The Guys are back...Forget Plan B

July 17, 2015- Forget plan B

The guys are back.  Quick and simple answer to everyone’s question…  No gold.  It was somewhat of a productive “vacation” though.  Here’s the rundown: Remember I reported there were major forest fires going on when they left?  Well, they were still going on when they arrived.  The smoke was so thick they could only make one of the stops they had scheduled due to the thick smoke.  When they landed in Takotna, Wednesday July 2, they could only see about 200 feet.  The fires were about 4 miles from Takotna.  On Thursday, about 40 forest rangers were camping on the school grounds.

  They were supposed to get air dropped in the mountains but it started to rain so the rangers cleaned the brush around Takotna to help protect the city.  The fire fighters were actually still there for Takotna’s 4th of July celebration.  George got a picture of them camping in their tents.

George and Dave were grounded and couldn’t get to their site 60 miles out in the wilderness because of the fire dangers and smoke.  Since the rivers were down, the town hadn’t gotten their fuel supply for the summer so that contributed to keeping the guys grounded.  Oh yeah, I remember telling you they had a plan B.  Lesson here is to always pursue your dream, PLAN A, and don’t get side tracked on plan B, C etc.  It takes your focus off your big dream and adventure.  Always move in the direction of your dream and keep that momentum going.  I always thought it was great to have a plan B but this is a great example to learn by.  My mission is to tell the adventure while inspiring everyone to chase after their own passion and make your journey easier by pointing out some pitfalls.  Some of my advice from the sideline to prevent some expensive lessons is: plan, research, plan, coordinate, research, research, research and communicate!  Since I have graciously agreed to have multiple staycations while the guys chase their dream, it is a little frustrating when  I'm told, “things just happen.”  I could vent and write more but we’ll move on.  I was informed these are “business trips.”  I’ll let you be the judge after viewing the pics. 

Our gold miners had plan B which was to go into the mountains of Takotna and do some metal detecting and mining on a local claim they had lined up prior to arrival

They had a nice hike in the mountains including some site seeing.  Strictly business, of course. 

They did a few test pans at the claim but there was absolutely nothing. 

When you are dealing with gold there are laws written and unwritten.  You never mine on someone else’s claim without permission so since this claim was a bust they had to abandon their plan B.  Since the owner wasn’t available the guys went back to Takotna.  No doubt there’s gold in them thar mountains; just none at that particular site.  Even in the lower states a trespasser can get shot if they cross this line.  Serious miners call it, “claim jumping.”  George and Dave have to always worry about bears and they don’t need to be worrying about getting shot too.  They just need to get to their own site but it just wasn’t meant to be this year.  They did get their grizzly welded together and on their last day and they were able to finally get up in the air and fly over their site. 

They mapped out their path they will take this next winter to get their bull dozer and excavator to their own gold claim on the Fourth of July Creek. 

They were also able to talk to a geologist about their claim and obtained some interesting information.  He explained there was an anomaly on their site.  Here is how they explain it.  The DNR flew over the whole gold belt area in 2010 with a giant metal detector and published their finding in 2013.  They found they had an anomaly on their site.  This doesn’t show exactly where the gold is but highly magnetic is associated with gold.  I don’t understand it all, but I was able to contact a geologist in Fairbanks and they did a conference call with George and I and we talked with one of their geophysicist.  I got a link to some maps and great info for the guys to decipher.  http://avcams.faa.gov. 

How to Fix a Dozer

Here is another video you should enjoy.  They have to fix the bull dozer sometime also.  I was just getting ready to jokingly say how it sucks to be them but after seeing the daunting repair manual, I think it really will suck to be them tomorrow. 

Their plan to get gold

 

The guys are in Takotna.  I found out the census is actually 60, not 28 like I have been reporting.  So here is what I am thinking about George and Dave.  If they told me the population was less than it was…is that how they report their gold findings?  Isn’t this like a fisherman is reverse?

So for an update:  The guys are in Takotna staying at the “Mush House” as they call it.  This is where the Iditarod mushers stay during their historic and famous race.  You can see it is very nice with a TV, comfy chairs and beds and all the comforts of home.  Here is a video of George and Dave discussing their plan of attack.  It’s fun to watch them live yet another chapter in their adventure.  I can’t wait till they do some metal detecting.  Listening to their plan pulls you into the excitement.  Will it work?  Are they drinking?  Who knows?  Hopefully we will know something tomorrow.  You have to know, they filter what they tell me because they are afraid I will give away their secret recipe.  But I have vays.  I will keep you posted.

George and Dave were at the airport and noticed this sled.  Just like kids, George had to get his picture taken with it.  Can we all say awwww?

