Fortuna Mine Area

Friends that we have known since the 70's came to visit us.  They have a winter home in Tucson and like gold prospecting.  They belong to a prospecting club in Tuscon and thought it would be fun to join us in Yuma for some prospecting.  The first day we did some touristy stuff and then we took them on a ride in the Barry Goldwater range to the fortuna mine.  We have been there several times and I have posted pictures of the hole where the mine was.  This time I took some of the surrounding area.  The hillside picture has a tiny whole where a miner dug probably trying to find a vein.  There are lots of "prospects" or holes that have been dug all around the area.

The next day we took them out to the potholes area on the California side of the Colorado River to do some digging.  They helped shovel dirt and run the drywasher.  We had a good time and found a little gold.  They had brought their metal detectors so we got a little detecting in as well.  It was fun to compare notes and share what we think we know about prospecting and detecting.  It was hard work but I think everyone had fun.  
 

4wheeling north of Wellton

 We took our neighbor out 4wheeling and went to Wellton.  Wellton is the next town east of Yuma off of interstate 8.  We were going to ride north of town and head east toward the next towns along the interstate.  Our plan was to follow a part of the Arizona peace trail.  This is an ATV trail that makes a giant loop within Arizona and is at least eight hundred miles long.  It isn't really a new trail.  It uses existing roads and trails but they have added signage so you can make the giant loop without getting lost.  Well east of Wellton it isn't marked so we had to guess where we were.  We thought we were doing well when we saw a sign for a BLM road that looked well used.  We followed it until we hit the Yuma Proving Ground signs that warn of danger and then the no trespassing sign.  We turned around and headed back.

We took some other trails that go north toward the mountains.  Where we were you could only go so far and then you hit the danger signs again.  It was beautiful back where we went and we had good views of the fields in the distance toward the interstate.  You can't really get lost out here so that is one good thing.  When we got back we realized that we shouldn't have gone on the BLM road but should have stayed on the road that follows the irrigation canals.  Oh well we will just have to give it another try one of these days.

More of Barry Goldwater

 When we went 4wheeling on the Barry Goldwater there were some other things we saw besides the border wall.  At various points out in this vast desert there are emergency call boxes.  The top picture is one of these call boxes with the huge antennae.  If you use it then you had better be in real trouble and the sign on it warns you it may take up to an hour to get to you.  They put these in place across the Barry Goldwater area after a number of illegal aliens died trying to cross the desert.  It is also nice for those of us who choose to go 4wheeling out here since there isn't a lot of cell coverage.

The other picture is showing the way to follow the Devil's Highway.  You can take this "road" all they way over to Ajo a town west of Tucson.  We had friends that drove most of it and it took them a good twelve hours.  It used to be a road back in the forties that tourists followed by mistake and would get stuck in the sand and many died in the heat of the summer because there aren't any ready water sources.  It is still not an easy road/trail to follow.  

The Border Wall

 Our neighbor wanted to go for a 4 wheeling ride.  His friends aren't down yet so he is was looking for something to do and doesn't like to ride alone.  We decided to to go out on the Barry Goldwater Range south of us.  We thought it would be fun to see if we could get all the way to the border.  The road we took is only open to the public that have gone online and gotten a permit.  It's free and you have to watch a safety video but that's all there is to getting one.  The road wasn't in too bad a shape.   We were on it last February and it was so rough we didn't get far. 

This trip we were able to go all the way down close to the border.  We couldn't get to the wall itself because they had the area blocked off .  They are working on it redoing the old wall.  There were lots of big trucks rolling by carrying rock, hauling big metal pylons, cement trucks, etc.  Its hard to believe that they ran the wall across a mountain side.  It is fifteen or twenty feet high and this part of the wall is in a very remote part of the desert.  We rode thirty-five miles south to get there and only saw one border patrol but they had two trucks positioned at different places with all kinds of surveillance equipment.  So they are watching.

