Young Adventures In The North Country...

At age 17, a friend and I hitchhiked from California, back to Colorado,  where we had lived before. It took us about two weeks to get there, with more than enough problems along the way. We were going back to catch the yearly wheat harvest. Young and adventurous, we were going to get a job with the wheat harvest and see new things...

We made a brief stopover in Raton, New Mexico, where we took a week's job on a construction crew. The reason we did this was because, back then, hitchhiking in Colorado was a good way of ending up in Jail; We weren't too keen on that prospect, so we busted concrete for a week, got lot of blisters and made just enough money to buy a ticket to Akron, Colorado.
When we arrived in Akron, we were told that the harvest started early and we had just about missed everyone. There were just a few left. Oh No!
 We sat in the cafe having a cup of coffee and wondering if we had made a mistake. About the time we were beginning to lose hope one of the Harvesters by the name of Melvin Robinson(from Brownfield, Texas) came in. The waitress told him we were looking for work and, thank God, he was needing a couple of strong young bodies. At last...  we had a job...We had gotten rather lean and hungry on our trip to Colorado and the idea of

starving was not good. Now, at least we knew we wouldn't go hungry again.

It was hot dusty work, but we were young and could take it; We kept telling ourselves that. The cutting near Akron lasted for about another week then we were on our way to Montana. I had never been to Montana before. A job and a new adventure; A perfect time at 17...

In a matter of days we arrived in Ft. Benton, Montana, a very old town sitting right on the Missouri river. Very old and interesting. Our boss paid us 30 dollars a week and room and board. We were to stay at the old Choteau Hotel. Like the rest of the town, the old hotel was ancient, even in 1958, but it was hard to find any place to stay when the harvest on going on. Harvesters were packed in  everywhere.

We had to share, four to a room, but after long days in the field we were so tired we  didn't care or know the difference. We heard tales about strange happening in this old building. Lots of ghost stories. I listened for a while then just passed out, leaving the ghosts to themselves. It was an exciting time for a 17 year old boy. We worked hard, ate good, passed out at night and earned a lot of good memories to remember in the future.

About 40 years  later, I was working for a moving company out of Cheyenne, Wyoming. One day my boss told me that one of the bank executives was moving to Montana, and did I want to do the job? Sure! Where is he moving? When he told me, a funny feeling came over me; He was moving to Ft.Benton....He started to tell me where it was located but I stopped him and told him...'I've been there'! Ok! The job was on...

We loaded the bankers furniture and off we went to Montana. I didn't even think about the time of year till I was just outside Ft. Benton, then I realized...Good lord! It's harvest time...Oh Boy! That is weird. Then, I suddenly remembered something; How impossible it might be to find a place to stay the night...
I arrived at the bankers new house and we unloaded and finished in good time. I wasn't so young anymore and I find myself quite tired, but still hadn't decided where to stay the night. There were no truck stops so parking the truck and sleeping in it was not an option. I decided to ask one of the locals for any ideas.

As I might have expected, he told me the wheat harvest was in full swing and about everything was full. I asked him about the Choteau hotel. I got the dumbest looks from those standing around. I asked what was wrong. He just grinned and hesitated for a moment...

That old hotel is a historic landmark and has been closed for years now. I guess too many roomers complained about the old land lady walking the halls all night long. Problem was...She had died several years earlier, but had apparently never left. Enough is enough! They just decided to close it up.

I ended up getting approval from the local police and I slept in my truck...parked in front of the Bankers new house...

Morning In Manila...

With my first cup of coffee in hand, I peered  from the 10th floor window of my hotel, out across Manila Bay. This was the coolest time of day and the city was still relatively quiet; not so during the day, but mornings were beautiful.
Down on the street. along the Bay Walk, a group of people have gathered to do their morning exercises...Tai Chi...I think! Others are taking morning strolls along the calming waters of the bay; Maybe, some left from the long night of dancing and partying that went on till early hours of the morning...

Looking out over the rooftops, it is a maze of laundry hanging on the line, and signs of people just beginning their day.It's going to be another hot one.

 Economically speaking, as elsewhere, some have  little left over but the people here are very hard working and inventive. If they don't have something, they seem to invent something else to do the job. Most of the people I have met are loving and, for the most part kind, and they share whatever they might have. Very generous and an absolute pleasure to be around.

Later in the day, we will go to the fish market, about a mile to the south. Always an endless selection of fish(all kinds), still in individual tanks, just waiting for someone to come along and make their choice. There is never a lack of fresh fish in Manila; And I love fish...

About three blocks in the other  direction is the huge ROBINSON Mall. This place is several stories high and has about anything you can want, and prices here(compared to the U.S) are quite cheap. There is even a KFC and Dunkin Donuts, for anyone who might be homesick.
Everywhere, there is armed security; Our hotel had armed Guards. In such a large city and so many people coming and going, businesses take no chances. Before entering, even the Mall, everyone is checked by the police, but they are nice about it, and much more polite than what I have experienced back home in the U.S..
Before I went to the Philippines I was told that people there might not like Americans  anymore.  I found out that was not the case. Like most working class peoples, we find out the problem(and dislikes) are usually the governments and politics. Politicians create problems. The rest of us just try to make a living and get by.

