Rustic Easter Eggs, photo by Heather Holland

Happy Easter! During a recent stay in Easter Egg Valley, (Chiso Mining Co Motel) I saw plenty of rabbits, but no eggs other than the decor on the roof. Before leaving, the owner shared with me that the days of wandering the desert to effortlessly find rustic "Easter eggs" (geodes, the hollow and sometimes colorful rocks which reveal stunning patterns and crystals inside when cracked open) are long gone. Those beauties have migrated to retail shelves elsewhere decades ago. She went on, explaining that rock pickers have been combing the land since the seventies, but they still turn up. Most stones and gifts for sale in the area are imported. I'm confident these tiny treasures I took home for gifts hail from Brazil.

Further down FM170 I confirmed that my personal odds of finding bean to bar chocolate in Big Bend are greater than finding a native geode on the ground. (You may find both available on store shelves sourced from various origins) Finding bean to bar chocolate at all in stores however, proves to be more difficult. I don't have any Easter eggs for you, but can you spot the craft chocolate in this photo?