tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25444239521818112232024-02-19T01:24:02.327-08:00Mining MorrisoniteI mined Morrisonite Jasper for 11 years, from 1986 through 1996. The following posts tell the story of my involvement in the production of this miraculous rock, considered by many to be the finest jasper in the world. The posts are in no particular order and are grouped around various aspects of my experiences. More information and pictures can be found on the Mining & Rock Locations page of our website: www.thegemshop.comEugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-53357487080098927652012-05-11T16:23:00.000-07:002012-05-11T16:23:00.390-07:00Finding the Nodular Agua Nueva Agate<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An agate from the Mi Sueno claim.<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: white;">Not too long after The Gem Shop, Inc. started
selling the Agua Nueva Vein Agate a new nodular banded agate started
to become available from several El Paso dealers. I asked Rodolfo (see
previous blog posting) about it and he got some for me. It was fantastic!
It was similar to Laguna, but with a larger size range. Laguna Agate
production in the 1970s was down, and this agate seemed to be as appealing,
although it was expensive. I asked Rodolfo for some more, and he told me he
could get some more, but he did not control the deposit. I asked him
where it came from and he told me it was just "over the hill" from
the vein agate he was digging for me. He continued to get this new agate
for me in small amounts. No one knew what to call this agate, so it was sold
under several names. The Gem Shop sold it as "New Laguna" for a
while, but it was also sold under the names "Laguna Agate" and
"Coyamito Agate". Eventually it became known that it was from
the Agua Nueva Ranch and as more became available, it's
distinctive characteristics became identifiable. Today,
Agua Nueva Agate is well known and can easily be distinguished from Laguna
Agate and Coyamito Agate.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapOLDykpb7sCHjAt30YGoIuBgJPDiVcR-9UWSvNebMK5-PS9WOY1vmjtQ604nEfeR9hqPy590imGHvML7f56FmYuyK5usN9dcRwCFnVH0SQ1dZHG4q2uZSPRX5LUeqT2wSTQteaRNPtzQ/s1600/agua_nueva_agate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapOLDykpb7sCHjAt30YGoIuBgJPDiVcR-9UWSvNebMK5-PS9WOY1vmjtQ604nEfeR9hqPy590imGHvML7f56FmYuyK5usN9dcRwCFnVH0SQ1dZHG4q2uZSPRX5LUeqT2wSTQteaRNPtzQ/s320/agua_nueva_agate.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An agate from the Agua Nueva claim.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: white;">The actual area where the Laguna Agate deposits
are located is about 20 miles to the south of Agua Nueva Ranch and the Coyamito
Ranch is located about 7 miles to the North of the Agua Nueva Ranch.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">20 years later in1998, I was mining the Agua
Nueva Agate and still wondered about the wonderful nodules. On the top of
the ridge, above the vein agate I was working on, there were several outcrops
of rocks. I went up to look at these, and sure enough there were agate
nodules all through them. Also, the area had
been extensively worked. The rock here was very hard and the
area had been worked in such a way that it was very difficult to see the
workings from below. I thought for a while I had found the area where the
nodules had come from, but why had Rodolfo told me the deposit was over the
hill and not up the hill? Also, if the nodules were found so close to the
vein agate, why would Rodolfo have trouble getting them or say he had no
control over what was produced?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agua Nueva nodule lodged in place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: white;">I knew a man who was named Ramon Olivas who
lived in Juarez, Mexico who mined the Mexican Blue Chalcedony. He once
told me he visited the Agua Nueva Ranch when he was a boy and his father worked
there. I invited him to come to the Mi Sueño Claim to look around and see
if he remembered anything. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">After he arrived, we walked all over the claim.
He recognized the nodules in the host rock from years ago but
he was not sure if it was the same place his father had worked in the past.
He finally came to the conclusion there must have been another deposit
somewhere else. I asked Ramon if he thought he could find it for me.
Ramon's father was still alive and lived in Denver at the time.
Ramon told me after he talked to his father he would look for it. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The visible fault lines on the mountain (see arrows).</td></tr>
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<span style="color: white;">There is a large mountain north of the Agua
Nueva Hacienda that has two very visibly distinct fault lines through it.
This mountain with its fault lines can be seen from hwy 45, 8 miles east
of the ranch. The Mi Sueño Claim is on the south west corner of this
mountain and the other nodular agate deposit is on the north side of this mountain.
It was as Rodolfo described it, "On the other side of the hill"
which really meant on the other side of the mountain. The two deposits
are less than 2 km apart, as the crow flies, and about 12 km apart on the ranch
roads. When I was walking around the mountain looking for the deposit, I
was one little ridge away (about 100 yards) from finding it myself, but I
missed it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad Cross at the Agua Nueva monument.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: white;">A year or two later I arranged a trip to look at
the deposit. Brad Cross, Daniel (the foreman of the Agua Nueva Ranch),
Ramon, and I all went together. There was no road close to the area, so
we walked in. I remember seeing lots of nodules in very hard rock, but
few good ones. Most of them were just quartz. The agates were in
the gently sloping ledge below the top of a hill located to the North of
the fractured mountain. With the hardness of the host rock and the fact
that I would have to build over a mile of new road just to get there, I was
somewhat discouraged about mining this deposit. Ramon said he would look
into re-establishing the claim (there was already a claim marker with the name
"Agua Nueva") if I would pay all his expenses. Daniel offered
to help with the road using the dozer that belonged to the ranch. How
could I refuse? So the second claim on the "Agua Nueva Ranch"
was established. The first was named "Mi Sueño" and the second
"Agua Nueva". Both claims have nodules and veins. The Mi Sueño
has mostly vein agate and a few nodules, and the Agua Nueva Claim has mostly
nodules with a few veins. It is amazing
how seemingly insignificant information i.e. “over the hill” and “I was there
when I was a boy” can be so important in finding something that is lost.</span></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-65103683995583976582012-04-28T12:50:00.001-07:002012-04-28T12:50:51.870-07:00Mi Sueño (My dream)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agua Nueva Vein Agate from the Mi Sueño claim.</td></tr>
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Once upon a time there was a Mexican cattle rancher named Rodolfo
Quevedo who loved agates. He traveled to El Paso often and knew an agate dealer
in El Paso named Richard Vaughn. Vaughn’s Lapidary was one of the dozen or so
rock shops in El Paso in the 60’s and 70’s that brought rocks and minerals to
the U.S. market. Mr. Quevedo hired some workers to mine a new agate he liked
and brought it to Richard Vaughn’s rock shop in El Paso. Richard called me and
said I should come and look at it. A meeting was arranged and I went to El Paso
to see the new agate and meet Mr. Quevedo.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hole in the ground where the Agua Nueva was mined.</td></tr>
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The agate was fantastic. It was a vein agate with the
purple, yellow, rose, and white banded tube formations over a gold toned moss.
I made a deal with Rodolfo to buy all the production and arranged with Richard
Vaughn to accept the agate from Rodolfo and send it to Wisconsin. Rodolfo
told me the agate came from the Agua Nueva ranch.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Gem Shop, Inc. introduced this agate in the 1974 Tucson
Show and sold it for many years until it became unavailable. All that Rodolfo
would tell me was that something happened on the ranch and there would be no
more agate for at least 10 years.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agua Nueva to be mined from the right side of the valley.</td></tr>
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In the early 1990s I had the opportunity to visit the
Coconut geode mine east of the town of Esperanza. The road from highway 45 to
Esperanza goes right through the Agua Nueva Ranch. I asked my guide, if there
was time, could we look at the place where the Agua Nueva agate came from years
ago. We stopped at the ranch, got permission and directions after talking for
over an hour and drove as close as we could to the deposit. The workers, years
ago, had set up a camp along the river bed about half a mile away from the
working. We walked up a side canyon to where the agate came from and looked
around. All the diggings were on one side near the head of the canyon. Only
hand digging had been done and there was no claim monument to be seen. The
digging was not very extensive and I was certain there was a lot more agate in
the ground. Again, I wondered why the production had stopped so abruptly years
ago.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The erected monument.</td></tr>
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After my unsuccessful attempt to mine Apache, I considered
the possibility of mining the Agua Nueva agate. I checked and there was no
claim on the area. I cannot own a claim in Mexico, myself, without a Mexican
company. The approximate cost for forming a Mexican company at the time was
about $6,000, and I looked for ways to do this with less financial risk. My
friend, Don Burrow had moved to Aldama, Mexico some years earlier and formed a
company called Agata Aldama. I asked him if his company would file and hold the
claim for me if I paid all the expenses. He said sure, but it would be
necessary for me to come to Aldama, Chihuahua and show them where it was. I
flew to Chihuahua City and Javier, Don’s partner, and I bought the cement
blocks and mortar, drove to the deposit, erected the monument, and established
the claim, Mi Sue<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ñ</span>o, or My Dream. Now all I had to do was figure out how I
was going to mine it!</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-63602890218129012602012-04-06T14:30:00.010-07:002012-04-06T14:30:00.566-07:00My First Mining Venture in Mexico<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xuouezI1MnCZGRDC4nEfKgKz6Z1rpxD9xMtzotg0F6FTrB98XwhLPytmYxKKVEXPAufGCBzpIvh4gMJvm6W18v8FTUwjNqSIJK-BhhyphenhyphenJqA3Zkwq8BaNn3unT2Jf5-x6JF6WItiEOdT5r/s1600/dozer_mexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xuouezI1MnCZGRDC4nEfKgKz6Z1rpxD9xMtzotg0F6FTrB98XwhLPytmYxKKVEXPAufGCBzpIvh4gMJvm6W18v8FTUwjNqSIJK-BhhyphenhyphenJqA3Zkwq8BaNn3unT2Jf5-x6JF6WItiEOdT5r/s320/dozer_mexico.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dozer on the ridge. Notice the claim monument on the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">With the possibility of mining the Apache Agate in mind, I asked my friend, Brad Cross, to visit the deposit with me to get his ideas of where to work. Like Benny Fenn, Brad suggested working in the back to the west into the ridge from the main pit. Now all I needed was a machine.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I thought about bringing my Case 850 front end loader down from Oregon but that would cost about $3,000- just to move it to the border. That money could just as well be put towards a machine that was closer.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Much to my surprise, I found an old HD-9 front end loader in Lordsburg, New Mexico, and with Benny Fenn’s help, made arrangements to move it to Mexico. I moved my travel trailer to the ranch over the 27 miles of dirt roads and drove back to Casas Grandes to travel with the truck carrying the HD-9. The direct roads to the mine are impossible or a large truck carrying a heavy machine, so we went further south to Galleana and then back around on less hilly and straighter roads to the back side of the ranch. We unloaded the machine about 4 miles from the deposit. From here it was necessary to drive the loader cross country to where I had my trailer parked at the edge of the mine. The route was not particularly difficult except for a sandy arroyo I had to get through. While backing up a steep sand hill on the far side of the arroyo the motor stalled and the loader would not restart. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2VGs-M90hyphenhyphenLDEEy_Gmjr-c3yHd8aKY1b4KT4shEESlAcavIBxs8wCra5obpaV1E0JwtopoAqyC4YlTtHkSsH8XUTiyTNrpI2oE0JFQ8Tciyyku9Gu9wjT1ndM41nF34qJLlLy-kEWsgk/s1600/dozer_ridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2VGs-M90hyphenhyphenLDEEy_Gmjr-c3yHd8aKY1b4KT4shEESlAcavIBxs8wCra5obpaV1E0JwtopoAqyC4YlTtHkSsH8XUTiyTNrpI2oE0JFQ8Tciyyku9Gu9wjT1ndM41nF34qJLlLy-kEWsgk/s320/dozer_ridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dozer and ridge before beginning mining.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">So, there I was, broken down in an arroyo one mile from the nearest dirt road, 30 miles from the nearest paved road, in a foreign country where I only knew a few words of Spanish. In the United States to get a mechanic to come to you is not easy and to have a mechanic drive 30 miles on a dirt road then cross county on no road to fix your vehicle is next to impossible; but not in Mexico. Mechanics in Mexico have the reputation of being able to fix anything and soon bolts were flying off the machine like rain. Still the young mechanic could not determine why the engine would not turn. He told me he was going back to town to get his father. The next day the old man got out of an old pick up truck, sat down in the sand 10 yards from the machine and asked his son, who lay under the machine with his hands up inside the guts of the engine, several questions. In 5 minutes he figured out what was wrong, never touching a wrench. A sleeve bearing on the side of the crankshaft has slipped and jammed, not allowing the engine to turn. Another day and it was fixed and put back together. Two mechanics, 3 days, a few parts, driving 40 miles (about 2.5 hours) each way, and the bill was??? The mechanic wanted $150 for the whole job. I gave him $400 and we were both very happy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I worked into the back wall of the deposit, as suggested, but found nothing. I had to be very careful of not getting to close to the original pit because it was filled with wet mud under a relatively dry surface. It was difficult to tell where it was soft and where it was not. I did get stuck once and had to dig the machine out by hand and put rocks under the tracks to get it out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I worked for three weeks with Rojellio, the ranch owner, helping me. I ran the loader about 6 hours a day, six days a week, and only came up with a small amount of agate. Unless the agate was concealed deeper, it did not continue into the ridge like Benny and Brad thought.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkCLoSf5P7kHW3DLTXmM67QVhQmQ5JL3Vzooel7d0po6A9GgKKdRerz2T91q8AcIJnlnxUEEPqfrLHszEkG2i7HjF1Pd5VwJVLNLcEH9fJrTS_BK8f4H1gEVnyt0gCHDY5-T5AVuRaMDJ/s1600/mike_ignatowski_16_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkCLoSf5P7kHW3DLTXmM67QVhQmQ5JL3Vzooel7d0po6A9GgKKdRerz2T91q8AcIJnlnxUEEPqfrLHszEkG2i7HjF1Pd5VwJVLNLcEH9fJrTS_BK8f4H1gEVnyt0gCHDY5-T5AVuRaMDJ/s320/mike_ignatowski_16_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful specimen from the collection of Mike Ignatowski.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With only one week left to work I decided to experiment and moved the loader to the far front of the old pit and started to dig several trenches to see what was there. After a day or so I hit some agate. Much to my surprise they were all very close together as if they were buried together in a pit. They had a very thin, bright red band of agate around a clcite interior. None of them were worth keeping. The pod, or group, of agates was about 700 pounds in size with individual agates from 1- 25 pounds each. I started another trench not too far away and hir another pod of agate. This pod held about 500 pounds of acceptable agate, although it did not have the same pattern that the agate from the original pit had. At least I had something to bring back.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My first mining operation in Mexico was a complete disaster. The expense and effort far exceeded the value of the production, but I was still optimistic about future operations in Mexico after actually doing it once.</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-38032459717372149472012-03-23T14:40:00.000-07:002012-03-23T14:40:03.293-07:00I Digress: How I Got Started Mining in Mexico<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">At the end of July 2012, in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Mineral Club in conjunction with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, and the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies are sponsoring a show dedicated to agates. Because of the show, the next ten blogs will shift from stories about mining Morrisonite to mining agate in Mexico. Check out the link to find out more information on this spectacular show:<a href="http://www.minnesotamineralclub.org/2012show.htm">http://www.minnesotamineralclub.org/2012show.htm</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>How I Got Started Mining in Mexico</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ranch in Apache.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have been an insulin dependent diabetic since I was 13 years old. In the early 90s I started having trouble with my eyes. I was developing Diabetic Retinopathy, an ailment common in long term diabetics. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Diabetic Retinopathy causes new blood vessels to grow in the retina of the eye, which then burst, causing bleeding into the interior of the eye and blindness. Doctors discovered a way to stop the body from producing these new blood vessels; simply kill part of your eye and whatever signals your body to grow new blood vessels stops. It is a little like cutting off the foot to save the leg.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaZ0VirULaVUkds2JUqc_wjbixnDIBscM3sylvLcXRZaJ-8zHhOJTts06GFlkpFoR8sHlsIsd65VIyVeteawoDHAh8rf5LQo3g30B5Su5L_2mgrI6A3rIyPN2YmRS7LhpOiWY3VXIU4wc/s1600/monument.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaZ0VirULaVUkds2JUqc_wjbixnDIBscM3sylvLcXRZaJ-8zHhOJTts06GFlkpFoR8sHlsIsd65VIyVeteawoDHAh8rf5LQo3g30B5Su5L_2mgrI6A3rIyPN2YmRS7LhpOiWY3VXIU4wc/s320/monument.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture of the monument marking the claim.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stuart Porteous, from Seattle, had been interested in Morrisonite most of his life and started buying interests in some of the Morrisonite claims. First he bought Larry Butler’s portions of the five claims consisting of the Amy Ellen claim and half of the Christine Marie claim. Some years later he purchased the Big Hole claim from the late Tom Caldwell’s wife. Eventually, he and I were the only owners, and he approached me about buying my portions. Because of the problem with my eyes I agreed to sell the rest of the Morrisonite claim to Stuart over a period of time. I believed that my mining days were almost over. September 1996 was the last time I mined Morrisonite.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT0jat1Y-yIt3Z7h9BjgEe0zvJ2wcMJUGlZ5DrYYSooXPL1P-ilrE1MSOxYOfG0XuFXWeyAccS3w6T0rGOD996E-buMXR65XGGfla-v-hXlCsX9KcuwHu748Sy0-y1IOlL5auwlNAbiE8/s1600/orange_agates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT0jat1Y-yIt3Z7h9BjgEe0zvJ2wcMJUGlZ5DrYYSooXPL1P-ilrE1MSOxYOfG0XuFXWeyAccS3w6T0rGOD996E-buMXR65XGGfla-v-hXlCsX9KcuwHu748Sy0-y1IOlL5auwlNAbiE8/s320/orange_agates.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the orange specks are agate sticking out of the ground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After extensive laser surgery on both eyes, and a vitrectomy on one eye, my eyes stabilized. There was no more interior bleeding. I still had 20/20 vision on my right eye and 20/30 vision in the left. Most of my peripheral vision was seriously altered, as this was the part of the retina they used the laser to kill. Anyway, I felt that as long as I was careful, I could probably continue to do some mining.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52k2w1ltUfuCfV-d-Dk5UG0mPNeIy217OJ-8TWMNbLa1u5Ozhx1YiOCVksSa2x0lGdu0UPIMWkltk4hqMbKLtksdWHV84_Fksh9fbbjtkzlZJinu38VEtCD-_cgmYzH_6q3fjFNG2VNnT/s1600/mike_ignatowski_17_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52k2w1ltUfuCfV-d-Dk5UG0mPNeIy217OJ-8TWMNbLa1u5Ozhx1YiOCVksSa2x0lGdu0UPIMWkltk4hqMbKLtksdWHV84_Fksh9fbbjtkzlZJinu38VEtCD-_cgmYzH_6q3fjFNG2VNnT/s320/mike_ignatowski_17_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful specimen from the collection of Mike Ignatowski.<strong></strong></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Benny Fenn, a rather famous Mexican Mineral dealer, mined agates in the early 70s and lived in Casas Grandes, Mexico. He invited me to visit his place in Mexico to look at a pile of agates he had at his house. It was mostly low grade or small pieces of Apache Agate. Benny Fenn mined the Apache Agate with a D-4 Dozer many years earlier and offered to take me to the deposit to see it. At the end of a 27 mile long dirt road through rivers and the tiny town of Apache, in the middle of nowhere, is a small ranch. Beyond the ranch is a ridge with a major water drainage on one side and a small drainage on the other. The Apache Agate is found on the point of this ridge between the two drainages; an impossible place to find without a guide.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was amazed to see small pieces of bright red-orange agate everywhere in the dirt and could hardly believe I was actually at the place where all the famous Apache Agate came from. Benny Fenn told me if I wanted to try and mine it he could make it possible. I had never considered such a thought possible. As a result, I began my pursuit to produce some of the best agates in the world, including Agua Nueva, Coyamito, Laguna, and, of course, Apache Agate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Click here to read more on the Apache Agate Operation: <a href="http://thegemshop.com/osc/mining_apach_op_95.php">http://thegemshop.com/osc/mining_apach_op_95.php</a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Click here to see more pictures of Apache Agate: <a href="http://thegemshop.com/osc/gallery_spec_rm.php?proom=11">http://thegemshop.com/osc/gallery_spec_rm.php?proom=11</a></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-48622526296215930742012-03-12T08:09:00.000-07:002012-03-12T08:09:23.910-07:00New & Upcoming at The Gem Shop<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvd-TmYz938AytPMRCN6PbCUvRcWKyYMQR8dvhMQiBdDHiIx0PKRglmeYrmEkcx7BxsDrVM0i5BS3fzbcOjAfRL7_vGTA78WABg682uQ8YB1Bouu6EViV40k-64j_dqTV_2ZRNdi6ReHB/s1600/sarape_jasper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvd-TmYz938AytPMRCN6PbCUvRcWKyYMQR8dvhMQiBdDHiIx0PKRglmeYrmEkcx7BxsDrVM0i5BS3fzbcOjAfRL7_vGTA78WABg682uQ8YB1Bouu6EViV40k-64j_dqTV_2ZRNdi6ReHB/s200/sarape_jasper.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarape Jasper</td></tr>
