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Mon 5 Apr 2010

Swallowed Whole

Posted @ 9:08 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Entertainment
Last night as I watched one of those television shows I’d grown up with I was prompted to jump on the Internet and do a little research.  Instant access to information of all kinds is a blessing and a curse.  But last night it was a blessing.
 
In episode 1 of season 2 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea the diving bell was swallowed whole by a whale.  A very fast, very big whale.  I for one appreciate the sensational, over the top shows Irwin Allen prolifically produced in the ’60′s.  Allen wanted Voyage to be riddled with science and last night was no exception.  In the “belly of the whale” dying words discussion between Admiral Nelson and his guest in the diving bell, Nelson mentioned the story of a late 19th century sailor swallowed by a whale.
 
James Bartley was that man.  See a synopsis of the story below:

…A whale was sighted, the harpoon boats were launched, and the whale was successfully speared.  In the violence that followed, however, one of the smaller boats capsized, throwing two crew members into the sea.  One of them drowned and the other, said to be a man named James Bartley, disappeared.

 
The whale was eventually subdued and its carcass hoisted onto the ship where the crew started carving it up for blubber.  After a couple of days of work, they got down to the stomach, where some workers noticed something large inside, ‘doubled up’, and showing signs of life.
 
They cut the stomach open and there lay James Bartley, unconscious and somewhat digested, but alive.  They doused him with sea water, put him in the captain’s cabin and after a couple of weeks of recovery, he was back on the job.

Truth or Fiction.com

 
A fantastic story, yes.  A bit fanciful, maybe.  But don’t you love it when the writers incorporate a bit of mythos in with fact to increase the believability?  Where it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction is where new fiction can begin.
 
When these story elements I find it easier to ignore fishing line pulling submarines thru their diving maneuvers or fantastic stories of men in scuba gear swimming into the mouth of a whale and journeying to it’s stomach  to find their diving bell.
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Sun 28 Mar 2010

Only 366 Days

Posted @ 4:20 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Genealogy
At best there are 366 days in one year.  What are the odds of someone else having the same birthdate as you?  Duh 1 in 365¼.  Funny thing is that in a high school graduating class of 9 I had one other of the same birthday and if you count my small circle of friends growing up you can add another.  What are the odds of that?
 
So who all shares the day of my birth?
1468 – Charles I, Duke of Savoy
1483 – Raphael, Urbino Italy, painter (School of Athens)
1836 – Frederick Pabst, American brewer (d. 1904)
1899 – August Anheuser Busch, Jr., brewing magnate and American baseball executive (d. 1989)
1905 – Marlin Perkins, Carthage Mo, TV host (Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom)
1955 – Reba McEntire, McAlester Ok, country singer (Can’t Even Get the Blues)
 
It all fits, royalty, artist, brewer, narrator and singer.  Many more yet to be famous people are just waiting in line to call this date the day of their birth.
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Thu 11 Feb 2010

Lost on Lost

Posted @ 5:03 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Entertainment
It’s time for the self-confidence to come crashing to an end.  For 5 seasons I have developed and formulated theories.  Most have not panned out but I could at least develop and test my theory each week.  This final season I am at a loss to do anything of the kind.  I simply cannot postulate a coherent theory about what I am seeing on or off island.
 
Flashbacks and flashforwards were fine but how in the world do I reconcile flashsideways, in alternate timelines that don’t fit the pieces I know to be true… or do I know that?
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Mon 21 Dec 2009

In Search of Gold Mines Day 2 (19-Dec-09)

Posted @ 9:18 am      {Click to post comment} (3 posted) 
Category: Exploration
After the successes of yesterday there’s not much that can get better.  We begin day 2 at a rather leisurely pace at our roadside turnout.  With our primary objective conquered, we create a secondary plan consisting of vehicular and pedestrian assault.
Goldmine route in Alleghany, CA (day 2)
Day 2 begins from our base camp in Alleghany as we drive to within ¾ mile of Gold Star Mine.

Time: 9:35am
 
We parked in the downtown Alleghany parking area, nothing more than a wide section of Main Street with a “No Parking For More Than 12 Hours” sign across the street from the post office/museum and a jump from the bar.
 
Oh the sweet memories of a mobile BaseCamp as we head out for the day.  Parking here saved us the .6 mile trek through this booming metropolis.
 
