GM, I stumbled on this forum after searching for something I can’t remember and fell down the rabbit hole of this thread. i’ve become a member just to comment on your story.
An amazing tale that I’m fully invested in lol.
I’m an Aussie living in a small town of about 1,000 people and even though my grandfather was a mad prospector in a renowned NSW gold region it’s taken me 64 years to get “the bug”.
Thanks for the work you are putting in.
My only connection with Sierra Nevada is I love the Sierra Nevada beers! A carton of Torpedo (24 stubbies) in Aus is US$93 !
By the way, where I live the wild dogs are much more dangerous than the drop bears 😀