First Gold In New Mexico

Our first day (for this trip) in New Mexico saw us venturing into the desert- 15 miles from camp, then off road, four-wheeling in the Quig for about a mile to a claim that Stonewall Gene had been given permission for us to work on. We classified material from a small wash that fed into a larger wash, worked it down to the hard pack layer, then used our "vacs" to sweep the cracks and crevices. We lugged the buckets down the hill and into the larger wash- then ran all the material through the back-pack sized dry washer that we tote with us everywhere we go. Presto Change-o, Magicadoola, gold in the clean up! So New Mexico becomes our tenth state where we have found gold. Have to give a lot of the credit to Stonewall for the groundwork that got us on the claim and into a location that was very good. The campground also has its own claim for use by campers and we aim to rustle some dirt over there as well- with hopefully even more successful results.

So Stonewall, Harry, Marilyn and I dug in the wash today. Jules, Wayne and Carol headed out rock hounding. Nancy and John dry washed with Nancy's homemade dry-washer at the camp claim; then Nancy came home and made an awesome homemade stew that fed all of us around a campfire as darkness fell and the desert night turned cold. It was a magnificent day!

States Where We Found Gold

Bus Sniffing

Oh "BUS Sniffing"! - all these years I thought they were saying "BUTT sniffing" when it came to the way dogs greeted, checked out, and inspected each other. But yesterday, it came to my immediate attention that, in fact, the phrase may have been "BUS sniffing" all along. Twenty five miles over the border into New Mexico and about as many miles north on Rt 25 be abruptly came upon a mandatory border security inspection station. Guards were everywhere. All traffic funneled into a single line. Slowed. Stopped.

"Is everyone in the vehicle a United States citizen?"

"Yes, sir"

"OK, then, have a nice day."

The human contact was inconsequential. What was of more interest? The dogs! As each car proceeded to the actual inspection stop point, a dog approached the side of the vehicle, stuck his nose in the air and sniffed the vehicle as it slowly rolled forward. Once the length of the vehicle passed the dog, it was stopped again, and the dog ran back and forth across the back of it for one last sniff. Without objection from the dog, the vehicle was allowed to continue on. If the dog was unhappy about anything, the vehicle was pulled forward into what looked to us like an x-ray unit, but may have been some other kind of mechanical detector or "sniffer."

So when our turn came, the dog did his thing and apparently agreed with us that everything was OK. As we pulled forward and back into the travel lane of the highway, we looked at each other and said":

"Oh! Bus Sniffing!"

Southern Comfort

86 degrees in the shade when we pulled into camp in Junction, Texas, to end the fifth straight travel day (out of what should be seven) en route to Arrey, New Mexico. Man- that heat felt good. Sat out late in the shade of the western style shade house after our walk-a-bout when we saw roughly 25 deer of various kinds on the rural roads we walked down. Camp is a KOA and on the river where it flows right through town. They let us do some panning to see if we could chalk up Texas on the Gold Found map but it wasn't to be. But playing in the water on such a warm day was very cooling and comforting. The lady in the office told me she had lost her diamond in the river and asked me to let her know if I found it (wink wink nudge nudge). I was going to get out the metal detector and try out for local hero but it turns out the diamond had popped off the band so there was no metal to search for. Instead, I found some sort of magnetic bead, a weird looking thing that I for sure could not identify; so I turned it into the office and told her it MIGHT be a very valuable meteorite that she could have to replace the diamond. Doubtful. Maybe even impossible. But it made everybody happy for such a find....and all's well that ends well.

Texas crossing gets downright pretty after San Antonio. The Hill Region is spectacular and the buttes and prairies that follow over the next couple hundred miles transition seamlessly and mysteriously. Altitude took us from the flatlands to 2500 feet through the hills and then up to 4500 in the next regions- the rise in elevation happens without any visual evidence but you can feel it in your ears if you're paying attention. My dad's old altimeter is our constant companion of such sections of our trips and it too is "comforting" to have and hold and use to check out the sort of thing that a pilot would be "want to do."

I should report, perhaps confess, that with all my friends with great camera skills, I took the liberty of crapping out early on this special night- looooong before the highly anticipated eclipse of the moon. Special thanks to Harry and Big Bill, neither of whom disappointed, for posting their terrific shots on FB or in e mails...thereby making it possible for me to get a good night's sleep in total southern comfort! It was cold where we came from, it looks to be cold where we are headed, but this night? Oh it was good one!

That's A Atchafalaya

Back in March of 2007 (see previous post) we first traveled the southern cross country route 10. "The Bridge" so called, a section of rt 10 that passes through the Atchafalaya Bayou in Louisiana immediately caught our attention. The long section of the highway passes some 25 feet ABOVE the swamp for a long section of divided highway, the views from which are quite stunning. It has been stuck in our minds as one of the niftiest stretches of highway the country has to offer...and we vowed to come back. And yesterday we did just that. We had an overnight IN the swamp about a mile away from the visitor's center seen in the previous post linked above. There is much to be explored here and this was not the time for that...but we still need to come back and have an extended stay here at some point.

