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One Heck Of A Relic Hunting Road Trip


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3 hours ago, Tom_in_CA said:

Yes they were so small that they were only a trickle .  You could step across them if you were merely a pedestrian on-foot.  And the opposite banks, was only ~ 5 ft. tall, that a pedestrian can ascend no problem.  But the margarine consistency mud banks was a problem for our super heavy e-bikes .  Even in broad daylight, so that element wasn't a problem-only for dark-issue.  We found ourselves having to man-handle them through the margarine ascents .   🤬

 

Not sure I'd say they were simply a "trickle".  Some were somewhat wide, but the deal breaker was us trying to make it to an old dirt road on the satellite map that could get us close enough to our vehicle, and once we finally got to the road, it was completely washed out, with a good 15 foot wide creek of unknown depth, and the opposite side was an easy ten feet high with a 90 degree angle to ascend.  Even without the ebikes, that simply wasn't going to happen, so we ended up wondering through the night, blindly searching for an easy way back to the vehicle, which just didn't exist.  So while yes the water shed caused the bulk of our challenges, biking in the dark was what really killed us (well almost me), you simply couldn't see animal holes, quick sand, low bushes, etc. 

Moral of the story, never cross-country ebike in the middle of the desert in the dark 😡

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4 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

Nice bit of work there! Sorry about the mishaps, I'd be happy to be home, but excited to get back there. 👍 Really like the buttons and trade stuff.

There should be pipes everywhere here, but I haven't found a single piece of one in over 2 years now. I've heard some find them and supposedly there is an Indian settlement somewhere near where I live, but bupkus. 🤷‍♂️ At least I know what some of the stuff looks like now thanks to you. 🙂

Gotta be dangerous to ride bicycles in arid areas, there are a lot of surprises. 😵 Glad you're ok, looking forward to your next exploits! 

Thanks for looking.  This is only the second almost complete clay pipe I've found out here.  I've found a few stems and fragments here and there, I'm sure they're out there, but probably underground with the relics. 

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3 hours ago, Tom_in_CA said:

Thanx for the closeup of the religious medallion.   What's the other side look like ?  Anything visible ?  I love how it was so-worn down that the image is a blur.  That is definite early-contact era (1700s ?)   Love it !

 

And the re-purposed bottle base is exactly what the fur-trade md'ing buffs cherish :   Things like glass and metal were new to the Native Americans, they would re-tool benign items into various other things, adornment, tools, etc.....   That fits in nicely with the history of this site.  Possibly dating to even prior to the westward-ho era times (ie.: to exploration era).  To a time when manufactured goods would have been a rarity, then anything was used over-&-over, and re-tooled. 

 

 

The other side of the religious medallion has a design around the edge, but the rest is plain.  The image is definitely worn down, looks like it was worn for a long time before the loop at the top finally gave way. 

I like the flint knapped bottle base too, just not something you run across. 

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3 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

A "riveting" story Tom, 🤣 nice dime. Shame you lost the half dime, but it happens. 😵 I wonder what all those rivets were holding together? Certainly not the terrain.

Congrats to both of you.

Ironically Tom dug the seated half dime right next to where I'd parked my bike 🤔

We find a lot of those rivets.  I think at least some of them are from horse tack as I've dug a few with leather straps still attached.  

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2 hours ago, CPT_GhostLight said:

Great adventure and great finds! It was like reading a Hardy Boys book... The Lost E-Bike at Deadman's Gulch. 😄

I hope your leg is better, Cal. You guys are hardcore! Well done!

Thanks!  Leg's still jacked up, but it won't keep me down haha

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1 hour ago, JCR said:

A "Memorable" hunting spree for sure. I hope you both get back soon & find those sites phenomenal. Thank you both for posting. Brian, did you use the Legend any on the trip?

 

Thanks for looking.  I know the EQX800 better than the Legend, and because this was a recon trip with time being at a premium, I decided to use what I knew best.  Honestly iron and depth weren't an issue here, heck a Bounty Hunter would do the job here, it didn't require the power of the Legend. 

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Great work on the finds and enjoyed the reading about it.

Good luck on your next outing and stay safe out there.

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You guys did good. Looks like rivet city over there. And a nice photo presentation by Brian..Toms dime deserves more then a paper towel 🙂 I'm into rings as you know and the older the more special they seem. I wonder how that one you found will clean up. Is it brass? Maybe you will get lucky and see gold after the clean it up lol ....what makes it a trade ring? Make sure you are wearing lace up boots that come up well past your ankles if you are not doing so already. 

strick 

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