Propane Problems?

We thought we were out of propane because we had no heat the other morning, so we unhooked the power and water and sewer. Then drove to the entrance of the park where the giant propane tank is located.

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While Doug and the propane-filler-guy took care of business......


I took some pictures of the sign out front......


and the clubhouse.

Then we drove back to our site, resettled in, hooked everything back up, turned on the propane furnace and nothing. No heat. I guess Doug's next project is to check the furnace.

Nothing to Say

I'm at a loss for blog words. We're still playing in the dirt and hanging out with friends. Our stay here at North Ranch has been extended for another week. (gold fever)

The weather has been iffy with rain, then sun, then overcast with showers and today.....sun again.

We're feeling contented with our simple, quiet lifestyle and if we find enough gold we'll spread the contentment around. Wish us luck!

A Sightseeing Day

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to take a ride to Stanton. It's about 6 miles along some washboard, dusty, dirty roads but there was a swap meet that we thought might be fun.


Wrong. The swap meet was a waste of time. Still, it was an interesting little place. This is the front of the Hotel Stanton that was built in the 1860's when the place was known as Antelope Stage Stop.


This is the original stage stop and saloon.


Interesting place......

After our visit, we decided to take a picturesque drive up the back roads to Yarnell. We were warned about this road but couldn't resist.


First we forded a stream in 4 wheel drive. (no picture....I was holding on tight.) Then the one lane road started curving up the mountainside. It was only about 10 miles but took us close to an hour to drive.


There were lots of hairpin turns and switchbacks with a loooooong drop off my side. At one point, we had to pull over to the edge and stop to allow nine 4 wheelers to zip past us.

Once we reached Yarnell, Doug had to stop at the hardware store and then we just cruised through some of the residential areas.


Someone's creative endeavor just screamed for a photo op.


Then we stopped at the St. Joseph Shrine. An interesting stone trail led up the mountain through the 14 stations of the cross, so we got our exercise. Another interesting place in an out of the way town.

Lazy Life

Nothing much happening around here. We did go dig some more gold dirt yesterday. I intended to get some pictures and I even remembered my camera. Unfortunately, when I went to use it, I discovered that I had left the memory card in the computer. Maybe next time.

We haven't found anymore nuggets, but we are still finding some flakes. Those will add up eventually. Still, I'd be lying if I said that it was as much fun as finding nuggets.

It's a little overcast today. Compared to the rest of the US we are doing great! I think we'll take a ride up to the little town of Stanton. It's right in the middle of all of the claims and they're having a garage sale. From there we'll take the back roads up to Yarnell. We've been told that it's a really nice ride.

Perhaps I'll even get some pictures!

The Jail Tree

We had such good luck with our first trip into the desert for dirt, we spent yesterday there too. Now we have buckets and buckets of dirt to pan. Keeps Doug busy!

Today we ran into Wickenburg for some groceries and discovered the Jail Tree.


This little piece of history was the method for detaining drunks and reprobates. Adobe jails were easy to escape from and because this was a gold mining area, the miners were too busy to build a normal jail. So, instead, they chained the bad guys to this old mesquite tree.


The whole town has figures like this guy to narrate the historical spots. He really looks real!

We finished our errands just as the black clouds started rolling in. The forecast is for more rain tomorrow so we'll probably just hang out at home.

There's Gold in Them Thar Hills

It's been a busy couple of days for Doug. On Sunday, he and Bill heard about a couple of mining claims that were for sale for a really great price. Since they weren't too far from here, the guys decided to take a look.

After 4 hours in the desert and through a major wash, they came to the conclusion that there was a reason that the price was so cheap. Inaccessible and not much evidence of gold! So, that idea was bagged.



But yesterday was really exciting! Doug finished panning (by machine) his dirt from our trip to Weaver's claim a few days ago. Lo and behold!


A nugget! Not a flake, not a picker.....but a real honest to goodness nugget! Our mentors Bill and Wanda were just as excited as we were. In fact, they told us that it is worth more as a nugget than it's value as gold weight. Yippee! We're on our way to being rich.....well, maybe.......lol.

We also found enough small flakes to fill the bottom of one of our little bottles. What a good bucket of dirt! Now we both have gold fever.

That was our excitement for the day. Now, we can hardly wait to go get some more dirt to pan. To the desert and beyond............

New Hobby

There's a class taught here at the park in wire wrapping jewelry. I thought it sounded interesting and Doug agreed. The only catch was.......it costs $25. So, since Doug is the meticulous perfectionist, we decided that he would learn and then teach me.


Here is his very first project. The lady provided everything needed......the cabachon, wire, tools and knowhow. I think it turned out gorgeous. It took a couple of hours for the beginning project but Doug feels confident that it could be done much quicker with a little practice.


Here's another shot of it. I hope you are as impressed as I was.

Now, we just have to get a few tools and some wire and we'll be in business. These sell really well here and I already have ideas for bracelets and rings too.

After spending the morning learning wire wrapping, Doug helped another neighbor repair the latch on her screen door. As a thank you, she gave him a couple of bottles of wine. Guess what! Doug doesn't drink wine........but I do.

Then, he spent the rest of the day working his gold dirt. A few more flakes in our gold vial!