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</style> --><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> The Gem Shop is beginning 2012 with a bang! There is lots of new and exciting things to come this year. Listed below are a few thing to expect from the Gem Shop this year!<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">New Rock! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">After another exciting year at the Tucson Gem & Rock Show, The Gem Shop is happy to provide a variety of new arrivals. We, at The Gem Shop, are especially excited for the Sarape Jasper. Sarape Jasper is named for the traditional Sarape blanket of Mexico. Found near Chihuahua, Mexico, this jasper is a fairly new find. Sarape Jasper offers a variety of colors, which lends itself to cabbing nicely.</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV62ESNAYlPwkvoswEFiFq5mWnoxiSZaeSa4Dhk5mlsmf5lduDecAsAXx3ahfQK21azokB-5kNnRdRF4ppC4NwcZQGONRdjSpbsmMhcauS1-brI2QUUYUL9So0ij26VvVS77FXhk6XLavJ/s1600/purple_lepidolite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV62ESNAYlPwkvoswEFiFq5mWnoxiSZaeSa4Dhk5mlsmf5lduDecAsAXx3ahfQK21azokB-5kNnRdRF4ppC4NwcZQGONRdjSpbsmMhcauS1-brI2QUUYUL9So0ij26VvVS77FXhk6XLavJ/s200/purple_lepidolite.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple Lepidolite</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">T<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">he Gem Shop is also excited about the Purple Lepidolite we received this year. Purple Lepidolite is </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">from Australia is an opaque stone that contains bits of mica and calcite. It is a beautiful deep purple that can only be found in Australia and is a byproduct of a nickel mine.</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span> </span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKpTBY9lofS8ZRSzU4WgE-8FBs0v6_JQTrKuqkHePsIGscPCn7bkNTlkVOv-tZDT-AswpL0A6L2Hh1scXuwCUJ-IBX2sE2IgcmRJPVZUF6nOqSHLADPUpSCGoB_XXh87vSjWAiXCt0EVf/s1600/sonora_dendritic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKpTBY9lofS8ZRSzU4WgE-8FBs0v6_JQTrKuqkHePsIGscPCn7bkNTlkVOv-tZDT-AswpL0A6L2Hh1scXuwCUJ-IBX2sE2IgcmRJPVZUF6nOqSHLADPUpSCGoB_XXh87vSjWAiXCt0EVf/s200/sonora_dendritic.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonora Dendritic</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The Gem Shop also received a new shipment of Sonora Dendritic. The Sonora Dendritic is a unique blend of aspects on the infamous Owyhee Picture jasper and the dendritic Apache Sage. It features maroon dendrites that can create a scenic pattern against a background of blue, pink, orange and yellow swirl, or a combination of the colors. This newest batch is considered a higher quality with less waste, and also has a deeper color blue.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhqnvD1chi_eV85W6x0hECW6Nzuel-Wpe4xiB7_qLfJKh-DdWJEMB78dUVPPmR777FGOWAQqU_rwxe2a-o31el6TsgQ3-G2u9dYmgRhECu03n_yhwQ6zsY_0_uI6e4G7XmOKYL-07WjUu/s1600/moo104lr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhqnvD1chi_eV85W6x0hECW6Nzuel-Wpe4xiB7_qLfJKh-DdWJEMB78dUVPPmR777FGOWAQqU_rwxe2a-o31el6TsgQ3-G2u9dYmgRhECu03n_yhwQ6zsY_0_uI6e4G7XmOKYL-07WjUu/s200/moo104lr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mooka Jasper Pendant</td></tr>
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> New this year <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gem Shop’s Escape line added Mooka Jasper. We also have new stock of Rocky Butte Picture Jasper, Imperial Jasper, Plume Agate, Birdseye Rhyolite, and Porcelain Jasper. Each pendant is carefully crafted and set with a sterling silver bail to bring out the natural beauty of each stone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Next Show!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> It is time again for the G&LW show in the Minneapolis area. The show dates are March 25-26 at the Ramada Thunderbird in Bloomington. Hours for the show are Sunday 11am to 6pm, and Monday 10am to 3pm. We will be in the Ballroom, Pace #17. This is a wholesale show.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Please check out www.glwshows.com/shows.aspx for more information. Hope to see you there!</span></span></span></span></div><br />
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</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-12210939251317124402012-01-20T14:30:00.000-08:002012-01-20T14:30:01.894-08:00Tucson 2012: Authors' Event to Remember!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAANLBYZEBKx156uagPO335uAKN7GH_z0vgGnzBfOFO5jQinI7FxF_zrZMqv9zc3rtaC_FcaHl1yEyOeyPW_Vjty2qH9uteArZirqcS9rZ3QZjA4gvbku6Gj7v9x4pX2za_gBM1uX5DN0/s1600/Author%2527sEventPostCard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAANLBYZEBKx156uagPO335uAKN7GH_z0vgGnzBfOFO5jQinI7FxF_zrZMqv9zc3rtaC_FcaHl1yEyOeyPW_Vjty2qH9uteArZirqcS9rZ3QZjA4gvbku6Gj7v9x4pX2za_gBM1uX5DN0/s400/Author%2527sEventPostCard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"> Another year has gone by and it is time for us at The Gem Shop to pack our bags and to Tucson for the 2012 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. While the Gem Shop isn’t new to the hubbub of Tucson, we all are quite excited about bringing a new event to Tucson this year. The Gem Shop, Inc and the Tucson Showplace are proud to host Johann Zenz, Brad Cross, Roger Clark, Karen Brzys, Scott Wolter, and Hans Gamma for an Authors’ Event to Remember! On January 31, 2012 at the Tucson Showplace, space A-1, each author will speak about their individual books as well as their love of agates and jaspers. There will also be a question and answer session followed by an authors’ cocktail reception.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfW3UQcnSOocFQo1NQkn41AvMCgpnXgQAaE8Qe83uVxMpCa1ezyKr-igDYG7vLjSrWPX0SegQrNzIGbb8yvGxOjPp3UAhMU05n8LSTxczMd_tXDvxEZZ6LqrX8-O0A4p00cbGMn4cQFWS/s1600/Hans_Gamma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfW3UQcnSOocFQo1NQkn41AvMCgpnXgQAaE8Qe83uVxMpCa1ezyKr-igDYG7vLjSrWPX0SegQrNzIGbb8yvGxOjPp3UAhMU05n8LSTxczMd_tXDvxEZZ6LqrX8-O0A4p00cbGMn4cQFWS/s200/Hans_Gamma.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLA3pAzjOW0bDxBKMiHNZWv9umCzRFc8rvQcjjff0F-kjwpuxs_sfyjI08PPdOErNkGtQ_P5FwaiFHzluMlTJhIwbzyr9N2QWY-z64bWytu7X-6ixEiHeYwZ7nbkVyVMUN_XGNP803AvLZ/s1600/agatesIII_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLA3pAzjOW0bDxBKMiHNZWv9umCzRFc8rvQcjjff0F-kjwpuxs_sfyjI08PPdOErNkGtQ_P5FwaiFHzluMlTJhIwbzyr9N2QWY-z64bWytu7X-6ixEiHeYwZ7nbkVyVMUN_XGNP803AvLZ/s200/agatesIII_sm.jpg" width="171" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is very exciting especially after the recent release of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agates III</i> by Johann Zenz. This is Zenz’s first trip to Tucson in six years. He has not been to the Tucson show since his first publication of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agates</i>. We at The Gem Shop, are very excited Johann Zenz agreed to participate in the book talk and signing at The Tucson Showplace. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">We are also exited to host newly published author Hans Gamma. Hans Gamma’s book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Picture Jaspers: Treasures of the Owyhee Area, Oregon</i>, published in late January 2012, documents information on over 75 different sites in the canyons of Malheur County, Oregon. The book also contains over 230 pictures of beautiful specimen. Roger Clark author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">South Dakota State Gemstone: Fairburn Agate</i>, will also be at the event sharing his expertise on the Fairburn Agate most commonly found in and around the grasslands, badlands, and the Black Hills.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq9_kBFju0j7zdk5TRupCc76cf2bTfC_VEPXWO4m7sma01gT2bxne-Q7tnKAG-xrkHEDP8D3drmED0riVTV7yVSqRZjd7ybPfZg0jy2YjJ0j3DhKU73JYwBK2MDx9eanCf6-ktyaJSJv_/s1600/sd_state_gem_fa_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwq9_kBFju0j7zdk5TRupCc76cf2bTfC_VEPXWO4m7sma01gT2bxne-Q7tnKAG-xrkHEDP8D3drmED0riVTV7yVSqRZjd7ybPfZg0jy2YjJ0j3DhKU73JYwBK2MDx9eanCf6-ktyaJSJv_/s200/sd_state_gem_fa_sm.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp6cM7phVFmnyWPqfYudmFZzOLQc0l-wfshgdZ4TM6Tw0rbR7Ec1viaXcx22slUz5lcPcXnP-n0Z5KF9lqLQY7FtKIZTlrNXh5gI70GiZA5wNbf_RTYct3908WZ104pqM7zM1hx41aGpu/s1600/agates_ins_out_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp6cM7phVFmnyWPqfYudmFZzOLQc0l-wfshgdZ4TM6Tw0rbR7Ec1viaXcx22slUz5lcPcXnP-n0Z5KF9lqLQY7FtKIZTlrNXh5gI70GiZA5wNbf_RTYct3908WZ104pqM7zM1hx41aGpu/s1600/agates_ins_out_sm.jpg" /></a> Also attending is director of the Gitche Gumee Agate & History Museum and author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agates: Inside Out</i>, Karen Brzys. Karen Brzys specializes in exploring and explaining the composition, formation of agates as well as popular locations to find agates. The fifth author featured at the Authors’ Event to Remember is Brad Cross. Brad Cross is well known for his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agates of Northern Mexico</i>, and his collaboration with June Culp Zeitner on the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Geodes: Nature’s Treasures</i>. The final author, Scott Wolter is known for his extensive expertise on Lake Superior Agates. Scott Wolter is a veteran author whose many publications include, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lake Superior Agate- Fourth Edition, The Lake Superior Agate- One Man’s Journey, The Hooked X: Key to the Secret History of North America,</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kensington Rune Stone: Compelling New Evidence.</i> This Authors’ Event to Remember is truly a unique once in a lifetime experience. All of the six authors have never presented at the same time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZvJ3KmMWyhZTotldW60TWsHgWeRXlyDX-Uy8fQ4w5eVylh3KqNUhQIkKz4CAN30CY7ua3uu9JjOG5AchEbtc127BSVlRrtE_7J5p2cKwBXpZkvtPBhBnmLng325ct1uznWvrGRKrMfWN/s1600/geodes_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZvJ3KmMWyhZTotldW60TWsHgWeRXlyDX-Uy8fQ4w5eVylh3KqNUhQIkKz4CAN30CY7ua3uu9JjOG5AchEbtc127BSVlRrtE_7J5p2cKwBXpZkvtPBhBnmLng325ct1uznWvrGRKrMfWN/s200/geodes_lg.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9jbkJ1IooYc56zuvmOSkL4EOOaOKCLuQCgts60Td-_VWrpx7zfI1tlCcKapEBocL0TuE_j6Kl6bfkzWaYRJWl2i5YcWvaRBnrjSzTuvBrKrGtzMinIEIwIXrS44OAx2cUWHpbJbpKkC9/s1600/lsa_omj_sfw_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9jbkJ1IooYc56zuvmOSkL4EOOaOKCLuQCgts60Td-_VWrpx7zfI1tlCcKapEBocL0TuE_j6Kl6bfkzWaYRJWl2i5YcWvaRBnrjSzTuvBrKrGtzMinIEIwIXrS44OAx2cUWHpbJbpKkC9/s200/lsa_omj_sfw_sm.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span> While Gene is in Quartzsite, The Gem Shop and the Tucson Showplace will be buzzing about preparing for this rare opportunity. Tickets are $10 in advance or m$15 at the door and are available from <a href="http://thegemshop.com/">thegemshop.com</a> or by calling 866-377-4666. We can’t wait to see you there!</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-41506060439922791832012-01-06T10:45:00.000-08:002012-01-06T10:45:45.135-08:00Mining the Christine Marie: Cold Air<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cFJwukLV1ZjKChrKGQ2LAJJacdDMBoLUt0Ph-Jlezv2geyyoOknZMfusXj6fEXnNkyL5XSy9Wj2vRbzEQxxUSHTZbGbC6QnSN31e-_3FIWw2BY_LVoQlB0B4MO1y1iIPzBLYoj7qemy7/s1600/cabin_view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cFJwukLV1ZjKChrKGQ2LAJJacdDMBoLUt0Ph-Jlezv2geyyoOknZMfusXj6fEXnNkyL5XSy9Wj2vRbzEQxxUSHTZbGbC6QnSN31e-_3FIWw2BY_LVoQlB0B4MO1y1iIPzBLYoj7qemy7/s320/cabin_view.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching a storm roll in from the cabin.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">In May and June the weather can vary greatly in the Morrisonite Area. It can be cold and windy (see our mining page on our website titled “Morrisonite Mining Operation 1989”), or hot and stormy. I was working in the “Old Boat Dig” on the Christine Marie in late May and following several small veins down and into the side of the hill. The deeper I worked the larger the rocks became and the cracks between them increased as well. In my blog titled “Nature of the Deposit” I talked more in depth about the cracks. As I worked my way down I developed a large, bowl shaped pit with a slope that acted as a ramp so I could drive the loader into the pit to remove the waste rock. This pit faced the southwest catching the direct rays of the afternoon sun and was wonderfully warm to work in when the weather was cool or cold.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pit.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One day, rather suddenly, the weather changed and it became very hot. It was so hot I was seeking shade in the evening around the cabin. I was still working in the pit all day and it did not seem to be too uncomfortable working even though the pit should have been unbearably hot in the afternoon with its orientation to the sun. One day I woke to a very hot and perfectly still day. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJICDhXNJkS7W906m657lzVe9BsrfUEy1mCNFsgeCVVXrj7buAU8Ld9n0qS2lCAe15y2uU2Y0hG1v4UUdBwCiW9pt6qouXw1lYELCXLAIZ5cFYWf_jFQK13EoJMsvsRmGLSPg_YLXlRr-z/s1600/cracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJICDhXNJkS7W906m657lzVe9BsrfUEy1mCNFsgeCVVXrj7buAU8Ld9n0qS2lCAe15y2uU2Y0hG1v4UUdBwCiW9pt6qouXw1lYELCXLAIZ5cFYWf_jFQK13EoJMsvsRmGLSPg_YLXlRr-z/s320/cracks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cracks in the rocks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">I remember walking to the mine wondering how I was going to do any work in the heat. There was no breeze or air movement as I started down the slope into the pit. To my surprise the air felt a little cooler. I could not believe how cold it was in the bottom of the pit. I went over to the large cracks between the big rocks in the bottom corner of the pit and I could feel cold air coming out of the cracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a breeze to carry the cold air away it had filled up the pit like a lake. I told Jake about the cold air and we found a</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the pit and cracks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">thermometer to check the temperature. We placed the thermometer in one of the cracks and no matter what the weather or time of day, the air seeping out of the cracks remained a constant 39 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cracks between the rocks were large enough to accommodate water bottles and for a long time I always has cold water to drink while working. It was still hot working if there was a wind dissipating the cold air, but you could at any time get down close to the cracks and cool off. As to why there was cold air coming out of the cracks, I have no idea. Perhaps there is some ice down in the earth under all the severely cracked rock.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-7136594989470726442011-12-23T13:17:00.000-08:002011-12-23T13:17:11.860-08:00Mining the Christine Marie: Moving Into The Cabin<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuTw1sVopA3KCou2AObDwEwc7_zQOwunhMKXNT5EVEp3MHZiopQOGDtG9FgEn8WwpOUstya9aT8I24MKTeC1Ko08TNb7t98_MkGgi5ueevVqSRnBBY2ac7HxQvkXICYPZPqLU-SflwFD1/s1600/Back-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuTw1sVopA3KCou2AObDwEwc7_zQOwunhMKXNT5EVEp3MHZiopQOGDtG9FgEn8WwpOUstya9aT8I24MKTeC1Ko08TNb7t98_MkGgi5ueevVqSRnBBY2ac7HxQvkXICYPZPqLU-SflwFD1/s320/Back-cover.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene enjoying the solitude.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C17vBoETJHEuQ3_zvqhu0nunPPMzgsAMgyTivXtHmz_d9bnlhLLu9lfIEJcCf2gJWlhECvcufsNvl1kmyJX5MNR0DO_cDsmRCXUxgw0JXQc4K9TLL3t_DllxQvDVA6jJsB0a3UDuJ7HX/s1600/cabin_away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C17vBoETJHEuQ3_zvqhu0nunPPMzgsAMgyTivXtHmz_d9bnlhLLu9lfIEJcCf2gJWlhECvcufsNvl1kmyJX5MNR0DO_cDsmRCXUxgw0JXQc4K9TLL3t_DllxQvDVA6jJsB0a3UDuJ7HX/s320/cabin_away.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cabin almost finished.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The cabin was nearly finished but I wasn’t sure I was ready to move down. Moving to my new cabin on the Christine Marie was not without a little trepidation. It would mean I would be isolated and further from any kind of assistance. Such isolation is of a little more concern to me than most people because I am an insulin dependent diabetic. I cannot be without insulin or food for very long. A severely sprained ankle or broken leg could easily be life threatening.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I packed my propane tank, stove, propane refrigerator, bedding, food, clothes, explosives, water, and other supplies in the scout until it was full and headed down the steep road. I arrived without incident, and moved into the cabin. I walked back up the road to get the loader, drove it down, and went to work.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaBY2aN0e8cd0zBmmr7Gz5NE0r7DZU__h5D7BBG9QVpHimoEqR5-Ne-I0KWZbGDx55iLTk6Ia2VvRIfhFPnXZ3YPc3jsCg68nDAed-9WE2D_IKBZX4KevtRZjCl4wzRi6gbje7d4fwVRY/s1600/specimen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaBY2aN0e8cd0zBmmr7Gz5NE0r7DZU__h5D7BBG9QVpHimoEqR5-Ne-I0KWZbGDx55iLTk6Ia2VvRIfhFPnXZ3YPc3jsCg68nDAed-9WE2D_IKBZX4KevtRZjCl4wzRi6gbje7d4fwVRY/s320/specimen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Christine Marie Morrisonite Specimen</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Living in isolation is something relatively few people get to experience. The people who have, will say that after 3 or 4 days with no human interaction or communication a fundamental change takes place in your personality. For some people the experience is horrifying and for others it can provide a sense of confidence and peace that is hard to describe. The depth of solitude after 3 or 4 days is different than the solitude experienced in the more temporary time dictated by our busy society. Go ahead and try it. Try to find a place where you will have no contact or communication with another human for 24 hours. It is actually hard to do. The need to communicate, however, never leaves and has been portrayed well in the movies. Tom Hanks’ character in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Castaway</i> befriends a volleyball and refers to him as Wilson. Tom Hanks’ character has many conversations with Wilson. The character was marooned on an island for many months and when he tried to leave the island on a raft, he takes Wilson with him. When the volleyball falls off the raft and floats away, the loss felt by Hanks’ character is far more than that for a volleyball. