Getting Aquainted

Overcast. Cold. But time to get acquainted. So we strolled around the camp, took the Rincon a couple miles in every direction from camp to see what we could see, to see if we could make heads or tails of the mining claims maps and markings. To accomplish this, one day is insufficient. But we talked to a lot of people for opinions, ideas, and informative info on working the area. We lugged some water from the well to supplement what we brought in. Rain "spit" on us as a warning for what is forecast. The surrounding area is littered with private mine claims. Some you can work for a couple bucks a year. Some are annual membership mining country club type affairs. Nothing fancy though, to be sure. And who would need that?

We ran in to our "circuit" friends, the Prices, who were leaving the day after we arrived. They are headed to Quartzite, where we think we will go next just to see what that is all about. Prices sell mineral specimens and do cutting, tumbling, faceting work. Last saw them in North Carolina in October.

Below is a glimpse of the Stanton LDMA Camp from the other side of the canyon...or ravine...or wash...or creek- whichever nomenclature works best for you, since I really don't know yet which one is correct. To the right side of the pic is our rig, up against the edge of whatever you wish to call it. In front of us, that little 70's brightly colored rig is the camp digs of one Wayne "RED" Johnson. A colorful character himself, Red showed us countless pictures of nuggets found on his claims, actual samples of large copper nuggets, and lots of other neat samples of what can be found in the area. The inside of his camper is really neat, from the wood stove to the lifetime accumulation of mining artifacts and accomplishments and memorabilia. Hopefully, I'll be able to share some of this with you in the near future. Red guides people for metal detecting. It's a big desert, and while I hadn't thought about it, I suppose it's much like a fly fishing guide in Alaska or Wyoming or some other BIG place where your exploration is more or less like spitting into the wind. And we all know you spit into the wind OR pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger!

On our ride toward the Lucky Linda Claim, we came across these coyote tracks. Truth be told, you can see them everywhere now that the desert sand is wet enough to render clear tracks. Very cool to see. But we do keep our eyes open. They run in packs here, and like all wild animals, deserve respect. Especially Marilyn's!
A lone saguaro cactus stands guard at the foot of the potato patch. They say it (The Potato Patch) was named for the size of the nuggets found here way back when, but the rocks look like a pile of potatoes in a bowl on the kitchen counter as well. Neat-o!