Back In Time To The Heyday Of Gold -> Hedges/Tumco Ghost Town

“One in every five miners who came to California in 1849 was dead within six months.”
Quote from a writer of the Sacramento Bee

Paul poses by the old hospital in Hedges/Tumco

We’re in the heart of some of the oldest gold mine history in California and y’all know how I love those wild west stories. This is my kinda hard, crazy history filled with the dreams of fools looking to make it rich. Last year we did some local prospecting around our boondocking site, but this time around we decided to make the trek ~5 miles north to the ghost town of Hedges/Tumco, a site that takes us right back to the start of it all.

Ghosts of the past. View of the Hedges/Tumco town.

Yours truly by the massive cyanide vats that used to process gold ore

Gold has always been a draw in these hills. In the 1600′s the Spanish explorers discovered gold in the Sierra de San Pablo Mountains (now known as Cargo Muchachos), and in 1780 established the first mission in Yuma. The Spaniards exploited the area, but war and strife followed leaving the ores largely undeveloped until much later….right up until 1849. It was the start of the gold rush, one of the biggest migrations in the history of the US. The “49′ers”, as history would remember them, were the very first, the most hardy souls that led the chase. These idealistic madmen named themselves after Greek mythology, the “Argonauts” -> a band of heros in search of a golden fleece.

And seek they did, oh yes they did. In 1849 Fort Yuma was established followed by the railroad in 1877, and hundreds of thousands of prospectors on the western trail. Most of the early migration went further northwest, but by 1880′s interest revived in the Tumco valley and the first claims were opened here.

Ellen poses by the remains of the old saloon

Site of the old cemetery

From there it was a typical gold rush story. In 1894 the valley settlement named Hedges had established ~31 tents, a large stamp mill capable of crushing 100 tons per day and over 12 miles of water pipeline. By the turn of the century the town had grown to one of the biggest mines in the state with 500 people, 100 stamp mills, a school, a church, two cemeteries and massive cyanide plants for ore post-processing. Then, as quickly as the riches had amassed they disappeared, things turned downhill and by 1909 the town was mostly abandoned. Interest re-surged briefly in 1910 with a new set of investors who re-named the settlement Tumco, but it was a short-lived dream that shut down again only a year later.

After this time the mine saw several years of sporadic development, but never quite reached the heyday of the early 1900′s. It was finally abandoned as a ghost town in 1949, 100 years to the day after the start of the big rush.

Alex, Ellen and Paul walk the trail in Hedges/Tumco

Paul checks out history at the Gold Rock Ranch

We headed out on our ghost town adventure with our buddies Alex&Ellen on the day the cold weather broke here in Yuma bathing our site in warm temps and gorgeous blue skies. The mine is on BLM land just a few miles north on Ogilby Road. Although most of the structures have vanished to rubble, there is a nice hiking trail with well-marked sites that take you around the whole town and gives a great feel for what it was like. The whole place is a wild, crazy, lonely spot and apart from the ghosts we were the only souls there. We spent a good hour walking around and imagining the harsh life in the old mine before heading a mile across the road to historic and quirky Gold Rock Ranch to putter around the shop, check out the history knickknacks, scope out the RV park and meet the locals.

A very, very cool ghost town which is most definitely worth the trip.

NOTE/ Since Tumco is on BLM land you can actually boondock right next to the mine for free (so very cool)! If you want more civilization the quirky RV park across the road has a dump and full hookup sites for $40/night ($20/night with Passport America).

The excellent trail at Tumco

Oh, the stories this old earth could tell!

Olá from Madeira Part II – Wine Tasting & Touring

“…in America Madeira was esteemed above all other wine..”
John Adams, from correspondence  Aug 1st 1783

The gorgeous old fort of Sao Tiago in Old Town, Funchal

Little did I know that when I tasted my first glass of Madeira last week I was stepping ~250 years back right into the shoes of the Founding Fathers. In fact not only was this wonderful wine a major import of the American Colonies in the 18th century, it was highly prized by every leading figure of the day and cemented history as the toast used at the signing of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. As such I may have entered Madeira naive and uneducated, but thanks to 7 full days of “research” and a local Wine Festival (that my internal alcoholic homing beacon just happened to pick-up -> with every single producer on the Island no less), I left feeling rather more qualified to drink the wine that’s helped to shape the country I RV in today (see how I managed to make that relevant to the blog….sneaky isn’t it?)