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-lSUpF3DfBhf7CYvG15fyuCB1pyq1FaE4K-1YW5CztMkP7KXkZxKRkbh-RCB1Q-p3-EoLNUnwH17WILY57mYOGZlRzjLpWDlKzQqUAI5syXjzch-o0-FE2gPXRBf3PkVSp-xkkGcM7uV/s1600/sun_canyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-lSUpF3DfBhf7CYvG15fyuCB1pyq1FaE4K-1YW5CztMkP7KXkZxKRkbh-RCB1Q-p3-EoLNUnwH17WILY57mYOGZlRzjLpWDlKzQqUAI5syXjzch-o0-FE2gPXRBf3PkVSp-xkkGcM7uV/s320/sun_canyon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun setting on the canyon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">At first I was just pleased to not drive the road up to the top every day. I was close to my work and I was spending more time mining. After a while I noticed I would speak directly to my tools. If I could not find my pick I would call for it. Over time, in the absence of not being able to talk to anyone, I had numerous conversations with my rock pick and long bar about the jobs they were or weren’t doing. I encouraged them to find more jasper.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtayoeDid6J8KQS4LwYJxcHoxuRJkcPLaL_p7ggrewGvW_2NQTqTPIhHomPow6XDyD_13R7ruE5hovivJDj8m66H1jgx5Ub_AWJ92HQKgWxMenIjpRwAn-X0PqZjQnJ7kzI77z_w5ueqj/s1600/buzzard.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtayoeDid6J8KQS4LwYJxcHoxuRJkcPLaL_p7ggrewGvW_2NQTqTPIhHomPow6XDyD_13R7ruE5hovivJDj8m66H1jgx5Ub_AWJ92HQKgWxMenIjpRwAn-X0PqZjQnJ7kzI77z_w5ueqj/s320/buzzard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Buzzard circling above.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtayoeDid6J8KQS4LwYJxcHoxuRJkcPLaL_p7ggrewGvW_2NQTqTPIhHomPow6XDyD_13R7ruE5hovivJDj8m66H1jgx5Ub_AWJ92HQKgWxMenIjpRwAn-X0PqZjQnJ7kzI77z_w5ueqj/s1600/buzzard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I loved sitting in front of the cabin watching the weather move through the canyon. The canyon is so big that you can see any storm or change in the weather long before it arrives. The canyon itself causes thermal winds with the sun first heating up one side of the canyon and then the other late in the day. The winds come down cold over the east slope in the morning and go up warm in the late afternoon. About 2 miles to the south about 20 buzzards live within sight of the cabin door. They live on the edge of a cliff on a rock face that turns red in the late afternoon sun. The buzzards hunt their prey in pairs, one following the other. They float on the warm rising thermal winds and seem to take pleasure in effortless flying. Sometimes they are almost motionless on the rising air as if glued to the sky. Despite all the mining problems and restrictions, I consider my time living alone in the cabin on the Christine Marie a mere 100 yards from my work site to be some of the most pleasurable of my life. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtayoeDid6J8KQS4LwYJxcHoxuRJkcPLaL_p7ggrewGvW_2NQTqTPIhHomPow6XDyD_13R7ruE5hovivJDj8m66H1jgx5Ub_AWJ92HQKgWxMenIjpRwAn-X0PqZjQnJ7kzI77z_w5ueqj/s1600/buzzard.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-49719095626024232222011-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:002011-12-09T14:00:03.739-08:00Mining the Christine Marie: A New Cabin<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pKm_-9ryALm_eWoj4lzJ2hlAZHw5PvWp92STY9wX9VDUKmJhsFHYSi3zFuwhCkkXeM2WmDFNW9HOHpk4N-KlsWF1_U5YSRAEsf3KHv_fGhzf5myxX0igmyOTJcOELYfiFpm8TzgrlaA9/s1600/cabin_exterior_wideshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pKm_-9ryALm_eWoj4lzJ2hlAZHw5PvWp92STY9wX9VDUKmJhsFHYSi3zFuwhCkkXeM2WmDFNW9HOHpk4N-KlsWF1_U5YSRAEsf3KHv_fGhzf5myxX0igmyOTJcOELYfiFpm8TzgrlaA9/s320/cabin_exterior_wideshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Christine Marie cabin at a distance</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzRhxrPMdIBoQM6gOQBbb_RCuxqjHeHaGot3-ioReKgYSICBKFCQY6IeW0HR1ljWMpE3P-r7HWKeitH1Q0RVukUNK9QiHlSzS-H5lWZiPWr8-vwtlNENFvAcVxBUvcS0ZIRxt1LKVSFQc/s1600/cabin_exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzRhxrPMdIBoQM6gOQBbb_RCuxqjHeHaGot3-ioReKgYSICBKFCQY6IeW0HR1ljWMpE3P-r7HWKeitH1Q0RVukUNK9QiHlSzS-H5lWZiPWr8-vwtlNENFvAcVxBUvcS0ZIRxt1LKVSFQc/s320/cabin_exterior.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view of the cabin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Driving the Scout down to the mine on the Christine Marie and back every day started to wear on my nerves. The drive had to be executed with precision and that was hard to do after a hard day of mining. One time on the drive up on switchback 9 (which cannot be driven around without stopping and backing up) I put the Scout in reverse, backed up, and started revving the engine for the next stretch up to switchback 8. Normally I would put in the clutch, let the Scout roll back, and be ready to go forward again. Somehow, perhaps because I was so tired, I forgot that I had shifted into reverse. I let out the clutch expecting to get a good running start on the next hill and almost backed the Scout over the cliff behind me. Another time, the engine started cutting out on the steepest grade of the drive. I determined later that if the gas tank was less than ½ full the engine could not suck enough gas to keep running on the steepest parts of the road. To solve the problem I installed a second gas tank in the back of the Scout where the gas could run downhill or level to the engine going uphill. I had a switch on the gas lines so I had my downhill gas tank and my uphill gas tank. You had to make sure you were on the proper gas tank depending if you were traveling down to the mine or up to the cabins.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq7q-OQofDzpUu2hZrGzfc_cmkSfbwIm5gVuatNuc6TENBr4nEhxkTcvr3D04XGOtKcRhvasm7MT3C4pFgGU4bPyVrJe3Q0egsGQe1nX5igCbLGQma36kc9aHXVMItDrOYX4aCr707bBM/s1600/cabin_exterior_person.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq7q-OQofDzpUu2hZrGzfc_cmkSfbwIm5gVuatNuc6TENBr4nEhxkTcvr3D04XGOtKcRhvasm7MT3C4pFgGU4bPyVrJe3Q0egsGQe1nX5igCbLGQma36kc9aHXVMItDrOYX4aCr707bBM/s320/cabin_exterior_person.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene visiting the cabin years later</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> I eventually decided to build a cabin on the Christine Marie. There was really only one good spot to do this. There was a very large rock on a flat area just a few yards off the road. The back side of the rock was relatively flat and about 7 feet high. The flat side would be the back wall of the cabin and the rock would support the roof. I had no money to spend on building a shelter so I started gathering things I could use. I, of course, had lots of big rocks so I moved several of them that had nice flat sides close to the larger rock with the loader. I found 4 long poles left over from building a coral half buried in the desert and dragged them to the upper cabin with the Scout. Getting them down to the Christine Marie was an adventure worthy of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Back in Wisconsin at The Gem Shop we had replaced several glass counter tops because they were scratched. These were packed up and brought out to the mine to use for windows. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin96xLVGe1IbaeuIq7FAqTHoxZp6xbrPGpfOVLT6MjL9IK22zMKjCWBnrTROUqbgOUi6VM9wxu_2CQ8xLKY19-LEiElYk-OJAQyessk1La4ilMmvZ14zjaR-6hc8ogvS-nPQVro2nD2IXE/s1600/cabin-interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin96xLVGe1IbaeuIq7FAqTHoxZp6xbrPGpfOVLT6MjL9IK22zMKjCWBnrTROUqbgOUi6VM9wxu_2CQ8xLKY19-LEiElYk-OJAQyessk1La4ilMmvZ14zjaR-6hc8ogvS-nPQVro2nD2IXE/s320/cabin-interior.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior view of the cabin with the built counter and shelves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> In the front part of The Gem Shop we pulled up the old linoleum tile floor to reveal the wood floor beneath. 8 of these 4x8 sheets of plywood with 1 foot square tiles attached with a black tar like glue were transported out to the mine and used for the roof. Pieces of wood of all sizes and shapes were gathered without concern for how they would be used. All the scraps from construction would later be used for fuel in the ancient, cast iron, hot water heater originally designed for coal that I found to use as a heater in the cabin. On the way to Oregon each year I usually stop at the large Army Surplus store just north of Ogden, Utah to look for supplies. There I found a nice large metal framed window with hinges that opened which I bought for $5.00.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OYhxz0MCb_zKrAGibjXmZ_TUdqtz5T9FjRXh9aA5QHDNlCL19HmePiWWE8KacTAjFH2eIBDMFdrDgURlhFHdU58t9C_XOoE6UoUMKRR9quWFUw4Zx8IY7r18PyfsPo1ffIEukQjzceoD/s1600/jug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OYhxz0MCb_zKrAGibjXmZ_TUdqtz5T9FjRXh9aA5QHDNlCL19HmePiWWE8KacTAjFH2eIBDMFdrDgURlhFHdU58t9C_XOoE6UoUMKRR9quWFUw4Zx8IY7r18PyfsPo1ffIEukQjzceoD/s320/jug.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view looking out while the cabin is under construction.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> I worked on the cabin off and on for several years. After I positioned the large rocks for the base of each of the walls I built a heavy wooden frame to put on the top of the front rock. I attached the large wooden poles I found earlier in the desert to the large standing rock by drilling some holes in the rock and pegging the poles in place on the rock. The other end of the poles rested on the wooden frame and extended out in front. This provided a strong support for the tile covered plywood roof which was later covered with dirt and rocks. I then built the walls on top of the rocks to meet the roof, leaving an overhang in front and on the sides. I had a window in each wall and a doorway in the front. Two of the windows were made from ¼ inch scratched counter glass and the third was the $5.00 window I purchased near Ogden. Inside I built a few shelves to hold food and a small counter for my propane stove. In the opposite corner I constructed a frame to hold my bunk about 3 feet off the floor just under the window I could open. The inside space was about 10 feet by 10 feet and with my old, coal burning, hot water heater in the corner it was very cozy. I spent a total of $34.00 building this cabin excluding gas and diesel for transportation. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-71760620269656177312011-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:002011-11-25T14:00:00.737-08:00Mining the Christine Marie: The Nature of the Deposit<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZIwteUlumwKbnyoD7fHsVmhyBazxpdU9_Q09KPewoswIUI7UU7Em4Q-doQM703GXIIaz4-aUJYHeOTHAUHf9M42KgfycgR5GXhsISZDua3IlSTIJZrpHC-AGYEh8jANm4_yVapegDmMj/s1600/picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZIwteUlumwKbnyoD7fHsVmhyBazxpdU9_Q09KPewoswIUI7UU7Em4Q-doQM703GXIIaz4-aUJYHeOTHAUHf9M42KgfycgR5GXhsISZDua3IlSTIJZrpHC-AGYEh8jANm4_yVapegDmMj/s320/picture1.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first vein of Morrisonite Jasper</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">When I got the dozer down the last hill to the flat area where the road comes up from the river, I had only a couple hundred yards of level road to make before I would be in the deposit. It did not take me very long to get the dozer over there and I did not do a very good job on building the road either. </div><div class="MsoNormal">As I was pushing loose rock to the right down the slope, I hit a big solid rock in the hill on the left side of the dozer. I worked around the rock with the dozer and then stopped to take a look at it. Much to my surprise I could see a vein of jasper running down the side of the rock. The vein was about 2 inches wide at its widest point and narrowed down to nothing on both ends. It was about 2 feet long and had a well defined egg pattern through most of it. I worked on the jasper in the large rock for several days digging around the big rock and chiseled and hammered to remove the jasper under the big rock I discovered more small broken rock with no jasper in it.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ0ZFM8o08XepG5EDW2E285tUThY6kRdsZN85wjwzrYHavm6431NUyP6IKzu-oXm8WnTAVTILDfGfcL4FpFpCMSCft8Oxdm0hxjDki-CHiKCBwP60jSLhoPqmVyxA2ZZV2PyjwZqTgV3e/s1600/picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ0ZFM8o08XepG5EDW2E285tUThY6kRdsZN85wjwzrYHavm6431NUyP6IKzu-oXm8WnTAVTILDfGfcL4FpFpCMSCft8Oxdm0hxjDki-CHiKCBwP60jSLhoPqmVyxA2ZZV2PyjwZqTgV3e/s320/picture2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mine at its deepest. The top 1/3 of the mine contains the float.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"> When I first hit this rock with the dozer blade I thought that I had hit a protruding piece of host rock. That is to say that I had found the deposit and would now be able to follow the jasper into the hill from one rock to another. This was not the case. There was no jasper to be found around the big rock. The large rock was a float rock just like the little small rocks around it. The deposit had to be deeper into and up the hill from this rock which had moved down from above to its present position.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> All the jasper bearing rock on the hillside on the south end of the Christine Marie is fractured and moved. The deposit is as if a gigantic mass of rock was shattered, cracked, and then pushed slightly to separate all the pieces but not enough to mix them up. The top of the deposit is mixed up and is a steep slope containing all sizes of rocks. It is falling down over itself and small pieces of jasper can be found anywhere on the slope. The deposit excavation I made into the hill was about 20 feet below the original surface. Here the rocks were bigger- one ton or more in size but still stacked on top of each other with cracks between them sometimes 8-12 inches wide. The float, or mixed up rock on top, was 5 to 10 feet thick.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k4SVKBYr0cSTj0s-oguZQvk4bTDPBOjk7S405Az1XPbZ8ln8uacRQpQ4HeGdW0FvKPwoJZVlb3AKn-92OsNo6YayaqdIEMqSCuTGxC8LQphi2riNcco06GxQthjCoPZ8RZ94ql4szYU4/s1600/picture3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k4SVKBYr0cSTj0s-oguZQvk4bTDPBOjk7S405Az1XPbZ8ln8uacRQpQ4HeGdW0FvKPwoJZVlb3AKn-92OsNo6YayaqdIEMqSCuTGxC8LQphi2riNcco06GxQthjCoPZ8RZ94ql4szYU4/s320/picture3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An early shot of the mine. notice all the cracked rocks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The interesting and very unusual thing is that the cracking in the host rock has nothing to do with the cracking that allowed the jasper to form. The jasper must have been formed at an earlier time when the welded tuff was not shattered as it is today. While mining it is possible to follow the jasper in one rock to another rock even though the two rocks have been moved apart from each other. The jasper on the Christine Marie, unlike the jasper on the Jake’s Place claim, is held very tightly to the host rock. On the Jake’s Place claim the host rock is easily broken away from the jasper and most of the jasper follows cracks in the host rock. On the Christine Marie the welded tuff must be broken off the jasper with considerable effort, and it is rare for the jasper to be found in a natural crack. This means that the mining requires a lot more hammer work. On the plus side, the severe cracking in the host rock makes finding the jasper bearing rocks relatively easy. This is a very good thing because of the scarcity of the jasper in the deposit.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2SUobkcl-pxO8SUIX9QxRCVUuZZ9r9PBoJji4du1DFAwGttiyU1_noQR6Y95GiCxmwPMlV3dM0uSciWtV-WCsmL7ii5fZhN8bl1DOzSD3QiO44NC_LHpvLjTsMMTCyFNW0ncmOz2R2mX/s1600/picture4.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2SUobkcl-pxO8SUIX9QxRCVUuZZ9r9PBoJji4du1DFAwGttiyU1_noQR6Y95GiCxmwPMlV3dM0uSciWtV-WCsmL7ii5fZhN8bl1DOzSD3QiO44NC_LHpvLjTsMMTCyFNW0ncmOz2R2mX/s320/picture4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice how the jasper jumps from rock to rock without any relationship to the surrounding rocks.</td></tr>
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</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-32810842973776507272011-11-11T14:00:00.000-08:002011-11-11T14:00:02.246-08:00Mining the Christine Marie: Watching a Rock Fall<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>Rocks fall onto mountain roads all the time, but rarely do people see it happen. Trees fall in the forest when the wind blows hard, but it is unusual for a person to be in the right place at the right time to witness it. The more I worked into the steep slopes of the Christine Marie claim, the more I knew when a rock slide was about to happen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-toyQ7uHoHuXm1gM2UYeY2-PCaxBulNG_hBswK5rdZv67Is9vxAG8663f_AY-6qswGPFwYuGf1jFu-r5-7EMBKsWuKN83NYaRRyVUl6tpFYk9xv8bYAOIrquQ-P9JnSVuJ4ntbnnkC_U/s1600/bigrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-toyQ7uHoHuXm1gM2UYeY2-PCaxBulNG_hBswK5rdZv67Is9vxAG8663f_AY-6qswGPFwYuGf1jFu-r5-7EMBKsWuKN83NYaRRyVUl6tpFYk9xv8bYAOIrquQ-P9JnSVuJ4ntbnnkC_U/s320/bigrock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big rock ready to fall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr> <td><div><div align="center" class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: windowtext;"></span></div></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>I was following small veins of jasper in small rocks down around a very large rock. The large rock, about ten tons in size, did not have any visible jasper showing in it. The large rock was nested in among a vast number of smaller shattered rocks that did have some jasper. The large rock had moved here from some place higher up the slope. I worked slowly down the side of the rock over a period of several days, exposing it as I went down. The jasper I was finding was good, but small. The seams were barely ¾ inch wide, and did not go very far but traveled from one rock to the next as I worked down. I finally found the bottom of the large rock which seemed to be standing on its end, and the jasper in the small rock started to show indication of getting better. I started to follow the jasper under the big rock.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLdMMPAh0GrvnjpA_wpdQV-bkbrDafHWdCAk9JaMc8D4zrKBd3FE6yzlqA-eFsRK9xLRA4ExyhhMOEyiTz8d1XgE8lLvrvDp8geIxWU7gYCwqqgfILQDEEuBVbVtUMn0lLS5hRZHllYK4/s1600/dozer_after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLdMMPAh0GrvnjpA_wpdQV-bkbrDafHWdCAk9JaMc8D4zrKBd3FE6yzlqA-eFsRK9xLRA4ExyhhMOEyiTz8d1XgE8lLvrvDp8geIxWU7gYCwqqgfILQDEEuBVbVtUMn0lLS5hRZHllYK4/s320/dozer_after.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock in the upper left before the fall.</td></tr>
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<tr> <td></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>After working for a while, I got up to take a break and look things over. A little to my surprise the big rock looked a little more precarious than it had earlier. It was hanging in the back wall of the pit with not a lot of other rocks holding it in place. I thought it would be fun to watch the rock fall by itself. I went back to work, more carefully this time, removing rocks from under and around the large rock, one at a time. After a while I started to hear small noises coming from around and under the rock. I got out of the hole I was working in, found a nice rock to sit on far enough away to be safe, and watched and waited. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">The whole process took about thirty minutes. Every few minutes there would be a creaking sound or a small pebble would slide down the slope under the rock. Then, there would be a long silence before another sound or trickle of dirt would cascade down the slope somewhere else. After another long silence, I became impatient and tossed a small stone below the big rock. At first the sounds and movement increased in intensity but then it went back to their natural rhythm.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWsCBxRMQylBId29hQEqIJ4zNnEosztTSrJn-uchlQpo0hybwBPY8EhdXrkUq6N3cVSsRjlBbOoD5pGrvLS-grFzEncyiRFwqMh-dPHGzVQVoOWKXi-pt2TnGaWZh9uHw8SsAEiHTQrIe/s1600/dozer_before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWsCBxRMQylBId29hQEqIJ4zNnEosztTSrJn-uchlQpo0hybwBPY8EhdXrkUq6N3cVSsRjlBbOoD5pGrvLS-grFzEncyiRFwqMh-dPHGzVQVoOWKXi-pt2TnGaWZh9uHw8SsAEiHTQrIe/s320/dozer_before.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rock after the fall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Finally, after about thirty minutes the sounds and rock slides under the big rock rapidly increased and the large rock fell over on its side as if someone gently pushed it over. It was fascinating to watch the whole process and realize that the rocks on this slope are continually falling; some just faster than others. </div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-62078044385024459732011-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:002011-10-28T10:30:02.893-07:00Mining the Christine Marie: Abrasive Rock<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
