RV on the Road & in the Air

[ncclaymaker]

Since New York doesn't have more than a dollar two ninety eights worth of gold, I'm prepping a 20 foot camper trailer for life in Nevada and you might have guessed it... californication. Got the camper trailer for a song and a dance, the Jeep is sort of a rust bucket... who cares. Jacked her up 2 1/2" with new shocks and springs for clearance. Though some folks have mixed feelings for the BLM... where can you live relatively safe and off grid for about $180/seven months in their Long Term Visitor Areas (camping areas) Rigging the water supply system with a ultra-violet biohazard zapper doo to kill all of the micro no see-ums in the water. I'm not planning to rough it... I'll be installing a Bluetti 2000wH solar generator with 600 wH solar grid to power up the sucker with enough for the frig and a/c for two houses.

Mounted to the RV will be my "trusty" motorized PPG (powered para glider). Slow flying, but there aren't any crazy roads that I'll have to navigate and boulders to go over. I'm still practicing STOL techniques to safely fly in the wilderness areas. I keep the engine in the trailer to make it less attractive to thieves. Cuts down on the inside space, but that's life. I'm equipped with an emergency locator (personal satellite locator) in the event of an unforeseeable problem. It's like having AAA, medivac, please get my butt outta' here in a small package. Never leave home without one... even if you don't fly. No cell phone signal is necessary, it uses satellites, not towers. Accurate within 3 meters or so. So if you need aid to extract you from a "watch this fella's" situation... this may be the item to save your bacon or carrot (I'm a vegetarian).

Contained within the rigs' storage is my 4" high-banker, pump, hose, log and sluice. Since the water issue has twisted the nickers for everyone in the west it seems, it does help if you put on a thin wet suit and snorkel and go pick the "stream" bottom with inches, instead of feet of water. If you're using a metal detector, head out to the burnt areas. They've probably not been picked through by others, if ever. Problems can be opportunities... you've just got to recognize things for what they are.

I figure that it'll take two or three more months of prep to get the show on the road and let the weather anomalies (climate change, no politics please) cool down a bit. 120 degrees in the shade is what we usually warm an oven up to, not breath. But the trailer has AC and solar, but it's still too hot for anyone... including mussels, clams and scallops in the Pacific NW that were parboiled in the ocean water. How do you classify clams and mussels out of the sluice? Also, usually I like my salmon smoked, not pre-cooked fresh from the water. I wonder if the salmon are fearing this extremely deadly weather or a slightly noisy suction dredge?

Ruby, Biological door bell

My Other Ride w/o trike trike Trike ready for the road

load equalizer

 

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[Megalodon]

Thanks for sharing the nice post and pics! The dog looks like good company - even to someone owned by cats.

Agree about the horror of billions of dead animals in the PNW. As a marine biologist, albeit a retired one, mussels are sometimes overlooked in their importance to food webs and ecosystems. We sometimes take for granted the things that are around us. Hopefully some of these animals, like the salmon, manage to show some resiliency long term, but that will require turning this situation around - and yes, it is real, not politics. Wish we could send some of our water out west. As predicted by climate change models, we in the mid-Atlantic are getting floods from heavy rainfall. We got about 6" of rain friday night alone - in about an hour. I planned for it last summer by putting in channel drains and connecting them and all rain gutters to about 400' of drain pipe underground, and building berms to direct storm water. So far, so good, but the real test will be the 10 -12" of rain in an hour like we had memorial day 2018.

Good advice about the emergency locator and it could also be useful to boaters, including kayakers. I have a history of minimalist kayaking that drives my wife of 40 y nuts.

Good attitude about problems being opportunities. Not only for us, I hope the dead mussels become opportunities for other species. When those mussels die, they typically gape and the tissue decays, leaving the gaping bivalve shell behind. There are intertidal fish that use those crevices to deposit their eggs. Some spiders also use them as incubators. Perhaps it will be an opportunity as well for some young marine biology grad student to study the rapidly changing situation.

Best of luck on your adventures. Looking forward to reading updates!

 

[leadnugget]

sounds like an adventure. as far a boon-docking goes if you have not seen
https://www.cheaprvliving.com/
it has a lot of full timers with tips and tricks.
i will say check them tires on the rv, most times they are not very dependable.
especially if they are the ones that came with the rv new.
im 5 years out from doing something similar with an rv, im thinking a 5th wheel.

will follow your Journal.