We did put our time here to the best use. Took a four mile walk along the river, down to the swamp boat launch, past the visitors center, under "The Bridge" where-ever we could find firm land to hike on. Marilyn has her first "all mine" camera and we used this stroll as a training session. So to commemorate the occasion, all of the photos in this post will be her shots- taken by her, cropped by her, highlighted, sharpened, adjusted by her. Start to finish. So accolades are welcome. Hold the criticism....or else!

The day before, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, had all fallen into the rear view mirror on the push to New Mexico. The mighty Mississippi River had been crossed yet again. We blew by New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain, Baton Rouge. Today we cruised into Texas and through Houston- a portion of the trip marred by the closing of Rt 10 where it passes directly through the city, creating detours, accidents and long delays. Tonight we are honkered down in Columbus, Texas which is God knows where, and I'd just as soon not. But true to my motto: Where-ever I go, there I am!

If the schedule can be maintained, two more nights in Texas, followed by arrival at camp in Arrey, NM on the 22nd. So let me sign off for now. Enjoy Marilyn's first photos. Not half bad, huh?

Truth Or Consequences

All men are created equal! Well- yes and no. True: all men step into their pants one leg at a time. Granted. But after wrapping things up at the RV dealer before launching our vessel on a new journey, then working in the dark and the near freezing cold until midnight to "right the ship", that is to say fix the things that although they said had been fixed- had in fact not been fixed- and then crawling begrudgingly out of bed before first light to finish the job.........I discovered that in point of fact all men are NOT created equal. The bit about all men stepping into their pants one leg at a time implies, I think, that you put your pants on with the zipper facing front. But in the dark and grog of the early morning I found myself trying to pull up jeans that were in fact- on backwards. Whether the theory is shot or this is just a fold in the universe of truth I don't know. But I guess anything that can make you laugh at 5 in the morning is a good thing....and so it goes.

Statement: the in line water system and back flow preventer is fixed. Truth: the pressure fitting was installed backwards and the leak was bigger than when we took the coach in. It was a gusher!

Statement: the switches on the slide outs were replaced. Truth: they were replaced but they still weren't working.

Statement: the radio tuner is replaced. Truth: it was replaced but the number on the bottom of the tuner to reactivate the sat tv was lost and so now the radio didn't work at all.

Consequences: with a bit of pain and agony we all kept working and eventually got everything worked out.............or so we hope. Only time will tell.

So by now I imagine you are thinking this is the development of the truth or consequences
title of the post. Not so. Truth or Consequences, will all due respect to Bob Barker (as opposed to Bob Bateman who I actually like a whole lot more than the aforementioned)is a name of a town in New Mexico. And that, my friends, is more or less where we are headed. We will join prospecting friends in New Mexico for Christmas and New Years.

If I've ever been more happy about making a decision and getting off the fence and deciding on a direction in which to travel, I don't know when. 600 miles down the road from the repairs and the miles are slipping away and feeling great! Could have gone south a tad. Could have gone east a bit. Could have gone north a smidge. But west- that's wide open.

Go west again young man..........but first...turn those pants around, will ya???

That's A Wrap! (NOT)

So we've been drifting in The Doldrums of Ft. Myers ever since we arrived at North Trail RV exactly one week ago for what was expected to be a one day in/out service call to attend to a few trivial matters before getting back on the road toward Georgia and Loud Mine Camp. The problem? An extended warranty program that is worse and even more dysfunctional than a federal government health care program...a couple of tires that should be in stock but can't be located....and securing parts that shouldn't (but sadly do) have to come from California on the Left Coast. I swear it's a conspiracy.

So here we sit heading into yet another weekend, chomping at the bit to get going, but fighting to resign ourselves to circumstances we are powerless to control. Disgusting. No wonder the wrist monitor for my blood pressure keeps registering inappropriate levels! I used to be mildly happy about being on extended stay in Florida this time of year, but last year's freezing temperatures and this year's needless delays have taken their toll. Other than our daily walks, which were on the beach for a while and totally enjoyable but are now a giant loop around the park models and big rigs of the RV park- not much happening of any consequence.

Marilyn has some cool plans shaping up for summer at least and we can do some prep towards that- but those plans- to be released later- can't by their very nature include me in anything other than the prep. That's good but it's bad; it's hot but it's cold; it's not here but it's there.

I NEED A PLAN! at a time when planning refuses to be accommodated. Marching in the band was and is a good thing...but "marking time" (marching in place) has never been anything other than boring. The engine is running but no forward gear is selected. If timing is everything---I think I need a new time zone.

Beach Turkey II

Just about time to say good-bye to another round of Thanksgiving On The Beach. We first joined our friends and former neighbors last year to join in celebrating Thanksgiving On The Beach here at Ft. Myers Beach. Click here to see last year's report. And here's a little more from last year: Try This.