Later in the day, the traffic is unbelievable. Almost nobody drives in Manila(It seemed), except the Taxi and Jeepney drivers. How  they keep from constantly being in a wreck is beyond me. They drive fast; They stop fast; and seldom did I see a vehicle with a dent in it. It seems they are constantly working on their vehicles,  shining and polishing them, to make them look more appealing. They are good drivers, and cheap...
Manila is a beautiful city, but there, like so many cities, the economy is suffering and there is never enough money to fix things. Once beautiful parks run down; No money to maintain them. Many on hard times...It is heart breaking.

Although I was only in Manila three weeks, I saw so much and learned a few things, too. Things I would never had imagined or realized before; Absolutely eye opening. I learned a lot, met so many people AND experienced my first EARTHQUAKE...
 One evening, after a rather warm day I decided I would have a SAN MIGUEL Beer. I had been introduced to  this beer years before in Spain. Clear around the world(In Spain) I found myself drinking a beer, brewed in the Philippines. Never did I think that many years later I would actually be in the Philippines  drinking the same  beer...AGAIN!
 I guess I had gotten use to TWIST off tops in the U.S. and I found myself trying to twist the top, with NO good results. Suddenly, I  found myself shaking...Why was I shaking? I felt fine , but I was shaking...
Good Grief! I suddenly realized it was not me shaking, but the entire building...Oh Boy! They were having an earthquake; I was having an earthquake. In exiting the room I remembered the signs on the elevators; In case of earthquake DON'T use the elevator. The guy next door had only one leg and I ask him how he was going to get down. He told me he didn't think he could make it down 10 flights of stairs and was taking the elevator and hope to heck it made it...It did, and we all spent most of the rest of the night downstairs in the lobby. Now I know I don't care for earthquakes...AND that San Miguel requires a bottle opener...It was a trip I will never  forget...A lot of good memories...

Now in this moment, I just want to  drink my coffee and remember Manila and it's beautiful mornings

Hidden Primal...

As humans, most of us have come a long ways from what our ancestors were forced to be. We no longer live in caves, OR do we not? Our basic feelings and urges have been well clothed in more modernistic attire and a lot of names have been changed to protect our vanities, but somewhere in the back of our minds a part of us is still connected with our past...like it or not...
How many like to go camping, now and then? With all our modern conveniences  WHY do we still choose to venture back into the wild and momentarily live as our forefathers and Mothers did? Nope! We may have dressed up a bit and changed some things to make ourselves believe that we have changed, but basically, we are still the same primal creations that we were long ago.
I know, I love getting away from(so-called) civilization sometimes and hovering over a campfire for a while...Take a break and get back to the nature that I am a part of...

Don't get me wrong, because there is nothing wrong or degrading about going back to our roots, to a much simpler time when all we had to worry about was hunting or picking our next meal and , of course, NOT becoming the next  next meal for something BIGGER...

Just to go somewhere...

I guess most of us just need to get out of the house sometimes, and without any particular place to go...just drive and see what comes around the bend.
I have spent most of my life traveling, in one fashion or another. I drove a truck  for more than 40 years and have traveled the world, with the US military...and without their help. I have seen so much and met so many new and different people but it never seems to be enough. No doubt, some of us are by nature, wanderers, and like water, we need to keep moving or become stagnant and die.

When I  leave the house and venture out I try to leave everyday worries behind. I'll deal with them when(and IF) I come back. Believe me, there have been times when I , seriously, did not want to go back to the same old routine. Just keep driving and see new things. Anything different from a stationary existence that is definitely not me. I have been told that this might be considered irresponsible but do we really own anyone an explanation as to why we are, the way we are? I think to really be free we have to go  with our gut feeling sometimes and be true to ourselves.
Besides...it's only a drive in the country...Or is it???

Scattered Gold...

As often as I have been out in Gold Basin, in northern Arizona, it never ceases to amaze me how TOTALLY uneven the gold is scattered all over the place.
Normally, if gold is being carried by a running steam, the heavier water during flood stages, will carry and deposit the larger pieces of gold higher up on the banks and the bigger stuff will drop before the smaller gold will settle farther downstream, but gold basin doesn't seem the fit the pattern at all.

I have found some rather good size pieces, a bunch of smaller pieces(in the same spot) then absolutely nothing...Yes! I was stumped...until I talked to a former geologist, who told me it all makes sense IF we think back about 10,000 years ago(which he says is a short time in geological terms). He tells me that back then the entire area was under water...not a running stream as we might think but an ocean bottom. Makes more sense knowing this... I think?
Often, I have come clear up out of the washes and found more, and bigger gold than down in the wash...

Another season in Arizona...