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</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJce-uqQJfs8A-1pAAZrXlbJD-pNK-ajxeq2h5foVe0gpKkDc9_NSrDGjTEz-A1tqxbx9crtn_BQSlcCWEOZBky7fnjiwWbcgYJc-qes7oZlpMFMNHOuTVu3RXJUqg7-IMApQ239-MbHy/s1600/rough_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJce-uqQJfs8A-1pAAZrXlbJD-pNK-ajxeq2h5foVe0gpKkDc9_NSrDGjTEz-A1tqxbx9crtn_BQSlcCWEOZBky7fnjiwWbcgYJc-qes7oZlpMFMNHOuTVu3RXJUqg7-IMApQ239-MbHy/s320/rough_02.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two host rocks separate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The jasper on the Christine Marie claim is in a steep rock slope about halfway down the canyon from the rim above. The host rock is labeled a welded tuff, and extends from the slope of the hill up past the cliff above to the pinnacle on the Amy Ellen claim; a distance of around 200 yards. The jasper formed in cracks in the tuff before it was in its present position. The entire hillside is a mixture of very large rocks (2-10 tons) and millions of small ones (1/2-5 pounds).<br />
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This rock is very abrasive. Because of the rock’s abrasiveness the rocks do not fall easily, but cling to each other. This quality contributes to the steepness of the area by not allowing rocks to erode downhill as fast. To illustrate this, it is possible to take two flat pieces of this welded tuff, place one on top of the other and tilt the pair of rocks almost 80 degrees before the top rock will fall off. Try this with most other rocks and the top rock will start to slide off with a tilt of a little over 45 degree </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCodQjK-vYNQvi-Y67oQYUM4oGLxtHU42q2-bmaN96EFHwrMh62TtzaxlUR4IVS3PBg22ST04DOEEpEA3RqoEbYgSGC-Z5HWL3-TGG0Z9e9QwHsql-cz52oTMsm05RjqVnh4x-tFp6OeKz/s1600/abrasive+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCodQjK-vYNQvi-Y67oQYUM4oGLxtHU42q2-bmaN96EFHwrMh62TtzaxlUR4IVS3PBg22ST04DOEEpEA3RqoEbYgSGC-Z5HWL3-TGG0Z9e9QwHsql-cz52oTMsm05RjqVnh4x-tFp6OeKz/s320/abrasive+rock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene holding the two pieces of abrasive rock.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The jasper in this deposit is scarce, but very good. A lot of rock must be carefully moved to collect a small amount of jasper. The abrasiveness of the rock takes a toll on your gear, as well. There were many days where a new pair of gloves in the morning would have one or two holes in the fingers by late afternoon. Using duct tape on your fingers was a common practice used to get more use out of a pair of gloves, or a little less wear on your fingers. I learned to buy a new pair of boots before I came out to the mine because a pair of boots lasts about a month working in this rock. I always use steel toed boots to protect my feet. After a month of mining Morrisonite, the leather would be worn off the toes of the boots revealing the scratched, shiny metal underneath.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSicHJHbzzBFDR8Uw2RXp_UwxN5BxTUj-vuHmiVhneF09sfx7tv7y7bWwdOkd9klanRSW9yGwUbKFRZ6GFbH2nZuNdVqZpb-K4Tv94YxIa7-gAZ6pc44-Bfwxh72j67Hwoc5J7u6SDHWH/s1600/tilted+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSicHJHbzzBFDR8Uw2RXp_UwxN5BxTUj-vuHmiVhneF09sfx7tv7y7bWwdOkd9klanRSW9yGwUbKFRZ6GFbH2nZuNdVqZpb-K4Tv94YxIa7-gAZ6pc44-Bfwxh72j67Hwoc5J7u6SDHWH/s320/tilted+rock.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice how tilted the rocks are, and they still stay together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>One very good thing about working in this rock was that it would always warn you when it was about to fall. Unlike other rock slopes which can give way with no warning, this rock will talk to you before it falls or gives way. The abrasiveness of the rock holds the pieces together until gravity becomes too much and you will start to hear small sounds. Soft sounding “ticks” and small creaks can be heard once in a while, and then more frequently. Through experience you come to understand when to get out of the hole you are working in and wait for the rock to cave in or get out of your hole and start the rock slide yourself, thus making it safe to work again.Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-76960982559523494652011-10-14T14:30:00.000-07:002011-10-14T14:30:01.211-07:00Mining Morrisonite: Christine Marie – CASE 850<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuFez0Hr9E914HUxbgKhActk_TJ2i1HalsKt2grqWWde5n_QA86B6qSFnu7gCx3ZcYfWhwi0SJU7dUNWdNUItzLY74JpMUwV7i-RcBVKUXMFOFZaUmk8zzv4IRIuQgWv1yIlCLB2Ztc8m/s1600/case_drive_levers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuFez0Hr9E914HUxbgKhActk_TJ2i1HalsKt2grqWWde5n_QA86B6qSFnu7gCx3ZcYfWhwi0SJU7dUNWdNUItzLY74JpMUwV7i-RcBVKUXMFOFZaUmk8zzv4IRIuQgWv1yIlCLB2Ztc8m/s320/case_drive_levers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The levers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Operating a CASE 850 frontend loader is about as different from operating an old D-4 Dozer as it gets. While operating the dozer, I was constantly moving my arms, pulling levers to steer the machine. The CASE could be driven with just my left hand! There were three little levers right next to each other on a pedestal between my legs as I sat on the machine. The right lever, which can be moved with one finger, provides power to the right track in low gear if pulled back and high gear if pushed forward. The left lever does the same for the left track. The middle lever moves the machine forward if pushed forward and backward if pulled back. The middle position for each lever is neutral.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizf5xGYRzqulkbSGpjLVLRASeIV7Qd43U_6zwSr5J8V_7oMFkK6dZOaqp1m2gv-nWgnvq5e3Pjy4xvZyZPC8sw8QVA92IwssxHixDRRoXxS47k8lrh48cB5vJr6OOzyK4eOMtjgvDM5Uy/s1600/case850_g2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizf5xGYRzqulkbSGpjLVLRASeIV7Qd43U_6zwSr5J8V_7oMFkK6dZOaqp1m2gv-nWgnvq5e3Pjy4xvZyZPC8sw8QVA92IwssxHixDRRoXxS47k8lrh48cB5vJr6OOzyK4eOMtjgvDM5Uy/s320/case850_g2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene and the CASE-850 hard at work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The machine can be turned to the right two different ways. By placing the left track in high gear and the right track in low gear, the left track will move forward faster than the right track turning the machine to the right. This is an advantage for the CASE because most other machines turn by subtracting (breaking) power to one track or the other rather than having power to both tracks. The CASE can also be turned to the right by putting the left track in high or low and leaving the right track in neutral. The weight of the machine will hold the right track in place while the left track drives forward, turning the machine to the right.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wKeKkYuedu-j7iz4o3zVXmMTTqQB1JsY9-nm6Uij84DHIYD2tIeWOnBTrziRTTi1Mm9QgBXwKSrXH3NiRYf3t65Cx82LNDdgmrfyDAcXHvpwLztYf8WrzMDKlFEQKGodsgs0BbSqQGl7/s1600/case850_g1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wKeKkYuedu-j7iz4o3zVXmMTTqQB1JsY9-nm6Uij84DHIYD2tIeWOnBTrziRTTi1Mm9QgBXwKSrXH3NiRYf3t65Cx82LNDdgmrfyDAcXHvpwLztYf8WrzMDKlFEQKGodsgs0BbSqQGl7/s320/case850_g1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene, the happy miner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Because the CASE 850 has a torque converter transmission, the tracks are free to roll if there is no power directed to them. But if turning right on a steep hill by providing power to the left track and leaving the right track in neutral, the machine can actually turn to the left instead. The free-wheeling right track can outrun the powered left track and move the machine to the left rather than right. This can make for some interesting times while operating on steep ground. Also it is very important not to allow the engine to stall; this will result in a 10 ton machine rolling down a hill with nothing to stop it but the bottom of a steep ravine. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The CASE 850 does have breaks, but they are a joke. They were designed using old car parts and never worked well. I almost never used them. If I was driving the machine forward and needed to stop it, I could easily put the machine in reverse and accelerate. This machine had a foot-operated accelerator just like a car. The automatic transmission or torque converter would slow the machine to a stop and start moving backward. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8mr8pKb0iojhP5RwtfDBZGtLCsVmswu1Al_lOwmTrJ8DrNllWdvBYwaTcNVV8boW6-3HsJCaeN6KIRvW6cwkoTIrXcNn2zU2cj15umM0lPizWFkFrY2-HA7eIqpsO97V8bvxOxe_JdJ4/s1600/case_drive_levers2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8mr8pKb0iojhP5RwtfDBZGtLCsVmswu1Al_lOwmTrJ8DrNllWdvBYwaTcNVV8boW6-3HsJCaeN6KIRvW6cwkoTIrXcNn2zU2cj15umM0lPizWFkFrY2-HA7eIqpsO97V8bvxOxe_JdJ4/s320/case_drive_levers2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the levers from the seat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">All controls which move the machine can be operated with the left hand on the three levers freeing the right hand to operate the bucket. A machine which can pick up rock and put it where you wanted it, is a vast mining improvement over a machine that can only push things around. Jake’s suggestion that I buy the CASE 850 greatly improved my success mining the Christine Marie. </div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-90117051160927807662011-09-30T14:00:00.000-07:002011-10-04T15:07:24.718-07:00Mining the Christine Marie: My Second Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxc62JpQJ4z1cyW-6UcGYG8YbG4ldieOMJ4v2qc20COcmRnRaxPAhN8mMUOHXZml1W1T-4S4DhaAzjaDqw2rbOsos8v0XZo-N-rELfosYlWomBPqhvjK9gna8Wc968UtP9pjgv5NnFGxQM/s1600/850_case.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxc62JpQJ4z1cyW-6UcGYG8YbG4ldieOMJ4v2qc20COcmRnRaxPAhN8mMUOHXZml1W1T-4S4DhaAzjaDqw2rbOsos8v0XZo-N-rELfosYlWomBPqhvjK9gna8Wc968UtP9pjgv5NnFGxQM/s320/850_case.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"> My friend Jake leased on the “Big Hole” claim from Lissa Caldwell. She was the wife of Tom Caldwell who worked the claim in the middle 1970s. Tom owned the claim, and Lissa inherited it when he died. It was originally purchased by Tom’s father and given to Tom as encouragement for his mining activities. Tom was known as a very good agate miner and was hired by other claim owners to work their claims. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHP9jb624453uphuppx-LnF1Cm6Upain54IOBPh2YXwIm0FVa46bhZCk_dZWTmqXZmReb-mpcNITBRh9ZMrVKcaguOeD5Q6f3oRUf_Wh4Ky07_g5pN18qtjX_6iPxjWePe73n1wT7vJyUv/s1600/gene_machine_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHP9jb624453uphuppx-LnF1Cm6Upain54IOBPh2YXwIm0FVa46bhZCk_dZWTmqXZmReb-mpcNITBRh9ZMrVKcaguOeD5Q6f3oRUf_Wh4Ky07_g5pN18qtjX_6iPxjWePe73n1wT7vJyUv/s320/gene_machine_2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Before Tom Caldwell decided to try mining Morrisonite, most of the mining had been done by hand. The lay of the deposit on the Big Hole Claim – later renamed “Jake’s Place” – on the precarious hillside was pretty well known because of all the previous hand work. Tom decided to ask Jake to help him get started and open up the deposit so that it could be mined more efficiently. Tom owned a CAT 955 track frontend loader, and Jake owned a Case 850 frontend loader. They moved both machines, a compressor, drill, and explosives out to the saddle above the deposit and set to work. They built the two still existing cabins in 1976 on the saddle so they would be safe from vicious weather which came across the ridge.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">Jake and Tom drilled 12 foot holes with Tom’s 80 pound hand-held sinker drill, filled the holes with explosives, and broke up the rock. They then used both frontend loaders to push the barren rock over the edge as they worked down the side of the steep hill towards the deposit. They did this over and over for about three weeks without getting any jasper. About this time Jake moved back to mine Bruneau where he knew he could produce rock he could sell easily.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25IYKGsgRin1xXoTDYw1Pj_0eh4PSCOr-7Ze7_9a85G_9agEffIZ5rKPPZti8HjRCb-5Uwiw92uMMNJahZbND7OUDUhiMtoavLShDOsA0YSuLTnFnZBcZv-g6CUV8SaRqNXn1uIFcX6FF/s1600/mor_south_pit.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25IYKGsgRin1xXoTDYw1Pj_0eh4PSCOr-7Ze7_9a85G_9agEffIZ5rKPPZti8HjRCb-5Uwiw92uMMNJahZbND7OUDUhiMtoavLShDOsA0YSuLTnFnZBcZv-g6CUV8SaRqNXn1uIFcX6FF/s320/mor_south_pit.jpg" width="320" /></a>The area that Tom and Jake exposed is known as the “South Pit.” This area produced some very fine jasper. Some pieces from this area have gone to the grave with their owners at their request. A piece from the South Pit, now in a private collection, was featured in our 2008 Calendar of Fine Agates & Jaspers during the month of October. Most of the jasper in the Morrisonite area is found in shattered or cracked rock, in or under steep rock slides. One time Tom was working in the South Pit with his 980 frontend loader, and a rock slide buried his machine with him in it. He dug himself and his machine out by hand and got his machine up 600 feet, back on the saddle. Tom did not mine much Morrisonite after that.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">The South Pit is now buried under about 20 feet of overburden which was mined from the North Pit on the Big Hole/ Jake's Place Claim and Veronica Lee Claim in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Tom’s drill was found years later rusted and frozen up. It was put in a container with oil for a year in an attempt to salvage it. After it was working again, I took it to Mexico where it has become responsible for most of the Coyamito Agate in the market today – there is not a deposit on the Coyamito ranch that does not have holes made by this drill.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjc-s1Nlq32V4TYaiKmMbUXo-3_UNlmkFmcF6FDEfp2v_urrnVEPTcsCemz4gke88MkcuV4KzjJh3Icq7y26-LpMZ3ZEsqaNJ4jWB-1ax03LRTr18ikjfeVU4eHVbXXZvoypUSePnZFTi/s1600/850_case_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjc-s1Nlq32V4TYaiKmMbUXo-3_UNlmkFmcF6FDEfp2v_urrnVEPTcsCemz4gke88MkcuV4KzjJh3Icq7y26-LpMZ3ZEsqaNJ4jWB-1ax03LRTr18ikjfeVU4eHVbXXZvoypUSePnZFTi/s320/850_case_2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Tom’s frontend loader ended up in Herrington’s Rock Shop in Adrian, Oregon. Jake obtained the machine with a lease, performed some repairs on it, and moved it back to Morrisonite in 1986. Jake sold his Case 850 to Glenn Pegrem who used it on some of his claims north of Jordan Valley about 35 miles from the Morrisonite claims. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;">Jake watched me build the road to the Christine Marie for two years with my ancient D4 Dozer. He told me that I needed a better machine and said he knew where I could get one that would not cost too much. He introduced me to Glenn, and, one year and $8,000 later, I had a Case 850 frontend loader – my second machine. I returned it to the Morrisonite area, and it stayed there for eight years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOgM0APUo1Bv5MeP8t2fpfOlLFsYqL-vFe3MgTTOz9MaeyifkTrrv4UWXWEayDiiqH8h-XCte9EdlITXdAFLAolGOeR5-Tn9ZF0U13M1PjoLrB7WVf326r5DAlk-gW4XJA5tX39XBYsAt/s1600/gene_machine_rockslide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOgM0APUo1Bv5MeP8t2fpfOlLFsYqL-vFe3MgTTOz9MaeyifkTrrv4UWXWEayDiiqH8h-XCte9EdlITXdAFLAolGOeR5-Tn9ZF0U13M1PjoLrB7WVf326r5DAlk-gW4XJA5tX39XBYsAt/s320/gene_machine_rockslide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in;"></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-14310633033363953512011-09-16T14:00:00.000-07:002011-09-16T14:00:06.730-07:00Christine Marie: My First Jasper<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oewAyDGmdtXMY7jF4-wADIWPba-sOQchV_hxjWqJWR41FRTaN9kRu_l9pOnXNA-HMWSRl3xTFmLdgvHv2ogT-5BOh6msO1IUTeANEHZEHT1IkgWpx9be0gCMd8msyHBJc4mDHeeJ6M9m/s1600/CM_Mor_the_first.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oewAyDGmdtXMY7jF4-wADIWPba-sOQchV_hxjWqJWR41FRTaN9kRu_l9pOnXNA-HMWSRl3xTFmLdgvHv2ogT-5BOh6msO1IUTeANEHZEHT1IkgWpx9be0gCMd8msyHBJc4mDHeeJ6M9m/s320/CM_Mor_the_first.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My First Christine Marie Morrisonite Specimen</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">I had a productive day working on the road with the dozer, and I was getting close to starting the last downhill stretch of the road. I walked the road back up to the cabins and made supper – a ½ mile and 600 foot climb. I was full of anticipation that I soon would be mining jasper. This was the middle of June, and the days were long. I walked over to Jake’s cabin told to him that I thought I would walk back down and inspect the area I intended to mine. I walked down the south canyon. This canyon contains the rock formation known as the pinnacle which is in the center of the Amy Ellen Claim above the south end of the Christine Marie Claim. The descent is steep from the top of the canyon, but it is a shorter distance than walking down the road, and there is a good game trail to follow.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBd5YNmSGF8N8-8osNqTGKeB4olASer2bbMvyp2Zw_xsLrFMkJi8yI0wP4oAOQSyfKVuFdXoAFbCCpPV96_0UjD4yUeXPiXl3Cdd7tShLVEc3KxqCIp60U0n11wykQ00sraGYn5Pj0WnWh/s1600/pinnacle_and_mine.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBd5YNmSGF8N8-8osNqTGKeB4olASer2bbMvyp2Zw_xsLrFMkJi8yI0wP4oAOQSyfKVuFdXoAFbCCpPV96_0UjD4yUeXPiXl3Cdd7tShLVEc3KxqCIp60U0n11wykQ00sraGYn5Pj0WnWh/s320/pinnacle_and_mine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pinnacle (right) is on the opposite side of the photo from the Christine Marie mine (left).</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> The area which had signs of good jasper is a strange mixture of very large rocks (5-10 tons each) and small shattered rocks (1/2-2lbs.). I could see that it would be necessary to route the road underneath the largest rock on the side of the hill. I would probably start working under the big rock. I saw a small piece of jasper sticking out of the ground. I picked it up and wiped off the dirt. The piece was loose and not attached to any larger rocks. It was part of a seam with a very dark blue – almost black – outside and a soft looking light blue “egg pattern” on the inside. It had a gemmy consistency and a beautiful pattern. I immediately started back up the canyon to show Jake. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sfc8JGCOZtkpUUMdP4fbiRz78icCJJu8YrhGknwH5iihETToArHTvO6WhXnsgMZKBWAdpJ5_5PK3PJumg7tyjcS880pJOl4VRzKU8KOOQumdHlr76Dkla87C-8qQiu1Cv2oAfGVoPHqz/s1600/pinnacle.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sfc8JGCOZtkpUUMdP4fbiRz78icCJJu8YrhGknwH5iihETToArHTvO6WhXnsgMZKBWAdpJ5_5PK3PJumg7tyjcS880pJOl4VRzKU8KOOQumdHlr76Dkla87C-8qQiu1Cv2oAfGVoPHqz/s320/pinnacle.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pinnacle above the Christine Marie Claim.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After the steep climb out of the canyon, Jake and I sat in his cabin examining the rock. “You know,” Jake said, “there are two good sides to that rock, and there should be two more pieces of that seam down there.” And then, to my surprise, he said, “Let’s go down and take a look.” For the third time that day, down the canyon we went with about two hours of light left in the sky. I had not marked the spot where I found the jasper, but I felt sure I could get right back to that spot.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">We walked all over the side of the hill, but could not find another piece of jasper like the one I found earlier. We climbed back up to the cabins and arrived with just a glow left in the western sky. In the next eight years of mining this area, I never found another piece of this vein.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcnt0p5ByrQBosVUXosUnN-8Jb7SHCG1cimbsKDTZay1AjxvPk3rf5FoTJ0Xy-EsvdSbnv4-CQaybgAacyQsmzsxuHPvFXK_ONEaGNfzL5mIa-IPRZWozlqiB-oFtJerxrdBviGuMHJim/s1600/cm_mine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcnt0p5ByrQBosVUXosUnN-8Jb7SHCG1cimbsKDTZay1AjxvPk3rf5FoTJ0Xy-EsvdSbnv4-CQaybgAacyQsmzsxuHPvFXK_ONEaGNfzL5mIa-IPRZWozlqiB-oFtJerxrdBviGuMHJim/s320/cm_mine.