Micro Nugget

Oops, I meant the 'Apple Fire.' The fire started in Cherry Valley which is to the north of Banning/Beaumont. Apple Valley, of course, is nowhere near where the fire burns. Not sure how the 'Apple Fire' name got coined, but my mistake. Anyway, today (Monday) the winds have shifted the fire and smoke blanket due east to smother Palm Springs and places east along the I-10 corridor and is less likely to continue its march towards Yucca Valley.

As of Sunday August 2nd around 2PM anyone wondering what it is like to be 40 miles downwind of the Cherry Fire that started to the north of the 10 Freeway in Beaumont/Banning, it is smokey with fine ash falling and collecting behind the windbreaks. I wouldn't advise anyone to travel into areas that could be cut off by winds that are gusting from the west and south between 10 and 20 knots at times here in Yucca Valley. My guess is that it will be a week or more before we begin seeing an end to this. Everything is tinder dry and just waiting for a spark. Let's keep fingers crossed that we don't wind up with another Paradise debacle if it tops the mountains above Big Bear.

Hey Carl, best way to come back is to come back strong. Glad to know you are on the mend. Sorry to learn of deaths in your family. Looks like you have some catching up to do...

Among us walk some legends and giants. It saddens us that we all have lost Fred Mason, such a beloved and irreplaceable friend today. My condolences to Fred's family.

Nice piece of writing. Food for thought. Your breathing guidelines remind me that when I'm prospecting at higher elevations and get a little light headed I do like some fighter pilots do by holding my nose and creating pressure on my lungs. The added pressure helps the lungs absorb oxygen and my dizziness passes quickly. But if I'm already infected I'm wondering if it also might be forcing corona virus particles even deeper into lung tissue? Lots of medical issues here. Thanks for sharing.

Every spring on our first visit to our claims up in the Tahoe National Forest in Sierra County we have to take a saw with us to cut our way along a narrow trail for 2 miles and many elevation changes through fallen timber after the winter snowstorms and encroaching side brush impede access to the claims. We've always included trail cutting work in our proofs of labor and they've never been rejected. The FS approves of this, I suppose, because otherwise they would have to do it (which they do in the case of massive trees too large for us to handle). But, additionally, we also report other work performed to improve the claim ranging from replacement windows for the cabin (which serves to store our mining equipment) after bears break in to the number of cubic feet of gravels we process. The key criterion is whether the work improves the claim in the sense of improving one's ability to recover gold. Thus, what doesn't work is picking up litter or packing out garbage. Those types of labor may "improve" sightliness, but contribute nothing toward gold extraction. "Recreational" mining (a phrase that has as many interpretations as there are interpretors) is not covered by the Mining Law of 1872. The ML of 1872, enacted during America's westward expansion (along with homestead laws), envisions the types of work that ultimately can result in patenting land.

I reside in Yucca Valley. There is a whole lot of gold bearing desert all around me. My dear wife is celebrating her 18th birthday (she's a leap year baby) so I won't be available during the last weekend of February. But other than that chances are good we can hook up. Keep me posted.

Good to hear from you Ed as WSPA's newest member. If you haven't tried the deserts of Southern California yet, you may want to take a break from those rainy Oregon periods and pay a visit. WSPA likely will be having at least one event down this way in 2020. Give me a heads up and I may be able to point my finger here or there for places to scan with your trusty coil. Cheers, Martin (Micro Nugget) Milas

Oh my, she's a keeper alright! Judging from the background look of the dirt and the ocotillo cane in full leaf, I'd guess Arizona gave up that beauty during a warmer time of year. Congrats on such a nice find and thanks for sharing...

Howdy Chet. For a member to access the Business Forum just go to the home page and click on the Business Forum. Hope this helps.