SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF GEORGE AND DAVE'S GOLD MINING ADVENTURES

My how fast time goes by.  Their dozer, “Big Sexy,” will be on her way around March 6.  They still have some supplies sitting at Alaska Air Transit that need to be delivered.  Why do guys always wait till the last minute?  Since it’s winter, I think I will recap with some of my favorite video’s.  This is from their first bear encounter.   If you have been keeping up with their gold mining adventure, you will remember how nervous they were with their first bear in the tent in 2012. 

So the guys actually gave up their guns for bear spray and it seems to give them some super powers.  Combine that with cabin fever and this last video of George dancing with the bear it what you get.  Why do guys do this stuff?

And remember their first take off from Moore Creek gold mine flying to their site? 

Remember when they set foot on their site and saw this?

 

Can you believe what they did in 8 days?  The chopper had to sling their supplies in.  They had set the tent up, put the fridge together, put 4 wheeler together, cleared some runway, and put the dredge together and built their tin condo.  And they did this without Marlene and I!  Hard to believe they could even feed themselves on top of all of that. 
 

 

And this is all because one man and one woman fell in love.  Oh yeah, wrong story.  It’s all because of Gold… gold… gold… fe-fe-fever!!!

 They became bona fide gold miners, not just prospectors.  This is what George told me one night when he called from the site.  He had so much excitement in his voice.  The picture above is actually a silhouette of George panning for gold. 

Here's a video of Dave getting ready to dredge.  They had to trade off because the water was so cold. 

  Also a video of George panning out some concentrates.  Will they ever tell exactly how much they get?

 They faced danger many times.  They were 65 miles from McGrath in the wilderness with only a world phone to call out in case of emergency.  No roads, limited runway, bears, forest fires, bucked off of the 4 wheelers, stuck in rivers, break downs, cold nights and even stranded because of the weather.  I always say, "God blesses fools and little children." He was certainly watching over our miners.  The guys have always laughed their way through every adversity and never quarrel or argue.  They seem to have the perfect marriage huh?  I have to say George is a very easy going guy and brings a calmness to their adventure while Dave is the wit and humor.

Here are some great bear videos.  I told you they would eventually name their bears.  I'll let you decide which one is Bow Tie. 

The guys went up in the middle of some major forest fires.  The forest ranger came to their rescue. 

I want to show you some of what they go through and the hard work they have put into gold mining.  I was hoping they could just take a little hike on their land and cherry pick some big nuggets; bring them home and build our brand new home HGTV would envy.  Well, after watching all their videos and seeing all the hard work and their trials and tribulations, they have gone through they could have chopped the trees and sawed them by hand and built my house with some energy left over compared to what they have put into gold mining.  But then what fun would that be for everyone?  Right? I know that's what we all dream about, but there is something about pursuing your dream and working hard to achieve it.  Whether it's with your brain or brawn there's is a feeling of accomplishment that makes life taste so much better.  I believe we could fix our welfare and entitlement state that is ravaging our country.  It's easy to say, "Get a job," but why not say, "Get a dream?"  

 

So here is what goes on in Alaska on any given day 

 

We already discussed a plunger to do laundry.  George is a pretty nice and neat guy, but I have to say I haven't really seen him push buttons on our washer at home to do laundry, so I know his clothes must really be in need of a washing if he is doing this. 

Here is another surprise.  George cooking.  George is a hard worker at home.  He owns his own electrical business and works long hours.  Food is very important to George.  Since Dave can hardly boil water, George had to step up to the plate.  I must say he is doing a great job. 

