Winter Trip 2013 (pic heavy)

[DizzyDigger]

The November trip was great, and although I had a hard time
adapting to the environment and work load the first week,
the enjoyment of the second week more than made up for it.

A few days of the trip were chronicled in another thread, but at
the time I couldn't download any of the pics due to leaving the
interface cable at home. Now that I've got them all processed
I though some might enjoy seeing some highlights of the trip.

Had the pleasure of staying with a long-time friend and his
wife at their home in the Hesperia area, and while walking
around the front yard one morning (trying to wake up) I came
across this interesting cactus planted in their front yard. These
seem to be some type of flower, but I've no idea what strain
of cactus this is from:



After spending a couple days working Ken's claim (no pics
from there), Ken and I packed up our gear and headed out to
a club claim in the Coolgardie area. Got out there, set our gear
up and started a new hole. After we'd trommeled up enough dirt
for 3 runs (about 45 gal. of material), the rain showed up, so
we covered up as much as possible and retreated to camp.
All night and into the next morning the rain/wind/sleet was
relentless, so we loaded up the still-dry dirt from under the tarp
and took it back to Ken's to run at a later time.

Continued to drizzle til Sunday when the Sun finally returned, so
we took advantage of the chance and set the Royal up in Ken's backyard.
Here's a couple pics of the small Royal drywasher in action...




(fyi, that's Ken...I haven't been that skinny since I was 5)

Didn't get a lot of gold from that run, but we did get a few pieces. Here
they are on the Miller Table:



Next morning we packed it all up in the trucks again, and headed back to
the camp at Coolgardie. We took 2 vehicles for safety, and also so Ken
didn't have to listen to my snoring all night..

On the way down we stopped at Gold Tramps place down by 29 Palms.
Met Herb and his sons, and Herb was kind enough to enlighten Ken and
I on hardrock mining. Unfortunately we had to get going far too soon
in order to make Coolgardie before dark, but on my next trip down I'm
definitely looking forward to spending a day or 2 with Herb and his son
doing some nugget shooting and poking around their area.

Thanks for having us down Herb, and you betchya I'll be back there
next trip!

Here's the camping area at Coolgardie. Pic taken from our dig site:



"The Hole"


"The Pay Layer" (learned this too late..

)


Both drywashers in action (the small Royal and the Bowleg)


Couldn't pass up the sunset...stunning colors! (a benefit of smog?) Since neither
of us were in a mood to cook, we roasted hot dogs over the campfire..

We headed back to Ken's place on Wed. morning as he had to prepare
for Thanksgiving with his family. Wed. night we did take some time and
do a final clean-up of all the gold Ken and I had dug together since I
arrived:



We had agreed to a 50/50 split, so out of the total of .8g I took home
.4g.

Since Ken and his wife were off visiting family, on Thanksgiving morning I
loaded up my Toyota and headed back to the Coolgardie area on my own
(and with plenty of turkey in the cooler!). Several other club members would
be arriving there on Friday morning, and a night camping in the desert is better
than any night indoors!

Even though it was Thanksgiving and I was alone, that evening was the most
enjoyable and memorable part of the trip........

(to be continued)

 

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[Jeff95531]

Great pics, especially of the sunset. Great gold and memories...thanks for sharing. However, someone should gently tell Ken to lay off prospecting in his back yard. It's beginning to look like a well known pit on Gold Rush...only drier!

 

[gold tramp]

Good show Mike.

Did you get any yellow from those hard rock samples you brought for us to grind up for you ?

 

[DizzyDigger]

Herb, I just picked the stuff off the ground, but wish to heck I'd brought
you more of that ore to run through your crusher. You turned that stuff
into little more than powder!

Set the Miller table up to run very slow, and at a shallow angle so
the super fine material had plenty of time to "work". Ran that dust
over it twice, and out of little more than 2 cups of powdered ore we
pulled out about 30 pieces of nearly microscopic gold. I could only see it
with the magnifying glass, but there's no doubt it was the "real deal".

