Welcome to October Everyone!
I know a few of you are getting anxious to get back up on the claims, but it is still a bit warm out there with occasional breaks in the heat. Traditionally it is the third week in October before I head out to our high desert claims, but already I have received reports from two members who have successfully done trips. Jeanny picked a weekend in September, and it was a perfect 85-90 and just a few days before the moisture from ex-hurricane Mario dumped on the Barstow, Red Mountain, and Mojave Desert area with the most significant rain in the more than 20 years that I have been going out there and disrupted the roads with some flash flood action. Even worse than the other hurricane rain 2 years ago that left 3 feet of sand in the main wash as far as the Freedom claim is concerned. Joe Becht called this past week to let me know that 395 between Johannesburg and the railroad tracks was down to one lane for the Caltrans crews to clean the road of sand and rocks. Also, he reported the road from Duisenburg up the hill to the north basin of Freedom has had the sand washed away and it is now very rocky and difficult to make it through. The road on the south side of the tracks is washed out at the tunnel from the water flow, something I have never seen before. Just be aware of this as some of our members camp over there with their trailers. In Phoenix Gulch the water was so deep it left mud puddles up against the banks where folks normally dig. I figure 2 weeks of sun to make the area fully workable again and he said it was 95 at the time.
As far as this month’s activities, we were forced to reschedule our Night seeded hunt due to JerryG’s last minute conflict with the day. The PLP annual Fallfest is the 9th through the 12th hopefully the heat remains below 95. And we have not decided on the October outing, perhaps the Night Seeded Hunt reschedule. Originally, we had the Mitchell Caverns written in, but again the logistics, walking and reservations are a bit much to coordinate and therefore cancelled. November is the next Freedom outing, and the Christmas Party is Sunday December 14th, we ideally wanted a Saturday, but they weren’t available.
Thats it for now.
See you at the meeting or outings.
Jerryk