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Christine Marie Mine at its most dug.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-41543605027890084902011-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:002011-09-06T14:49:32.696-07:00Roads: Going Over the Edge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYGQzYiVuiZlE43TG7HH_gf1i29yvMwT7S3AQXZSnW8oQBrKQh0ZRN5uNjvf7f4pc8EMDgDjXepoFIMMJfg6RJx3SpHe-_BKYdWrzGC-tGaFU0yYYkHriVJlXS2Ltlzlyw9qRGa8aqyJ-/s1600/Close-Up_of_Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYGQzYiVuiZlE43TG7HH_gf1i29yvMwT7S3AQXZSnW8oQBrKQh0ZRN5uNjvf7f4pc8EMDgDjXepoFIMMJfg6RJx3SpHe-_BKYdWrzGC-tGaFU0yYYkHriVJlXS2Ltlzlyw9qRGa8aqyJ-/s320/Close-Up_of_Road.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"> The rock ridge that extends out towards the Owyhee River from the Jake’s Place mine becomes a vertical cliff before it meets the talus rock slope below. This is the first place that I could move the route of the road out of this canyon and onto the rock slide between this canyon and the next. After the nine switchbacks down the canyon, the road had to go past the base of the cliff, across the rock slide between the two canyons, and down into the next canyon. The area that contains the best jasper on the Christine Marie Claim is in the slide between the next canyon and the one after that -- on the southern portion of the claim.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> I had just finished building switchback number nine and was looking down towards the cliff that I had to go around. It looked like I had one more, steep slope down. Then I could lessen the slope of the road and even build it level to the horizon for a while. The rest of the road would be a downhill route around the sides of hills to the south end of the Christine Marie. There would be no more switchbacks.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeqf3sgj4u2-h9_o9PlBMcSZ0k58CJxniX_Q65WHEBSePd3YsGYbhv5PBJluzp-HZ4qoMe3LO_F2rw29yPjSEjS03eS8MJIoSEzoWUSydS5s-mRXCtQa3_6jFY0pACGDNCYgCszIkLKQS/s1600/gene_machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0bHT5hUoZGmDhRnUGjNoADMbL1uAFympjQNCH4UAnbKYOaPk1V02BPshmAA66CDJPSAz6bKvyzewegwdH7TaEF0zwcbClou7IBzoA5j_4iO_bbkgn_3S0Yc8fwawOEBk_qWNiqzsS6xO/s1600/Satelite_of_Roads.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0bHT5hUoZGmDhRnUGjNoADMbL1uAFympjQNCH4UAnbKYOaPk1V02BPshmAA66CDJPSAz6bKvyzewegwdH7TaEF0zwcbClou7IBzoA5j_4iO_bbkgn_3S0Yc8fwawOEBk_qWNiqzsS6xO/s320/Satelite_of_Roads.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was having a lot of trouble building the road around the corner at the bottom of the cliff. There was not a lot of rock to work with and not much room to move it either. I had to angle the road down again to get past the lower end of the loose rock slide created from the mining above. I was in a bunch of big rocks when I got stuck with the dozer almost sideways on the road. I could not move backwards and the only way forward was down over the slide and down the slope.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Rationalizations for actions in dangerous situations are easily colored by desires that do not reflect reality. I remember thinking that I could just drive the dozer down the slope and start working on the road from the other direction. Never mind that ten tons of steel goes down a slope with a great deal of speed, that the machine could roll over easily killing me in the process, or that operating the dozer on a 60 degree slope might be a little different than operating on flat ground. But the road had to be built.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> I went over the side. I lost all control. I grabbed the right clutch to straighten the machine out as I felt it slide and immediately grabbed the left clutch as I started to slide the other way. With my right hand free I slammed the hydraulic control forward lowering the blade. Rock collected in front of the blade and stopped the machine upright facing straight down the hill. The ride lasted about four seconds.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">I sat down on a rock for about 10 minutes with my whole body shaking. I had survived the catastrophe which resulted from a very rash decision. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeqf3sgj4u2-h9_o9PlBMcSZ0k58CJxniX_Q65WHEBSePd3YsGYbhv5PBJluzp-HZ4qoMe3LO_F2rw29yPjSEjS03eS8MJIoSEzoWUSydS5s-mRXCtQa3_6jFY0pACGDNCYgCszIkLKQS/s1600/gene_machine.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeqf3sgj4u2-h9_o9PlBMcSZ0k58CJxniX_Q65WHEBSePd3YsGYbhv5PBJluzp-HZ4qoMe3LO_F2rw29yPjSEjS03eS8MJIoSEzoWUSydS5s-mRXCtQa3_6jFY0pACGDNCYgCszIkLKQS/s320/gene_machine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">I walked up to where Jake was working and told him what had happened. The next day he brought his front-end loader down, continued construction on the road down past where I went over to the side and built a spur road over to, and just under, my dozer. I started the dozer, drove it onto the spur road and up to the main road. Getting back on the machine was one of the hardest things I have ever done. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-11554195751314219192011-08-18T10:13:00.000-07:002011-08-18T12:52:18.446-07:00Wiggins Fork Fire<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrDZHpfxo1FvC_crY0ZLbglkKT_ncNyO_5gsudxuQN7hk9I_AjMnFHiBz6TVvHpliPCS7e6hFd2kc59UERldwEavLhCNlGQbtxhdgqjb9hlAGgmhm5Yp-kkQzBk5m3YA17mzNw3m3r7FD/s1600/100_0356.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrDZHpfxo1FvC_crY0ZLbglkKT_ncNyO_5gsudxuQN7hk9I_AjMnFHiBz6TVvHpliPCS7e6hFd2kc59UERldwEavLhCNlGQbtxhdgqjb9hlAGgmhm5Yp-kkQzBk5m3YA17mzNw3m3r7FD/s400/100_0356.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vapor cloud from fire 7.25 as viewed from Horse Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPr9uxGnDZogSNBbndMwzhyphenhyphenTMMp-J-k08lobj5ErhfuFnJmRi0jtPn8lhWQzjTS2CarnaRAdjc5daG9QbL1hxY5I1T_Ri4sU4J50v5veUQmV0eTPOkxFRoFsOdQ1Mrr4jqSGdQQpRZvLcu/s1600/100_0357.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPr9uxGnDZogSNBbndMwzhyphenhyphenTMMp-J-k08lobj5ErhfuFnJmRi0jtPn8lhWQzjTS2CarnaRAdjc5daG9QbL1hxY5I1T_Ri4sU4J50v5veUQmV0eTPOkxFRoFsOdQ1Mrr4jqSGdQQpRZvLcu/s200/100_0357.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the fire from 3 miles away 7.26</td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div class="MsoNormal">Every year I travel to Wiggins Fork / Double Cabin Campground, Wyoming to collect Petrified Wood and Limb casts. I have done this for 39 years. The Campground is at 8300 feet, and the agate casts form at about 9000 feet. The Petrified Wood is in the mountains at about 10,000 feet. All of these materials wash down the rivers and can be found in the river gravels.</div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnJ0ftPEY3QeNlNOrQGiLCBEojfay9J0gm6UE_l2RjC0l6gN3H8T3FEH51nvtzVwbFIvSaDgTX2Lnk9wiEhY4fJejmTfg_EcSITGVP7kKvcJ15C5gN_806E8I00IihIT1rf4vRvAZPrfT/s1600/100_0358.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnJ0ftPEY3QeNlNOrQGiLCBEojfay9J0gm6UE_l2RjC0l6gN3H8T3FEH51nvtzVwbFIvSaDgTX2Lnk9wiEhY4fJejmTfg_EcSITGVP7kKvcJ15C5gN_806E8I00IihIT1rf4vRvAZPrfT/s200/100_0358.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norton Point, morning of 7.26</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This year my wife and I arrived on Monday, July 25<sup>th</sup> at Horse Creek Campground, ten miles north of Dubois, Wyoming. We had received a message that a small fire had started on Norton Point and that the Forest Service had recommended that everyone leave Double Cabin Campground.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx2N1UzruBCVb8mhDFQDwrHXjbJ62VdpVNPyrzoz0KzV4E0Kj99mCqUh9yta29-rl6YvY0udqSgK9vLf-i9RIcGU7Af-TY9UPcr9Dlggg9nUqyISSFt7Q8BsJtjLudcM7nZuebEbg1918/s1600/100_0360.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx2N1UzruBCVb8mhDFQDwrHXjbJ62VdpVNPyrzoz0KzV4E0Kj99mCqUh9yta29-rl6YvY0udqSgK9vLf-i9RIcGU7Af-TY9UPcr9Dlggg9nUqyISSFt7Q8BsJtjLudcM7nZuebEbg1918/s200/100_0360.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fires burning on Burn Creek and Fire Creek, east of Wiggins 7.26</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">On the previous Friday a storm had come through the area with lightening and started a small fire. On Friday it was still burning but not of much concern. On Saturday there was a strong wind, and the fire expanded and started to move. On Sunday the fire moved very quickly down the slope on Norton, jumped Wiggins Creek, and started up the other side.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi683npSmcUUQak8wJu9cbRHlEpXOYf36SQCrCa6y_QJ848nvd3b__1MVC8gFUY0d6pjlJdEwtc8s8tOrvBriQnn7nSnF4-VewdE1FCf8V96MYc9ZY0mqRBk6Zjmc_ewtuWh7-iuPopxbR6/s1600/100_0361.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi683npSmcUUQak8wJu9cbRHlEpXOYf36SQCrCa6y_QJ848nvd3b__1MVC8gFUY0d6pjlJdEwtc8s8tOrvBriQnn7nSnF4-VewdE1FCf8V96MYc9ZY0mqRBk6Zjmc_ewtuWh7-iuPopxbR6/s200/100_0361.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burning towards Frontier Creek 7.26</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">On Tuesday we drove up to Double Cabin and watched the fire all day from the far side of the meadow on Frontier Creek, opposite the fire which moved slowly down the slope against the wind toward the creek. I have never witnessed a forest fire before, and it was amazing to hear and see trees explode into flames as if they were bombed from a mysterious source.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWrw9NgC0i_cQQfS1b_4VQRyFylwcoWmN9jQ9vuTk8xhV2efpiv0U_iN0jYA0tVBtqO7jAu-jHEhjjn49J-5VIMWqO_jeZX_70HLhcIINp9JLcGzhwmrwbQC-rEr4wYn-Uk71iV6pYHuK/s1600/100_0362.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWrw9NgC0i_cQQfS1b_4VQRyFylwcoWmN9jQ9vuTk8xhV2efpiv0U_iN0jYA0tVBtqO7jAu-jHEhjjn49J-5VIMWqO_jeZX_70HLhcIINp9JLcGzhwmrwbQC-rEr4wYn-Uk71iV6pYHuK/s200/100_0362.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frontier Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The fire stopped at Frontier Creek and Norton Creek, but moved all the way up Wiggins Creek. It also traveled over the ridge and down into Caldwell Creek and was threatening Bug Creek. On Saturday, August 6th, the Forest Service and Fire Fighters held a public meeting where they explained that the fire had so far cost one million dollars but that no one had yet been injured by it. After a little more than a week of the fire burning, Double Cabin Campground was reopened, and we were able to spend four days there. Some of my pictures were taken at that time. On our last day there, August eleventh, the fire intensified and burned most of Caldwell Creek. The Forest Service said they expected the fire to continue until the first snow fall.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Listed below is a first-hand account from Tom Noe who was up Wiggins Creek on Sunday.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jqZT-PEv9bOiXpY-lGVmyJa68Z8XfV3RKCQeZRKbtCd3JpgShW8p8Rz23G-f9HvKVUW2FK7Z6TMtfTvXW3KVkns3BjNY6tRBBSyljmWwrB_5taWceTjX5s5WElaFVR_t0evvDEd3vnI9/s1600/100_0365.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jqZT-PEv9bOiXpY-lGVmyJa68Z8XfV3RKCQeZRKbtCd3JpgShW8p8Rz23G-f9HvKVUW2FK7Z6TMtfTvXW3KVkns3BjNY6tRBBSyljmWwrB_5taWceTjX5s5WElaFVR_t0evvDEd3vnI9/s400/100_0365.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire intensifying near Elk Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> <i>Late Saturday afternoon I was camped close to the Frontier Creek trailhead lying under the cap of my truck in the back and working a crossword puzzle. I looked east and saw what looked like a streamer of campfire smoke just across Frontier Creek, rising maybe 150 yards north and upslope of the ranger cabin. It was about 300 yards away from me. I knew there wasn’t any trail over there, and I couldn’t think of any reason why anybody would be camping there; it was dense forest and probably had lots of downed and dead trees. No place for hiking. And why would anybody be starting a campfire at that time of day anyhow? I decided to let Earl, the campground host, know about it. It took a few minutes to walk across the meadow, and when I got to Earl’s rig he was just coming out with binoculars. Somebody had notified him already and he’d just notified the rangers. I told him I didn’t think that was a campfire, and he looked and said, “No, it’s not, and it’s getting bigger.” He said it was probably a lightning strike from Friday night, when we had a storm with lots of lightning and wind. (The tenters next to me had all the stakes in one of their tents pulled up. The only thing keeping the tent down was them sleeping in it!) Earl said a tree had probably been hit then, and it finally got enough oxygen to start burning.</i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqV-4uVaLzNP8OZQHwvp-F-jcQNBToe4cvwoOAhEPJ6l0i9IhKyHbL17ibiQFryTd5h-tHuLHxSP86gJsSBsdtY1LpaqraT2C7ABpq651HY2u5lxCmhB2wLdpi8dW5-08eFcYFQF0pjQHg/s1600/Tome+Noe+1+Early+view+of+fire.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqV-4uVaLzNP8OZQHwvp-F-jcQNBToe4cvwoOAhEPJ6l0i9IhKyHbL17ibiQFryTd5h-tHuLHxSP86gJsSBsdtY1LpaqraT2C7ABpq651HY2u5lxCmhB2wLdpi8dW5-08eFcYFQF0pjQHg/s320/Tome+Noe+1+Early+view+of+fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early view of the fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><i> </i><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiGtTGE-D0r-1NUXTWg9QH-c6MtcJmm8DayFplTml9uFVhpJWvfaqLfUx_SyDXnj0NzYp7XspJpz39R5U_dl3kuGNJIXZdx2QelPsbY18L0CtYO5XPja1vu4orFFRfhRYvxyFhvi_3e9E/s1600/100_0364.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiGtTGE-D0r-1NUXTWg9QH-c6MtcJmm8DayFplTml9uFVhpJWvfaqLfUx_SyDXnj0NzYp7XspJpz39R5U_dl3kuGNJIXZdx2QelPsbY18L0CtYO5XPja1vu4orFFRfhRYvxyFhvi_3e9E/s200/100_0364.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire approaching Frontier Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I walked back to my truck and took some photos over the next few hours. I saw three firefighters head across the creek at 8:30 and took a picture of them. Later, just about dark, one of the rangers drove around to my site and she explained that the fire was close to the wilderness area. If it had been in the wilderness area, letting it burn would be the policy, but it was in the national forest and the campground area had 300 people in it. The Wind River Backcountry Horsemen had a huge gathering, including over 100 horses, the biggest crowd ever in the campground area, and with human safety a concern they had decided to put the fire out. It was about half to 2/3 of an acre at that point. The three firefighters were going to fight it until midnight. Sunday morning a larger team would be coming in. They didn’t think they would need aerial support, but a helicopter at Yellowstone was standing by just in case. She was very confident that the fire would be out Sunday just using ground tactics. That was the plan.</i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaF85Wli91QrNXhGAtPVWrg8prCFaZxjR1v2zWqerxk21nmDMYl3b7rGbtJZE7SaMT49XNL4aMQzf0bRKlVsJiHZhBjRH0g9UMj1kaWh70VcHm21gkWKPLra5HYz0iygmh8qzHr1bze0F/s1600/Tome+Noe+2+8-30%252C+yellow+firefighter+%2528speck+on+right%2529+going+to+fight+fire.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaF85Wli91QrNXhGAtPVWrg8prCFaZxjR1v2zWqerxk21nmDMYl3b7rGbtJZE7SaMT49XNL4aMQzf0bRKlVsJiHZhBjRH0g9UMj1kaWh70VcHm21gkWKPLra5HYz0iygmh8qzHr1bze0F/s320/Tome+Noe+2+8-30%252C+yellow+firefighter+%2528speck+on+right%2529+going+to+fight+fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fire as the firefighters arrive</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<i>I went to sleep in the back of the truck and watched the orange glow from the fire as night fell. Whenever I woke up during the night the orange glow was coming up from the site of the fire. It didn’t seem to get much bigger overnight.</i></div><i> </i><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEnZ7U4w_Ea5AFmUEYjYTeYsASlOAD_z8SUsC8vQXyjd2i4tfRPklPGc_Mydj-PtJ5KH4k468Bzi_B8uJJE1YDg_M8IFbKO1WyLp1CcRBMh3Cxx3kG50GviKz52uj35g5ctnZvI9YIpjn/s1600/100_0363.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEnZ7U4w_Ea5AFmUEYjYTeYsASlOAD_z8SUsC8vQXyjd2i4tfRPklPGc_Mydj-PtJ5KH4k468Bzi_B8uJJE1YDg_M8IFbKO1WyLp1CcRBMh3Cxx3kG50GviKz52uj35g5ctnZvI9YIpjn/s200/100_0363.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frontier Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Sunday morning I checked with Earl again about current information. At first the valley was full of smoke but it cleared off and the sun was shining. He said all the trails were still open and the word was still that they would be putting the fire out. I could see three green Forest Service trucks close to the campground entrance but no personnel. I told him in that case I’d be heading up Wiggins Fork to look for petrified wood. He asked me how far I’d be going and I said not far. I wanted him to know where I was.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I waded Frontier Creek and then hiked across the point on the trail by the cabin, then up Wiggins Fork, so I had pretty much gone around the fire completely. It showed as a column of smoke rising with the wind taking it slowly east. Couldn’t see any flames. Occasionally, as I was hunting the Wiggins gravel terraces for wood, I noticed that the column of smoke was getting bigger, but I assumed that was because the day was heating up.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCQytz3_mvtQfFjUyyPoBEiPMtYyG62LiMSwS2UlYKoPR3dNFgN62QoTBnCaB_G1Un9dC71bP6eLFSlDy9SjjA9TavUR9H-9vREPo0xTXXgU9cA7MxTPIu7W29vDgBpvF87amUZ3QhTPq/s1600/Tom+Noe+3+Sunday+morning.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCQytz3_mvtQfFjUyyPoBEiPMtYyG62LiMSwS2UlYKoPR3dNFgN62QoTBnCaB_G1Un9dC71bP6eLFSlDy9SjjA9TavUR9H-9vREPo0xTXXgU9cA7MxTPIu7W29vDgBpvF87amUZ3QhTPq/s320/Tom+Noe+3+Sunday+morning.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monday morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYPsFcJ7YJeJGLQ-Dkgfi_nDHZzJNiP5WnZRo5g-KDIpaZbnLQqnEe2eeRlAI6Wmd-7afFjISs10rAzXstr43Bn9scprc_I2vm_7ldJH8KTVo8Dtby066nvBIm68f0qPzcqt7c-cf0TYq/s1600/100_0367.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYPsFcJ7YJeJGLQ-Dkgfi_nDHZzJNiP5WnZRo5g-KDIpaZbnLQqnEe2eeRlAI6Wmd-7afFjISs10rAzXstr43Bn9scprc_I2vm_7ldJH8KTVo8Dtby066nvBIm68f0qPzcqt7c-cf0TYq/s200/100_0367.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Norton Point</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bgZxbtF1nBP4MI-p7UY8JsdMy4CS2Frlaf6ptF1IexyM-L2bUGeXXFJL6BljEGdP_Dpyy_3dWqDOauOn9iO8P7rW0Cf2blrQ0ZqNq0I5-Fl4H222lhd-Z6ELpsnzQOR8I5HG6LL0YmQa/s1600/100_0366.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bgZxbtF1nBP4MI-p7UY8JsdMy4CS2Frlaf6ptF1IexyM-L2bUGeXXFJL6BljEGdP_Dpyy_3dWqDOauOn9iO8P7rW0Cf2blrQ0ZqNq0I5-Fl4H222lhd-Z6ELpsnzQOR8I5HG6LL0YmQa/s200/100_0366.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Norton Point</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>About 10, I looked south down the canyon and the fire had spread down to the western banks of Wiggins Fork. Flames were twice as high as the trees. Some trees exploded from the heat, and I was close enough that I could feel the heat flashes on my face. I decided that was too close, so I walked north. The fire seemed to be burning faster right next to the bank than it was across the upper slopes. I didn’t want to head back down that way while the fire was burning so fiercely, since the wind then was stronger from the west, and flames were blowing east over the creek. I thought that if the fire jumped the creek I’d be in real trouble, and about noon they did. They spread north a lot faster on the east bank of Wiggins than on the west bank. Through the afternoon I kept moving north as the fire came north. I’d watch it from the terraces in the middle of the river. It was impressive. That whole end of the canyon looked completely cut off, and I didn’t see how I was going to get back to the campground. I figured they’d have to send a helicopter for me, and I was glad Earl knew where I was. I didn’t think climbing the ridge back over to the Frontier drainage would be a good idea. I could break an ankle or something, and that would put me in a place where nobody knew where I was. I knew I could stay out all night if need be—I had rain gear and matches (not that I needed matches) and I could build a campfire from driftwood to stay warm and use water from the creek to drink. I’d only been planning to stay out until noon, so I didn’t have much clean water and only a little food. I didn’t want to drink from the creek unless I had to.</i></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><i>By early afternoon a helicopter was cruising around overhead every so often, but way high, looking at the expanding fire, not low enough to spot me. But I still waved my hat and my handkerchief on a stick to try and get their attention.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg128eM_mmbp_GFrM11sbvdIUTSQwMvk3FxElOgj_vbCXkW8cgYI2n3_VuAtQ_S71kBYT-16VV3Felh1mKc_NXMfK9F6A_YReThyphenhyphensmxbgHby4bvxi0L0vY_SC0scmp6Gxo-Ex22blgG3z8y/s1600/Tom+Noe+4+Later+Sunday+morning.