Pretty November Blooms

 The red blooms are fairy dusters.  Up close they look like old fashioned dusters.  When we volunteered at the wildlife refuge there was a fairy duster bush by the front entrance.  The desert tortoise had his home up by the entrance as well.  He loved being fed the fairy duster blooms.  They were like candy to him.  The biologist warned us all not to feed him too many or it would make him sick.  The only time the turtle moved with any speed was when you tempted him with a fairy duster.

The orange and yellow flowers are the shape of trumpets.  The hummingbirds can reach in them and get the nectar.  Bees also fly down into them.  Our friends have their RV on a rental lot like ours only theirs has these beautiful flowering bushes.   We have an ocotillo bush that might get green leaves on it and red flowers on the top once while we are here.  We also have small palm trees but they don't flower.   The bushes are pretty in bloom but they also provide cover for mice and rats and other critters so we would just as soon not have any on our lot.  We just enjoy everyone else's.

Boondocking in the desert

not sure my little video works

 Many people like to take their RV's out in the desert and camp.  There are designated places where this is allowed and it is popular.  You can park in these areas with a permit from BLM for the winter months.  The last time I heard the permit cost $180 so you are camping for about a dollar a day.  You get access to water to fill your tank.  There is a dump station you can use to dump your black water and there is a place to bring your garbage.  It's a pretty good deal if you like to test your ability to live off the grid.

The RVer's that stay out here have a variety of power sources.  They have a generator which requires gas to run although there is a new one out that runs on propane.  You will see rigs with lots of solar panels mounted on them or portable solar panels set up on the ground.  These attach to on board batteries that run almost everything.  We are also starting to see more small three bladed wind generators that folks are using for a little power.  I'm not sure how quiet is out there in the mornings and evenings when people are running their generators.  I would want to be off by myself away from noise but you have to camp in designated areas and when it gets really busy down here there are RVs everywhere.  Right now it is kind of sparse.  I'm not sure if people are waiting to come down after the holidays or if covid has them staying home.   

 

Gold and where we find it

 Our little bit of gold from all of our digging when we were in Quartzsite.  It's pretty and every little grain adds up but oh its a lot of work digging.  We now have about five hundred dollars worth that we have dug ourselves or paid for by buying bags and pails of dirt with gold salted in it.  That is not really a lot for the number of years we have been at it but it is something to do and one of the few hobbies that can actually pay you back -- maybe--

We are now back in Yuma and are going out on the California side of the Colorado River to dig.  It is pretty and very quiet out there except for the occasional braying of a wild donkey.  The mountains in the background are either the Cargo Muchacho or Chocolate mountains.  Both are prettty and challenge most peoples idea of a desert.  I always thought desert meant dried up and flat looking ground but it is full of hills, mountains, washes and lots of greenery if you take the time to look.    

Neighborhood Birds

 I have been feeding the hummingbirds but haven't got any pictures of them.  They are just too fast.  I did get the Gila Woodpecker sitting in the Ocotillo bush.  It amazes me that birds can perch in the prickly bush.  There are even bird nests in there.  The yellow rumped warbler was hanging around too.  Both of these birds were trying to get to the sweet  juice in the hummingbird feeder.  The Gila woodpecker hangs upside down on the bird feeder and tries to stick his long bill into the feeder.  It doesn't work but some of the juice does come out with all of the teeter tottering the bird feeder does from the bird hanging on for dear life.  The warbler was doing the same thing.  

Some other little warblers and finches showed up and were also trying to get something from the feeder.  I put out a pan of sweet water hoping to get the birds to go there instead of trying for the hummingbird feeder.  Some of the birds have used it but then they still try to get at the feeder so I give up.  Of course the hummingbirds are quite put out by these big birds trying to get at their food.  They actually will try to scare off the big birds.  It's pretty funny to see the tiny hummingbirds chasing the bigger birds around the Ocotillo bush.   

