Black Rock Mine

When we went on our adventure out to Red Cloud Mine we stopped along the way and checked out some other old mines.  This hole was part of the Black Rock Mine.  We found some pretty black crystalline rock here with a big long name that I don't remember.  It makes a pretty specimen in your yard because it looks like black cut glass.   We also stopped in the area of the old Papago Mine although there wasn't really anything to see there.  Just a big pile of really black looking gravel that is the old tailing pile. 

We also met up with some wild burros.  I got a good picture of two of them but there were at least six hanging out together.  A couple of them were babies.  Its amazing how healthy they look when you see what little there is to eat.  It is close enough to the river so they can get plenty of water and right next to the river there is a lot more vegetation.  

Just when we thought we would be able gold mine again it rained about a half an inch so now it will be a few more weeks.  It just depends on how soon it gets warmer.  Its only getting in the 60's so the ground isn't drying out very fast.   

White-face Ibis

We went out to check and see if we could gold mine but the dirt was still too moist.  As we were driving back past the fields of lettuce we spotted a flock of birds.  They were gathered down in a canal that holds water for crop irrigation.  At first we thought they were the long billed curlews that like to hang out down here in the winter but the bills aren't long enough or curved enough on these birds.  We realized we were seeing a flock of Ibis.  These are white-face Ibis although they don't show the little bit of white on their face unless its breeding season.  They were taking advantage of any water they could find.  It was fun watching them stab their long bills into the water and down into the mud.  I didn't see what they were catching and eating if anything. 

When we were working at the Imperial Wildlife Refuge the biologist had said he saw some of these birds hanging out around the refuge in the backwaters of the Colorado River.  During the two winters we spent at the refuge we never saw any of these birds so it was kind of nice to finally see them and it was a real treat to see a whole flock. 

Red Cloud Mine Wulfenite

Our rock club went on an outing to Red Cloud Mine.  The mine is located north of Martinez Lake and north of the visitor center for the Imperial Wildlife Refuge.  The road to the mine is pretty rough and its best to have a high clearance vehicle with 4 wheel drive.  We rode in a friends jeep and it was a long rough ride.  When we got there we were met by the caretaker of the mine.  He is also the guy who is mining small amounts of wulfenite from the underground portion of the mine. 

We were allowed to dig through the tailing piles above ground for a small fee.  It was a perfect day to be there because it had recently rained so the orange crystals (wulfenite) were easier to spot.   We found the two small pieces in the picture and more tiny ones.  The two large specimens with crystals imbedded in the rock I purchased for a small amount of money.  Red Cloud Mine wulfenite is world famous.  It is found in rock museums all over the world.  It is well known because of its unique orange color.  Most wulfenite found elsewhere is yellow.  The only other place that has any amount of orange wulfenite is a mine in South Africa.  Wulfenite is very fragile so its pretty much just a pretty specimen rock. 

Mittry Lake

 

 

 

Mittry Lake is just north of Yuma on a gravel road.  Its formed in between two dams the Imperial Dam and the Laguna Dam on the Colorado River.   It is managed by the BLM - Bureau of Land Management.  They have worked hard to make it a good place to fish with a smaller boat.  There are some really nice bass in there up to 10 pounds, some catfish even flatheads up to 30 or 40 pounds and then some sunfish and crappie but they are pretty small.   They close a lot of the lake off to fishing when the migrating birds come down in the winter so they have a place to rest and not be disturbed. 

They have a big problem with fires in this area.  There was a bad fire around the lake last season.  People love to camp here but their campfires get out of control so easily with it being hot and dry and then a wind kicks up and its a disaster.

We've had a few rain days lately so we are done gold mining for at least another two weeks maybe longer -- we'll see.

Vermillion Flycatcher

It might not be a white Christmas but I did find some pretty red.  This flycatcher is such a bright color he's hard to miss.  These guys like to hang out down by the Colorado River where there are lots of bugs to eat.  We have friends that stay at Hidden Shores campground.  Its a campground that is privately run but is on BLM land right along the river next to the Imperial Dam.  This is the same area we've seen the long curved bill curlews looking for a meal.   It would be nice to stay at a campground like this that overlooks the river but it draws too many young people from California.  They just want to run the river in big loud boats or run their ATVS around camp. 

We have enjoyed a couple of Christmas parties with lots of good food.  I also got to enjoy a few days off where I just did some fun cooking. relaxing and reading.   Visiting friends and sending and receiving cards, emailing, texting and phoning loved ones and friends makes it easier to be so far away but still in touch.  Merry Christmas!

Pictures from earlier travels

 

 

 

I sent out my Christmas letter and put photos on the back.  I was able to send them to everyone on my list this year because I found a less expensive way to make lots of copies.  Anyone that has printed pictures with their printer knows how much expensive ink it takes.  I used the local UPS store to make copies and I got a small discount through working at Al's.  They gave me some pointers on how to have even better quality pictures on my copies next year. 

 

These two pictures that are in the letter were from our stop in the Black Hills on the way south this fall.  The pronghorn seem to like to pose for pictures but the coyotes were very busy looking for a meal.  When we got to the prairie dog village it was obvious that the coyotes needed to thin that population out a little.   Coyotes get a bum rap because they also prey on loose small dogs and cats and small farm animals.  They do play an important role in keeping certain small wild animal populations in check.  I would never get close to a cute little prairie dog because bubonic plague loves to hang out in these groups. 

 

We enjoyed fall colors on our trip south and now it feels like fall in Yuma.  There is some fall color with a few kinds of trees turning orange.  Christmas is coming fast and I don't need snow and cold for it to feel like the season!  

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Hummingbirds

I have a hummingbird feeder staked in the ground next to this ocotillo bush.  This Anna Hummingbird pretty much guards the feeder all day.  He fights with other hummingbirds that try to drink out of it.  Hummingbirds are pretty fearless.  This guy doesn't care if I get close.  He only gets upset with me when I'm trying to refill it then he buzzes me until I'm done.   The Yuma area has six different kinds of hummingbirds that hang out here in the winter.  Up north we only ever see ruby-throated ones so its neat to see the different kinds.

We seem to be fighting low water pressure.  The folks in charge of the local water system say they will have the system back up to full pressure by the beginning of this week.  They say its a combination of reasons that cause the low pressure.  The sudden influx of snowbirds, all of the farm fields that need irrigation, aging pipes that are leaking and breaking, etc. etc.   The water's not that great anyway -- very hard and salty.  We buy drinking water and have a little portable water softener hooked up to our water line so we've learned how to live with it.