Jul 26

Written by: Arctic Annie
7/26/2010 9:01 AM 

Things are really jumping here, and not just the salmon! The weather has turned rainy and cooler, and there is some discussion about removing the infamous ‘weather rock’ and throwing it into the Bering Sea where it really belongs. Camp Manager Al Marconi would be veeerrrry unhappy all that rock seems to have attracted so far is rainy weather, like its previous relatives.

Danny Luukkonen of Phoenix has earned the nickname 'Thumper' while at the Cripple River Gold Camp. Danny tried to set the camp record for falling out of bed but he decided twice was enough after a couple of long drops to the floor. A long-time prospector, Mr. Luukkonen has prospected primarily in Colorado, California, Arizona, and now Alaska. While here, Danny has tried to do it all - beach box mining, a trip to the trommel, high-banking at Creosus Camp and metal detecting at an old mine tailings where he found an old lead bullet that dates back to the 1890’s.

During the evening, Danny has played in some of the tournaments in the Chow Hall and won the Cribbage Tournament last week, beating all comers - even Bonnie Ofchar and me.

"I have had such a great time here, I’m just now cleaning up my material from Creosus and I’ve found four pickers and a piece of gold that looks exactly like a bird flying," Luukkonen said. "This place is fantastic, the people are friendly and helpful, and the fishing is excellent. Doc McKee and Carole are helpful with smoking the fish, and the food is perfect. I made some new friends in my hooch mates and, when my brother retires soon, we both will come back next year for two weeks. He wanted to come here so bad, but couldn’t make it this year, but in 2011 we will return!"

News flash! Just in! It seems that Luukkonen is unsure just what species of animal he wants to emulate. Today, he decided to play turtle! On his way back from Creosus, he decided to try to ride his ATV upside down in a mud bog. Thumper decided playing turtle doesn’t work. Looking like a sad, drowned, muddy bunny rabbit, Thumper had to ride back to camp wet and icky. He was very lucky not to be injured, as the weight of the ATV came down on him. His partners were dodging soggy flying clumps of mud and tundra muck all the way back to camp!

Be careful on those ATV’s. They are great fun to ride, and I would be lost without my mechanical mule as my prospecting buddy, but they are as dumb as a post and they can (and will) hurt you if you are not careful.

Steve Albertson from Warsaw, Indiana came to the Cripple River Gold Camp to metal detect, beach mine and just have a general good time. Yesterday, he got to go on a trip to a commercial mine with a group headed by Kevin Hoagland from Prescott, Arizona. Kevin is our camp electronic prospecting lecturer/instructor and he metal detects the old mine tailings. While there, Steve found a nice prairie dog shaped-gold nugget.

"The signal was very faint. I was using head phones and could still barely hear the tone," Albertson said. "I also found some trash. We've been finding some good beach gold." Steve’s wife, Ruby, is back home and "I wish she was here," he said.

Steve's friend, Mike Cox also from Warsaw, didn't get to go on the metal detecting trip so he went sluicing alone for the first time in the Cripple River by Creosus and found a fair amount of gold. Not too bad for a greenhorn prospector! Mike also left his better half, Mary Jo, back home. Mary Jo, who encouraged her husband to join Steve on a guys-only trip, may get to come to Cripple River next year when a tour of Alaska is planned.

Kevin is the director of Partner Development for Minelab USA and what he doesn't know about a metal detector, any metal detector isn’t worth knowing. There probably isn't a brand or type of detector he hasn't seen or handled, not even the goldy oldies. In fact, Kevin seems to be able to think like a metal detector.

"My lifelong adventure with detectors began over 30 years ago when I built my first detector from a kit I saw in a Boys Life magazine," Hoagland said. "Over the years, I have engaged in all aspects of prospecting and mining but I always come back to metal detecting."

Currently at Cripple River, Kevin teaches two classes a week and has two outings and is always available for one-on-one training.

We had quite a little squall blow in over the weekend. The wind blew in gusts, the rain danced Irish jigs on our metal- covered roofs, and the waves marched in quick step like an invading army attacking the beach. You could watch the waves change color as they approached the shore from sea-green to darker olive green, to sandy brown as they cleaned up all the sand, gold, beach glass and whatever from the ocean floor and gleefully tumbled it to the shore.