Our initial goal was to stop by some of the mines we passed late last night.  But after heading slightly more than ½ mile and encountering the snow, remembering the holes in the boots and the dark GPSr nether regions of the previous night our objective changed to another set of mines.
Downtown Alleghany parking.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Gold Star exit.jpg (300x221 pixels)
Gold Star Mine
Time: 10:19am
elevation: 3,866ft
We park the mobile campsite at the nearest widening of the road, nearest the road that leads toward the mine.
 
The uphill trek begins.  It sure seems a lot more UP than the previous days traverse on no road at all.
 
Time: 11:03am
elevation 4,175ft
Hurray, not as exciting or arduous but a definite FIND!  No doubts here.
 
But wait, a sign says Exit and the gate is locked from the inside.  I wonder…
possible Gold Star entrance.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Yup, trekking uphill about 50ft yields a dangerous and exciting find.  A vertical shaft leading down into the mine.
 
Photograph taken, consider mine exploration completed and one more off the books.
Hub Mine
Time: 11:47am
 
One of two cabins visible from the only completely paved road into and out of Alleghany, CA.
Mobiling as far off the highway (and I use that term loosely) as we dare, we park and descend to cabin and mine location.
Hub mine lodging from Ridge Rd.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Hub mine house a fixer.jpg (150x112 pixels)Hub mine bachelor's pad.jpg (150x112 pixels)
A quick peek inside each of the cabin yields valuable information.
The cabin on the left has a bedroom, a bathroom, a living/dining/kitchen room.  The cabin on the right has one big room and old box spring coils in the middle of the room.  One of these miners must have had the civilization that a woman brings to the mix.
Hub mine.jpg (300x225 pixels)
The Hub Mine!
 
Bill sports the way.
Hub mine safety notice dtd 1938.jpg (150x316 pixels)Hub mine - 100yds in.jpg (200x267 pixels)
OK, we dared venture in!
Deteriorated safety notice dated 1938 was posted some 100 yards in.  Who’d have thunk OSHA could reach back in time.
Bill carefully inspects piping for unknown purpose – forced air?  which was paralleled by electrical wires deeper into the shaft.
We dared only traverse as far as an apparent cave-in area.
Even with that, safety was paramount, as no two of us ventured past a certain point together, leaving one behind to monitor conditions.  We each took turns and were quite satisfied with the discovery.
The initial shaft went straight into the hillside about 150yds, then sloped down about 20 degrees for a drop of 30ft over a 25yds distance.  It then went about 15yds further back where cave-in (or never cleaned out) rubble was almost blocking any apparent passage.  We’d love to find more history on this one.
Time: 1:00pm
 
Lunch in lawn chairs sitting on a barely roadside pullout.  Yum, yum.  Cans of tuna and pork and beans – doesn’t get better than that!
 
Next destination Kate-Hardy Mine and Omega Mine.
Time: 1:36pm
 
We visit the town of Forest, population: less.
 
A possible entry point for the Omega Mine but too far and too much snow to tromp through in our two hours remaining.  So on to plan B.
Plan B
Roman Mine and Blue Grouse Mine
 
Time: 1:48pm
elevaton: 4,006ft
Parked the minivan at entry point and set out on foot for the Roman Mine.

Time: 2:23pm
elevation: 3,788ft
Roman Mine
We arrive to within 1/10 mile of the Roman Mine encounter a no trespassing sign.  Desiring to honor property rights we collect our “evidence” in the form of digital photography and turn around.
Roman mine.jpg (300x221 pixels)
Alas, all good things must come to an end and it is now time to head back to the big city with the little stars in the sky.
This was a good trip, an awesome adventure and a must to repeat!
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Sat 19 Dec 2009

In Search of Gold Mines Day 1 (18-Dec-09)

Posted @ 8:09 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Exploration
Picture a small mountain community that still makes its living from gold mines and you probably have a good picture of Alleghany, California.  Nestled near the Tahoe National Forest in Sierra County, this community is the base camp for our 24 hour adventure.
 
My first ever search for gold mines began earlier in the day on Friday with preparations for a 2 hour drive, a cold-hamburger+beans-from-a-can dinner, sleeping bags in the back of a mini-van and my trusty GPSr (whose reliability would be questioned only hours later).