 

[ncclaymaker]

Ruby the rescue retriever has a small grey cat that she tolerates... such is life with a territorial hound. The cat "owns" the upstairs, dog downstairs.

 

[metrotec]

all you need is a ldma membership, interested?

 

[1637]

looks great ,how is that jeep with its shorter wheelbase do at towing that trailer.
good luck brad

 

[ncclaymaker]

all you need is a ldma membership, interested?

I think I'll decline. I'll spend the $3300.00 dues on living a good relaxed life, and not support a club that googles itself as the "most exclusive gold prospecting association in the world! ". Their dues costs more than the high grade solar system that is going on the rig to produce power for a long period of time.

Direct cut and paste from the browser as a Google result
"What Is LDMA? ... The Lost Dutchman's Mining Association is the most exclusive gold prospecting association in the world! We provide member access to ...
Rating: 5 ? ‎2 reviews ? ‎$3,300.00"

 

[ncclaymaker]

looks great ,how is that jeep with its shorter wheelbase do at towing that trailer.
good luck brad

Towed the trailer from upstate NY near the Great Lakes at 55mph. The major issue is loading, I'll be driving with empty water tanks, and something most people don't think of...Husky 32215 Center Line TS Weight Distributing Hitch

I'll be driving down the east coast on Rte 1, not I-95 to avoid fast trucks, high wind gusts, armed revenue generating agents (cops) and the like. At Jacksonville, FL I'll make a right turn to go to Vegas. Again, not on the Interstate. Know your limitations and be reasonable. Don't really care if I get to the destination a week more than other means. Who cares?

 

[ncclaymaker]

Thanks for sharing the nice post and pics! The dog looks like good company - even to someone owned by cats.

Agree about the horror of billions of dead animals in the PNW. As a marine biologist, albeit a retired one, mussels are sometimes overlooked in their importance to food webs and ecosystems. We sometimes take for granted the things that are around us. Hopefully some of these animals, like the salmon, manage to show some resiliency long term, but that will require turning this situation around - and yes, it is real, not politics. Wish we could send some of our water out west. As predicted by climate change models, we in the mid-Atlantic are getting floods from heavy rainfall. We got about 6" of rain friday night alone - in about an hour. I planned for it last summer by putting in channel drains and connecting them and all rain gutters to about 400' of drain pipe underground, and building berms to direct storm water. So far, so good, but the real test will be the 10 -12" of rain in an hour like we had memorial day 2018.

Good advice about the emergency locator and it could also be useful to boaters, including kayakers. I have a history of minimalist kayaking that drives my wife of 40 y nuts.

Good attitude about problems being opportunities. Not only for us, I hope the dead mussels become opportunities for other species. When those mussels die, they typically gape and the tissue decays, leaving the gaping bivalve shell behind. There are intertidal fish that use those crevices to deposit their eggs. Some spiders also use them as incubators. Perhaps it will be an opportunity as well for some young marine biology grad student to study the rapidly changing situation.

Best of luck on your adventures. Looking forward to reading updates!

Lived in the Netherands, Scheveningen (Den Haag/The Hague) for a number of years, I loved a large bowl of Mosselen with a mug of draught beer for lunch. I imagine that urchins, fish and crabs will not let them go to waste.

 

[Oregon Viking]

I don't know where in Cali you will be... but... This "club" is 10 bucks a month Over 800 acres of claims! Mostly Oregon.

Republic Mining – Helping Miners Mine

 

[Terry Soloman]

You need to research some clubs with claims in Nevada, because private claim owners will shoot at you without hesitation. There are only a few places in Nevada that have detectable gold nuggets, and anything with pickers is already claimed. Do your homework BEFORE you leave. You need a drywasher, not a highbanker, as water is hard to come by.

 

[ncclaymaker]

This isn't the wild west anymore, anyway, my Ruger.308 is accurate as all hell. Water is far easier to find than you think... especially from the air and a laptop. NV is just loaded with hundreds of hot springs. Check out "Wonderhussy" on youtube

 

[ncclaymaker]

I don't know where in Cali you will be... but... This "club" is 10 bucks a month Over 800 acres of claims! Mostly Oregon.