They're there

June 30, 2015

They were both so excited they couldn’t hardly get to sleep the night before they left.  I have a visual, in my head, of two little school boys who haven’t seen each other over summer break.  Crazy visual huh?  Jumping up and down, singing, “we gonna get some gold” doing the happy dance…riding around singing North to Alaska.  Just getting all you readers prepped for the excitement.  They have been planning and dreaming (as you know) all winter.  They make me smile when I hear about their grocery shopping and you can tell they must have been excited when they went to Bass Pro because of all the pictures.   I actually blew their shopping pictures up to see how hungry they were when they went shopping.  Now for the plan.  They are in Anchorage right now and you know they didn’t make it to their claim with their heavy equipment this last winter so they are going to plan B.  They plan to fly out to Takotna tomorrow, July 1, and stay at the mush house (As they call it).  They will repair their bull dozer and then go up into the mountains of Takotna and gold mine up there.  George and Dave will be using their metal detectors so this will put an interesting new twist on things.  I don’t think they know yet if they will be setting up their sluice.  Santa brought George a new Mine Lab metal detector, so he will be stuffing my stocking with some gold nuggets this Christmas.   I think it’s only about 20 miles to the gold claim.  Takotna has a population of 28 so they can’t just run to Hertz rent-a-car for transportation.  The guys have kind of grown on the little village and they have developed some strong friendships.  Their Alaskan friends are very hospitable and will help the guys get to the gold and follow their dream.  I am anxious myself to have them metal detect.  I have a Facebook friend in Scotland who discovered the largest Viking hoard in Scotland with a metal detector.  You can check them out at www.facebook.com/Beyondthebeep to see what the possibilities are and why I am excited. 

 This is Dave. The guys are talking their supplies to the airport so they can fly out tomorrow

                       They did some shopping at Bass Pro. Looks like they were impressed

 Notice the pillows? And if you blow the picture up, you can see some coke and Dr. Pepper and some beer? The gold stories are going to be great

                                                           Their wings for tomorrow

                             Did I raise George right or what? Is that a shopping list I see on top?

These guys have been in the wilds of Alaska and they love this store. Such beautiful displays

     These guys have been in the wilds of Alaska and they love this store. Such beautiful displays.

Did you say fires?

George and Dave have been working hard to get their businesses back home in line so they can take off on Monday.  I asked George if he was aware of all the fires in Alaska and I saw that little boy surprise look that is thinking, but is saying on the inside: “I got nothing.”  I think his mouth was open.  I filled him in and he immediately called his other wife, Dave.  The guys have a system that works for them and Dave is the designated contact person for Alaska.  This way they don’t double call.  Dave called the forestry division and the lady was so glad to hear from him.  She told him they were going to have to evacuate the guys because they didn’t have enough man power or equipment to protect their site like they did several years ago.  Dave informed her that they weren’t there yet and he heard a sigh of relief on the other end.  The Alaska Forestry division has a priority list for wild-land fires and it’s based on threats to life, primary residences, buildings, infrastructure, cultural and natural resource value and Native allotments.  They compile a list each day based on the fire activity.  I know George and Dave are proud of their tin can condo, but it didn’t make the list.  So we will wait and see what lies in their future.  There is no way in to their site except to fly in.  They have no river large enough to river boat in and it is 60 miles in over the rivers and rough terrain.  Sooo…. They have a plan B.   They will go into the mountains of Takotna and gold mine and just come down every night and stay in what they call “The Mush House.”  It’s where the mushers stay during the Iditarod.  Note: Data can be found here: http://afsmaps.blm.gov/imf_lightning/imf.jsp?site=lightning

 

This is a picture 30 miles NW of their gold mining site. 

 

Does the danger never end?

After their traumatic attempt to walk their equipment in over the snow packed tundra this March, they are now facing forest fires that threaten the Fourth of July Creek gold claim and Deadwood.  Several years ago the forest rangers had to set up pumps and sprinklers to protect their site.  This was because the forest rangers first duty is to protect life and limb.  The guys were out in the middle of the wilderness without any way out except by plane so it is understandable why the forest rangers were concerned about them.  Well, as you know, their heavy equipment didn't make it to the site so the guys are going to plan B.  Remember... When one door closes; another opens.  Since their equipment is sitting in Takotna (population 28) they are planning to go into the mountains there.  They have located a claim owned by someone else that will let them mine for a small percent.  It's amazing how things work out.  One of my goals in writing is show how everyone can pursue their dream.  You just have to point your car in the direction you want to go and follow your lights.  The lights don't show your entire trip, but they light the way and you follow.  Think about it.  God lights your way and you just have to have enough faith to follow the path you have envisioned.  If you don't believe it by now, you just need to go back and re-read their adventure.  This is a picture of one of the many fires in Alaska the firefighters are battling. 

