Castle Dome Silver Mine

This part of Arizona is famous for gold mining over the centuries but the Castle Dome mine is unique. Millions of tons of lead and silver have been pushed up by volcanic action into fissures from 3 feet to 20 feet wide which are between 10 and 350 feet below the surface. It is estimated that less than half the ore has been removed.

To see the mine sites we go on a walking tour. At one time a town of thousands of people sat right here. This is one of only a few privately owned mines in Arizona. Modern mining started in 1864 and stopped in 1979. Most of the lead used by the US during the second world war came from this mine.
This shaft is almost 300' deep. Buckets of ore were pulled up this frame by mules. The ore was so rich there were no tailing piles(rock removed to get at the ore). The small amount of rock moved was left in the tunnels. The ore was so heavy that a piece the size of a watermelon weighed over 300 pounds.

This is an active mine. Sure doesn't look like what we think a mine should look like. Although this is the richest lead silver mine in North America its not being mined in volume because the closest smelter is in Canada and silver isn't worth enough to justify mining it. The owner is sitting on millions of tons of almost pure lead and silver but its not worth mining. Hard to believe.

Behind Carmen is one of the 30 shafts used over the years to extract ore. Last year a 300 pound chunk of lead silver was found in this shaft. These shafts are about 10 feet wide and go straight down up to 300 feet with no barriers. We stayed on the trail as instructed.

After our hike around the mine we stopped for our usual picnic and a rest. Nothing like a good hike and fresh air to build an appetite.

The owner of the mine has moved most of the buildings from the town site and created a museum using the original buildings and artifacts found around and in the mines. So thats our objective after lunch.

This is one of the miners cabins that they lived in while working the mine. All the items were found in cabins at the site. When they stopped mining they just walked away and left their stuff. I guess most was so worn out that it wasn't worth taking. The dry desert air preserves things; they found a pair of Levi pants in a mine shaft that is the oldest pair ever found dating to 1885.

Its such a hot dry day that Yosemite and I stop for a refreshment.

Carmen found a chair to relax in out of the blazing sun. We're 45 minutes from Yuma; the stage used to take 20 hours. I'm sure she won't be taking the stage.

Here's our group in downtown Castle Dome city. Another great day of exploring.

A day in the Life

I am sure that when you think about our adventure in the south you probably wonder what we do daily that keeps us occupied so I though I'd show what we do during a typical day. Nothing earth shattering just us doing our thing. After we arise and make coffee, Carmen reads her daily devotional.

I grab my cup of coffee and head out on a walk around the park. That usually takes about 1/2 hour which gets us ready for the day.

If its a nice day then I volunteer to make breakfast outside. Unfortunately, the only thing I can make is bacon and eggs so we don't do this every day.

Before we tuck into our daily supply of grease, a grapefruit is in order. There aren't any left in the park so we had to buy these but at $3.00 for 10 lbs its not too pricey.

A good hearty breakfast prepared by a master chef is a good way to start the day.

Because the kitchen is small and we have limited dishes, they need to be washed after every meal. A couple of plates and some silverware take about 3 minutes to do so its not a major event.

To keep our home spic and span, a few minutes of cleaning daily is all thats needed. Clutter builds quickly in such a small space so it can't be left for once a week like in a house.

While Carmen does her house cleaning, I check for emails and other important stuff.

After getting our chores done, its time for a little exercise. We found a couple of folding bikes for sale at a good price so we go for an hours ride when we can. I'm hoping our asses will toughen up soon. I'm tired of walking like a cowboy after our rides.

In the afternoon, I decide to clean the car. Its not really dirty but gets a coating of sandy dust which can scratch the paint if not removed.

While I'm sweating over the car, Carmen sets herself up in the sun with a drink and works on one of her many crafts. So those of you who were thinking I was a lazy bum playing on the computer while Carmen cleaned can see that it seems to even out. In fact I think she's gotten off easier.

Each day our labours must be put aside at 4PM so that we can meet with like minded people to help solve the problems of the world. I think we are solving world hunger today.

All the talk about hunger made us hungry so I barbecued a T-bone steak for supper. For some reason, T-bones are on sale a lot here so we have them every couple of days. Oh, for a nice hamburger; but, too expensive, so we'll have to stick with T-bones.

What better way to end another hectic day than a relaxing session in the hot tub followed by a swim and shower. Its a tough life, don't you agree?

Mountain Climbing

One of the guys in our group though it would be a good idea to do a little exploring. To climb round a mountain to be exact. By the time all the excuses were done, only three of us actually went. Here we are as we started out. The big knob, called Muggins mountain, part of the Kofa range, in the distance is our objective. We'll circle it using washes, arroyos and burro trails. At least that's the plan.

