Sneaking in a little trip down to the Gold claim

Spineless prickly pear and a fruit filled orange tree!

It's been nearly 8 months since we last walked among the mighty Saguaros on our Gold claim.  The summer heat was boiling and with all the rain since, the timing has not worked out in our favor.
A little glimmer of an opportunity opened up and we knew we had to jump on it. Our supply of ammunition boxes has run down to zero... Once they started selling on ETSY it was steady sales.

Glad these fellars moved out!

  So we left Vegas with thick snow clouds clinging to the mountains and drove down to Arizona through a steady downpour. We woke up the next morning to crystal clear blue skies, snow capped mountains, and a date with a man about some ammo boxes.
When we asked him for his address his directions went like this: Once you pass the gas station you make a left, follow the dirt road 6 miles to a group of trailers, there should be a prospecting truck and to the right you will see a little wood sign with Old Buzzard Road painted on it, follow the old 4x4 wagon trail till it dead ends at the house.  Mind you this road, if you could even call it that, had holes big enough to swallow a tire.
When we arrived we were greeted by a true character from an old West movie.

Where do we begin?

Frost in the morning, it was in the 20's...Burrr!

He was wearing an old duster coat creased permanently from years of use, a full scraggly beard, and a leather hat that I am sure is on more often then off.  Behind him were pallets  full of the old ammo boxes. We made our way through the stacks looking for just the right combination of age, graphics, and color. Many of the piles are literally rotting where they lay. Some the wood is too brittle or warped to recover and many of them  had one or two nasty surprises lurking inside. One of the reasons we waited until winter to come and collect the boxes was to avoid the swarm of hornets that claim the crates in the warmer weather. From the amount of nests we uncovered there are also lots of little critters and maybe a rattlesnake or two that call these boxes home.
 
We spent the better part of an afternoon rummaging through the precarious piles looking for the perfect boxes to bring home.  As the truck filled up and the sun began to sink lower into the mountains we decided to call it a day. It's a labor of love!
Tomorrow we head out to the Gold claim to check on it and scratch around in the dirt a little. 

Matt's Mining Report 12/21/12:  It's wet out there!  
  Well, if you're looking to go out and do some dry washing in the desert you're going to have to wait a bit.  There is a lot of standing water in the washes and the ground is soft, damp, and muddy.  You can't even vacuum the stuff it's so wet!  Not to mention the road conditions of the wagon trails are pretty bad in some spots from all the erosion and wash outs!  
  On the other hand, if time and money isn't an issue, then go out and set up for wet operations if you have all the gear and water you will need to recover that yellow stuff!  Regardless, we can't wait to get back out there!    

A winter wonderland in the desert

Woke up in a winter wonderland this morning... The only thing to do on such a beautiful day is have a snowball fight of course. More to follow when my fingers aren't numb from the snow.

My girls playing in the snow

Perfect packed snow for snowballs!

My little Poobird is still thawing out from our snow adventure.  While she defrosts her feathers I thought I would take the time to  share our morning with you.

Hitch happy to be with his Mama!

What a handsome boy!

   Another thing we really love about Vegas is the climate diversity.  We find it amazing just how much the weather can change in about a 15-20 minute drive from our house due to the topography and elevation.  Upon awakening this morning, we took a look at the weather radar and saw there were some lingering clouds, precipitation, and snowfall right up the road in the Mt. Potosi area.  We agreed it was time to take advantage of such conditions and alter our normal, pre-scheduled plans for the day.  Put on your cold weather clothes, grab the pups, pack some hot coffee, and jump in the truck to go find it!
  I still find it amazing that you can be in sunny, clear skies one moment with a strong wind blowing, then a few minutes later be in 6-8 inches of snow with socked in cloud cover and not a hint of a breeze.  That is something that will never lose it's appeal about this area and will continue to draw me out into the solitude of nature.  After the tragic Sandy Hook massacre, a day spent communing with nature helps cleanse the soul, clear the mind, and refresh your ideas of what is truly important in this life.  Spending a day with loved ones, your pups, and taking in the beauty that is abound is something to be cherished and not taken for granted.  I hope in the wake of this horrific event, people will take notice of what is truly important, seize each day to the fullest, and try to make this planet a better place to live.  

Happy Hound!

Starzsky modeling a snowball hat...

Maya giving out a kiss, she absolutely loves the snow!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who were lost and their surviving family members and friends!

Here are some just for fun photos that we hope you enjoy!

Leaving Mt. Potosi area and heading to higher ground