And finally, I can't help it.  This is my favorite video.  Like I told you before, it just makes me smile.  This is George and our son-in-law singing at our wedding reception.  You can see more of our reception at www.georgeandlindawedding.blogspot.com 

Why Chase Gold You Ask

 
George and Dave are living their dream.  You wonder what drives them and you think they are searching for gold beyond their wildest dreams.  We thinks that's what we all want, but I believe these two guys have already discovered what really drives people and what everyone really wants.  It's the chase of the dream and pursuing that dream with abandon.  It's truly the secret to staying happy and healthy.  Have they found gold?  Of course.  Are they upside down right now?  After the purchase of this bulldozer; I think I can answer that without even asking them.  If you think you can't live your dream, you're wrong.  These guys are proof of that.  I believe everything is first a thought.  If you think about; it your headlights only light a little bit of the road at a time, but don't you agree you still know you will get where you are going?  Look at how far our gold miners have come.  I have to add; only by the grace of God.  And we all thank God for that. 

P. S.  One reason I would chase gold in Alaska would be for these beautiful views. We say Merry Christmas everyone!  I will keep you posted.   

The skid is loaded and ready to go

The Skid is loaded and ready to go. 

The plan is to drive the bulldozer and pull this skid with all their supplies to The Fourth of July Creek which is about 40-45 miles away.  Deadwood is about 6 miles away from there.  They will have to do this the first couple of weeks in March.  I think Barney is in charge of getting this job done.  Just to let you know, George does have a pair of boots that are for -65 degrees just in case.  He bought them in Anchorage.  Everyone in Alaska probably has these as a staple and all I have is a pair of Totes.  I will never need a pair of -65 boots folks.   

And our mission is accomplished

What an adventure it has been.  They are worn out but happy.  They are excited to see things come together.  Just reading back through all they have overcome is amazing.  I am amazed myself they haven't gotten eaten by any bears.  I still believe George can outrun Dave though so I haven't really worried about increasing his life insurance.  Dave might need to think about that.  They have met some wonderful people along the way that have truly made a difference in helping them pursue their dream.  We thank them all and can't wait to see what next year brings.  Hopefully GOLD!!!

LAST ROOM IN ANCHORAGE

Oct 5, 2014 LAST ROOM IN ANCHORAGE

They got into Anchorage and got a taxi to take them to their regular motel.  The driver informed them that everyone got their dividend checks and about 20,000 natives are in town to get their shopping and business done.  The taxi driver said it’s a crazy time and that every man, woman and child got a whopping $1882.00 check.  He had a list of people to pick up and asked the guys if they had reservations.  Guess what our hard working, problem solving, innovative gold miners said?  "No."  Are these guys lucky or what?  The taxi driver gave them a list of places to call and they got one of the last rooms.   

A Day of Welding their Sluice.. in the cold

Oct 4, 2014 A DAY OF WELDING IN THE COLD

They unloaded everything when they got back with Barney’s fork lift.  Someone was already waiting to use the community trailer.  They unloaded their equipment in a little spot on the outskirts of town.  This morning the guys borrowed Barney’s 4 wheeler and took off in 15 degree weather just to eat breakfast with Buck, the dozer man, 2 miles away.  Sausage, eggs and homemade biscuits beside an old pot-bellied stove.  The guys were loving Buck’s hospitality and someone else’s cooking. 

George is usually the chief cook but he said Dave is actually starting to cook a little more.   Remember their first trip when Dave asked how to boil water?  Well, I guess he has learned how to open a box and even read the directions and he made a great dish of mac and cheese one night.  This is really big news everyone and I don’t know if Marlene is on to him yet.    

 

 

The guys borrowed Buck’s welder and George cut the pieces while Dave welded.  You can see the before and after pictures.  The sluice was only missing one grate inside so they had to make on with the angle iron they had gotten.  Dave is from Florida and it started snowing while he was welding.  I think this is when our miners had an epiphany moment.  Dave was cold and it was only 27 degrees.  If they come back in March to “walk” their equipment in, it will be -30 to -40 degrees.  Guess what they decided?  Smart miners. 

After they got their sluice welded and the Ross box ready, they sat back and admired their work.  They came, they conquered and now it was time to pack up to fly out tomorrow.  It will now be up to Barney to get it to their site. 

What they found at Deadwood

The guys were very happy miners with all they found at Deadwood.