Next time I'm down in So. Cal. it would be great if I could spend a
day just hiking around those hills and picking up more of the stuff.
Might take a ton of it to be worthwhile, but it definitely held gold!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Great pics, especially of the sunset. Great gold and memories...thanks for sharing. However,
someone should gently tell Ken to lay off prospecting in his back yard. It's beginning to look like a well known pit on
Gold Rush...only drier!

I think what you're seeing is a berm between his house and the neighbors place.
He keeps telling me that he'll get around to landscaping his backyard now that
he's retired, but he's so busy doing other stuff (like prospecting) that I'd bet it'll
still be nothing but bare dirt when I visit next Spring or Fall. (dirt looks fine to me,
but apparently his Mrs. disagrees..lol)

Just wish I had the mans energy level...he's my age, but works like a 25 year old!

 

[DizzyDigger]

AzViper had asked what my thoughts were on the small Royal
drywasher, and in general I think it's an awesome unit.

It does have it's quirks, however. Any dirt fed to it needs to be
super dry in order to flow through the feed. The material would
jam up right at the opening, generally due to other dirt wedging
in from the side. It was a real PITA to keep any material flowing
through the feed until I figured out it had to be fed right down
the center of the hopper.

Ken and I weren't sure how fast to run the blower, and on the day
I left for home one of the much more experienced members of
Valley Prospectors came over and gave me a hand getting it working
as it should. He dropped the riffle tray down about 3 notches, and
had me turn up the blower speed from idle to the mid-point. After that
it never so much as had a hiccup, and I got in an extra run due to being
able to feed it much faster. No more jams, and the flow over the
riffles was just right.

End result: Learning how to properly run it made all the difference, so
overall I think it's an awesome drywasher, and plenty big enough to handle
all I could feed it in a day's digging.

My hope is to have a Royal of my own before my next trip down,
as I'll also be joining the club, and want to be able to camp out
and work the claim for a few days on my own.

 

[russau]

Thanks for the tag-a-long! it looks like you had a great trip!

 

[AzViper]

AzViper had asked what my thoughts were on the small Royal drywasher, and in general I think it's an awesome unit.

It does have it's quirks, however. Any dirt fed to it needs to be super dry in order to flow through the feed. The material would jam up right at the opening, generally due to other dirt wedging in from the side. It was a real PITA to keep any material flowing through the feed until I figured out it had to be fed right down the center of the hopper.

Ken and I weren't sure how fast to run the blower, and on the day I left for home one of the much more experienced members of Valley Prospectors came over and gave me a hand getting it working as it should. He dropped the riffle tray down about 3 notches, and had me turn up the blower speed from idle to the mid-point. After that it never so much as had a hiccup, and I got in an extra run due to being able to feed it much faster. No more jams, and the flow over the riffles was just right.

End result: Learning how to properly run it made all the difference, so overall I think it's an awesome drywasher, and plenty big enough to handle all I could feed it in a day's digging.

My hope is to have a Royal of my own before my next trip down, as I'll also be joining the club, and want to be able to camp out and work the claim for a few days on my own.

Mike I have only used my large Royal once but did not have any issues in feeding dry dirt as quickly as I could. In fact I had the hopper full most of the time. If I did anything wrong I had the engine RPM to high. Buying a Royal is an excellent choice as you will not find a better built drywasher as you know... I know you have seen the video of the Royal in action but others may have not. I really want to get out with the DW this summer.

​

 

[DizzyDigger]

Aside from seeing old friends and making new ones, the absolute best moments
of the trip came Thanksgiving night. Oddly enough, I was out there camping
on my own, and not another human in sight.

Didn't get out to the claim till about 2 pm., and really didn't have much
more to do than set up camp. That didn't take more than 30 min., so
I grabbed a shovel and hiked up to the hole and worked at removing
about the first 18" of material as it was still very damp from the rain.
Once I got the area down to dry material I stopped digging, and had
just enough time left before dark to get the campfire going, and to
prepare my Thanksgiving meal of freshly made chile with a load of
fresh turkey added to it.

