Yuma sunset

Sometimes the sunsets and sunrises are gorgeous.  All it takes is a few clouds in the sky and the usual dust in the air .  This creates the canvas for the setting sun upon which to paint an amazing scene.  It rained a few days later and there goes our hope to do any gold prospecting with our dry washer.  So why not use gold prospecting equipment that uses water.  You would think that would be the logical next choice.   The ground is too wet to use a dry washer but there are no sources of running water to run water based equipment.  You have to recirculate water from a tub of water through the equipment which quickly becomes a muddy nightmare.   

Our truck was in the shop for several weeks getting new injectors, etc.  Now that we have it back we should at least be able to go out metal detecting and do a few more interesting 4 wheeler trips.  The rain we had should also provide some great blooming desert pictures soon.

Red Cloud Mine

Our neighbors and us took our 4 wheelers to the Red Cloud Mine.  The miner who works the mine has product to sell right on the mine property.  I love buying specimens there because you know its real and you are getting the wholesale price.  The bottom picture is wulfenite that I bought awhile ago.  The top picture is of vanadinite --tiny orange red crystals that really have a great shine to them.  The vanadinite comes from a mine they just purhased called the North Geronimo Mine a few miles north of the Red Cloud.  Both of these gems are just to look at because the crystals are too soft to make into jewelry.

The road back to the mine was pretty rough, rougher than it usually is.  We then went farther north past the Red Cloud and did some exploring.  The farther we went the prettier it got.   We finally turned around because it seemed to be getting rougher and narrower which we don't enjoy.