Well, it's another drywashing season in Arizona and sofar the weather has been great and I found a new spot that seems to be producing enough gold to make it worth the effort. Maybe, due to the bad economy, there are more and more people out digging this year and with the price of gold so high, its no wonder. All predictions(IF you can believe them)are for an unusually warm and dry winter for the southwestern US, so we will keep digging as long as we can...

Gold is great...BUT...

I love prospecting for gold and occasionally finding some, or for that matter, finding something long hidden and new to my world. It is not so much the finding, but the thrill of the chase(search) and looking forward to something new and exciting. I guess we all just need a change to the everyday boredom of our lives, sometimes. Sometimes, if I don't make it out of town I might just do something silly, like, go to a big parking lot somewhere in town. Early morning is the best time, when the sun is just coming up in the east. I park to the far side of the parking lot(like a Walmart lot...or anything big) and walk slowly toward the east. If there is a coin or something shiny laying about, the sunlight reflects and makes it easier to find. Yahhhh! I just found a penny. Not much in the way of monetary value, but at least its a find. IF it's a real GOOD day...You MIGHT find a quarter??? Never know what you will find..AND it's good excercise. Nothing spectacular, but an adventure, none the less...

How did it get where it's at...

When I go to my drywashing spot, indicated in the photo, I have found several pickers(ones you're able to pick up with your fingers), But last trip I moved on up the wash farther to see what else I could find. I had assumed that IF the gold moved from the top of the wash(downhill) to where I found the pickers, I would, most likely, find something bigger farther up. Guess again! For some strange reason there seem to be even less farther up the wash??? Huh?? How in the world did it get where it is, IF it came down that hill? Makes me wonder if maybe it didn't come in from a different direction? Since this all happened, probably, a million years ago, I guess we never know for sure. One thing that is for sure is that Gold is WHERE you find it, NOT where it SHOULD be...

My new Gold Buddy(Dry Washer)...

After I moved to Arizona and learned what a dry washer was and that, here, it's the only way to go, to find gold, I have been using my PUFFER type dry washer. While the puffer is a very light-weight machine and easy to get around with, it is slow and just does not handle enough gravel(which is to say, GOLD). I thought long and hard about it and finally I gave in and bought the larger model of Gold Buddy dry washers. I managed to get a few good days in before the desert heated up too much and I couldn't believe how fast and how much dirt this new machine will run in such a short time. This Gold Buddy(listed as Vibro static concentrator)can run, shake and concentrate the gravel as fast as I can shovel it. It runs off a leaf blower motor and keeps things going and is almost a two man operation. One to shovel in and one to keep shoveling away the tailings pile. I am happy to report that my new machine has already paid for itself. Oh Man! Do I love the feeling and the sight of all those little pieces of gold when I pan my concentrates...

Next week-end...

The Winter, here in Kingman, Arizona, has been too wet to do much drywashing(since the sand needs to be dry), so I have decided to dig out my Old Buddy(GOLD BUDDY) again and just recirculate till the water runs out, or gets too dirty. The unit runs off a car battery, BUT, if ever your battery runs down it also works quite well, just hand feeding the water from the tub(like an old Rocker Box) Although, it is a hassle hauling large containers of water out to the claim, I won't have to be concerned that the ground is wet. This way, the wetter the better...
Some of the guys have been finding little pieces of gold, but about 10 inches down. Once I get set up I just run everything from the top down. Never know when a little piece might have gotten trapped in the top layers. Run it all. Somewhere, down there is gold, and THIS WEEK-END I am going to find it...Yehhh!

Hot weather...BUT...

The days are getting pretty hot now, BUT I read where they found some HUGE nuggets in California(right next door) and I am wondering IF, maybe I shouldn't take a few days off, from doing nothing, and shovel some gravel? Hummm!

Now, every time I close my eyes I will be seeing a large nugget gleaming up at me from the bottom of my dredge.
I'm not getting rich on Social Security, and with the price of gold(UNBELIEVABLE), I may just do the IRRESPONSIBLE thing and head to the nearest running creek in California, since we don't have too many of those(creeks) in Arizona

Finding Treasure...

I guess most of us dream of, someday, finding a treasure and becoming independently wealthy...
What will it be? Gold, Silver, Jewels. Not necessarily so! When you stop and think about it, Treasure, and the satifaction of finding it, comes in many different forms.

With visions of all that wealth, WHO would ever think of stopping to pick up a penny? A Penny? Yep! Being a coin collector, I know that if you pick up the RIGHT penny(rare), it can turn out to be worth more than a lot of jewels...Just the ADVENTURE of looking and finding, is very rewarding. Feel your pulse quicken, when you dig up something lost long ago. Imagine the history behind it and the stories it could tell, if only it could talk?
If you admit it, the real thrill was just getting out of the house and feeling alive. Just being and feeling alive is worth more than all the Gold and jewels ever found. Be thankful for the day and KEEP LOOKING, for your next adventures...