The weather this year was sensational; maybe even perfect. 80's every day. No rain. Few clouds. If it gets any better, I couldn't tell you how. We took minimum 1 hour walks on the beach- thus beginning our new "non-mining fitness program." That felt good and no one on the beach seemed to object to me in beach-ware. Ha!

So here are some slides of things we saw and did this year- look for the captions where necessary:

Paddling Alligator Creek

From panning....to paddling. We are back in Florida- Punta Gorda above Ft. Myers on the Gulf Coast side. This is one of our favorite stopping points when we are back "home." The creek has excellent paddling, fishing and site seeing. As you would expect from the name- it's not too good for swimming. We routinely see alligators from 2 feet to closer to 10. I don't mind some daytime wading to throw the cast net, but ain't nobody gonna get me in any deeper than that- and even then I keep an eye on my surroundings.

Once again, the pictures pretty much tell the story. I put a few captions to watch for in the slide show so you can see what we're trying to point out along the way:

North Carolina Smiley Face Gold Report

It's hot on the Gulf Coast of Florida here at Punta Gorda where we have arrived to begin our Florida visit. But the "cool" report from the North Carolina Vein Mountain outing can now be given- at least in preliminary form. Pretty much we're gonna let the pictures tell the story. Two small (and very thin) nuggets, not included in the weight,......and a "smiley face" of "fines and dust" that weighed in at 1.8 pennyweight- not bad at all for NC and 10 days of work!

Oh, and Mr. and Mrs. Haught- I don't want to hear a word from you right now about Idaho gold! :-)





This dad gummed gold is so fine! How fine is it, Greg? It's so fine that even after I was very, very careful cleaning up, I started to notice gold particles all over my computer key pad as I typed this report with the sunlight streaming through the window next to my desk! Sticky Fingers 101.

There will be additional gold to add to this year's take, but that will have to wait for further work at the "amalgamation" process!

The Panning Of The Boots

We ventured back to Vein Mountain LDMA Camp in North Carolina for the Fall 2010 outing. It's the smaller of their two annual outings and we like it extremely well. The caretakers of the property, John and Abi, are first class individuals and they go over and above to make the attendees feel welcome and help them be as successful as possible. After all, camaraderie is one thing; gold is another!

This year's weather was outstanding. Comfortable and dry day times and crisply cool nights- they call it "good sleeping weather." A bit of frost makes the early morning rather spectacular around the warmer waters of the settling ponds.
There is one drawback from getting started too early- the wet gloves from the day before are are still frozen stiff. In this photo, Marilyn does her "thawing" procedure.

For outings, the organization compiles "dirt" from a location on the property. This year the dirt came from the diggings next to what we used to call "Long Pond." Actually, it was just a hole from a previous dig that had filled with water. But it turned out that this years dirt was another in the series of "good looking materials", and in fact was some of the hottest material anyone around camp could remember processing. Translation- even though NC gold is almost always extremely fine, this time there was more of it than ever before.

We don't have the final tabulations, weights and measure of the gold ready at this point. We reduced our concentrates down as far as possible to take with us without the extreme weight of the five gallon buckets full of "heavies.", but still have the final separation of the gold from the black sand yet to do. Drying. Weighing. Soon! As I write this we are enroute back to Florida for our annual check ups and the usual. Looking forward to another Thanksgiving on the Beach.

Here's a look at us taking turns on the amalgamation equipment at the camp to work down our "cons." I should qualify the term "amalgamation." It refers to the practice of separating gold and silver from other minerals by combining it with mercury. It was common practice at one time and is generally frowned upon today for environmental concerns- although there ARE safe practices for handling it and using it even today. This piece of equipment has been converted to a rubber rib reclamation process- so no mercury, no copper is used in the process as it was when this equipment was in commercial use at the mine here a long time ago. It's an antique- but it works superbly and was lots of fun for us to test drive.


We spent a most wonderful two weeks here this Fall, made a bonfire when packing to celebrate our stay....
and then....and then....we held our gold camp parting ritual- "the panning of the boots!" To accomplish this we knock off all the mud and dirt remaining on our boots after our last run through the high banker...and then pan it out. Why? Because a long time back a guy told us that after walking around in gold containing dirt all day, he always "panned out his boots" at the end of the day to see if there was any gold in the material, and much to his surprise there often was. Not lots, just a speck or two - but it's the principle of the thing. Sounded like a good thing to do just for fun and so we tried it and.....yes, we found gold too. So now I always try to remember to test the boots at the end of our tour at a prospecting site. This time nothing doing, but, hey, I tried. I'll bet ya a candy bar though that when we clean out the van in Florida and I pan that dirt I will find a speck or two....just saying!

I'll post a picture of our "clean up" as soon as we have it ready. Hoping for the Smiley Face!