21 Years in a 1973 Dodge Van

love it thats sounds perfectt

 

Well, you know what the old guy really said was ... "My gold claim is near the weaver's noodles".

There was a combination Chinese laundry and restaurant just outside of Apache Junction. That's what he meant.

 

Awesome thread. I just joined this forum today and came across your thread. I had to read it from page 1 to page 35, very informative and you have some fantastic photos.

If I missed it I'm sorry, but what do you do if you break down in the middle of no where? Do you have a mountain bike to get around or are you stuck with shoe leather only? Also do you have a way to communicate with the outside world when you're out in the boondocks, such as CB or HAM? I'm sure cell phones won't work out where you're located.

I am curious as to how you deal with emergencies from mechanical to medical.

 

thank you JC for sharing all this with us, and so patiently too. I am only a part time vandweller with my one dog. Dogs are such great company that's for sure.

I am in a northern cold state and will be heading south this winter in a van. I will think of you as I pass Arizona, maybe even stop off somewhere there if I can. Looks like a beautiful state. Lake Havasu area always looked nice in pictures but too commercialized now I imagine. I used to think Havasu was such a cool name, but when I have researched that area, it just looks too crowded.

your pics are great!! I esp like the Devils Racetrack rocks, and your thoughts on them.
nothing more provoking than enigmas!! take care, and thanks again.

 

Every time I see this thread, all I can think of are those hot pepper cheeseburgers you posted and it always makes me hungry. :rofl:
Nice to see you're still around. Keep on truckin'. :driving:

:Angel_anim: <<< For you, should you need it. Good luck and be safe out there.

 

Now that is a really funny anecdote and brought a big smile to my face! It has been a long time since I have thought of Apache Junction since I lived up the road in Mesa back in 1969.

Anyway, I will admit a long time personal desire to meet the "Dutchman" and not to discover anything to do with any old gold mine, but to learn of his knowledge and experiences in the wilderness.

By the way, I think we both and twodogs too, know that if one is looking for gold, the best place to look is in the streams and rivers with a pan in your hands...

 

People still do that. I can't imagine that they find very much gold, though.

 

I'm 22, This has been a big ambition of mine since about 16.
The only thing that has stopped me is the fact that I dont have a van, or a car.

I always thought those dodge or chevy vans with like the roof extentions would be perfect.

i envy you sir.

 

My wife and I went to an old panning stream in WV quite a few years ago (tourist trap attraction) and one of the locals there was showing off and selling gold he was panning out of the stream.

Most of the gold was in very fine flakes, but he did have some nuggets (4 or 5) to sell, the average size was about as big as a small pea. There were two nuggets he was showing off that weren't for sale; both were roughly the size of a sugar cube.

Considering how heavily panned those streams were I'd guess you'd have decent luck (hard work) in remote areas. Of course that’s just my opinion, as I'm nowhere near being an expert of gold panning or mining methods.

 

I can still distinctly remember at 9 years old in 1969 panning for gold with a aluminum bowl out of my boy scout mess kit in a seasonal stream beneath Weavers Needle. Of course, the rest of my scout troop was out playing their green beret games and blowing a trumpet, yet I was content to simply sit with scout pants rolled up and my bare feet in the stream soaking up the simple beauty of the place.

By the way, I still have a small nugget (half size of a my pinky fingernail) which I found that day being the anti-social, non-conformist type as my old scout master used to describe me to my parents. Nonetheless, I had 18 merit badges and made it to "Star" scout level and had the gifted talent of being able to move about the desert unseen, unheard and untracked both in the day light hours and night time (much easier) too, and this particular talent has allowed me to see far more wildlife along with so many special experiences in the wilderness than most people...

I still feel most fortunate and grateful for my talents and all of my experiences regardless of those who would denigrate me for standing out from the crowd and refusing to be a robot.

Danger, Danger, Will Robinson..., but only when we close our eyes to the truth of and beauty of life and the natural world.

I want you to truly know "Two Dogs", that if you or you hounders are ever in need of anything, anything at all, simply pm me and I will see that it is done.

 

Thanks dude. There may be some shake-ups in my work situation due to the economy. It could force me out of my comfy rut. I'll survive though. Always have...hopefully always will.

 

PM away if you want. That fire a while back sure was a killer in your neck of the woods. I could see the smoke from where I was.

 

Old Jacob was a smart dude. He let everyone else do the hard work, (digging the gold ore out of the ground at the Vulture Mine outside Wickenburg) snatch some for himself (He worked there for some time.) and then he'd trek up into the Superstitions and come back saying "Look at what I found!"

 

I carry a lot of spare parts and also have been able to modify things that have broken over the years. I have all sorts of hand tools and also a Dremel. Almost a rolling mini machine shop. Before I started using a solar panel I had a battery die on me and had to hitch into town. Walked a loooooooooong way before I saw a vehicle.

Cell phones work in most areas, and I have one, but I used to rely on a CB radio.

 

You don't have to travel very far outside of Lake Havasu City to find a quiet spot. That's the beauty of AZ., you never have to travel very far from a town or city in order to camp for a night or a week.

 

I don't know just how many ounces I've found. There's still a LOT of gold out there. There was one couple that had never metal detected before on a GPAA claim south of Stanton that found a 2 1/2 pound nugget on their first day out. Of course they had bought a MineLab detector that runs about $3500, but still, pretty cool beginner's luck.

 

Ahhhhh yes...the jalapeno cheese burgers. Well...I needed to outdo myself this past Labor Day. Are you ready for the pics of the jalapeno, tomato, avocado cheese burgers?

 

Good luck with fulfilling your ambition. It's a great life if you're suited for it.