Weather was perfect, skies were mostly clear, and a good meal in
front of the warm campfire after a couple hrs. of good, hard work...
....man can't ask for much more than that.



I'd seen quite a bit of dead wood laying around, so after dinner I
put on the headlamp and headed out to gather up some firewood.
Got about 2 steps and immediately noticed a set of eyes glowing
from the headlamp...

(Back in the 80's I was an addicted varmint hunter, and had spent
many nights hunting this same area for coyotes and bobcat (of
which there's still plenty). One little critter that was constant
pain in the mishkna were the Desert Kit Foxes. Most eager little
guys you've ever seen, and not to gifted in the smarts department.
If they think there's chow to be had, they'd completely ignore the
spotlight and come racing right in to the varmint call. These fox
are a protected critter and native only to certain SW areas, so ya
can't shoot them or harm them in any way...we just had to put up
with 'em.)

My first guess was that it was a Kit Fox, and sure enough it came
trotting right in when I made some squeaking sounds. I turned the
headlamp down to it's lowest setting so it wouldn't blind the critter,
and watched it bounce in to about 30 yds. from me, sniffing the
ground every step of the way.

No reason whatsoever to fear this little guy/gal? so in a calm
tone of voice I said "Howdy!"

It stopped where it was, and just sat down looking at me. I kept
talking to it (not at it), and continued picking up the dead, busted
off branches. Took my best guess and decided it was a female,
and she followed me right back to camp. Once I had sat back down
by the fire, she continued to poke all around the area looking for chow
and investigating every little snake hole she could stick her pointy nose in.
After that, she just sat herself down about 20 yds. from the campfire....

Finally, it dawned on me that I had my Nikon D90 in the truck and
might get a decent shot of her before she runs off. I got up from the
campfire and had to open the truck door, and then fold the seat down
to get to it. Meanwhile, the fox was checking out my chair, and the
ice chest sitting by the campfire!



Told her if we were going to be friends, then she needed to understand
that my coffee and cookies were OFF LIMITS..

Since it was Thanksgiving, and she was my only company for the night
it just didn't seem right not to share the food I had...seems that's what it's
all about, right? So, I made her up a dry turkey sandwich in a piece of bread,
and set it out for her to get. She looked up at me as if to say "is this MINE?"
Told her to help herself, and it took just a few seconds for her to grab it and
run off a ways to enjoy her Thanksgiving meal. (I normally don't condone feeding
wild critters, but this did seem to be a special occasion.)

She came right back to the campfire after she was done, and made herself
comfortable about 20 yds. out from the campfire, and over the next couple
hours we chatted (OK, I talked and she listened) about the good things in life.
She'd get up and walk around the camp every few minutes, and at one point
while collecting more branches she alerted me with a sharp little bark that there
was something else out there. I looked around with the light, and sure enough
there was a 6-7 mo. old coyote hanging around about 60-75 yds. out. Now,
coyotes will kill and consume a small fox given the opportunity, but she was
taking no chances and stayed within 20 yds. of camp.



Wasn't long and it was midnight, and way past time to call it a night. She
didn't seem to spook at all when I got up, so I asked her to pose for a
couple of decent shots before we went our separate ways for the night...

She agreed:


(she constantly kept an eye out for that coyote)



Took the above pic at 32mm..she was about 10 yds. away, and
not the least bit concerned about me.

So, next time you're out in the desert and see a pair of eyes
glowing white in your flashlight...fear not. A gold reflection
usually is a coyote, and red is most often a cat/bobcat. Kit
Fox are little guys, and this one was (maybe) 7-8 lbs, plus a
gorgeous coat. They're also good to have around 'cause they keep
the mice and scorpion population in check around those communal
campsites.

Not to mention they make good company around the campfire...

