NEVER OLD FOR ADVENTURES

Alaska here I come

Life is short live the dream

7/3/20251 min read

worm's-eye view photography of concrete building
worm's-eye view photography of concrete building

During my 30-year sentence in McAdoo, I was given an undue reputation for the hatred of all things mining. The truth is that I find mining amazing but detest the fly ash that our government buries in our backyard.

One of my main goals for my upcoming adventure is to physically see all the beautiful places in this country that I watched on TV. God willing, and if I can find a dependable truck, one of my goals is to follow the 1800 gold rush and see the various towns and mines.

I found one well-done video from a couple that sold everything and fixed up an old school bus to just ride around and look for adventure. This particular video is of their trip to Dawson City and one adventure that I hope to duplicate and enjoy.

The video opens with an aerial shot of Dawson and the massive tailings pile from the enormous dredge used. Now envision how ineffective these were at collecting gold, and at $18, once they weren’t overly concerned about what was missed due to the volume run. What are the odds of a modern-day metal detector finding gold in their trash? I’m about to find out.

Most of these people lined up to carry their grub stake to the top on the way to Dawson. Did they really understand the dangers they faced? When looking at the list of necessary provisions, did anyone question why they needed oakum and pitch? It turns out, if they lived to reach the end, they needed to chop down trees to build a boat that they were probably going to die in. The pitch was to seal the seams before you died in the rapids.