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg128eM_mmbp_GFrM11sbvdIUTSQwMvk3FxElOgj_vbCXkW8cgYI2n3_VuAtQ_S71kBYT-16VV3Felh1mKc_NXMfK9F6A_YReThyphenhyphensmxbgHby4bvxi0L0vY_SC0scmp6Gxo-Ex22blgG3z8y/s320/Tom+Noe+4+Later+Sunday+morning.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later Sunday morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTYRtuPLN8QE2Qzrfa_03QVWrdD600DWMpAGCFEOY_RDxLcXoK7v3KZPZj06aDwM-6LuNHthaEqOs-4jWj_lp-VbYkRgsqAZeRhCiM2qK_ZbFDfe7eR9e1i5A5w_vAVsNDdFDo5euWqSeH/s1600/100_0370.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTYRtuPLN8QE2Qzrfa_03QVWrdD600DWMpAGCFEOY_RDxLcXoK7v3KZPZj06aDwM-6LuNHthaEqOs-4jWj_lp-VbYkRgsqAZeRhCiM2qK_ZbFDfe7eR9e1i5A5w_vAVsNDdFDo5euWqSeH/s200/100_0370.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From Frontier Creek Looking at Norton Point</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Late in the afternoon a fishing party from Nebraska of five men, four horses and a dog was coming south along Wiggins. They’d abandoned the Wiggins Trail because it was blocked by fire, and entered the streambed south of me. So I was behind them, but I waved my handkerchief on a stick and caught somebody’s attention, then I went down to talk with them. I had met them several days earlier. Like me, they’d heard that the fire was under control, small, and supposed to be put out on Sunday, so they went out fishing as usual.</i></div><i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYbPbsLgvHLgYbi7ZbJxZVio1tlrp8N0shiAYTpxiLk6lrVm2qviX2Fo8GE2XGYZHvwOn-02PJgXSGQvJXUaoGYqLJJRYLP9MZkDxRMKCSB2x2DTLmtNpKwcmIc2TVcbVSdT60MMMt8_W/s1600/100_0371.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYbPbsLgvHLgYbi7ZbJxZVio1tlrp8N0shiAYTpxiLk6lrVm2qviX2Fo8GE2XGYZHvwOn-02PJgXSGQvJXUaoGYqLJJRYLP9MZkDxRMKCSB2x2DTLmtNpKwcmIc2TVcbVSdT60MMMt8_W/s200/100_0371.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Norton Point</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Mark, the leader, said they were going to head south in the middle of the creek, stay away from any falling trees along the bank, and make for the camping area. I told them I wasn’t going to do that. No way. I had been caught in the woods during the 1988 fires in Yellowstone, with fires burning all around me in a 40 mph wind, and I knew fire could do anything once it got started. The end of the canyon was full of smoke, and fire was burning on both sides. I told them if they wanted to try that it was fine, and if they got through to let somebody know where I was.</i></div><i> </i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><i>They left, and as they disappeared into the smoke there were trees bursting into flame on the bank by them. A little later the helicopter came racing straight up the canyon, quite a bit lower this time. I thought they finally might be looking for me, and I found out later they were, so I waved like a crazy man, but they didn’t see me. I was right in the middle of the creek on a gravel terrace, in plain view. But they seemed to be going about 80 mph.</i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9GzbHccpRlNwKu5kyaJlr3ViEegz7sPdc35SgYCWGJPQWzxSBIH7MagSBRomaektE_wb9avDIBczoGvKPmgJIbzsTG7gt8viiYN1xMDmcryVouw47JF8UD4PlKzHuFL9gogCM5O5SZAk/s1600/Tom+Noe+5+Monday+morning%252C+1+mile+away.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9GzbHccpRlNwKu5kyaJlr3ViEegz7sPdc35SgYCWGJPQWzxSBIH7MagSBRomaektE_wb9avDIBczoGvKPmgJIbzsTG7gt8viiYN1xMDmcryVouw47JF8UD4PlKzHuFL9gogCM5O5SZAk/s320/Tom+Noe+5+Monday+morning%252C+1+mile+away.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monday morning -- one mile away</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i> Then no more helicopter, and the fishermen had been gone for about 45 minutes, and the sun was heading behind the ridge, and I figured if I wanted to get back to my truck before dark I had to start south no matter what. It was cooling down and the fire was less severe by then. Smoke was still strong.</i></div><i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sGZjjKVpfba5VQ70ym5Mw4BBhgn-9AuKT_wdLhAJtUmSj_DCf79s27Ysx5lWz0UpE0gKjIk8ikhIhEmcqFJ1hg_NnlFYYNZYF4TkLxfbKiTzaB8bHIIcU29wi9dj1qVZ309By2OiT2uc/s1600/100_0372.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sGZjjKVpfba5VQ70ym5Mw4BBhgn-9AuKT_wdLhAJtUmSj_DCf79s27Ysx5lWz0UpE0gKjIk8ikhIhEmcqFJ1hg_NnlFYYNZYF4TkLxfbKiTzaB8bHIIcU29wi9dj1qVZ309By2OiT2uc/s200/100_0372.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Norton Creek holding the fire from spreading west</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>So I headed into the fire area. Trees on the west side of the creek were bursting into flame every so often, and the fire on the other side seemed to be farther back in the trees but creating a lot of smoke. Some younger trees right next to the water and out on the terraces were fine, still green, but a lot of the driftwood on the gravel beds had burned and I was stepping over remnants of driftwood logs and trunks, smoking shadows of ash left on the rocks.</i></div><i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bN8Pps1GIQAxLVIkwWuBd4YNFLgUzvQA7wb8_d4nAD8-rVMPhC9JL_MruMq7POY2XL6fY-Wk4iRcj7-pnRPSu2u5PBrBoUm0DbJE1GZBA5mJVQeCsZbuEarrNv4OP8kFHF_16MpITCiK/s1600/100_0373.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bN8Pps1GIQAxLVIkwWuBd4YNFLgUzvQA7wb8_d4nAD8-rVMPhC9JL_MruMq7POY2XL6fY-Wk4iRcj7-pnRPSu2u5PBrBoUm0DbJE1GZBA5mJVQeCsZbuEarrNv4OP8kFHF_16MpITCiK/s200/100_0373.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trees Exploding</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I found the place where the trail led around by the cabin—the way I’d come that morning—and it was burning, so I knew I’d have to go farther south. At one point I was wading across one of the streams and fell in, so that meant spending the night out wasn’t an option anymore. It was hard to keep my footing anytime I stepped in, and my ankles started swelling. My lips were sticking together and I figured that was dehydration. My legs were cramping, probably hypothermia. I kept telling myself, “Don’t do anything stupid.”</i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTNKc6W9AQD5DyC747GsrW4AnaKhdDork1rFu9dctb125goY9fhOo2ZySvexXFZjr3bSAIlj5Bm0gyGiYS_N5XxQ4Pwa3IBCNu8qc3nERHmczdvJLnti8Fkgm9utBCqKlvfAoYlSICCNY/s1600/Tom+Noe+6+Monday+afternoon+from+30+miles+away.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTNKc6W9AQD5DyC747GsrW4AnaKhdDork1rFu9dctb125goY9fhOo2ZySvexXFZjr3bSAIlj5Bm0gyGiYS_N5XxQ4Pwa3IBCNu8qc3nERHmczdvJLnti8Fkgm9utBCqKlvfAoYlSICCNY/s320/Tom+Noe+6+Monday+afternoon+from+30+miles+away.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monday afternoon from 30 miles away</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3WnOpbPJQna-LQyVLUK_MZGZixcPlrvSBrevr7tYgNr2p_1dMDJowdtqokYiwn7jkPHpui0OJukbt5oiL9haVkmmLysB8pAjbwP6jqplGjzoOWey8ThamJu84KyVImooDDmVs83sxYQC/s1600/100_0374.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3WnOpbPJQna-LQyVLUK_MZGZixcPlrvSBrevr7tYgNr2p_1dMDJowdtqokYiwn7jkPHpui0OJukbt5oiL9haVkmmLysB8pAjbwP6jqplGjzoOWey8ThamJu84KyVImooDDmVs83sxYQC/s200/100_0374.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trees Exploding</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I got down across from the meadow south of the campground, picking my way carefully through the braided streams to avoid the deepest parts, but it was dusk by then and hard to tell the depth of the water. I left the wood and my backpack on the east bank, and figured I’d come back for them in the morning. When I reached shore I needed to get moving as fast as I could to my truck and get into some warm clothes. It was probably about half a mile. I stopped on the way to let Earl and the Nebraska fishermen know I was okay. It was dark when I reached the truck, so I changed as fast as I could, but my hands weren’t working right. I couldn’t tie my shoelaces, and my legs were still cramping, and my teeth were chattering. I had a quart of sun tea that was still warm from the day’s heat, so I drank all of that. I started the engine and sat in the cab until it got warm, but I didn’t feel any warmer. I wanted to get a fire started in my little camp stove and boil some water for tea, but I couldn’t use my hands for anything. With my coffee cup and a teabag I went miserably back across the meadow to the Nebraska fishermen to see if they could boil some water for me, and they invited me to stay for supper. I could barely talk. They had fresh elk ribs and chicken and corn on the cob. I couldn’t hold the corn on the cob in my hand. Finally I could feel my hands again and I had some food in me, so I felt pretty good, but I was exhausted and I kept staring off into space, picturing the scenes of that afternoon with the fires coming up the canyon toward me. We all sat around the campfire and watched the flames from the fire against the mountains, which by then was in the upper slopes on the east side of the valley. Nothing like a nice forest fire to pass the time.</i></div><i> </i><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRvZ5lLgUqTyGqlpF1lhmXH1kMLE7l98vEQjdtesuxdLxuu9rNjCmMk5KdfrSzHrrvQhZHKEo1oxoTscysBl4h9Hao55IbfOCckR_SnXR2zQuHdOllekKDDT-TufpVr4IakTM3XtAx-mp/s1600/100_0436.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRvZ5lLgUqTyGqlpF1lhmXH1kMLE7l98vEQjdtesuxdLxuu9rNjCmMk5KdfrSzHrrvQhZHKEo1oxoTscysBl4h9Hao55IbfOCckR_SnXR2zQuHdOllekKDDT-TufpVr4IakTM3XtAx-mp/s200/100_0436.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Vapor cloud from fire on Caldwell Creek 8.11</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXmyovaN7o-1nsT8Cd2LwLhybmmi_uCW5Yzpbx2liDRyNDfqYNdj5l6CBCSHfS3rILBpU1LlKduYrSABipmACGEJcmum1QioMKiMFddMdskoS2txb5bEd-fPA0BQlnEBgQTXHVFra_WDt/s1600/100_0435.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXmyovaN7o-1nsT8Cd2LwLhybmmi_uCW5Yzpbx2liDRyNDfqYNdj5l6CBCSHfS3rILBpU1LlKduYrSABipmACGEJcmum1QioMKiMFddMdskoS2txb5bEd-fPA0BQlnEBgQTXHVFra_WDt/s200/100_0435.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Burnt area near Norton Creek 8.11</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>The next morning I made three trips back and forth to the place where I’d left my wood and gear. I didn’t want to risk falling in again. Getting in the water even for a minute left my legs cherry red. There was nothing much to do the rest of that day (Monday) except watch the fire, since all the trails but Frontier Creek were closed, so I said goodbye to the fishermen and got some advice from Earl on other places south along the river to look for wood, and that’s where I headed. The fire was just starting to spread north along Frontier Creek, so that meant it would eventually jump the creek and spread along the western side, where the campground was. The firefighters were trying to save the cabin and the campground, but otherwise letting the fire go. The Nebraska folks were hoping to stay, but I figured Frontier would be closed soon (and it was). They had plans to be at Double Cabin a week and didn’t have any other options set up. Depending on the wind, you were either getting a wonderful view of the huge column of smoke and trees bursting into orange flame, or you were in the middle of the smoke with watering eyes.</i></div><i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUCgZQEJhT78V0VyLvcfEu4d-4_EJXB6Z2Vm9F8nQja07JWnw3gMOvExifsgpVMSKRqVfCZurWbKazPM7A3_NbcujzqG-_QD064Zhr9cMJo7vkR0sI9PIFF6KVql5fwkGxELzgfTdgUb0/s1600/100_0438.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUCgZQEJhT78V0VyLvcfEu4d-4_EJXB6Z2Vm9F8nQja07JWnw3gMOvExifsgpVMSKRqVfCZurWbKazPM7A3_NbcujzqG-_QD064Zhr9cMJo7vkR0sI9PIFF6KVql5fwkGxELzgfTdgUb0/s200/100_0438.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caldwell Creek on the other side of the mountain</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>When the Forest Service decided to “let the fire burn,” I don’t know if that was just another way of saying they had lost control of it. Not that it made much difference at that point. One person who saw the firefighters come on Sunday morning said they didn’t seem to be in any rush. They were having coffee, chatting, not dashing over to the fire. I guess they were real confident they could put it out.</i></div><i> </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnboKdgONrEu5XTFQgb5rGsj-OD0ghrQznTyakvvI6C2X_neI7Nk2a0i_quPSaqVuuQQfOqfeSC5brFDj0ypD8ZbnTMDPgeuO_0HHgyidr8lwfujCOC2RPG1ayLbWM49Z_EjmKCxcfkZlc/s1600/100_0439.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnboKdgONrEu5XTFQgb5rGsj-OD0ghrQznTyakvvI6C2X_neI7Nk2a0i_quPSaqVuuQQfOqfeSC5brFDj0ypD8ZbnTMDPgeuO_0HHgyidr8lwfujCOC2RPG1ayLbWM49Z_EjmKCxcfkZlc/s200/100_0439.JPG" width="200" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caldwell Creek</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Of course, they were telling everybody, “We’re putting it out and all the trails are open,” so they knew there were people on the trails. I wish they had sent somebody out on a horse to let me know. Earl knew right where I was and he told them. I wasn’t much more than a mile away at that point.<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I haven’t heard of anybody getting injured by the fire, but I was pretty banged up and exhausted. At home in Indiana I finally got all the smoke smell washed out of my truck. I hear the campground is open again. I may go back next year just to see what it looks like. The last time I was there in 1992 all the trees were alive, so it looked a lot different when I got there this year, and next year will be something else again.<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tom<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> </span></i></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrjEozC5vsjFC7Jl7WmCI3xAwOuHGp4Rf5Ni-XkkgCxThe24cZAmNURJYOK1EHBLSN2x0aHoVccjFCqqM0aYT3pl9Q3GNaM3rUTfk1c8sqJetCfQDald7GCVsxeG4-_K9OQJMroxeABIU/s1600/100_0440.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrjEozC5vsjFC7Jl7WmCI3xAwOuHGp4Rf5Ni-XkkgCxThe24cZAmNURJYOK1EHBLSN2x0aHoVccjFCqqM0aYT3pl9Q3GNaM3rUTfk1c8sqJetCfQDald7GCVsxeG4-_K9OQJMroxeABIU/s320/100_0440.JPG" width="320" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View up Caldwell Creek from road 6 miles to the south 8.11</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_wrf9poLnxyrBQ7Tnx17jU1g5Qzq8LMkfjuA5PS_tL_zzCFsWgKjhYzzqfZG6BHAcWfkMvYIKPUT4yeSBZURbc-I3vc6M2g88glB0Dhdu3hdKNAuNspbsGfGEzXHruZ6Q0H9L2eJD23i/s1600/fire_map_7.29.2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_wrf9poLnxyrBQ7Tnx17jU1g5Qzq8LMkfjuA5PS_tL_zzCFsWgKjhYzzqfZG6BHAcWfkMvYIKPUT4yeSBZURbc-I3vc6M2g88glB0Dhdu3hdKNAuNspbsGfGEzXHruZ6Q0H9L2eJD23i/s640/fire_map_7.29.2011.jpg" width="409" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Forest Service map of the fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-27127248168255468792011-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:002011-07-29T14:43:31.353-07:00Roads: Driving the Scout to the Christine Marie<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV7gOn_T9yZu3_RDH8CAwZY5hjsBTcyWRJ1-3M-LSrQL8TwIl2bkmkKzF4MyZF_OENwRffeXyUnoBjGExv7ls6D2Mn6u2Z2lPGYsH8ZTZ13Bvy3xowqFSkiCMMPvTVvA9pdvSxaWA2YDl/s1600/snowy_scout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV7gOn_T9yZu3_RDH8CAwZY5hjsBTcyWRJ1-3M-LSrQL8TwIl2bkmkKzF4MyZF_OENwRffeXyUnoBjGExv7ls6D2Mn6u2Z2lPGYsH8ZTZ13Bvy3xowqFSkiCMMPvTVvA9pdvSxaWA2YDl/s320/snowy_scout.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scout is parked in the center next to the cabin, covered in snow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> It became apparent to me while working on the switchbacks that I would never be able to construct them with enough of a radius to accommodate my truck. Even with enough room to back up a few feet there was not enough room for my truck to get around several of the switchbacks. I had to find another vehicle with a smaller turning radius to go up and down from the cabins to the Christine Marie Mine.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I found an old four-wheel drive International Scout with large tires that had been used for snow plowing. It had a few problems (it was so rusted that a piece or two would fall off every mile or so), but had a good V-8 engine. I towed the Scout to the mine and used it to drive from the cabins down to the mine. Even when the road was in its best condition, on the trip down and up I encountered all of the following. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujgeM_T-D0Lr4w_wFD56PDrt1Gbe7ZAXzFAbBv4uNyIZXGlElJwAteLRgGe6nTA_M0ZJPW-xWG4WlhrmL-PHyby4fgobq8WJtM6cSLbtb6hr691lfxd1uOU4sSitBhrirlACpcmzMPhIA/s1600/cm_mine.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujgeM_T-D0Lr4w_wFD56PDrt1Gbe7ZAXzFAbBv4uNyIZXGlElJwAteLRgGe6nTA_M0ZJPW-xWG4WlhrmL-PHyby4fgobq8WJtM6cSLbtb6hr691lfxd1uOU4sSitBhrirlACpcmzMPhIA/s320/cm_mine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the mine from the dozer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> In the beginning, the drive down after going over the edge is easy but steep. The first four switchbacks have been improved slowly for many years and are passable even with my truck. The approach to the third switchback is very steep and rocky and this switchback’s turn is tight but possible. The fourth switchback turns into the “Big Hole”/Jake’s Place mine. The fifth switchback turns out of the Jake’s Place mine and is on level ground compared to all the other switchbacks. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next section of the road down the canyon between the fifth and sixth switchbacks is the steepest. The sixth switchback on the lower end is not big enough to make the turn without backing up once, even with the Scout. This switchback is level so other than backing up once, it is not a problem. The seventh switchback is up against a cliff and is very steep. You cannot stop on this turn going down or up. This turn could be made with the Scout if you were careful to be as far left as you could before you turned down to the right. This was a little scary because the drop off to the left of the road after the right turn was severe.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3d-Q5yE3MPcPaxzmh6IXPvcenGPDZDmu9E2o5MW57-pz51PpC_CU1Jkier5ypX6t3-cl4JUQ3hKrG9ke5WDWBeN7V3KRfdNTZDW5rzzLt3tY53jZuQnDjNeG9kqN5jG67LP3GqAqEnk7/s1600/switchbacks.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3d-Q5yE3MPcPaxzmh6IXPvcenGPDZDmu9E2o5MW57-pz51PpC_CU1Jkier5ypX6t3-cl4JUQ3hKrG9ke5WDWBeN7V3KRfdNTZDW5rzzLt3tY53jZuQnDjNeG9kqN5jG67LP3GqAqEnk7/s320/switchbacks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the steepness of the switchbacks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> The eighth switchback is tight but level and like the sixth switchback required one back up to get around it. Sometimes on the way down it was possible to make the turn if you hit the turn just right. The rest of the road goes around the cliff, down across the rock slide from the mine above, and down into the next canyon on the Christine Marie. The rest of the road has three steep places but no more switchbacks.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Driving the Scout up to the cabins is an adventure every time you do it. First you must go up at the proper speed – fast enough to provide the best traction and not so fast as to encourage spin-outs. Approaching the eighth switchback you must stay as close to the drop off on the left as you can and turn right directly into the cliff and stop. This will leave the vehicle slightly uphill. You then either let the Scout roll back, turning hard to the left aligning the vehicle to the next uphill stretch, or put it in reverse and slowly back up to the edge of the cliff. Once in this position you can get a running start on the next stretch and switchback number seven. It is important to get good speed on this section because you cannot stop on switchback seven. If you do stop on switchback seven it is very hard to get going forward again, and it may be necessary to back down to switchback eight and try again. The Scout must be driven fast enough to slide the back wheels around the corner.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1_C2vNVIslbAgguBYkMNpO6JBD-B14VlnWtAeK1vBOOlRnRDr9qYbTr0CPzx8gXiTSzMM1ZUIwZrg8NAIEc2ERF1MGX5bD9BONWbv5goZHNqX9AlW6YoW0ugzSJWrqh0LKGnKGHTo0qY/s1600/gene_at_mine.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1_C2vNVIslbAgguBYkMNpO6JBD-B14VlnWtAeK1vBOOlRnRDr9qYbTr0CPzx8gXiTSzMM1ZUIwZrg8NAIEc2ERF1MGX5bD9BONWbv5goZHNqX9AlW6YoW0ugzSJWrqh0LKGnKGHTo0qY/s320/gene_at_mine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene working at the mine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next stretch up to switchback six is not as steep and travel to it is easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At switchback six you must stop, back up, and get lined up for the longest and steepest assent on the road. Enough speed is necessary to achieve the momentum necessary to keep from spinning out before you get to the top of this stretch and enter the Jake’s Place mine. The only other spot that can cause problems is the steep area past switchback three. Because you have to slow your speed around the turn, the steep rocky part can easily cause the tires to spin aimlessly after you get around the corner.