Mother Nature decided to do her spring cleaning late and scoured the floor of the Bering Sea with a vengeance! On Monday (July 19), the 12-mile beach trail along the sea to town was littered (in a swath eight-feet wide) with sea weed, sea grass, small red sponges, star fish, sea lettuce and other sea thingies. In some places, this flotsam and jetsam was so thick you could not see the beach as you rode your ATV on a six-inch thick carpet of sea weed!

Interesting driftwood was everywhere, and many tree-sized logs had washed in. Your ATV had to weave in-and-out in a unique beach dance as you waltzed with wood, water, rocks and waves.

The hybrid wolf-dog who walked from Nome to Cripple River Gold Camp, has a distinguished history. His name is Napoleon, and he was lead dog in eight Idarod races. His owner heard our advertisement on KNOM radio and ran up to one of our truck drivers in town to see if it really was his dog. By the time he came to camp, Napoleon had left but he has reappeared at the Ketchmark camp where he is being fed scraps to save his 13-year-old life. You don't feed wild animals (this is a lost pet) and we will try to contact his owner again. Good luck, Napoleon!

The day after the storm was just about perfect as I was riding into town with Bonnie Ofchar and my honey, Jim. The air was freshly-cleaned and pure with a salty tang, and the light rain would hit me in the face like a thousand sharp little stinging needles if I got above 30 mph on my ATV. Off to town, to see the sights, beach-glass hunt, run errands, talk to the locals, eat a good pizza, and then back home to the Gold Camp for supper in the Chow Hall. The perfect ending to the perfect day, for me at Cripple River in Alaska!

Aside: The beach was amazingly clean on our 12-mile ride. No disposable diapers, soda cans, plastic six-pack rings, empty cigarette packs, empty beer bottles, fast food containers and wrappers, blowing newspapers or plastic bags. The beach was clean and so very beautiful! Beaches could be this clean in the lower 48, you know!

Clarence Hill from Cottonwood Arizona, is one of Cripple River's beach crew again this year. He reported that the bad storm we had really rearranged the beach and damaged the previously-dug holes by the beach miners while also throwing seaweed and driftwood up on the beach and generally messing things up. Not to be denied, our hardy beach miners were out yesterday and today mining for that heavy flour gold, and finding their fair share.

Now Clarence is a beach miner himself and he also has a reputation for finding treasures on the beach, especially in his beach box. In 2006, he found a large, clear topaz and he had Paul Schumacher (Deming N.M.) facet it into a necklace and a pair of earrings that he gave to the love of his life, Shirley, his blushing bride of 41 years.

The next year, Clarence found a 1908 Indian Head penny in his beach box, probably lost by a miner way back when. That’s Clarence for you, lucky in mining and - lucky in love! When asked how many carats the large topaz was, he answered "Carrots? It wasn't a root vegetable, it was a gemstone you knucklehead!" Then he smiled his little-boy devil-may-care grin at me. That's my friend Clarence we all know and love.

Mark Franklin from Dayton Ohio, is here with his daughter, Erica (who unfortunately arrived here with tonsiitis). His spouse, Jennifer, couldn’t get off work to come to Alaska this year, but maybe next year? Yesterday, Mark worked on the beach where he found about six different pay layers (layers of gold bearing-material which here is black or ruby sand). All produced gold!

"We plan to go to Ketchmark for an overnight trip and to the Trommel Camp to run the high-bankers there," Franklin said. "Erica plans to go beach-glass picking with Arctic Annie and her Wednesday group, and then to Nome for some shopping. I joined the GPAA four years ago and joined the LDMA (Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association) in January 2010.”

Mark was here last year for just a week, and started planning for this year's trip just as soon as he got home.

"It's a great time here! I bought the Alaska videos and they are making the rounds at work," Franklin said. "So does the Cripple River Chronicle, every week, so everyone knows Arctic Annie, and everyone at work has heard all about my gold prospecting and they all think it’s great. When I get back, I will have some great stories to tell!"

While I love to write to all my friends, I also love to go look for some of that golden treasure, so until next week, may your life and the bottom of your pan turn golden.

Your friend, Arctic Annie

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