Our Gold Miners are scheduled to leave on the 29th

The tickets are bought and our gold miners will be leaving June 29, 2015.  Dave will be flying from Florida and George from Kansas and will meet up in Anchorage.  I’ll give a quick recap.  George and Dave have been developing and mining their claim on The Fourth of July Creek in Alaska which is about 60 miles South West of McGrath.  In 2011 they failed their first attempt to hike to their claim.  Survived staring down a bear and became educated first hand on Alaska's state bird...the mosquito.  Their only way in was by chopper on their Sept trip 2011.   By 2012 they cleared a runway, built their condo; survived the cold and the never ending rains that flooded their pontoons and made a hard day even harder. With several bear scares they were sleeping with their guns under their pillows and between their legs and then when and when they started dredging, they both just about froze their “MINI ME’s” in the frigid waters.   All I can say about that is, Marlene and I are lucky they survived all of that.  With equipment problems, exhaustion and their overwhelming challenges they still continued to follow their dream.   By 2013 they’ve survived some pretty scary flights and ever more frequent bears encounters.    With limited communication they were pretty clueless of the dangerously close forest fires that were ravaging Alaska that year.  The forest rangers monitored and protected their site.  By now, the guys are Marksmen with their UDAP bear spray and getting a little too cocky with Yogi Bear.  They seem to be a great match though.  Dave loves George’s cooking and George loves Dave’s quick wit and humor.  I’m not that funny so George is always bragging about how Dave keeps him rolling.  They have no drama like the reality TV shows (and marriage) and the guys do work well together.  What an odd couple huh?  Kind of makes me jealous of all their bonding adventures in their pursuit of gold.  So do I enjoy my staycations?   I’ll get back with you on that one after we see what happens this year.  Oh yeah, back to the update… Last year, 2014, they acquired a claim to Deadwood which is 6 miles from Fourth of July. They also bought a dozer and had it barged to Takotna from Anchorage.  This last March they bought an excavator and made 2 attempts to get their equipment over the rough, snow covered, tundra and rivers.  Turns out the rivers weren’t frozen enough to hold their equipment and they almost lost everything when they broke through.  Thank God they all survived their traumatic ordeal.  So now you are updated. After this last major setback you are probably thinking it’s time to quit; give it up; throw in the towel and take up checkers.  I will remind everyone who is holding back on pursuing their dream, for whatever reason, to remember:  When one door closes another opens.  If you have followed George and Dave’s adventure, you can see this very clear.  So unbeknownst to you, another door has opened and that is why this summer is going to be even better.  You can always fail.  If you don’t pursue your dream, you’ve failed.  If you tried but failed, you’ve succeeded.  You don’t have to chase gold.  If you think about it everyone has something that stirs them.  I’m just saying chase it with abandon.  Everything is first a thought and life is so short.  These guys are going to sit in their rockers when they get old (er) and have no regrets

This is their chopper slinging their supplies over. This was the only way in and out untill they got a runway cleared. Taken 2012

They had to leave their water bottles behind in order to be light enough to lift off. Scary trip —

They forgot to get their hunting permit for the mosquitos. George Rudy looks miserable but he's loving the pay off. Gold makes men tolerate crazy stuff

 Notice they are in a tent and they were a little nervous with the bears

                                       Their plane. Only one at a time could fly into the site.

                           George standing on shipping boxes as a ladder. Where is OSHA?

 Building their condo. Oops... notice their is no ladder? And no, there wasn't even a scrap of extra lumber to make one

                   The finished condo sitting in the middle of the wilderness in the wilds of Alaska.

This is a mama bear outside their cabin trying to coax her babies down. The guys fired their gun trying to scare the mama bear away without knowing she had 2 cubs. They ran up the tree when they heard the shot. Remember the story about a mama bear and her cubs? The guys knew that story and stayed in their cabin till she persuaded her babies to come down.

                                                          One of their frequent flyers

Better to see him chewing on an antler instead of George or Dave. It would be Dave though because George has longer legs and can outrun Dave.

 

                                     Panning a little gold was all it took to keep them going.

 This poor bear learned first hand about UDAP bear spray. It's sad to spray them but better than shooting or maiming them.

A little bear damage

                                                     Dave thanking the forest rangers. 

                This is their claim, Deadwood, from the air. Look at all their perks. What a deal!

 These guys became the proud owners of "Big Sexy." And yes, they named their dozer and started naming their bears

 This is their pilot, Barney, getting ready to head out on the first attempt to deliver the skid full of fuel, lumber etc. along with the dozer and excavator

                                                 Beautiful view but dangerous situation.

