It looks like Hard maple to me, but I could be wrong and don't wish an argument (I suspect it would be much easier to identify if the top of the log were visible). Regarding the log, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. There's some small possibility that you'll get nothing useful from it, but if it's worthwhile, you could sell one or two blanks and pay for your entire operation. It looks like it may be quite sensational, but obviously nothing's guaranteed.
A couple notes about kiln drying. I've got a few logs at a local mill right now (a cherry, an oak, a chestnut (yes, native American) and a large white pine (for duck decoys). My guy is kiln drying for $.30 a board foot, which I think is a small price to pay to avoid issues with bugs, checking, etc.. That said, I asked him to cut the nicest cherry board at 10/4" for gunstocks and he suggested that he typically doesn't kiln dry boards that thick because they need to dry more slowly and the board won't be completely dry. Unless there's some damage that can come of it, I'll likely ask him to kiln dry it anyway and then I'll follow that up by air drying it for a year or two (or whatever's necessary).
