Jul 25

Written by: alaska
7/25/2008 12:00 AM 

Greetings from the Cripple River Gold Camp! The weather has been changeable, warm, then cool-ish, sunny then cloudy, calm then windy, dry then sprinkly wet. Sometimes all in one day, but mostly sun--shiny! YEAH!!! We even see some mosquitoes and are now looking for our bug dope again! The weather is not nearly as hot and warm as in years past but it is a vast improvement over the second week of camp! The flowers this year are off schedule blooming, and are definitely not looking their best. They are much smaller than usual and many have a wind beaten kind of sad tired look, but most are starting to bloom. Everyone in camp that has been taking pictures of them has been telling them how nice they look, as we don’t want to depress our flowers anymore than they already are, and after all they do look good for what they’ve been through! The Alaska Tall Cotton Grass, which except for areas protected from the worst of the elements, may not bloom much this year at all.

The grasses and sedges on the Tundra are doing great, and the entire ground cover is looking fantastic for the grazing animals. A Musk Ox herd is hanging around the Penny River Crossing, but they leave if you come up on your ATV, so you don’t have to worry about going to Nome. If the herd is there ride slowly towards the crossing and they should move off. They move slow, so let them amble off peacefully, life up here is to be enjoyed a walk not a race. If there are young with the herd you don’t want to scare the herd and have them injure a baby, or frighten the herd and have the circle up and refuse to move. There are also several reindeer herds or caribou in the area, usually seen up near the Sinuk River, so there are lots of grazing animals out and about, carry your camera, extra batteries and data cards! No Camera no pictures! We are seeing a lot of seals in the Bering Sea, and a few small whales. We have Sand Hill Cranes nesting in the area, and some Tundra Swans on some small ponds also by the Sinuk. Several individuals have seen birds walking on the beach they are calling penguins. To the best of my knowledge, and according to my birding books and the local people in Nome there are NO penguins here. What our people maybe seeing are Puffins! Puffins that are not mature enough to breed do not have the bright orange plates on their beaks/bills, and the orange plates are only temporary and come off. If, however you do discover a rare Cripple River Penguin, never before discovered by mankind it will be named after you and you may be eligible for some large monetary reward from some birders group or maybe a scientific minded association! Pictures, videos, and witnesses will definitely be necessary to further any claim. In past Chronicles we have reported sightings of Bessie, the Famous Nessie from Loch Nesses sister, who moved to Cripple River Gold Camp’s section of the Bering Sea after a family fight a few centuries ago. However no definitive picture has yet been taken of this camera shy species, hence no naming of the species and no reward!!!!

On my day off I rode to town with my friend Bonnie, as we each have an ATV; we take turns leading the way. As we left camp it was warm and sunny. As we started down the beach road, a light sprinkle started, just enough to hit you with a drop or so a rain, what in the desert southwest I call a 2” rain, as there are two inches between each drop. We crossed the Penny River and rode towards town, and we rode under a patch of clouds and overcast. The sky above was a murky gray, but six or seven miles ahead, the sky over Nome was just beautiful. The salt water was clean and shining from the sun we couldn’t yet see, the sky just above it was layered in delicate horizontal strips of light lemony yellow chiffon, then shining swirled whites and silvery grey from a few low clouds lit from behind by the sun, then a layer where the bright blue sky was clear, crisp and easy to see peeking through more shining white clouds. Then more yellow, pale this time then blue and white! A promise of a sunny day once we got to Nome! I became so immersed in the delicious tang of the clean smelling salt air, and the colorful yellow and white and blue sky of changing shapes, that I wasn’t watching the “road” and hit a dip full of water. You come back to the here and now fast with a face full of wet cold sandy water! On to Nome’s East Beach and Beach Glass Hunting! And keeping my mind in the here and now!!!

For the Next three weeks the Cripple River Gold Camp has a new camp manager, Mr. Brandon Johnson. Brandon, Tom and Cindy’s oldest son, was born right here in Nome Alaska, although he now calls Temecula Ca. home. Being the Camp Manager here will be a real change of pace from what I’m used to, and as I’m still fairly new to public speaking, I know all my friends among participants and crew will bear with me as I learn the Cripple River Ropes! This year the camp looks really great. The camp has changed so much in the seven years since I was last here. I am very pleased and surprised to see all the additions. The crew is doing a good job, and the camp is running smoothly. I was lucky to miss the bad weather, and will be happy if the sunny days continue for the rest of the season! In the near future I hope to open up the camp so that people can enjoy a lot more of the outer camps, and spend more time at the Dredge Camp, Ketchmark Camp, and Trommel Camp. It will mean building more hooches, and a few changes, but we can do it! I love to fish, and the fishing here is great! I am looking forward to spending time with everyone, and I want everyone to have as good a time as possible, but please remember safety must come first! I hope to see you all back happy and well next year!

Speaking of happy, Harold Hillis from Montrose Colorado, is staying at the Cripple River Camp for two weeks, this is his third day here. He has mostly been beach combing and metal detecting. As this is his first trip to Cripple River, Harold wants to learn to mine and pan gold, and run different types of prospecting equipment. Today he decided to metal detect around camp, and was thinking about checking an area when he was told he was wasting his time as it had been checked at least one hundred times before. Being a man of independent mind and spirit he decided to check the place anyway. Within a short time he got a loud signal from his detector and decided to dig the target. It was not a nut or bolt or screw, or can, it was a Tom Massie Treasure Special, #13 to be exact! From what year we are not sure, 2006 we think! Inside were two nuggets, a signed drawing by Tom, four GPAA collector’s hat pins, an Alaska pill case, and a key chain with decorations and an ivory tooth on it! Harold was unsure exactly what he had found thought it had to be something nice, all wrapped up in duct tape and numbered neatly! He was right! Harold is now a happy prospector and member of Tom’s Treasure Finders! When asked if he wanted to say anything or make a quote he responded, “Yep. When the chips are down the buffalo is empty.” Makes sense to me, Harold. Hope to see you next year!

Perry Massie led his famous or is it (infamous) trip to the Sinuk River this week, and it was very well attended. The line of ATV’s making the approved river crossing was long enough that people in camp gathered to watch the crossing. (one or two probably hoping to see someone fall off their ATV!) Not with Perry in the lead! It was a warm sunny day, with some high fluffy white clouds. Everyone remarked nice it was to have such a great day for this trip, but rain gear was still taken just in case. Several of the ATV’s got stuck a time or two, on this fourteen mile trip that follows the sandy shore of the Bering Sea to the mouth of the Sinuk River; but with the early storms this year that was nothing.

Today I went with a group into town to hunt for beach glass; old glass smoothed and tumbled by the Bering Sea. If you think prospecting is hard work, try beach glass hunting. We had a great time, but my bunk, with its air mattress and sleeping bag will feel like a feather bed lined with soft dry clouds! Tomorrow is soon enough to think about prospecting again. So until next time, may our life and the bottom of you pan be golden!

Your Friend Arctic Annie!

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