                               They were waiting for an airdrop for supplies. No Quik Trips.

 They had to abort the first trip and head back to Takotna after getting within 12 miles of the site

                          Heading out from Takotna going past an old dredge. How cool huh?

 You can see they didn't have much fun dealing with the equipment malfunctions. The track came off.

Here they are in the middle of the wilderness in 5 foot deep snow and struggling just trying to make it

Here they are in the middle of the wilderness in 5 foot deep snow and struggling just trying to make it the 60 miles to their site.

 

But did they quit?

No but they were exhausted. 

NEVER GIVE UP FOLLOWING YOUR DREAM!

 

. 

The Finished Sluice

This is their finished sluice.  The guys went up last Sept to Takotna, Alaska and then up to Yankee Creek
in the mountains to an old mining site.  This is where they were allowed to do their "shopping." 
They found this old sluice that was in bad need of repair and they welded and cut pieces and put
this together.  One thing about Alaska... what goes to Alaska, stays in Alaska, so you have to make
do with what you find.  They can't just run down to their local Lowes or Home Depot.  Takotna is 234 miles by air from Anchorage.  Takotna has a population of about 28 just so you get a perspective.

Picture from the wilderness on their attempts to deliver the gold mining equipment

This is Dave in the wild.  He said Richi was driving the excavator and had to stop and pull snow machine off of him a dozen times every time he crashed.  Dave said he would always tell him he was doing good.  Dave said he was so sore, "it hurts to poop."  I'm just telling you what he said.  Dave still had his humor on the trail. Dave is from Florida and had never driven a snowmobile until this emergency situation.  Just to keep you caught up:  Barney and Richi tried one attempt to get the gold mining equipment, the dozer and excavator to their site 60 miles in the wilderness.  They plowed through 5' deep snow and crossed many rivers but didn't make it to their site, The Fourth of July Creek.  Then Dave flew in from Florida to help because he had experience driving heavy equipment...but not with snowmobiles.  As it turned out, Mother Nature turned the guys back for the second time.  She ordered spring thaw a wee bit earlier than normal and the early thaw almost proved deadly.  The equipment broke through the thawing rivers twice and the guys managed to save their equipment and their lives.  There was a lot of prayers that pulled them back from the brink.  I am just posting some pictures so you can see some of what they went through. 

 My caption for this one is:  Does this weather make my face look cold?

These guys are in the wild in an arctic tent I showed you earlier.  This is probably their first night of their second attempt.   

Here is Barney cooking moose for the guys in a cabin they spent the night in on the way back.  I think they were close to the Iditarod trail so it might have been one of those cabins. 

This is a picture of the guys fueling up the cat. 

Hold your ears on this one.  This is what it's like driving with Dave in the middle of Alaska in 5' snow. 

I think this is early on and Dave's humor is showing.  You can see why he keeps George laughing when they are together.   He sent this video and wrote: "Found a place to write my name"

 

 

Remember they left their equipment about 30 miles out in the wilderness and now this is their arrival back on their second attempt. 

Mission Impossible- Too dangerous

 

April 10, 2015 

I know everyone has been anxiously waiting to hear if the guys made it to their site.  The answer is no.  It’s been a long and tough couple of weeks.  You know the first trip to deliver the equipment wasn’t successful and they decided to try a different route.  Dave lives in Florida and flew all night to get there just to help on this second trip.   So we had three guys in the wilderness of Alaska on trip 2.  This was worse than the first trip.  Now we have Barney, Dave and Richi on a very scary and dangerous journey in the middle of the wilderness with deep snow and thawing rivers.  They had no choice except to abandon the mission and turn around and come back.  One side of the track on the excavator fell in the river and was dislodged and slid out of alignment.  They got it back on but they almost lost it in the river and took some big risks with their lives… twice.  That was a very dangerous situation for them.

You might be disappointed and sad they didn’t make it, as the guys are, and wondering why something like this happens after all the planning, work and money that went into this.   God only knows, but it is a much better to story to have our guys come home safe and sound.  I’ll catch you up on the stories and adventures as I get more details.  I think it was very traumatic and not something to joke about like before.  Dave hasn’t even filled George in on all the details yet.    

George and Dave aren’t giving up though and hopefully everyone is still inspired to follow their own dreams.  Remember folks, you can only get kicked in the butt if you are facing or moving forward.  These guys got kicked in the butt… but they aren’t giving up. You might say they failed but the secret to failure is never trying in the first place.  It’s a matter of how you look at things.  EVERYTHING happens for a reason.  They are all alive and safe and we ALL have grateful hearts.