Willow creek is a nice place out in the desert. Sorry about the ranting lunatic - but sounds like you got your equilibrium back quickly! Someday I will tell you about working a surveying job out by Goler Wash in the Panamints - still some crazy people out in that country! An old friend who is a geologist had some great stories about how famous the Champion Mine is due to the unique properties of the minerals. Very cool place we look forward to visiting. Thanks.
Back To The Spark Plug Mine
- Thread starter ski3pin
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ETAV8R
Senior Member
Why don't we all get together and set up a camp en mass and see how mouthy that guy is.
Thanks Ski & The Lady.
I bet it was HOT there.
We were out and about during the same time period only not near as traveled.
We just arrived home this afternoon and the temps along Sonora pass area were high 90s. Way to hot for us coasters.
But we had a nice week out and about.
Thanks again for sharing your travels.
Frank
I bet it was HOT there.
We were out and about during the same time period only not near as traveled.
We just arrived home this afternoon and the temps along Sonora pass area were high 90s. Way to hot for us coasters.
But we had a nice week out and about.
Thanks again for sharing your travels.
Frank
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Mr. Casa, the weather was warm, not hot over in the Whites. This weekend it was warm in the Green Creek area on the east side. Overnight low was 40°. We went high. Above 10,000 feet it was pleasant.
Hope you had a great trip and we are anxious to hear about it.
Hope you had a great trip and we are anxious to hear about it.
I don't think we will be down that way for a bit. Too many things on the list at present. Any dates set?ski3pin said:Drove by Willow Creek a few years back without knowing about the springs. Stopped at Virgin Valley that same trip. Humm.................Willow Creek maybe we can make that an "on the way to someplace stop"? Thanks Mr. Sage. Do you expect there would be any Oregonians around?
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Although meeting up with you guys at some point would be enjoyable, my reference here was to the likes of the Oregonians we have had run ins with over the last few months. I'm thinking young men that spotlight me with flashlights and the recent psycho soaker........Wandering Sagebrush said:
Credit goes to Mrs. Ted for "psycho soaker".
Hey, I wonder if we could get the Psycho Soaker into the FWC that was in the video. I think I referred to it as the 'Cosmic Camper'...ski3pin said:
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I'm updating here because I just found a great video online with archival footage -
Champion Spark Plug Mine, The Mine/Ranch
Champion Spark Plug Mine, The Mine/Ranch
Thanks Ski,for taking the time to "repost"
Interesting.
Frank
Interesting.
Frank
Foy
Resident Geologist
That hand-picked ore and a mule train existed in the Lower 48 into the early 1940s amazes me.
I also liked that the guy running the Cat towing the bailer was wearing a Captain's hat. Reckon he was the ranch foreman.
Great piece of film. Thanks for posting it!
Foy
I also liked that the guy running the Cat towing the bailer was wearing a Captain's hat. Reckon he was the ranch foreman.
Great piece of film. Thanks for posting it!
Foy
ETAV8R
Senior Member
What a great video!
The area looks fairly similar today. From my perspective here in a socal beach city it looks like a wonderful time to live and work in Owens Valley. While watching the film (I like saying that...Film, now we have video) panning looking to the west to what I think is Mt. Tom I can only imagine the hard working miners on the other side of the valley at the Pine Creek Mine. THANK YOU for sharing.
The area looks fairly similar today. From my perspective here in a socal beach city it looks like a wonderful time to live and work in Owens Valley. While watching the film (I like saying that...Film, now we have video) panning looking to the west to what I think is Mt. Tom I can only imagine the hard working miners on the other side of the valley at the Pine Creek Mine. THANK YOU for sharing.
ETAV8R
Senior Member
https://archive.org/details/cainecm_000029
Video about Pine Creek Mine.
Video about Pine Creek Mine.
Foy
Resident Geologist
Very nice video of Pine Creek operations! A few takeaways from a '70s era hard-rock explorationist:
Foy
- Pine Creek is a tungsten skarn, formed by chemical reaction between limestone country rock and molten granitic intrusive rock fluids.
- Mercedes made some cool Unimog underground mine trucks back then.
- Union Carbine spent "thousands of dollars annually" on environmental monitoring.
- Best of all, Joni Mitchell worked in the lab at the mine. Who knew she was a scientist as well as an artist?
Foy
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I noticed that also.Foy said:
Thanks for the link and info ETAV8R. That tungsten mine is much different than the one man tunnel a crazy uncle of mine had out in Essex. When I was a little kid my Dad would take me along to do work on his house out there to make it livable. Must have worked because my uncle got himself a wife - not his first. This was all later in life retirement activity for him.