Back in Yuma

 We are settled back into our spot in the foothills of Yuma.  We don't stay in an RV park instead we rent a lot.  Renting half of a lot is very popular here and can be less expensive than a park.  If you like to use the pool, play cards, shuffleboard, pickleball, etc. than you are better off in a park.   Our lot has a storage shed with a washer in it and room to store some of our stuff.  Normally, there is another RV next to us where the truck is parked but our Canadian neighbors aren't able to come yet.  

The park our friends stay in usually is at least half full with Canadians but it is looking pretty empty so far.   A few people we know aren't coming down opting stay up north in their house instead of down here in their RV.  They have already had a few blasts of winter up north.  I'm sure they are missing the heat that we are enjoying.  The temps here are in the nineties but that changes this weekend when it will drop to the low seventies.  

Roadrunner - MEEP MEEP

 This roadrunner showed up by the rig next to us.  He hung out by the door to the RV like he was waiting for a handout.  I think this is the first time I was able to take pictures of one so close up.  He was used to people and I think someone was feeding him.  They like hamburger so not a cheap thing to feed.  They are the size of a chicken just skinnier.  I also wanted to take a picture of a dead scorpion but he was pretty squished from being run over on the road here in the park.  It was one of the small white ones called a bark scorpion.  Don't ever leave shoes out on the ground and shake them out good if you do!

We are getting ready to move to Yuma for the winter.  We found a little gold while we were here in Quartzsite.  I'm not sure if it would cover the bottom of a small glass vial or not but it's better than getting skunked.  We hope to continue our gold prospecting in Yuma.  The place we like to try there seems to have a little bit bigger specs of gold.  

Sunrise over the Claim

  

 We have been getting out to the gold claim way before sunrise.  It's a little scary when we get there because you don't know what creepy crawlies are where you want to walk.  So far we haven't seen any.  We get our equipment set up and have coffee and then as soon as it is light enough we start running dirt.  The sunrise was pretty coming up over the mountains so I got a picture with the phone.  I'm not impressed with the camera on the phone.  It doesn't capture all the colors that were in the sky.  

I had to take a picture of the cacti.  It is two saguaro cactus with a mesquite tree acting as a "nursery" tree to them.  The cactus grow better while protected by the tree.  The dirt is the driest we have ever run because it hasn't rained a drop in months.  It has also been so hot in this part of Arizona that they have broken all the records for the most days in a row of over a hundred degrees.  It finally is only getting in the nineties.  Yeah!

Drywashing for Gold

We have been going out in the desert just about every other day to dig for gold.  We belong to a local club that has several gold claims.  We get out to the claim before the sun rises and get our drywasher set up.  We are usually ready to start shoveling dirt into the drywasher by sunup.  We found this hole that was dug with the dirt piled up alongside it.  We decided to run the dirt from the pile and have been finding some tiny specs of gold in it.  We fill up the top of the drywasher and the rocks slide off to the left and the dirt goes down the chute and pours over the riffles.  The bellows underneath puff air over the dirt and blow the light material off and piles it to the right of the machine.   We shovel and run the machine about twenty minutes and then do a clean out.  The material that is left we pan out to find the gold. 

Everywhere we dig is a little different.  This pile of dirt has a lot of black sand which is heavy and can clog up the riffles in the machine and then the gold can just run onto the ground instead of being trapped in the riffles.  This means we have to do a clean out sooner than we like.  The longer we can run the more gold we are likely to find but with the amount of black sand here that isn't possible.  When we are done for the day we move the machine and rake all the rocks and dirt out.  I take my metal detector and detect over the fanned out material.   I like to make sure we didn't lose track of a nugget.  No luck so far finding anything with the detector.
 

Quartzsite Hot & Dry

 Our temperature gauge inside the RV shows the temps and humidity for the outside, the top numbers, and the inside temps underneath.  So it has been getting up to 104 each day we have been here in Quartzsite, Arizona so far.  It may drop into the 90's by the weekend.  The humidity is next to nothing so I try to let the steam from the shower escape out into the RV to try and bump it up more.  We drink water almost non stop.  RV air conditioners are not very efficient so they only cool the place down about 10 degrees.  Usually, that is ok because if its in the nineties then it is only in the 80's in the RV and we don't mind 80's.  At least it cools off as soon as the sun goes down so by the time we go to bed it is a more comfortable 80 degrees.  

