3 miles of the sapphire mine (state-Devil's Elbow, Clark's Bay; federal-Vigilante Campground, private-Lincoln Road RV, Helena Campground or Kim's Marina).
Q. I read that the mine opens on April 1st, what's the best time of the year to go?
A. The Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine is open year around but the digging is no fun if the ground is still frozen. April can be iffy - so call for weather updates. You can see local temperature and forecasts on the local newspaper: www.helenair.com. Heaven in Montana starts after the 4th of July and continues through September. View photos of the mine (winter months vs. summer) under "Newsletters" or order sapphire gravel to mine at home at www.sapphiremine.com
Montana Real Estate for Sale
sponsored by sapphiremine.com -- Deb Thompson
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Contact: |
BIO
Deb Thompson, Real Estate Agent for Bill Walker Real Estate since 1998.
Sales of homes include:
Joan’s house: with a full-price cash offer and then she decided she did not want to sell. omg
Finally convinced the sale was on, Joan loaded up her old motor home, amid various breakdowns, and headed on an adventure south to Arkansas. Her sale proceeds bought her a new house and a new life.
A recent short sale resulted in salvation for a family on the edge of foreclosure. Kelli’s house of six kids, a mother-in-law and three old dogs, complete with one hundred tons of household items managed to get moved to Las Vegas. Various piles of abandoned furniture that did not fit in the largest moving van, reminded me of the wagon train problem. The sale, endured through Deb’s sludge of phone Ops with the depths of banker hell, resulted in a wonderful adventure for Kelli’s family and a new life in Las Vegas-complete with feelings of a debt-free moment. The family is still happy and the sun is always shining.
Deb is an experienced Housing Inspector for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as a contractor with Parsons Brinkerhoff since 2004. Deb inspected over a thousand homes, documenting damages from hurricanes and storms in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Indiana.
Deb also did remote insurance inspections on homes (insurance of last resort) throughout Montana. “I traveled one thousand miles to find a home at the end of Hell Creek Road on Fort Peck Reservoir to document measurements and photos for insurance purposes. The road less traveled, as they say, was undertaken mid-February between snowstorms. I met one other vehicle in 99 miles from the last highway sign. I stopped at the furthest edge of Roundup, Montana to ask directions at a local taxidermy shop at 3 pm. The shop owner exclaimed ‘you are not going down that road are you!? If you get stranded-someone will eventually pass by.’-she said. I continued down the rolling twenty-six mile stretch of stark, red badlands to the end of Hell Creek Road. Menacing black clouds loomed on the horizon with a darkened winter sky. I found the lakeside house and finished my inspection just before dark. The Hell Creek terrain seemed vacant and empty-not so unlike Mars. No, I will not stay in the solitary, wind-notched hotel with a single car parked outside. Finding civilization again seemed an appropriate cause.”
Deb received her BA Degree in English Writing from Carroll College in 1994 and has been a real estate salesperson since 1994.
Deb is a business owner on the side (near Mars), Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine, 10 miles east of Helena– a Montana tourist destination.