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One time I decided to check the odometer on several of my trips up and down the canyon. Each time the odometer read ¾ of a mile from the cabins to the mine and 1 mile from the mine to the cabins. The ¼ mile difference is the amount of traction-less tire spinning necessary to get up the steep road to the cabin!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-28114466278579956092011-07-15T12:08:00.000-07:002011-07-15T12:08:22.223-07:00Roads: The Broken Oil Pan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LiYOCBMI6i8XmlUYLF8FZb0tt1M-Tzk5h8S2waLiPX6tUzhX0VOMbrats8rGgmwAczSF2nPfeIkJx3ZSBxrjCtyWm9mshVqW8KTwo4Xh4oAZ7y2Nrktyu0crddi1gy1BZ-bNGutmV4Jq/s1600/dozer_at_dusk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LiYOCBMI6i8XmlUYLF8FZb0tt1M-Tzk5h8S2waLiPX6tUzhX0VOMbrats8rGgmwAczSF2nPfeIkJx3ZSBxrjCtyWm9mshVqW8KTwo4Xh4oAZ7y2Nrktyu0crddi1gy1BZ-bNGutmV4Jq/s320/dozer_at_dusk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dozer rests from a hard day of road building.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Building the road down the canyon to the Christine Marie claim following the old cat track took me two years -- or two mining seasons (about 2 months). It could have been done faster but I was ignorant and inexperienced both with the intricacies of running my new-old D-4 dozer and working on such steep terrain.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Making the switchbacks was difficult because of the amount of material necessary to push out of the rock slides to make a turn wide enough for a vehicle. In some cases there just wasn't enough rock available to create a smooth turn.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQsGxqH5j9LjCBkcVgaxuvJtoWqRZCyW0CufaWlI9wj0S92cabLpnSeQsLjcxCNYk_D_d1mQZ2D0BO0JZYmdlRdxFjqPZu30AG0CbMvPiHTWdLsFyaZMrhP4FNRgxfCjSVtBiDWTAowSi/s1600/shot_of_the_road.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQsGxqH5j9LjCBkcVgaxuvJtoWqRZCyW0CufaWlI9wj0S92cabLpnSeQsLjcxCNYk_D_d1mQZ2D0BO0JZYmdlRdxFjqPZu30AG0CbMvPiHTWdLsFyaZMrhP4FNRgxfCjSVtBiDWTAowSi/s320/shot_of_the_road.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the only level road at Morrisonite running down the cliff on the left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>On one descending stretch between switchbacks I saw the opportunity to lessen the steepness of the descent by extending the length of the section and making the next switchback up against the cliff on the far side. I started pushing rock onto the old cut slowly raising the new road above the old one. I was encountering many large rocks and moved the Dozer over one that just happened to fit snugly between the tracks of the machine. Beyond it the ground was softer and the Dozer slipped down allowing the rock underneath to crush the oil pan which promptly drained its contents. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Agate and Jasper mining is financially risky in the extreme. There is no way to measure or predetermine the quality (value) of the material before it is extracted. A gold deposit can be measured and essayed to estimate the value that could be produced. This value can be compared with the estimated cost of mining and a profit projected. This is not possible with an agate or jasper deposit. For this reason most agate and jasper mining operations are conducted with minimal investment and lots of ingenuity, persistence, and the necessity to solve problems with what you have.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The dozer was tilted downward about 25 degrees -- the slope of the road. The left track was against the rock slide and the blade had a pile of rock in front of it. The whole machine was in kind of a hole with big rocks behind it that I had just traveled over. There was no access to the undercarriage.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVywrQOErSI9vcQqlvtr5iZDVvroFBqL8avDlfzpApkAz7CNFwmUY47Fr5NJ5W7HxEGIB7mijdBqvLaa_NJ4HNCZNkJovoUuChwjb0riQJs-CTB8GUyphIWEutvoJrBDkTxCNeEYYyedCn/s1600/switchbacks.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVywrQOErSI9vcQqlvtr5iZDVvroFBqL8avDlfzpApkAz7CNFwmUY47Fr5NJ5W7HxEGIB7mijdBqvLaa_NJ4HNCZNkJovoUuChwjb0riQJs-CTB8GUyphIWEutvoJrBDkTxCNeEYYyedCn/s320/switchbacks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the switchbacks on the new road.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jake was working a few switchbacks above me so I walked up to consult with him. After looking over the situation he wryly suggested I could hire a helicopter to lift the dozer out of the hole and put it up on top where I could work on it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have always been amazed and comforted by Jake's ability to suggest multiple solutions to any mining problem. He approaches mining problems with optimism, enthusiasm, and the widest range of possibility. Many times ridiculous or impractical solutions clarify what needs to be done and moves the mind away from a negative situation to a more positive direction.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I dug out the Dozer with a pick and shovel until I could crawl under it. I then carried my tools down from the cabin (600 ft. above) and removed the oil pan. I carried it up to the cabins, cleaned it, and JB-welded it together. Once the epoxy was set, I reinstalled it, put in new oil, got the machine running, and went back to work on the road (about a three day process altogether).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A quick note on mining supplies: duct tape, wire, JB weld, and some rubber -- which in my case is old inner tube, because you never know when you might need to make a new seal -- should always be close by. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRW4pUB7cREIwslpzltoV_3AYiQvsBxqRNEbhsXZ8qAzi9iHfejeSDN6rDwGuw0M8PeACYTtG3hO59WrA5DHj_zo_4QcUe7ZSlYesolYRecdJ-gBg_IYJL9gMuKUq7G24r4ST9a3TwpDNS/s1600/afternoon_dozin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRW4pUB7cREIwslpzltoV_3AYiQvsBxqRNEbhsXZ8qAzi9iHfejeSDN6rDwGuw0M8PeACYTtG3hO59WrA5DHj_zo_4QcUe7ZSlYesolYRecdJ-gBg_IYJL9gMuKUq7G24r4ST9a3TwpDNS/s320/afternoon_dozin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dozer rests in Old Boot Dig on the Christine Marie mine for lunch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-51458777240494548732011-07-01T14:13:00.000-07:002011-07-01T14:13:39.058-07:00Rats, Mice, & Snakes: The Demise of Jake's Rat<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPIYmjyYXUzsEmWviW2DDM1c_JmUjY8N_E3lzBYWs63zGDq5W5WOdb2K68N6a7hWMvwA1JmTYUBiSFmdOgYSHihGcS9Ybr_7vjZYAa51yfLNkULm2AD5taUYXVGUBYHyVjsNRFZ0DaZGo/s1600/jakes-cabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPIYmjyYXUzsEmWviW2DDM1c_JmUjY8N_E3lzBYWs63zGDq5W5WOdb2K68N6a7hWMvwA1JmTYUBiSFmdOgYSHihGcS9Ybr_7vjZYAa51yfLNkULm2AD5taUYXVGUBYHyVjsNRFZ0DaZGo/s320/jakes-cabin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge to see Jake's cabin on the ridge.</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">In a previous blog, "the peanut butter jar," I referred to a rat that lived with Jake in his cabin. This was an old rat, wise to the threat of man, elusive, and an avid collector of things lying around the cabin. This rat caused Jake considerable grief, and he expressed to me several times that if he ever had the chance he was going to put a bullet in him.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not only do rats cause loss of sleep and disappearance of small objects but they have a particular smell that is not pleasant. The phrase, "I smell a rat," which refers usually to an unforeseen danger or problem, comes from the experience of living in the presence of rats. Any one who learns this smell will instantly recognize it the rest of their life.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This rat had been living in the west wall of Jake's cabin for a long time. We did not know this at the time. Jake also slept on this side of the cabin towards the front. The rat smell was always present. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6t_WKDlzz0PWJNuVUznkgfHQyIMKLIYHSlgyCeZlEisICh33GZK1x41gpbDXSETmvsZgWbmTzC975s7Pcp0Vr8_Xz9HFV9ASGlAAnPdJCwDWMN90S9Vn038pshSU72SOQtiheXqtJfjh/s1600/im_no_rat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6t_WKDlzz0PWJNuVUznkgfHQyIMKLIYHSlgyCeZlEisICh33GZK1x41gpbDXSETmvsZgWbmTzC975s7Pcp0Vr8_Xz9HFV9ASGlAAnPdJCwDWMN90S9Vn038pshSU72SOQtiheXqtJfjh/s1600/im_no_rat.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6t_WKDlzz0PWJNuVUznkgfHQyIMKLIYHSlgyCeZlEisICh33GZK1x41gpbDXSETmvsZgWbmTzC975s7Pcp0Vr8_Xz9HFV9ASGlAAnPdJCwDWMN90S9Vn038pshSU72SOQtiheXqtJfjh/s320/im_no_rat.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As if to say, "Jake, don't shoot! I'm no rat!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jake kept a hand gun with 22 long rifle hollow point ammunition in the cabin. This ammo can do a lot of damage. One evening the opportunity arrived when Jake saw a small movement in his peripheral vision. His gun was close by so he grabbed it and waited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He saw the rat move away from where it was hiding and fired. The hollow point projectile entered the rat’s rear end and literally turned the rat inside out leaving entrails hanging from the beams overhead in the back of the cabin. This rat was not going to steal any more of Jake’s custom knife handles, special rocks, or utensils laying around the cabin.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the bullet exited the rat, it ricocheted into a small cardboard box nearby. This box contained blasting caps used to detonate explosives. Why the bullet penetrated the cardboard but did not cause the blasting caps to explode is a matter of divine providence or dumb luck. The bullet was lying in the box next to the dangerous long slender silver blasting caps as if it belonged there.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I asked Jake about the rat parts hanging from the beams in the back of the cabin. He said he left them there.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsK8MkqX3MRV2-xtLX1zuuQqTHrNm1F3FQOkyqAd0hb_V0pAmyjeESrLFrIB-EIG3aAuwNeyyEdUlMk5WDs65l-PZ0JawsgQRVJP4xQntioCbTm9YfZrgjDZDUZzBv5XtlIeE4zZ4avW0/s1600/jakes-cabin-closer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsK8MkqX3MRV2-xtLX1zuuQqTHrNm1F3FQOkyqAd0hb_V0pAmyjeESrLFrIB-EIG3aAuwNeyyEdUlMk5WDs65l-PZ0JawsgQRVJP4xQntioCbTm9YfZrgjDZDUZzBv5XtlIeE4zZ4avW0/s320/jakes-cabin-closer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang's all here. Notice Jake's cabin in the background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-19487740153501998292011-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:002011-06-18T13:52:34.822-07:00The Joys of Mining<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyYwVDmLRRlfvFtjLrxiTOfFJiS4oBwHK53SCQyEwW1jaaFwqzcI3OFgWZrQTdJAklPH0jCw5y5yJR6WuyrLzacT6vKH2Y_V_wQcirULvEt2zLqoyFVxtpuAnv0JxJzSc_X8a4vb7QJD0/s1600/DSC02026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyYwVDmLRRlfvFtjLrxiTOfFJiS4oBwHK53SCQyEwW1jaaFwqzcI3OFgWZrQTdJAklPH0jCw5y5yJR6WuyrLzacT6vKH2Y_V_wQcirULvEt2zLqoyFVxtpuAnv0JxJzSc_X8a4vb7QJD0/s320/DSC02026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The machine arrives at the drop off point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> Gene is currently mining in Oregon, and provided us with a few vignettes of the operation so far: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA35qk7Yoe309FKpwbcsseqKe-4pK5Eg-MebNC44-YhStGlCYFTDmtPR6DhQ9uhSEjY1VwixTafdKOgG2UlMMaT5kxSS9rpa8_UhAw0b2zRPurk2HwPdNsiG1dNQBOcPGKz9paOmas5OdX/s1600/DSC02027.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA35qk7Yoe309FKpwbcsseqKe-4pK5Eg-MebNC44-YhStGlCYFTDmtPR6DhQ9uhSEjY1VwixTafdKOgG2UlMMaT5kxSS9rpa8_UhAw0b2zRPurk2HwPdNsiG1dNQBOcPGKz9paOmas5OdX/s320/DSC02027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bet Gene's thinking, "Hey, where's the other bucket?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKIZqxfYnwdlU0lKZA1sj6H2FIMINqu0-VjZzgjJKKOBdO3C6nI5IoFRO2XBtdNaelUbOAgF5M7mHSBHPOfhZ18rKxn9z8aoAPMzQ8gfu5OwvfeSbholivPcev9daCBfe27_GkWSpiPB9/s1600/DSC02030.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Gene recently arrived in Oregon and began purchasing all of the relevant supplies for his mining trip to Graveyard Point in Oregon. He went to the gas station to pick up off-road diesel for the machine, but his card to turn the pump on did not work. Gene planned to move the machine the following day, and needed the diesel that day in order to begin work on time. So he managed to convince the gas station staff to call the owner at home in an attempt to fix the pump problem. The owner came in to work, got the pump pumping, and Gene got his diesel on time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKIZqxfYnwdlU0lKZA1sj6H2FIMINqu0-VjZzgjJKKOBdO3C6nI5IoFRO2XBtdNaelUbOAgF5M7mHSBHPOfhZ18rKxn9z8aoAPMzQ8gfu5OwvfeSbholivPcev9daCBfe27_GkWSpiPB9/s1600/DSC02030.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKIZqxfYnwdlU0lKZA1sj6H2FIMINqu0-VjZzgjJKKOBdO3C6nI5IoFRO2XBtdNaelUbOAgF5M7mHSBHPOfhZ18rKxn9z8aoAPMzQ8gfu5OwvfeSbholivPcev9daCBfe27_GkWSpiPB9/s320/DSC02030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The excavator fords the river.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms03Gw8hqMJhwkRBkw9fmQ2lXm28oJNngMrTQiG6r4JWOngenMK9jovwD-zJ60gRyVpft1gMmYNwLFDIHbFDwB3e3KjMqgx9LkLY_ZITxWDOy_Ur_P_-TtKTd9QwzNrkodWP2i2jcAgh7/s1600/DSC02032.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>It has been a wet, cool spring in Oregon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gene met his appointment to move the machine at 9am on a Monday morning. The machine arrived with only one narrow bucket – Gene had ordered it with a narrow bucket for moving rock and a wider bucket for moving earth. The driver radioed for another truck to ship the bucket to the drop off point later in the day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o2LdCssUDmUT4t8_zAwOsUb-tN9ApoGBGgscHiE6g4gj3fktx1C1pV1-JQf0aStgDsPx_NJhOzrBtaBN0NrQ5ESV1Pqfy8NzLRzQ9f5DAPtHskGqKEviCVEa3ab9qFfP9r7Rx3ic2LgD/s1600/DSC02034.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms03Gw8hqMJhwkRBkw9fmQ2lXm28oJNngMrTQiG6r4JWOngenMK9jovwD-zJ60gRyVpft1gMmYNwLFDIHbFDwB3e3KjMqgx9LkLY_ZITxWDOy_Ur_P_-TtKTd9QwzNrkodWP2i2jcAgh7/s1600/DSC02032.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms03Gw8hqMJhwkRBkw9fmQ2lXm28oJNngMrTQiG6r4JWOngenMK9jovwD-zJ60gRyVpft1gMmYNwLFDIHbFDwB3e3KjMqgx9LkLY_ZITxWDOy_Ur_P_-TtKTd9QwzNrkodWP2i2jcAgh7/s320/DSC02032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philip happily driving through Succor Creek.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">The machine cannot pass the narrow bridge over a canal on the main road to the mine. Gene and company must drive the machine 6 miles on back roads to the mine, which includes wading through Succor Creek. The machine treaded through the creek fine as usual. Then it was Gene’s turn. Gene forded the creek successfully, but nearly got stuck in the mud on the other side. Philip Stevenson drove into the creek next and firmly planted his truck in the muddy bank on the other side. Water began seeping in his truck’s doors and trunk, but left the engine running to keep water out of the exhaust – and by extension, the engine. Gene grabbed the logging chain he happens to keep in his truck for just these occasions and hooked Philip’s truck to the machine. One gentle tug and the truck sprang free. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o2LdCssUDmUT4t8_zAwOsUb-tN9ApoGBGgscHiE6g4gj3fktx1C1pV1-JQf0aStgDsPx_NJhOzrBtaBN0NrQ5ESV1Pqfy8NzLRzQ9f5DAPtHskGqKEviCVEa3ab9qFfP9r7Rx3ic2LgD/s1600/DSC02034.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o2LdCssUDmUT4t8_zAwOsUb-tN9ApoGBGgscHiE6g4gj3fktx1C1pV1-JQf0aStgDsPx_NJhOzrBtaBN0NrQ5ESV1Pqfy8NzLRzQ9f5DAPtHskGqKEviCVEa3ab9qFfP9r7Rx3ic2LgD/s320/DSC02034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene tugs Philip's truck out of the creek.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgze6fGh5itBic33Qsc7sh0vrS1RlzqyXzfCWMwrQGG-kMD-rXgnKAYBmNr18aqGq1_pMRRqG07mYM0ra_bP0_Ksj4rTkJTKppKZYUeePj7az3WRWGjn8KMDPf7WNH62bNuDMAOJPHZ14tv/s1600/DSC02037.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgze6fGh5itBic33Qsc7sh0vrS1RlzqyXzfCWMwrQGG-kMD-rXgnKAYBmNr18aqGq1_pMRRqG07mYM0ra_bP0_Ksj4rTkJTKppKZYUeePj7az3WRWGjn8KMDPf7WNH62bNuDMAOJPHZ14tv/s320/DSC02037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The creek leaked out of Philip's truck for days afterward.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> </div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-28903354506559313662011-05-27T00:00:00.000-07:002011-05-27T00:00:10.734-07:00Roads: My First Machine<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7RSNxgzx2LPYg_GJ_gFMBkvyegSS19Iec8Njn5ZE_UFziXHefjKdnZWd_JgUoaU8FhtDDdd3S2uBjFSCUXnqFc9KlegbIYKjRMFiB_sm2eWvbKGMFrQdK2_0xXhPXTlgpwGwhBDJpB1w/s1600/D-4-Dozer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7RSNxgzx2LPYg_GJ_gFMBkvyegSS19Iec8Njn5ZE_UFziXHefjKdnZWd_JgUoaU8FhtDDdd3S2uBjFSCUXnqFc9KlegbIYKjRMFiB_sm2eWvbKGMFrQdK2_0xXhPXTlgpwGwhBDJpB1w/s320/D-4-Dozer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first steed from behind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> When it became clear that it would be necessary for me to have my own machine to build the road down to the Christine Marie claim, I started looking for used equipment dealers. Through some recommendations I found a man that lived in the small town of Murphy, Idaho who sold used equipment. He had a reputation for good prices and fairness. I went to see him. I explained to him what I needed to do, and that I did not have much money. I also told him that I did not need the machine until next year and asked him if he would look for something inexpensive that would work for me. I gave him $200 for his trouble and left for Wisconsin somewhat depressed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Nine months later I got a call from him telling me he found a D-4 dozer that I could have for $4,000. He told me it was old but in good shape and had belonged to the Forest Service. I bought and paid for this machine sight unseen -- something I would not recommend doing today. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AKMz_tqJujHMtpPQpkS_QumkCcpKvDSm-K04bdBCgmchHoM3qwhbik64g_ni-RsRHSHW9bK_E4oCznQNo_RkD7x2Y88F5f5Kpz3nV3q6n5_gtOpauD5xckjfvL_VyqJ2vaDzwcoBfYwZ/s1600/D-4-side-view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AKMz_tqJujHMtpPQpkS_QumkCcpKvDSm-K04bdBCgmchHoM3qwhbik64g_ni-RsRHSHW9bK_E4oCznQNo_RkD7x2Y88F5f5Kpz3nV3q6n5_gtOpauD5xckjfvL_VyqJ2vaDzwcoBfYwZ/s320/D-4-side-view.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dozer rest before another rough day of road building.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The D-4 dozer was exactly as described - old but in good shape. Everything on it worked. There was a hydraulic control to raise and lower the blade. The blade could be angled but only by manually changing it. This required having the machine on level ground, removing pins that held the blade to the frame, moving the machine to line up the blade with a different set of holes in the frame, and replacing the pins -- a process much more difficult than it sounds. And, oh yes, the only naturally level ground in the whole Morrisonite area is the crest of the ridge. The ability to angle the blade allows you to push dirt and rocks to the right or left depending on what direction the blade is angled. This is essential for making a road on steep terrain.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> The dozer, like all construction equipment, had a diesel engine but no electric starter motor. You could not turn a key and start the thing up like a car. The machine had a gasoline pony motor. First you had to start the gasoline motor with a pull rope by rapping the rope around the fly wheel and pulling it fast enough to ignite the gas in the engine. Once the pony motor was running well, you engaged a clutch which turned over the diesel engine. Once the diesel engine started you killed the gas pony motor and you were ready to go. If for any reason the diesel engine died, you had to start the process over again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h0Z2uWqcFb6vFtE5R5D0lRNH5BEMq25nz3lCeB1_9rJXU_PQOe_NEdYS8MQNZPdFEvrPElOcQpinokc_2AFnHC6c75mH1IbtMkvEkx4pB2o92jh5dsBSlFQfeIlFiloBlQ9RBELANUq2/s1600/Looking-over-the-top-of-the-D-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h0Z2uWqcFb6vFtE5R5D0lRNH5BEMq25nz3lCeB1_9rJXU_PQOe_NEdYS8MQNZPdFEvrPElOcQpinokc_2AFnHC6c75mH1IbtMkvEkx4pB2o92jh5dsBSlFQfeIlFiloBlQ9RBELANUq2/s320/Looking-over-the-top-of-the-D-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The driver's seat lacked much as far as visibility was concerned.