The dryness is a problem in some ways.  It can mean bloody noses if your not careful.  We like it dry outside because then the dirt is nice and dry for our gold mining.  We use a dry washer to run dirt through like a sluice but with no water.  It's a dusty business but we have found a few specs of gold so I guess its worth getting hot and dusty.  We've been going out at 5AM while it is still dark.  We get all set up and are ready to run by daylight.  We last about two hours and then the sun and heat and the shoveling do us in and we have to call it a day.   It's great exercise but won't make you rich.

Kingman Turquoise Mine Store

 After we left Mesquite, Nevada our next stop was Golden Valley, Arizona.  Its east of Laughlin, Nevada and west of Kingman, Arizona.  We stayed at a nice little campground that we expected to be kind of deserted but instead was very busy.  Many people decided to stay there all summer even though it gets in the 100's.  I think the virus kept them from traveling.  

We went to the Kingman Turquoise mine store not too far from camp.  We have stopped there before and I got a pair of turquoise earrings.  This time Jim found a ring he liked.  Its a little big for him so I wrapped it with yarn so it fits tight until we can get it resized.  The store is fun to check out with all kinds of jewelry.  The turquoise comes from the local mine and they have the local Navajo and Zuni Indians make the jewelry they sell.   One thing I saw that I thought was different was turquoise soap.   You can wash your hands with the soap and put a strainer in the sink to catch the turquoise that comes off the bar as you use it.  You then keep the turquoise bits as a souvenir.  There were two end tables made from tree stumps that had a thick coat of polyurethane on them and were inlaid with turquoise.  Very beautiful and very expensive.   I like going to these kind of stores that are owned by the mine itself.  You can be pretty sure the stuff is authentic coming from here.  There is a lot of fake turquoise out there.  

Puffer Lake

 We trailered our 4wheeler about 20 miles southeast of where we are staying.  We wanted to check out a mountain lake that we had heard about.  We unloaded the 4wheeler on the side of the road where the pavement ends.  We then proceeded up the mountain road.  It is a county road but there are warnings about avalanches occurring along the route during winter.  The road was fairly washboardy and is full of switchbacks going up so we were happy to be using the 4wheeler and not our truck.  When we got to the top I took a picture of how high we had come.  We started from down at the bottom where you can see the small patch of bright green grass.  

We got to the lake and it was a little disappointing with the water low.  I'm sure its beautiful when the water is higher and there is still some snow on the mountain tops surrounding it.  There are 500 acres for sale at the lake with water rights which is very important in this part of the country.   We didn't bother to check out the price but the good thing is if you come up the mountain from the city of Beaver side the road is paved.  We went back down the mountain the same way we came up toward the town of Junction.  It was a nice ride but a little scary when a logging truck loaded with logs came barreling up behind us.   We scooted out of his way and prayed we didn't meet another one on one of the switchbacks.  Luckily, we didn't have any more scares.  Every ride seems to have some little adventure to it.  

We are leaving this week and heading to Mesquite, Nevada for a few days and then into Arizona.  Its time to start heading south!

More Capitol Reef National Park

 A few more pictures of the park.  The geology here is what made it a national park.  They call it a wrinkle in the earth's crust that formed a waterpocket fold.  Over millions of years geologic forces shaped, lifted and folded the earth creating this area.  There are lots of different colors in the rock including reds, whites and pinks that make it really stand out when the sun hits it right.  The scenic drive would be best driven with afternoon sun but it is beautiful regardless of the time of day. Just south of the visitor center is a picnic area and fruit trees.  The "Fruita" region of the park is known for its fruit trees and you are allowed to sample some when ripe.  We didn't see any fruit on the trees when we drove by  them.  