Goldmine route in Alleghany, CA (day 1)
Our trek begins a BaseCamp (as labeled above) and proceeds in a counterclockwise direction.
 
 
At 3:47pm on Friday December 18, 2009 only a few feet from BaseCamp (a mini-van parked alongside the road) we took our first few excited steps on a journey that would last for the next 7 hours 10 minutes and take us about 10.2 miles through uncharted hillsides and brush.
 
Primary objective: The Queen of Sheba Mine.  Why?  We liked the name.
 
1-alleghanyFD.jpg (300x180 pixels)
Time: 3:47pm
elevation: 4,403ft
 
Our trek begins with us passing the rescue team.  We hope not…  We have not yet been into Alleghany proper but we’re hoping for slightly updated services from this town of 121.
Minutes into our hike we come upon our first treasure.  An unexpected and undocumented tunnel beside the road we are travelling down.  The floor of the tunnel is under about a foot of water but it’s way too cool to look inside and imagine those who dug this out.
Unknown mine - 1st find!.jpg (300x227 pixels)
Ready4Fun.jpg (300x227 pixels)
Okay, time for the courtesy pose before we’re worn out, dirty and downright not hospitable to “pose’n.”
Oriental Mine.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Time: 4:17pm

Oriental Mine
elevation: 3,716ft
 
Our first “official” mine.  This is as close as we got the mine in deference to the owners.  During this entire trip we want to be respectful of any trespassing signage.  So far no signage, but sometimes it’s kind of obvious when you will not be welcome to proceed further.
Time: 4:24pm
 
From Oriental Mine we proceeded several yards downhill to Kanaka Creek.  After searching for a few minutes for a dry crossing and looking at the declining sun we arrive dryly on the other side and our bushwhacking begins.
Kanaka Creek.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Parttimers cabin.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Eyeing the ridgeline in the distance as we follow the Kanaka Creek ravine, we come across a “part-timers” cabin.  Cabin is all locked up for the season and we are careful to take only memories.
Light level 1½hr in.jpg (300x221 pixels)
Time: 5:12pm

Kenton Mine
elevation: ~3,700ft
We arrive in the vicinity but in the twilight of dusk but are unable to find our first “in the wilderness” find.
 

Time: 5:41pm
Here is my attempt to capture the sliver of the moon which will soon slip below the ridgeline.
We are now definitely headed up.  At this time we are about 400ft above the Kenton Mine location headed to 4,300’ before descending the other side of the hill.
Last .2mi to QoShebaA.jpg (150x111 pixels)Last .2mi to QoShebaB.jpg (150x111 pixels)
For posterities sake I’d like you all to know that going through more than 1,000 ft (.2 mile) of this stuff, downhill, in the dark, when most of the bush is 4ft tall is not the most exciting thing you can ever do.  Imagine being netted in a tangled mess with every step as gravity tugs you downward at a higher velocity than you can untangle yourself.  But with only 3/10 mile to go to our trips objective we endure.
Queen Of Sheeba for posterity - but wait!.jpg (200x150 pixels)
Time: 7:28pm
 
The sad, sad reality is that after more than 3½ hours we are  unable to spot the Queen of Sheba.  So after 2.9 mountainous, bushwhacking miles (or 1.2 miles as the crow flies) I photograph a tree for posterity and “proof” of our feat.
 
Now back to BaseCamp via any way but the nasty-uphill-through-the-bush route.
 
Queen of Sheba Mine
Bill basking in victory.jpg (200x267 pixels)QofS Discovery.jpg (200x267 pixels)Daves turn to bask.jpg (200x267 pixels)
Wait!! The report of mediocre success was too soon!
Some 80 ft or so from our tree I spot a dark post sticking out of the ground.
SUCCESS!  We have found it!
Oh how sweet it is!
Quartz at Queen of Sheeba.jpg (150x112 pixels)Monument wMiningClaim in tube.jpg (150x217 pixels)Queen of Sheeba claim.jpg (150x112 pixels)
A few broken pieces are quartz, a sealed tube with the mining claim – most recently filed in 2005 and life is good.
We have what we came for.
Every rock, every hill, every bloody bush – it’s all worth it!
Time: 8:00pm
 
But WAIT! As we head out, what do you know?  A little gulley points the way to the actual mine.
 