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> There have been vast improvements in the operational mechanisms of construction equipment over the years. This was an older machine with three long levers that came out of the floor in front of the driver’s seat. One operated the clutch and the other two engaged the break to each respective track. The transmission shift lever came up between your legs on the floor in front of the seat. The lever that operated the hydraulics for the blade was to the right of the seat. In order to move the dozer forward to the right you had to move the gear selection lever to a low gear, engage the clutch lever pulling it toward you and disengage power to the right track by pulling the right track lever back. Each of these levers has about a 25 lb. pull force to engage or disengage them. Moving leavers all day long with a 25 lb. pull is a lot of work. Also if your right hand is operating the right track lever, you can not use your right hand to operate the blade. Sometimes it is necessary to pull the right lever with your left hand so you can use your right hand to operate the blade. The operation of one of these machines has been described as watching someone on the machine having an imaginary boxing match with the dashboard of the dozer.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHsj3rQNZGWiUkk23yh9ZiLcYx7sk5SjOBrVe8zYFhNSBuC47qMnx__rpHPyMPxLdSleZDcTwt8cd9GJlv5_-u5Z86EQrT7s8eMui-KswHEBEKwVIREUjpxDS7A0ThW8pJFKFqySH3MJ_/s1600/Terry-on-the-machine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHsj3rQNZGWiUkk23yh9ZiLcYx7sk5SjOBrVe8zYFhNSBuC47qMnx__rpHPyMPxLdSleZDcTwt8cd9GJlv5_-u5Z86EQrT7s8eMui-KswHEBEKwVIREUjpxDS7A0ThW8pJFKFqySH3MJ_/s320/Terry-on-the-machine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terry, my brother's friend, running the machine.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Of course, I had no idea of any of this at the time I purchased the machine. My plan was to find someone else to operate the machine for me. This worked out well until it came time to build the road down the canyon to the Christine Marie claim. I then had to learn to run the machine myself.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-85978471812900257702011-05-13T16:15:00.000-07:002011-05-13T16:15:23.249-07:00Roads: Christine Marie<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbbEpd2ZaeilCDZfwI_KHnSD8qECQ-pmund2aaur_rAWYIHowUhPLD8CiX2x3tz5t8hiexW3OWWMe7W6etSgh_VgmCHw9Vy-lJ6Y2Hh9suYt0_Oq6_tiO9jCxPziWlVOqFgrYBMV77eEn/s1600/switchback_close_up.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbbEpd2ZaeilCDZfwI_KHnSD8qECQ-pmund2aaur_rAWYIHowUhPLD8CiX2x3tz5t8hiexW3OWWMe7W6etSgh_VgmCHw9Vy-lJ6Y2Hh9suYt0_Oq6_tiO9jCxPziWlVOqFgrYBMV77eEn/s320/switchback_close_up.gif" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This view shows a close-up of the switchbacks.</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>The Christine Marie Claim in the Morrisonite area was filed in the early '70s by Ed Brant. The imaginary lines that form the boundaries of the claim draw a 1500 by 600 foot rectangle over very steep rock slides about half way down the east slope of the Owyhee River Canyon. This claim is located further down into the canyon than any of the other claims. The canyon rim is about 900 feet above the center of the claim, and the Owyhee River is about 1100 feet below. The claim’s length runs north and south with its west side boundary line about 300 feet below its east side boundary line. In the mid-70s a small dozer cut a track down the canyon to the north past the Big Hole claim onto the Big Hole II claim, around the cliff below, across the rock slide, back south to the Christine Marie, and up towards the Amy Ellen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not a road passable by any vehicle, but it was the beginning of one.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">I first visited the Morrisonite area in 1984 at the request of Larry Butler, who told me he had purchased the Christine Marie and Amy Ellen claims from Gene Anthis. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry was seeking someone to mine the claims and wanted me to look at them and give him a report on what I thought was feasible.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">I remember being astonished at the difficulty of the terrain. I understood why so little of this marvelous rock had made it out of this remote location. Many of the people who had worked the area in the past camped on the edge of the canyon rim and walked down the nearly 1000 feet to the deposits. This walk would take an hour or two every morning before a miner could start working. The trip back with any rock might take twice as long. The area below the cliffs on the upper end of the Christine Marie claim is known as the "Nasty Hole" by these early miners -- maybe because it was so difficult to get to. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dvoyX9m5TgX_SWis1T_tN8H3ELi2HDJIsfkMfwwAwa-MfEHxACpM4XeWnF6BxJDfEBoG9aVqDbiSEw-CFJ7HKf6ozbSlw8Wd23RtOsrtIIxtwm_u0qiKAWq923XmXWEQ8DgX_pl_clP-/s1600/New-Road.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dvoyX9m5TgX_SWis1T_tN8H3ELi2HDJIsfkMfwwAwa-MfEHxACpM4XeWnF6BxJDfEBoG9aVqDbiSEw-CFJ7HKf6ozbSlw8Wd23RtOsrtIIxtwm_u0qiKAWq923XmXWEQ8DgX_pl_clP-/s320/New-Road.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">The jasper on the Christine Marie Claim is exceptional, but there is very little of it. Every conceivable method of access for equipment has been considered. Building a cable winch system from the top of the cliffs and flying in equipment with a helicopter were discussed and quickly rejected. The only real solution that provided a chance of success considering the risks was to build a road down from the top. It was difficult to accept the effort that this would take, but it was the only way to minimize the time required to get equipment, supplies, and rock back and forth to the canyon rim.</div><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next year I found a man with a sign in his yard that said "D-6 Dozer for hire." I took him out to the claims and we walked the old dozer cuts made years ago. After we climbed back out on top he said to me, "Not me. Not with my machine. It’s too dangerous." Another year later I purchased my own machine - an old D-4 dozer and found a friend of my brother who could run it. After working another claim I had in the area, we moved the machine to the canyon rim to start the road down to the Christine Marie claim. My brother’s friend took one look at the job and said to me "Not me. Not with that machine. It’s too dangerous." <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9updj6JAAObuaTCTfG79WGa9ZLAtQfFGpoeO5iwQblOIZk-lhTwgcD3pe3kalT_ClhO1TctHSYG1gKb-mLg8lH6MdR0UkFgyx_G_XxY_yg3IoVxU1Ds5aRfaBzw_evCD8bqCzR-HNqSp/s1600/switchback_close_up.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The following year I started working on the road myself with the D-4 dozer. It was a good thing I was ignorant and did not know what I was doing or I never would have done it. It took me two years working about one month each year to build a road barely passable with a four wheel drive vehicle down to the deposits on the Christine Marie claim. I followed the old dozer cut down the canyon creating switchbacks and lessening the steepness of the cut where possible. Once past the cliff, I constructed and entirely new road below the slide rather than follow the old route across it. Some days, because of the steepness of the terrain, limitations of the machine, and roughness of the road, only about 10 yards of road were completed.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnah56vkirN2kOehyO7_s2fNNPnfIMwOVFcxuPtEqaWVQvBkvjb_RMwqpWGft4qTTe4GXCoKquA0twHxGXJQi2IJz9LT0-SE0Cqk4XQ9GXXRsm1o1eysB2aYTscHHARNaAVjpE9HxBiQW1/s1600/Satelite-View.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnah56vkirN2kOehyO7_s2fNNPnfIMwOVFcxuPtEqaWVQvBkvjb_RMwqpWGft4qTTe4GXCoKquA0twHxGXJQi2IJz9LT0-SE0Cqk4XQ9GXXRsm1o1eysB2aYTscHHARNaAVjpE9HxBiQW1/s320/Satelite-View.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">I can’t tell you how excited I was to come back three years after I decided to build the road myself with the possibility of swinging my hammer into some rock containing jasper.</div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-88148779083719091342011-04-29T14:27:00.000-07:002011-05-13T16:16:36.349-07:00Rats, Mice, & Snakes: The Peanut Butter Jar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XPvZiJuhW6l3KIgYzIM2FI_p3IprHAnzgoGKa9BP1p1QrTkCpyhk1xDWOazb5ZBVwhcAoPNho8LsinL6wqsbzI9UTWAjko9Qx3VzpJQtFvq7eT_b09PLLYIlNMb-Cirm-3hKYebqZSJ8/s1600/a_surprised_jake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyG0oIdWFrZts3H1Ly8bwe8NPKh_O4iZT7epwN7Uocc-CY7prYnMyShe-zpP1z9CYnhv6EObzi2ao_ek0TU08fwWZ6n-qu4Y8LXBgHc4mMSXntrOF8MZ93dhFWsPjH31vK8RO3j9UEPef/s1600/rats_condo_paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyG0oIdWFrZts3H1Ly8bwe8NPKh_O4iZT7epwN7Uocc-CY7prYnMyShe-zpP1z9CYnhv6EObzi2ao_ek0TU08fwWZ6n-qu4Y8LXBgHc4mMSXntrOF8MZ93dhFWsPjH31vK8RO3j9UEPef/s320/rats_condo_paradise.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cracks in the rocks were a rat's apartment complex dream.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> Jake told me the following story about the rat that lived in the wall of his cabin for many months until it met its sudden and final demise. This particular story came before the rat’s passing – a tale which will be told later.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Jake spent a couple of winters living in the cabin on Sheepshead Ridge above his Morrisonite workings. Spending a winter here is not a casual undertaking. If you are in the Morrisonite area when the weather turns bad in November, you will not be able to leave until March or April of the next year. You are isolated and alone for 4 or 5 months. The only way out would be to walk the 27 miles to the highway. There is no phone service, and no one is going to come and help you if you cut your finger or bring you water if you run out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Keeping your provisions safe from animals is one concern if you are going to be isolated for 4 or 5 months. In the beams under the roof of the cabin Jake had a metal 55 gallon drum lying on its side with the opening of the barrel out in the open air. Nothing could get into the barrel opening without jumping a few feet from another beam or hanging on to the slippery metal sides of the metal drum. Jake considered it a safe place to keep food supplies, including a large glass jar of peanut butter.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> In spring, Jake decided he would go to town for about a week to get supplies. A few days before he left, he opened the new jar of peanut butter, used a small amount, replaced the screw on lid, and put the jar back in the barrel. He came back a little over a week later loaded with goods, ready to be under long siege from daily mining activities.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBuhmBHkYHL_3Qd6iug5jKwi94sqyQ6mRHacdyRKymg8wn7G1Zp23riDakxHywqNwHuBu6TfEv-WOfnhcRrj8bMokEu-JeBw1fC1pppsJtGTZnoI85PvgC2Z7uhJClBFzPfG48vZ9hyphenhyphensD/s1600/scout_rats_nest.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBuhmBHkYHL_3Qd6iug5jKwi94sqyQ6mRHacdyRKymg8wn7G1Zp23riDakxHywqNwHuBu6TfEv-WOfnhcRrj8bMokEu-JeBw1fC1pppsJtGTZnoI85PvgC2Z7uhJClBFzPfG48vZ9hyphenhyphensD/s320/scout_rats_nest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some rats prefer a more modern dwelling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> He did not notice right away, but when he did it was with considerable confusion: There, in the center of the lip of the metal barrel, was an empty glass jar with the metal screw on lid lying next to it. It was not that the rat had somehow got into the peanut butter, but that there was no peanut butter in the jar at all. There was no peanut butter on the lid and none in the jar. The jar was clean. There were no smudges or streaks on the glass and no peanut butter footprints in the barrel. The jar shined and sparkled. It looked freshly washed, or rather: like it had never been used. It was pristine. </div><div class="MsoNormal"> The rat had devoured the entire contents of the jar and left the jar where he found it. There the glass jar sat, like a trophy or offering to the benevolent peanut butter god that had provided the rat with such a delectable treasure.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Jake still has no explanation for how the rat got into the jar.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XPvZiJuhW6l3KIgYzIM2FI_p3IprHAnzgoGKa9BP1p1QrTkCpyhk1xDWOazb5ZBVwhcAoPNho8LsinL6wqsbzI9UTWAjko9Qx3VzpJQtFvq7eT_b09PLLYIlNMb-Cirm-3hKYebqZSJ8/s1600/a_surprised_jake.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XPvZiJuhW6l3KIgYzIM2FI_p3IprHAnzgoGKa9BP1p1QrTkCpyhk1xDWOazb5ZBVwhcAoPNho8LsinL6wqsbzI9UTWAjko9Qx3VzpJQtFvq7eT_b09PLLYIlNMb-Cirm-3hKYebqZSJ8/s320/a_surprised_jake.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I surprised Jake with his dinner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2544423952181811223.post-37883316465940655512011-04-15T15:48:00.000-07:002011-04-15T15:48:00.404-07:00Roads: Three Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielpR8IkXrqK8FMD7pzQsiDilDTWDGDT4-QHonDRrMRxStYZCYqqRAKoC4W3d3ghyphenhyphenu1JRuZj2iIf81_rVrH6Jhxi2wuQbR8g3XiAwYkP_Q13iUqENZrP2_CmrgGuhncEwoufD9wBQdulqU/s1600/gene_w_trailer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielpR8IkXrqK8FMD7pzQsiDilDTWDGDT4-QHonDRrMRxStYZCYqqRAKoC4W3d3ghyphenhyphenu1JRuZj2iIf81_rVrH6Jhxi2wuQbR8g3XiAwYkP_Q13iUqENZrP2_CmrgGuhncEwoufD9wBQdulqU/s320/gene_w_trailer.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielpR8IkXrqK8FMD7pzQsiDilDTWDGDT4-QHonDRrMRxStYZCYqqRAKoC4W3d3ghyphenhyphenu1JRuZj2iIf81_rVrH6Jhxi2wuQbR8g3XiAwYkP_Q13iUqENZrP2_CmrgGuhncEwoufD9wBQdulqU/s1600/gene_w_trailer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzSw8u76sCSUoY4HqqR25fTrPBJ3a6GN78jpU2rHgmbHXoNxPKOwONrDWk8Xuar3pj28tfoydMKiWOWQ5PaPyZWmzwT9Xl-CqYZnxhghHdbMnzAwuNUJiF1r7OLFTl010FZdIVzkZK5Gw/s1600/stuck_truck_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was late spring and Jake and I were anxious to get back mining Morrisonite. We had been making plans for weeks and decided to make the trip out to the mine together. I arrived in Homedale, Idaho after 3 days driving from Wisconsin. We spent several days making final preparations -- diesel fuel, propane, water, and food was packed everywhere. I was pulling my black trailer, and Jake and Bev were pulling their small house trailer.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We planned on leaving Monday morning and arriving at the mine Monday afternoon. Sunday’s whether forecast warned of a big storm coming over the mountains with colder temperatures on the way. Monday morning came with a low gray sky but no precipitation, so we left. Our desire to get out there trumped our trepidations about the weather. The turn off onto Jordon Creators road is about 60 miles south of Homedale and about 1300 ft higher in elevation. When we turned onto the dirt road the lower sky was spitting a mixture of sleet and rain. I suppose we could have turned around but we were on our way - we were determined to get there. The first 10 miles of dirt road are not a problem even if it is raining a little. After that there would be no turning back, especially with both of us pulling trailers. At the 10 mile split the rain let up a little, and we just kept on going. The road deteriorated fast and we both started sliding in the mud but we kept moving. The rain came back with a great deal of force but we persisted up the low hill to the flats on the far south west end of the Mahogany Mountains. There are some long stretches of soft ground here, and it was not long before we were stuck. Jake’s trailer was half in the ditch tilted at about 20 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My truck and trailer were in similar positions a little further back. We got out, looked around, and decided we were not moving until the ground dried out enough to get some traction. The ground here contains some Bentonite clay which makes the mud greasy and practically impossible to drive through even with 4-wheel drive. We spent the rest of the day in Jakes trailer listening to the wind and occasional rain. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even sitting was a little uncomfortable because of the slant. That night we slept on titled beds hoping for a better tomorrow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzSw8u76sCSUoY4HqqR25fTrPBJ3a6GN78jpU2rHgmbHXoNxPKOwONrDWk8Xuar3pj28tfoydMKiWOWQ5PaPyZWmzwT9Xl-CqYZnxhghHdbMnzAwuNUJiF1r7OLFTl010FZdIVzkZK5Gw/s1600/stuck_truck_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzSw8u76sCSUoY4HqqR25fTrPBJ3a6GN78jpU2rHgmbHXoNxPKOwONrDWk8Xuar3pj28tfoydMKiWOWQ5PaPyZWmzwT9Xl-CqYZnxhghHdbMnzAwuNUJiF1r7OLFTl010FZdIVzkZK5Gw/s320/stuck_truck_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The morning broke gray and windy with no rain. This was encouraging because the wind dries things out fast in this treeless country. We dug a few drainage ditches from around the wheels of our vehicles, put some rocks in the mud for traction, and waited. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sky was threatening rain again, but it did not rain, and about noon we decided to try again. After a couple of adjustments we were moving. The road improved some with rocky stretches between mud holes. Mud holes are not too hard to get through as long as there is hard ground on the other side – although, it is somewhat trickier when you are pulling something. The technique is to have the proper momentum and still allow for maximum traction. We made it to the corral and were feeling optimistic that we could make the last 4 miles when it stated to rain again. The road from the corral to the rim is so rocky that speed cannot be used to your advantage in the mud. The only way to drive this part of the road is slow whatever the conditions. We made it up the little rise after we went through the gate, down a shallow draw, and around onto the side of a gently slopping hill where Jake’s truck and trailer slowly slid off the road and got stuck. I was a little further back and still had some traction. I saw a place where I could get off the road, pulled up in the sagebrush, disconnected my tailor, maneuvered my truck in front of Jacks rig, chained our trucks together, and proceeded to throw mud everywhere with our spinning tiers to no avail. After some consideration we resolved to spend another night in the mud and hope again for a better tomorrow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sx_X6OC5s3knFpivawVB268-pdv9aYFQ5sqXlmqOVT56rXC01PXQimlAkj4SiJ3KWOZZfGbaK_WFK6WE_F0rZR3ESoqiHrg9fgCjLp_0BuKwq0jo9SvjyLJTn2mIMm8uJubwRvoOdSm2/s1600/stuck_truck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sx_X6OC5s3knFpivawVB268-pdv9aYFQ5sqXlmqOVT56rXC01PXQimlAkj4SiJ3KWOZZfGbaK_WFK6WE_F0rZR3ESoqiHrg9fgCjLp_0BuKwq0jo9SvjyLJTn2mIMm8uJubwRvoOdSm2/s320/stuck_truck.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next morning broke like the last - gray and windy with no rain. About noon we tried again and were moving. We both found that with a little more speed we could keep from getting stuck. We were traveling a little too fast to safely negotiate the rocks and were skipping, sliding, and bouncing down the road like rubber balls rolling over gravel. I noticed that one storage compartment door on Jakes trailer had flopped open going over a rock. A few minutes later a white grocery bag full of something popped out into the mud along side of the road. Neither one of us dared to stop. A couple of more bumps and another white grocery bag plopped out on a rock. More bumps, more grocery bags. We made it to the rim, carefully descended to the cabins, and started to set up camp. Three days to go 27 miles.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A couple of days later after things dried out we drove back up the hill to retrieve<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>our food which was still in the white plastic bags evenly distributed along the side of the road for a mile or so. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing was ruined or lost. It was a much better tomorrow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrMvd1QBjRhfqrn7nw0j8cW24VYIBc6TkU9cqiAj3A2RICmE3vovh-1WtnQWNV0i-wzfovsaoVxX7sc-WUYv4gNSCeYVeuKzdJCnoMoTJaKUyum1UtQbpn88K_HmQ-WwXkTDRkP_XnyZ_/s1600/camp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrMvd1QBjRhfqrn7nw0j8cW24VYIBc6TkU9cqiAj3A2RICmE3vovh-1WtnQWNV0i-wzfovsaoVxX7sc-WUYv4gNSCeYVeuKzdJCnoMoTJaKUyum1UtQbpn88K_HmQ-WwXkTDRkP_XnyZ_/s320/camp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>Eugene Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11713251806381391570noreply@blogger.com0