Close to the bottom of the mountain, the washes became wider and deeper. Here is an arroyo carved in the limestone by the torrents of water that run off the mountains during strong rains. The sandy floor was smooth and solid and the walls were over 25 feet high here. Contrary to popular belief, the desert isn't sand but clay so water doesn't sink in during a rain but runs off causing flash floods in washes. This spot could be under 10 feet of raging water during a major rain.

After hiking for an hour or two and climbing steadily we are about 1/3 of the way around and are now using mainly burro trails to pick our way over the hills. At one time this area was swarming with gold prospectors but apparently is pretty well picked over now. We found lots of holes and tailing piles showing where digging had been done. We also found some agate which is volcanic glass and kept a few of the best pieces as souvenirs.

We are now on the backside of the mountain. Looking off in the distance you can see the type of hills we have been hiking over. I am standing on a burro trail. What you can't see is that the hill beside me drops about 200 feet straight down from where I'm standing. Also note my warm sweater is long removed as we sweat our way over the hills.

This is the highest point we climbed before starting back down. The climb up was a steady gradual climb up and around the mountain. The climb down was much more vertical and over a lot of rubble so it was more treacherous and slower going. The cactus in lower centre is a Cholla or "jumping cactus". One of the guys got one on his jeans and when he tried to remove it the barbs went through his leather glove and so we had to pull the barbs so he could remove his glove. A very treacherous plant.

It took us about 5 hours to make the trip and except for the cactus attack we had no problems.

Day Trip in Yuma area

As the winter season passes, we need to find ways of getting exercise so a good hike in the desert fills the bill. A good steep hill soon separates the stragglers from the herd; notice, as usual, Carmen is taking the picture from the front.

One of the unique features where we walked was a ridge of sea shells. Apparently they were unearthed when a rough road was pushed through. They look like new ones at the beach but are actually thousands of years old. A grizzled prospector thought we were claim jumping and forced us to move on.

After our hike we drove to a spot on the Colorado river where the Laguna dam had formed Mitri lake. All along the lovely lake there were individual campsites for RV's where you could boondock (camp without services) for up to 10 days. Finding a lake like this in the desert is always surprising.

It was such a lovely spot we decided to stop here for our lunch. The wind was so strong we circled the wagons and sat in the lee out of the wind. After eating and sitting in the warm sun, we relaxed and just enjoyed the moment.

After lunch we decided to go have a look at the dam that formed the lake. Its not a very high dam and one of the few that doesn't produce electricity but still forms a lake miles long.

Just across the road from the dam was a cute little RV park with about 60 sites. Its sheltered from the winds by hills all around and looks inviting. We may come back and get more info.

Our last stop of the day was at a date farm. There was a store there with samples. We tried lots of different types but I find them too sweet so we didn't buy any. The date palms aren't irrigated and they don't like rain. The drier the year the better the dates. After leaving the date farm we went to a nearby casino for surf and turf for 12 bucks. Not a bad way to end the day. No, we didn't gamble but one of our group won $127.00. He wouldn't pay for supper but did take us out for ice cream.

Imperial Wildlife Refuge

About 45 minutes north of Yuma there is a wildlife refuge along the Colorado river.

So our little band of intrepid explorers set out to see the sights.

Martinez lake is an lake formed by Martinez dam and has a small town there. Here is one of the houses on the lake.

In the reserve is a hiking trail called Painted Desert Trail so we decided to give that a try. Here we are starting out.

This is still the wild west and Mexican banditos can pop up from behind any rock.

Its called the Painted Desert because various minerals in the soil cause the hills to be different colours. It looks like a giant piled different colours of sand there.

The trail was quite rugged and the scenery beautiful. I'm not sure how much we would have enjoyed it at the summer temperature of 120F.

I did manage to find a shady spot and after recuperating from the scorching 70F we moved out again.

Along the trail there were spots to stop and learn about various aspects of the desert. Here we learn there aren't many trees.

After walking the trail,which took about an hour, we stopped for lunch which we had packed with us. Picnic tables with shade were located at the trail end. A lack of toilets had everyone scattering to the four winds in search of modesty. Its all part of outdoor fun!

Although I was accused of not trying too hard to hide natures call, I was actually following a burro trail over one of the hills.

Bringing in 2009

One of the best ways of bringing in the New Year is to get together with friends, old or new, and say good bye to the year just ending and bring in the new with joyful celebration. A New Years party at the Resort is just the thing.

Although not necessary, getting out of the usual jeans and t shirts does make it seem more festive. The theme was Mardi Gras and some dressed for it, but most, like us just put on clean clothes.

As the night wore on, between the wine and the dancing we started to unwind a little.

By midnight, we had almost completely unwound. I think there was champagne in that glass.


After the midnight lunch and a few slower dances, we were OK to walk home after starting a New Year completely differently than any before it. I wonder what 2009 will bring? I hope it brings happiness and prosperity to you and those you love.