Fabulous Funchal as viewed from the Fortress Pico

But to understand the wine you’ve got to understand the island, so we’ll go a bit back to the beginning and start there. The Madeira Islands are volcanic archipelagoes that started forming ~14 million years ago. Settled in the early 15th century, the rich soil made the place a natural spot for agriculture. Initially a sugar-cane producer, wine eventually became the more profitable crop and by the 16th century was a major export of the island. 

Wine casks at Blandy's....yum!

The special taste of Madeira as we know it today, however, took a bit longer and like all great inventions was a total accident. You see wine has a habit of turning into vinegar on long sea voyages so to prevent that annoying trait, it was “fortified” with brandy. By happy chance it was discovered that months of subsequent voyage in the tropics churned the mixture into a most delicious beverage. Some enterprising island wine makers picked up on the idea and decided to mimic the whole deal at home by fermenting wine which was then exposed to both heat and partial oxidation, a totally unique method. Madeira wine was born and by the 18th century this exactly was how it was known worldwide.

Stepping into history. My dad and I taste a medium-dry Madeira

But as interesting as all this is wine is not the only thing of note on this Island. Because of the unique geology of Madeira Island (a warmer south side, cooler north and peaks up to 1862 meters (6107 ft)) it’s got a whole plethora of flora/fauna and interesting stuff to do. In our week here we managed to explore quite extensively and hit on several other gems. 

It’s not a spot for ”the beast”, but if you decide to ditch your RV and make the flight here’s my home-grown list of top 5 things to do:

1/ Explore Downtown Funchal

The fascinating & colorful door paintings in Old Town

There’s lots to do in the main “drag” of Madeira and most of it is best done by foot. 

• Wine Tour at Blandy’s - Did I mention the wine already? The best spot to take a tour is at the Blandy’s Wine Lodge where you’ll not only get to walk inside a giant barrel, but you’ll understand the 6 types of grapes and 4 types of Madeira (dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet) produced on the Island. Oh, and taste them too!

The Monte Church

• Take the Cable Car – Hitch a ride on the Cable Car to the top of the mountain at Monte to check out the traditional Monte Toboggans, city views and the Monte Church.

• Walk the Old Town – Explore the Old Town on the east side by foot. Pop into the Story Center for some history, hike over to see the Fort Sao Tiago, check out some old churches, peruse the little alleys in the back to admire their unique door paintings and peek in at the indoor market (Mercado Dos Lavradores). Lots of other museums around.

A swan cools itself in the New Town park

• Explore New Town - Hike around bustling New Town and have an expresso at one of the many café’s. Also make sure to go further up the hill to Fortess Pico for one of the best views of Funchal (the hidden entrance is at Rua Du Castelo) as well as the 3 museums up there (Quinta Das Cruzes, Convento de Santa Clara and Museu Frederico De Freitas).

2/ Eat The Food

The local fare is a “must do” and there are a couple of specialities worth trying especially the Black Scabbard fish (espada) and the meat skewers (espetada). Stay away from the tourist-traps in the Old Town and look for restaurants in the small alleys behind New Town, and of course remember to pair with Madeira wine. The best meal we had all week was at Restaurant Dos Combattentes and I highly recommend at least one stop there.

3/ Take An Island Tour

Sis at the top of the dramatic sea-cliff Cabo Girao

It’s worth getting out of Funchal to explore the outer reaches of the Island. Madeira boasts the 2nd highest sea-cliff in the world (Cabo Girão), lovely fishing villages (Câmara de Lobos), gorgeous mountains, neat lava pools (Porto Moniz), waterfalls, traditional thatched houses(Santana) and local culture. The best bus tours (in my opinion) are the smaller mini-bus tours offered by Happy Tours (€15-25), but you can also rent a taxi for a day (~€100). If you only have time to do one tour take the West Tour, the most interesting by far.

4/ Go For A Hike

The whole family poses high in the west mountains

The levadas are extensive water-ways that were originally built criss-cross the island to provide irrigation to local farms. You can do levada hikes along these old waterways for over ~500 miles from super-easy to serious mountain climbs. Either take a guided tour or buy the hiking book and do them yourself.

