2/11/07
We've decided on one of our next destinations and set out this morning to check out the area. The clouds looked threatening and we knew we probably wouldn't be heading out across the desert but we wanted to scope out the area and locate the Jeep trail we'd need to take when the weather is clear. We've learned early on that when it's raining in a particular area, you don't want to be Jeeping in a dry riverbed when the rains come. What was once dry can quickly turn into a raging river in an instant.
We found the Jeep trail that we were looking for to take us to Richmond Basin. Richmond basin was the site of some pretty extensive silver mining and was the location of The Silver Nugget Mine. A German gold prospector was the first to stake a claim at the Silver Nugget. He didn't think it looked like a worthwhile gold claim so he traded it to a couple of other prospectors for a mule. The Silver Nugget Mine turned out to be one of the largest silver producers in the country. (sure hope the mule was a good one) There are several other abandoned mines in that same area, so it looks like it'll be a fun place to explore.
One the way back it started to rain as we predicted so we just drove around a bit a snapped a few pictures. A small herd of goats caught our attention, particularly the newborn goat standing on wobbly legs trying to nurse his Mommy Goat. By the time we got home it was raining fairly heavy, but we were rewarded with a rainbow promising a clearer day for Jeeping in the near future.