Republic Mining ?€“ Helping Miners Mine

I wasn't trying to painting all clubs with a broad brush. I just stated an advertised fact, not an Alt truth. I've got the time to check them out. Thanks.

 

[DizzyDigger]

This isn't the wild west anymore, anyway, my Ruger.308 is accurate as all hell. Water is far easier to find than you think... especially from the air and a laptop. NV is just loaded with hundreds of hot springs. Check out "Wonderhussy" on youtube

You're right, it's not the wild west anymore, BUT, it is rural Nevada, meaning
it's just a hop, skip and a jump from what was the wild west. Someone catches
you poaching their posted claim....you may not get shot, however it will generally
not end well.

I agree with Terry...Unless you plan on building a recirculating system and
then bringing in your own water, it's better to get yourself a decent drywasher.

As for finding water, it's tougher than you think. That para glider won't help
much when the wind is gusting 30 mph; some of those hot springs are
far to hot to even put a hand in, and are often are full of dangerous minerals
that'll kill ya if you drink them.

Sorry to sound like a "devil's advocate", but having spent considerable time
all over the Nevada desert areas I've gained a bit of wisdom, and it's worthless
unless I can pass it on to help others.

Honestly looking forward to your trip...been awhile since I was down in Nevada,
and I sure miss the smell of the sage.

 

[Megalodon]

Lived in the Netherands, Scheveningen (Den Haag/The Hague) for a number of years, I loved a large bowl of Mosselen with a mug of draught beer for lunch. I imagine that urchins, fish and crabs will not let them go to waste.

Were they a local aquaculture product? They are now grown on strings or lines in many places and are a seafood bargain. I have been enjoying them for more than half a century. Astonishingly inexpensive, a 2 lb bag of fresh blue mussels grown in the US can be found for 3.99 and a 1 pound package frozen, usually from Chile or Argentina, for 3 to $4. My wife doesn't like the smell of them being cooked, so I prepare them when she is off babysitting our grandson. And yes to the beer with them!

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) are a cold water species and I suspect their wild distribution will become more limited to much more northern waters, as we are seeing with many marine species. I expect aquaculture operations in waters experiencing temperature increases of this and lower magnitude, will be going out of business.

 

[gold tramp]

This isn't the wild west anymore, anyway, my Ruger.308 is accurate as all hell. Water is far easier to find than you think... especially from the air and a laptop. NV is just loaded with hundreds of hot springs. Check out "Wonderhussy" on youtube

Where I live it's the wild west right now, everything in the bush with American flag is shot up torn out
Myself I worry when I go out the red hats are still upset...
This ain't politics it's God's honest truth from somebody who goes in the bush.
It's scary...

I got a drywasher you can use if your in South Cali. Handcrank.
Gt....

 

[ncclaymaker]

Someone may have misinterpreted the possession of my world famous sluice while going to Nevada or elsewhere. Well, NV isn't exactly as dry as some would imagine. Please avail yourselves upon Google Earth Streamgages KML Files, conveniently located on a USGS WaterWatch at https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?id=stategage. The only advantage I'll have... I'm not going to get there on nonexistent or super rough roads. I'll fly myself there. BTW, most of my work will be done with my MineLab metal detector, the Gold Monster 1000. Since weight is not an issue with the bugger and it appears real easy to strap onto the trike airframe. Hallelujah MineLab!!! I'm sort of "retired", so I'll leave the really hard work to others.

The other wet item (got to be careful here) to check out are the mineral rich hot springs that populate this once volcanic area (well, past active volcanoes). Try https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/find-mrds.php. Select a state, From the Commodity pull-down select Geothermal. Voila! Hot springs up the wazooo with all data and locations. One word of caution... be aware that some, not all hot springs have significant quantities of arsenic dissolved in the water. It will absorb through your skin, caveat emptor. What usually exists in or near mineralized earth?

NEXT - Google "springs in Nevada"

Result -
With more than 300 naturally occurring sources peppered throughout the Silver State, Nevada is the official stomping ground with the most hot springs in the entire nation. The springs described below are those found on public land?places that are foolproof and totally free reign for the masses to enjoy.