The drive between the towns of Torrey and Hanksville is also pretty.  There are pullouts along the way with some hikes and you can get close up look at the creek.   There is a hike to a natural bridge which is about a mile long.  We wanted to do it but it was too hot the day we were there.  The town of Torrey has a choice of places to eat.  There were a few campgrounds that looked ok and several large hotels that cater to the national park crowd.  It was surprising to see the hotels since it is not a well known park.  I guess Utah is doing a good job advertising what they have to show off to the world.

Capitol Reef National Park

 We took a drive over to Capital Reef National Park.  Its about 120 miles from where we are camped so we just did a day trip there and back.  We didn't drive every mile of it but we managed to see most of it.  The visitor center was open but they limited the number of people that could go in at one time.  It was a small visitor center so it was understandable.  They were selling interesting jars of preserves.  They had squash pickles, apple salsa and sweet potato butter to name a few of the offerings.  

We did the 20 mile round trip scenic drive.  The road is paved but narrow.  There were some gravel roads you can also drive but they looked very dusty and nothing over 27 ft was allowed.  Our truck is very long so we avoid tight places.  It is a beautiful drive and it is hard to pick out two pictures from the drive.  I will do another post with more pictures next time.

Pink Mountains Majesty

 We like to go riding early in the morning.  The mountains that catch the sunrise turn a beautiful pink.  We also see a lot of wildlife when we are out early.  We have seen so many turkeys.  I will try to get a picture of the big toms -- they are bigggg.  We see lots of mule deer like the picture.  They look funny when they run because they kind of look like they are jumping more than running.  We have seen lots of white tail deer also.  The strange birds we have seen trying to cross the busy highway are chukars.  They are game birds like grouse but they have quail like markings on their face.  

It finally rained here and cooled off a little.  It might rain some more tomorrow and clear the haze out of the air from the fires.  There were a lot of fires going in Utah but they seem to be getting most of them put out finally.  The rain should help finish the job.  We are planning to get out and pan for gold in a nearby creek.  We found a tiny speck in the creek the last time we tried so we have some hope that we might find a few flakes.  

Sevier River

 We try to walk the bike and hike trail at least three or for times a week.  We are up to five miles roundtrip but it is still not enough to keep us slim and trim.  I guess its time to eat less also.  The trail follows the Sevier River.  This river is fed by all the meltwater from the snow in the mountains and numerous springs in the area.  This part of the river is below the dam and they keep it at a steady flow rate.  This makes it perfect for the rafters that use it.  There are several rafting companies that offer two hour raft trips.  The river flows pretty fast which makes it fun but not really scary.  The only drawback to the raft trip is the river follows the highway the whole way so you are close to the traffic noise.  

There is no snow left on the mountains by us.  A little farther south of us there are some mountains that are higher and they still have some snow but not much.  The locals are very concerned because their water source is drying up and the monsoons that usually happen in August haven't started yet.  Also, the temperatures are reaching into the high 90's which they tell us is unusual for this time in August.  We weren't expecting this kind of heat here and now we are worried about leaving here in a few weeks and heading farther south where it might still be way to hot!

SSSSSnakes

 We have been walking the paved biking/hiking trail by Big Rock Candy Mountain.  We like it because the trail is a fairly easy walk.  There are mile markers so we can mark our progress.  We are up to 4 miles round trip and plan to go farther.  The trail goes along the river so there are always birds, rabbits and of course snakes.  We are getting used to coming upon snakes and just leave them be and do their thing.  They seem to like the warm pavement.  

We don't know if these are rattlesnakes because the tails were so small it was hard to see if they had rattles plus who wants to really get close enough to check.   I cant seem to turn off the underline on this stupid thing.  Sorry   Anyway we don't want to kill snakes bull snakes actually eat rattlesnakes and all snakes eat lots of rodents.  

