One Heck Of A Relic Hunting Road Trip

[Cal_Cobra]

Last week TomCA and I made a trek to recon some new (to us) stage stop type sites that we'd been researching this year.  As some of the sites were miles away from any roads, we decided to get fat tire ebikes to save us from hiking miles and miles into and out of these sites.

The first site we went to was in the middle of BFE, and we rode our ebikes.  Little did I realize, that days before our arrival that the area had been subject to flash floods.  This would factor into our traveling to and from the site, ending up causing mayhem.

On the way to the first site wasn't too bad. It was a nice sunny day, but we did encounter little creeks that had filled up due to the rains, and it wasn't so much that the water in the creeks was un navigable as much as the flour sand ended up being a sticky, slippery, muddy mess making forging these creeks challenging.  Had there been no rains prior to our arrival, they'd been easy to traverse, but not so much after flash flooding events. 

As the sun started heading down, I kept nudging TomCA to get a move on as I had zero desire to cross country through unfamiliar desert terrain in the dark, but that's exactly what ended up happening.   We ended up going cross country to head back to the vehicle a different way then we'd came in, and although it looked easy enough on satellite maps, that would end up being an epic mistake.   The sun set quickly on our way out and we were now going cross country in the desert in the dark, in a totally unfamiliar area, on ebikes.  About a mile or two into our trek back to the car, I hit quick sand that sucked my bike in, ejected me and as I landed my feet planted into the quick sand and I fell backwards with my feet stuck to the quick sand like they were attached to fly paper.  I was sure I'd broken my leg/ankle.  I still think it may have a small fracture.  So here we are in the middle of BFE in the dark, my foot's FUBAR and we still have miles to go to get back to the vehicle.  Let's just say the journey back to the vehicle was hell for me (oh and did I mention it was my birthday...sigh). Hours later, and another bike crash to add to injury, we finally made it back to the vehicle.

I ended up having to sit out the next couple days of detecting and let TomCA at it while I sat on the sidelines.  So without further ado here's what I was able to manage on the trip.

This is a site we barely recon'd and are itching to get back to.  Nothing prolific per se, but a nice variety of finds including a J-hook (military?), eagle button, an old pocket knife (upper right), black powder gun primer, flat button, earlier eagle button, an old religious medallion (similar to what we find at Spanish colonial contact period sites). and a curious piece of glass!

A native attempted to flint knap the base of a glass bottle!  I've read about this, and seen examples in museums, but this is the first time I've found a piece. 

Someone had undoubtedly beat us to this site, but they didn't get it all!  Scored a couple of eagle buttons (one's pretty crudded up), a flat button, lots of rim-fire shells and bullet drops, and some trade items including a trade ring, and European glass trade beads (eyeball finds).

I know these old clay pipes aren't a big deal, especially if you're on the east coast where they're probably everywhere, but we rarely find these out west and this one was just sitting on top of the sand where it likely fell almost two hundred years ago!  All the pieces actually fit together, it was probably stepped on by an animal (lots of wild mustangs and other critters around this area).

Nothing to really write home about on this trip.  TomCA did get a seated dime at a site that I had to sit on the sidelines with my foot injury, and he did get a seated half dime from the same site I got the clay pipe and trade items above, hopefully he'll share his finds as well.

Maybe the next trip there will be with the Manticore, although truth be told, at these sites iron and depth are not obstacles.

GL&HH,
Cal

[F350Platinum]

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! 

[Tom_in_CA]

Brian, we weren't concerned that it had rained in the few days PRIOR to our arrival.  Since, shucks, what did we care ?  As long as it's not raining on the days WE were going to be there, then, no problem, right ?  🤪 😬   

 

But yes :  Those previous days' rains had activated little feeder-creeks,  in the middle of BFE.  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 .   🤬

 

And yes, the satellite map made the exit plan look like child's play , on a nice flat hard road.   But who would have thought that an innocent looking gully-wash on the satellite view, would be calf-deep water with margarine descent and ascent ?   And no matter which direction we went, there were other washes too.  

 

Yes I think we've got a few spots that are deserving of a "round II", now that we're experts on Ebikes .  And know which sites to invest our time in, going forward.  Very intriguing and promising finds.   Touching the true western-frontier emigrant history flavor.  (the "Spanish Trail "). There's going to be some coins in the future to pay us back for our hardship, I promise  😏

 

I lost an 1864 s half dime somewhere on the remainder of our trip.  Might have left it in the hotel room, or ... who knows ?  But here's my stuff : 

 

   

[Tom_in_CA]

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. 

 

 

[PI-Man]

Really nice finds and the history.  The glass is interesting and explanation of what they used it for.

[F350Platinum]

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.

[Tom_in_CA]

7 minutes 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.

thanx for coming along on our hunt with us F350-platinum.

 

Question for you :  How are you liking your D-II ?   Does it mimic the D-I in the iron-see-through un-masking ability ?   And how does it do on the wet-salt-beach ? (akin to Sov, Excal, Nox, etc.... ?).  And how about turf-cherry picking :  Does it mimic the old school explorers, or exceed them ?

[F350Platinum]

1 minute ago, Tom_in_CA said:

Question for you :  How are you liking your D-II ?   Does it mimic the D-I in the iron-see-through un-masking ability ?   And how does it do on the wet-salt-beach ? (akin to Sov, Excal, Nox, etc.... ?).  And how about turf-cherry picking :  Does it mimic the old school explorers, or exceed ?

It finds metal pretty well... 🤔

🤣 That made my day.

[CPT_GhostLight]

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!

[JCR]

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?