SWEET!!!  We never expected this kind of success.
but wait! The Queen of Sheeba!.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Inside the Queen of Sheeba2.jpg (300x225 pixels)
Okay, we were so excited there were several pictures taken down inside the mine that came out perfectly black.  But we have to “prove” it so I made sure a wall was close enough for the flash to bounce off.  Not too exciting to you, I’m sure.  But great for me!
Time: 8:32pm
Heading out, we decide to use a road/trail we crossed before the nasty-bushes-that-meant-us-no-good hoping to intersect it on an alternate path.  It appears this will double our overland distance BUT it’ll be on an unmaintained road which is a vast improvement.
 
Referring to our track image above you’ll note that we left Queen of Sheba and “guessed” the wrong direction once we arrived at the road.  I would assume entire wrong-way-Dave responsibility for this except you will note that at one point we crossed our own path several times.  Seeing as how we were on a road it’s kind of hard to imagine how 2 genius’s like us, who go through nasty brush up and down the sides of mountains in the dark to get to a mine that is 1/5 mile off a road/trail, could possibly go in circles.  WE DID NOT.  The GPSr was major haywire.  Trees, mountains and karma were in effect on our tired souls.  It was about here that I looked at our track, saw it crossing a section of road that had no crossroads and on which we had never traversed (ok, we did make one more incorrect guess at a Y) and said whoa, wait a second.  There’s something fishy here.  Satellite tracking was at an in-optimal level the likes of which I had never seen and for durations of time that really made us question which direction we were headed.
 
We discussed sleeping under a tree until morning.  It would have been doable but sure did not sound as good as a warm sleeping bag in the back of a mini-van.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that since about 4:45pm our stomachs have been growling non-stop.  I do not think I have every been so hungry in my life.  Oh the thought of a pre-cooked cold hamburger that was waiting for me sounded blissful!
 
The GPSr became a reference tool from this point on and instincts were forced to surface.  Eventually we got two good satellite fixes that confirmed we were approximately on the road we thought we were.
 
Time: 10:56pm
Two very tired, hungry, thirsty, aching, cold, wet feet guys arrive at BaseCamp after traversing Alleghany, California from one end to the other.  7.1 miles and 3 hours AFTER the Queen of Sheba Mine we EAT, EAT, EAT.
 
We took the lawn chairs out and sat at our appointed roadside rest, ate our cold burgers and corn from a can as we marveled at the miracle of God’s creation looking down at us from the heavens with such a splendor as is never seen in the city.
 
Then we SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP!
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Wed 9 Dec 2009

Thar’s Gold In… (well maybe not)

Posted @ 3:33 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Exploration
I am preparing for a quick overnight trip of exploration next week.  Nothing elaborate, just fun.  As my son and I were trying to figure out where we’d go and what we’d do – especially after the recent snow – we hit upon the idea of camping in the car and hiking during the day.  It’ll just be the two of us – so cans of food over my backpack stove and warm sleeping bags in the van ought be uncomfortable enough.
 
Well, me being the person that needs a purpose, seized upon the idea of finding gold mines.  Below is the area and many, but by no means all, of the mines in the area.  This should give us ample opportunity to trek overland with GPSr in hand and take photos.
 
So off we go to Alleghany, CA as our “base camp.”  We see how many of these locations we can conquer in under 24 hours, if we can even get there on ice free roads.
 

Allegheny, CA is indicated by the yellow circle.
The RED and the BLUE lines are alternate routes to “base camp.”
 
The piece of real estate depicted is wedged between Highway 49 and Highway 20.
 
Oh yes, our initial destination – site unseen is…. Queen of Sheba Mine.
 

The story of Allegheny, CA.

My intent is of create a map and images of each site visited as an ongoing record of the conquest.  If I recall there are only 3,000 or so mines scattered within my region of the state.  How long can it take to conquer all of them.
 
You may not want to hold your breath for my journaling of the mines or my visit to each of the 3,000+.
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Mon 30 Nov 2009

30 in 30 on 30!

Posted @ 10:47 am      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Geocaching
I did it!  I am ready for a break!  30 caches in 30 days all completed on the 30th.  In truth I could have finished earlier but then what’s the fun?  I like the symmetry of my method.
 
It was hard play and sometimes in life we need hard play, especially when we’ve had hard work!
 
