I was raised in San Diego but had never been to Pala, CA. I have lived in Truckee, CA area for 27 years and on a recent trip back "home", I decided to check out the Gems of Pala after seeing a video at a Gem Club I belong to in Reno, NV.
WHAT a treat....to be out in nature searching for the lovely natural gemstone, Tourmaline. I made a return trip out to the Gems of Pala, spending two of my five days in San Diego enjoying the hunt! JoAnne, Blue and Lynn were great...showing me how to find the lovely gems and answering questions about the mine. For $15. you get your own bucket of soil from the mine...now this is my kind of gambling! I spent two hours searching through my "paydirt" when I came upon a 9 gram reverse watermelon tourmaline! What joy!
The drive home was a happy one except when I went by the massive casino...what a blight....right in the middle of such a lovely countryside with cows, farms, the old mission, rocks and hills of beauty...too bad they couldn't put the casino right in the middle of some city where it would be more at home...I understand the financial aspect of gaming but why not try the kind of gambling that doesn't include debt, addictions, pollution, etc.?
Mary Ellen