Four Wheeling Ford Escape Style

Off to the West of where we are staying at the moment you can see some form of structure part way up the side of the mountain.  I googled it and found the location was a gold mine called Gold Eye mine.  There appear to be two roads you can take: one that branches off the road at the entrance to Roadrunner BLM, and the other from a road that comes in from the north by a subdivision.  I chose the wrong one.

So, a few days ago we set off up the road to the end where the trail turned into a four wheeler type trail that was not too bad at first.  However, it rapidly deteriorated and as we got probably half way to the mine we (Pat) decided it was not something a Ford Escape should be attempting, so turned around.  At the start of that road we noticed a number of grave markings, so on the way back stopped off to see what that was all about.

Turns out to be a pet cemetery, with what look like a few human graves mixed in for some reason.  The site appears to be regularly visited by people and animals alike as there were lots of signs both had been around.  I suspect it is a makeshift site for people that live in the area as there are a number of homes and trailers nearby.

Camp Runa Muka Grave Site

The next day I decided to try the alternative route to the mine.  Taking off from our parking spot it was simply a matter of driving up the pipeline road to the subdivision and then picking up a fairly wide gravel road that led to the mine.

While the mine appears to be abandoned there was some activity.  Turns out the thing you can see up the side of the mountain is a work trailer and an RV.  There was a guy up there dong some kind of work as we could see him working away while we were there.  We did not go up to speak with him as there were a number of signs warning people to not pass beyond.

The area of the mine that was accessible was part of the original mine and contained an old shaft head frame, and a couple of stone frames of old buildings.  Inside the first were all kinds of period pieces of stuff apparently left over from when it was active.  An old wringer washer, typewriter, coffee pots and other generic stuff.  There was also a large locked donation box as well as a guest book.  We signed the book and noted there appear to be four or five entries per day, so the mine gets enough visitors.

There is a phone number apparently selling claims in the area so not sure if that is legitimate or not but from what I can see on line the mine is still somewhat active.  Perhaps the most notable thing there was a headstone of a gentleman who worked at the mine for 63 years.  I googled him as well and there is an interesting video on YouTube at this link to describe his involvement in the Gold Eye Mine.  It is an hour long video but worth watching.

All in all it was a fun afternoon, although I turned Pat a few shades of green on the trails.  I also won’t be suggesting to Ford they create an ad for the off-road prowess of their Escape, but it managed the hills and gullies fine.

Before I finish, I want to include a picture of a wash that we had to drive through.  I have mentioned a few times about these washes and still find it hard to believe there can be enough rain to actually fill them.  However, we had to cross French Creek, which is the main wash I mentioned in the recent post that runs through town.  We stopped in the middle so I could get out and take a few pictures of the trees and bushes bent over from what I would think would be from rushing water.  If so, you can see there has been some significant water flow through here at some point.

Our time here in the Quartzsite area is coming to a close and we are preparing to start our trip home.  A little earlier than most perhaps but we have some plans for things on the way.

Thank you for reading.