My Lord... someone said that this place was bone dry and that a dry washer was the order of the day? What!!! Loud noises that exceeds the OSHA daily decibel rates, copious quantities of dust to inhale, shovels, picks and whatnots. Sound mysteriously like hard work. So let's all buck up and get a backhoe! There should be governmental legislation prohibiting the operation of a dry washer without a 'hoe present. (Sense of humor required). Just answering all of these replies and comments require an unpaid secretary... you know, an intern. Be cool and stay safe from the viral beast.

 

[ARC]

I love catching air in my RV.

Thrill everytime.

Cept for the mess inside it after.

:P

 

[arizau]

Someone may have misinterpreted the possession of my world famous sluice while going to Nevada or elsewhere. Well, NV isn't exactly as dry as some would imagine. Please avail yourselves upon Google Earth Streamgages KML Files, conveniently located on a USGS WaterWatch at https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?id=stategage. The only advantage I'll have... I'm not going to get there on nonexistent or super rough roads. I'll fly myself there. BTW, most of my work will be done with my MineLab metal detector, the Gold Monster 1000. Since weight is not an issue with the bugger and it appears real easy to strap onto the trike airframe. Hallelujah MineLab!!! I'm sort of "retired", so I'll leave the really hard work to others.

The other wet item (got to be careful here) to check out are the mineral rich hot springs that populate this once volcanic area (well, past active volcanoes). Try https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/find-mrds.php. Select a state, From the Commodity pull-down select Geothermal. Voila! Hot springs up the wazooo with all data and locations. One word of caution... be aware that some, not all hot springs have significant quantities of arsenic dissolved in the water. It will absorb through your skin, caveat emptor. What usually exists in or near mineralized earth?

NEXT - Google "springs in Nevada"

Result -
With more than 300 naturally occurring sources peppered throughout the Silver State, Nevada is the official stomping ground with the most hot springs in the entire nation. The springs described below are those found on public land?places that are foolproof and totally free reign for the masses to enjoy.

My Lord... someone said that this place was bone dry and that a dry washer was the order of the day? What!!! Loud noises that exceeds the OSHA daily decibel rates, copious quantities of dust to inhale, shovels, picks and whatnots. Sound mysteriously like hard work. So let's all buck up and get a backhoe! There should be governmental legislation prohibiting the operation of a dry washer without a 'hoe present. (Sense of humor required). Just answering all of these replies and comments require an unpaid secretary... you know, an intern. Be cool and stay safe from the viral beast.

I would not be surprised if you find most of the water sources referenced by the "waterwatch" site are merely seasonal catchments that are dry most of or all year depending.

Good luck and have fun while you are at it!

PS I've crossed Nevada many times on the Las Vegas/Reno route and the wind always seems to be blowing pretty hard so be extra careful while towing.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Scrap the highbanker for your desert prospecting. It's just taking up space and weight you could use to carry something useful - like water.

Water in the desert is a big deal. The lack of water is what makes it a desert. If you don't have any water when you arrive at your prospecting destination you will have to do without. After traveling and prospecting full time for 7 years in the desert west I learned to always carry as much water as possible. Your trailer will be your home and a home without water is no place to be in the desert.

Desert dwellers will protect their water from poachers at all costs. Ranchers are not going to be at all friendly if they find you using water from their stock tanks (it's illegal to take water from a stock tank). Given a choice of giving up their gold or giving up their water desert dwellers will always choose to keep the water.

Do a serious survey of your weight distribution and figure out a way to carry a minimum of 50 gallons of water at all times. Realistically your trailer in the desert is going to be your only source of food, water and shelter. Going short of any of those three essentials is putting yourself in unreasonable danger. No gold is worth your life.

It's illegal to use the water from natural springs for mining on federal lands. Even if you were to find a reliable non poisonous water source what do you think the odds are there will be gold within a reasonable distance? If there is you can bet the spot is already claimed. In the desert west the drywasher is your best and most productive tool for gold recovery.

There is a lot of gold waiting in the desert for men that understand that the reason the gold is still there is because there is no effective means to process the material with water. Learn to work dry in the desert or go home without gold. Not trying to be harsh, just sharing how it actually works in the dry lands.

It sounds like a great adventure you have planned. I wish you well on your journey.

Heavy Pans

p.s. I see you are coming from the east coast. Cell towers are few and far between in the desert. Dump your AT&T or whatever cell account and get a Verizon account. Verizon is the most reliable cell provider in the desert west, I hate Verizon but it's true. At least with Verizon you will have a chance of a decent cell connection from time to time.