 

[gold tramp]

Mike, on that ore if you got some small stuff make sure you try hand panning very carefully try to get a tail going in your pan.
Those little fox are funny i have had a couple in the past that would lets us get real close to them, they would even pose for a picture.
Herb.............

 

[AzViper]

Mike glad you had company for one evening and cute company she is. Like the story too.

 

[Jeff95531]

Thanks for the REST of the story DD. Reminds me of my first encounter with the Red Foxes in AK. A pair of them came running up to us on a fly in fishing trip. I pulled the Glock out cuz they came running up to us like our long lost dogs...I thought they must be rabid. I had never seen a wild animal do that without malicious intent. An older and wiser buddy told me that was just their nature. They hung around for a day or two playing with us and themselves then stole some left over fish while we slept and split.


Once again, thanks for the stories and memories retrieved

 

[yelnif]

Great story DD and what a memorable thanksgiving- sunset and a friend. God bless and merry Christmas.

 

[kuger]

Yep!!Little rascals!!!You are right they are pesky...brazen little guys.Much like there bigger cousin the Grey Fox,I have had them run into a call stand all bristled up,growling,refusing to leave.Central Nevada was covered up with them. The endangered San Joaquin Valley Kit fox,brought on all kinds of regulation(many miles away from their historical habitat) we had to abide by,and the only ones I ever seen were in town,and usually coming out of garbage dumpsters

 

[DizzyDigger]

Yep!!Little rascals!!!You are right they are pesky...brazen little guys.Much like there bigger cousin the Grey Fox,I have had them run into a call stand all bristled up,growling,refusing to leave.Central Nevada was covered up with them. The endangered San Joaquin Valley Kit fox,brought on all kinds of regulation(many miles away from their historical habitat) we had to abide by,and the only ones I ever seen were in town,and usually coming out of garbage dumpsters

If I would have had a couple weeks to work with this little gal
I could have turned her into a lap pet..

 

[KevinInColorado]

diz, you are just the coolest ever! GREAT little story!

 

[Hoser John]

DD great tag along and only thing missing is the DUST MASK so you can keep on a mining man. Desert/Valley fever has killed off a huge segment of my ol'OC Clubs members out there ,err on the side a caution as safety neglected comes at a horrendous price. Go to Center For Disease control website and it's gettn' folks left and right still-John

 

[DizzyDigger]

DD great tag along and only thing missing is the DUST MASK so you can keep
on a mining man. Desert/Valley fever has killed off a huge segment of my ol'OC Clubs members out there, err
on the side a caution as safety neglected comes at a horrendous price. Go to Center For Disease control website
and it's gettn' folks left and right still-John

Wishin' I had worn a mask John..been hacking (more) since I got back.
I did ask around the claim area, and the general consensus was that
Valley Fever was not found in this area. We also had a good breeze
blowing every day, so the majority of the dust all went the other way.

Still, gonna do some research on it and take it along when I next
see my doc. My lungs are pretty shot anyway after 35 years of
smoking, and I've had pneumonia several times in the past few
years.

I grew up running around those desert areas, so I should already
have developed an immunity. Still, if I get the chance to go again,
a good mask will be covering my nose/mouth anytime I'm around a
running drywasher.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Mike, your doctor's office will give you one for free. Especially someone with your history should be careful...even just the dust could trigger pneumonia for you. Valley Fever is fungus based so you can't develop an immunity to it...and that's why it is so hard to treat, leading commonly to death.

The other smart way to get masks is your local drug store or online. I bought a couple dozen "N95" masks to protect my family in case of a flu epidemic (and I am not even a prepper!) so I use one of those when doing something that involves dirty air or hazards. I suggest you do the same my friend!

 

[kuger]

...I contracted V.F. and fortunately caught it very quick and stomped it out.Lung capacity has never been quite the same,but a good buddy has had it now going a year now,they just told him he can longer work around dust!He has never known nothing but Cowboying,not sure how this is gonna work!