Below is a list of the dates, caches and my lifetime geocache finds for the period in question.
  1. Nov 02 ’09 – Indiana Jones and the Secret of Acorn’s Nuts (find # 115)
  2. Nov 03 ’09 – McRonalds 9  (find # 116)
  3. Nov 03 ’09 – Billy Joe Bob’s Bait and Tackle  (find # 117)
  4. Nov 06 ’09 – Hanging Around In the Park – Part 4  (find # 118)
  5. Nov 07 ’09 – More Mountain House  (find # 119)
  6. Nov 07 ’09 – Take a Hike Take a Bike  (find # 120)
  7. Nov 07 ’09 – Stranded in Mountain House  (find # 121)
  8. Nov 07 ’09 – Clifton’s Court quad  (find # 122)
  9. Nov 09 ’09 – 3 goats & the troll  (find # 123)
  10. Nov 11 ’09 – CFB #1  (find # 124)
  11. Nov 18 ’09 – Soy Vey!!  (find # 125)
  12. Nov 19 ’09 – Payne Family Cache  (find # 126)
  13. Nov 20 ’09 – Lone Cone  (find # 127)
  14. Nov 20 ’09 – Nuttin’ Honey  (find # 128)
  15. Nov 20 ’09 – Bal-Mart  (find # 129)
  16. Nov 23 ’09 – Just Around the Corner  (find # 130)
  17. Nov 24 ’09 – A Rocky Start  (find # 131)
  18. Nov 24 ’09 – Guido’s Shameless Plug  (find # 132)
  19. Nov 24 ’09 – High Tech Easter Egg Hunt  (find # 133)
  20. Nov 24 ’09 – Ultimate Spiderman #9  (find # 134)
  21. Nov 24 ’09 – Spring Scooby #1  (find # 135)
  22. Nov 25 ’09 – Loan-ly Oak  (find # 136)
  23. Nov 25 ’09 – Whitewashed at Blue Ravine  (find # 137)
  24. Nov 25 ’09 – ‘M’ Easter Bunny on Blue Ravine  (find # 138)
  25. Nov 26 ’09 – Chirp! Chirp!  (find # 139)
  26. Nov 26 ’09 – Elverta’s New End  (find # 140)
  27. Nov 27 ’09 – Midway Water Works  (find # 141)
  28. Nov 27 ’09 – Tracy Triangle #3  (find # 142)
  29. Nov 27 ’09 – Tracy Triangle #4  (find # 143)
  30. Nov 30 ’09 – Pot O’ Gold  (find # 144)
 
I know it’s not Guinness Book material but it’s big for me.
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Tue 24 Nov 2009

Going for Broke

Posted @ 1:09 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Geocaching
Ok, yesterday’s blog entry got me thinking.  If I can do 23 in a 30 day period ending on the 23rd, I must be able to do 30 in 30 on the 30th.
 
Well, I did the math, not as easy as I might have thought.  Today I found 3 more caches near work (almost 4) and figured that’s 26 total all I need is 4 more in the next 6 days and I’ll have 30 in 30 on the 30th.  Not true.  Since this is a rolling 30 days and I look back 30 days from Nov 30th it is Oct 31st.  Now my total is 19 for the 30 day period.  I will need to do 11 more caches between today and end of day on the 30th.  That’s quite a bit number, especially since I will not be able to cache each of those days.
 
So I sit here contemplate whether to go for broke and hit 11 more for a new personal best or not.
 
I need to see if I can challenge my fellow geo-co-worker.  Maybe a little competition will do the soul good.  Afterall, I do have a long weekend.
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Mon 23 Nov 2009

23 on 23

Posted @ 1:47 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Geocaching
Today is the 23rd day of the month.  Today is also the day I have achieved a record number of geocache finds in one 30 day period.  As of today I have found 23 caches in 30 days.
 
Did I set out to do this?  Nope.  In fact I had not even realized it happened until I checked my status on geocaching.com.
 
I have to admit I did step up my efforts before the non-caching friendly weather begins in earnest and this aided in this great feat.
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Fri 23 Oct 2009

Silly Rabbit, Caches are for Dave

Posted @ 5:36 pm      {Click to post comment} 
Category: Geocaching
The last two days have fared well in the quest for hidden treasure.
 
Two days, two caches per day!
 
It’s great to be me!
 
When are we gonna get there? I’m hungry. This car smells weird.
Riley Poole, National Treasure (2004)

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