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The United States  was estimated to have reached a population of 300 million on Oct. 17, 2006 and it was a cause for some celebration in assorted places.  One of those places was this domain where people recorded a variety of activities in honor of the event.  WHile 300 million is a lot of people there are still wide open spaces in many parts of the country.  We are fortunate to live in New Mexico where the population density is low and there are still thousands of square miles of backroads waiting to be explored.  With developments in GPS systems and their increased afforability, it should be possible to combine a love of photography with back country travel and produce really interesting photo maps.

Much of the population growth is happening in the south and west; especially in regions with serious water issues.  Phoenix, for example, has "enjoyed" explosive growth.  My wife was born in a community on the fringes of Tucson which is now part of a central urban area.  Now that the economy has turned, home prices are down and investments are in trouble, the growth will slow.  I think investment growth on the internet will increase however, for those who can make the transition.  

We enjoyed backcountry travel with our kids and part of the fun was looking for pretty rocks of all kinds.  These "Gems of the Southwest " included all sorts of micro crystaline quartzs such as jasper which can be found along the roads in many places.  We bought copies of Gem Trails of New Mexico and Gem Trails of Arizona , but even in the 1980's the directions and locations were rapidly becoming urbanized.  By now I am sure, growth has placed many of the sites in the back yards of new homes.   

When you live in an area the growth sneaks up on you.  When I first started looking at New Mexico lots I thought a friends development near Edgewood, NM was the edge of the planet.  He was selling a fixed up mobile home on two and one half acres of wooded land for $49,500.  $495 down and $495 per month.  (That was about 1980).  The buyers and the property were so marginal he sold his 12 lots 60 times in five years.  Now those lots are considered close to Albuquerque, have trees and a community water system and any of those "suckers" who bought and held one of them would have done very well.  

This website is part of the performance based marketing system we established to support and promote a variety of activities.