Big Rock Candy Mountain

Just down the road from the RV park we are staying at in Marysvale, Utah is the resort called Big Rock Candy Mountain.  It is a busy place along the Sevier river.  There is an RV park with nice shady spots down by the river.  There is a motel by the restaurant which is open and has great food.  The main attraction are the train cars that can be rented as motel units.  They are very popular and seem to be all booked up on weekends.  The mountain above the resort shows off its pretty yellow rock.   There is also a rafting company here so you can enjoy the rapids on this part of the river.  

We like to go down to this area and walk the paved biking/hiking trail that was made from an old railroad bed.  If you went the whole length you would go over 22 miles.  We like the first few miles starting at the resort because it has the prettiest views and the most shade.  

Mountain Cabin

One of our rides took us to the top of a very tall mountain.  We found this cabin along the way pretty high up and what a view they have.  I wouldn't want to drive to this place because it was rough even with a 4 wheeler.  It was cool up this high and probably never gets real hot.  Very nice in the summer and probably not used in the winter.  They must haul their own water up and enough groceries to last quite awhile.

We went by a cabin that was for sale up in the mountains.  It didn't have a nice view at all and it was surrounded by other cabins.  It was on a road that turned out to be fairly busy for being so high up and away from any town.  Its fun to look but you have to think hard about how far from town you want to be and a lot of these places have outhouses  -- no thanks.

Snow Melt

The snow on the tops of the mountains in the top picture is pretty much all melted now.  It has been in the low 90's which melted it quickly.  The good thing is that the temperature drops to the 50's at night and there is no humidity.  We saw them spray for mosquitoes the other night but we have never seen any.  We have still had no rain so now it is almost two months with nothing wetting the ground.  Clouds form but no rain hits the ground it just evaporates.  

The 4wheeling trails have been very busy.  We are only a few hours from Salt Lake City so people come for the weekend to ride.  It always amazes us that they can bring so much stuff for just two days of fun.  Staying in an RV is supposed to be a good way to enjoy the outdoors and do the social distancing thing.  The problem is they come with their friends and then large groups of them hang out together so there goes the social distancing.  

We have had a good view of the comet the last two nights.  It was visible under the Big Dipper close to the horizon.  If I was any good at night photography I would try to get a picture because it has a pretty good tail.  

Mountain Lakes

We needed to go up high to get out of the heat so we went up to look at some mountain lakes.   The top picture is a reservoir called Manning Meadow.  Manning creek runs out of it and flows all the way down almost to Marysvale.  The lake is at 10,000 feet so it was nice and cool up there.  The other lake is called Barney Lake and was much smaller.  There were some people fishing on it using a canoe.    There is a dirt track, barely a road back to Barney Lake but they had gotten a small truck in there.  

We have seen lots of wildlife on our trips.  Mule deer, wild turkeys, black tailed rabbits, yellow bellied marmots, glimpses of elk, grouse and several rattlesnakes.    The snakes seem to like to cross the road in front of us so we just stop and wait for them to get out of our way.  It has been hot here and it is extremely dry.  It hasn't rained in more than a month and it doesn't look like it will any time soon.  There are lots of wildfires popping up but so far nothing very close to us.

Dry Falls

One of our 4wheeling trips took us to an area called Dry Falls.  You can't see it from the road so someone marked the spot along the trail with a pile of rocks.  We stopped at the pile of rocks and looked down into the canyon and finally spotted the falls.  I used a telephoto lens or it would be hard to see in a picture.  The creek that feeds the falls still has water running in it so we got to see it before it dried up.  We have great mountain vistas but the snow on top of them is almost gone.

This is fourth of July weekend and the campground is full.  If you are in the market for an RV that can haul a 4wheeler in the back of it you an see every make and model here.  We have even seen travel trailers with a 4wheeler on a trailer being pulled behind it.  That is not legal in most states and most insurance companies won't cover that arrangement.  If  don't have a 4wheeler you can rent one from several outfits in the area.   So with the miles of trails, several motels and plenty of campgrounds 4wheeling is the recreation of choice in this area.