Prospecting - Baker Creek
On 5/17/20 I drove my 2000 Dodge Caravan SE with nearly 119K miles on it through Red Rock Canyon and noticed a vibration at high speed. Suspecting a thrown weight from my new tires, I slowed and the vibration stopped. When it was safe, I stopped to inspect it and found it hot. Having prior experience with multiple bad brake jobs by Big OTire, I diverted to Redgecrest.
The calipers were rusted, the fluid was contaminated and the master cylinder was not fully releasing the brake cylinders, so nearly $700 later, I left Ridgecrest at 4:20 PM, and drove to Big Pine.
I drove out West Crocker St. to Glacier Lodge Road to Sugar Loaf Road,
which ends about where the two ridge lines meet in the valley looking west here the next morning. The van is where I slept.
Looking east the next morning.
Orange flowers.
Red flowers.
Pentagon flowers.
Daisies?
Lupin next to Baker Creek.
Unfortunately, I could not find the beautiful pink thistles I saw the previous night while looking for a good spot to dig the next morning, which I marked with a scrape here.
After moving the overburden in buckets to the stream where I used it to build an isthmus into the stream where I could place the sluice, I strained my back. I was not about to waste all that work, so I continued to dig and process the good soil.
Of course it was not until the end that I encountered promising dirt.
The sluice platform.
No gold, so left a 12:45 PM for Reno as two women on horseback with a dog came and went (in valley just above front of van).
Strange pattern on only the rear wheel covers.
On 5/18/10, I drove through Bishop and on to Reno, 221 mi, 4 hours 33 mins.
Gardenville Ranchos and Gardnerville had a ridiculous 25 mph speed limit long before and after town. I'd never live there. Carson City was your usual big town. Before arriving in Reno, I stopped at a Discount Tire to have the wheel balance checked. There I learned that three rims were bent; one badly. I continued on to Reno with the intent to find some rims at a salvage yard.