5/ Do Some People Watching

The Cafe Do Teatro in downtown Funchal

Madeira has a great café culture and it’s so much fun to get into it. Lots of great cafés all around the island so go out and explore. For a great downtown vibe check in at the Café Do Teatro, and for a totally local hidden gem check out the Tea House in the old house at the  Centro Cívico Cultural de Santa Clara. For a nighttime drink try one of the rum concoctions at Number 2 (opposite the Madeira Carlton). Lots of other nightlife around.

And that, my friends, wraps up my Madeira visit. With the sadness that always accompanies a leaving, I say goodbye to a fabulous week in the Atlantic and head back to more adventures the RV. In the meantime I’ll remember my wonderful trip and all those colonists 250 years ago every time I taste a dram of that wonderful and unique Madeira wine.

P.S. For an extra little treat click on the video below for a sample of traditional Madeira folk music and dance

Sao Vicente church on the North side, considered one of the prettiest

The natural lava pools at Porto Muniz in the NE. Free swimming too!

Cod hanging to dry at the fishing village of Camara De Lobos

Funchal at sunset as seen from the canal on Avenida de Janeiro

The cable car over downtown Funchal

A madonna overlooking Porto Muniz

Traditonal Madeira Folk Dance(“Bailinho da Madeira”) from Paul Novell on Vimeo.

Million Dollar Views, Mines & Brothels – Silverton, CO

“The election was a very quiet one compared to former years. There were only four shooting scrapes, sixteen fights, and thirty drunks up to three o’clock, at which time our reporter was unable to follow his regular vocation”
The Gladstone Kibosh, April 13th, 1901

A rough and tumble mining past

The Gladstone Kibosh was a fictional newspaper that ran farcical bits of news for over 7 years. It was a total laugh and a fine representation of its time. Silverton in the early 1900′s was a place of enterprise, riches, desolation, tall tales and wild west. It was a town where millions were made and millions were lost and you needed both a tough skin and a good sense of humor to survive it. Just my kinda old west town!

It started, like all the SW Colorado stories with gold and silver. In the late 1800′s the draw of riches drew settlers like magnets to the San Juan Mountains. Silverton, lying as it did in a wide basin became a natural a focal point. The arrival of the Rio Grande Railroad in 1882 sealed the deal and it grew like a weed into a rough and tumble mining town.

Notorious Blair Street, Silverton

With growth came all the reputation and notoriety of an old west town. Down the main drag (Blair Street) there established an astonishing 34 saloons and bordellos, the biggest enterprise outside of mining. The brothels with classic names like “The Bent Elbow” and ”Shady Lady” were run by hard-nosed madams and independent women looking to make their own way. Out here money, gambling, booze and loose ladies ruled the roost.

One of the many great displays at the Mining Museum in town

The Silverton of today has kept all the lure of that fascinating old past. There’s a fabulous museum dedicated to its’ mining history (Mining Heritage Center) the original Silverton Narrow Gauge terminus and Railroad, notorious Blair Street with many of the old saloons, and a bunch of cute little cafes and shops. You can even pan for gold at the Old Hundred Gold Mine. We spent a cool 4 hours exploring all of it, eating at the local BBQ and even getting to see the steam engine come into town (and you BET I was excited!).

Sheer cliffs and sharp drop-offs at the Uncompahgre Gorge of the Million Dollar Highway

But you gotta make the drive to get to all this wonder, and that drive is one in a million. The 25 miles between Ouray and Silverton make up the core of the famous Million Dollar Highway  (Hwy 550).  Characterized by sharp curves, sheer drop-offs, towering cliffs, narrow lanes and nothing between you and your maker this is not one for the faint of heart. There are big ‘ol 18-wheelers who make the drive, but I saw an outer wheel come off the edge as one of them took a turn, and was rather happy “the beast” was safely back at camp.

Downtown Blair Street in Silverton, CO

Why it’s called the Million Dollar Highway no-one knows. Some say a million dollars of gold ore are hidden in its fill-dirt, others that it cost a million dollars to build. I like to think it’s the views, but that’s just the romantic in me. Either way it’s one helluva drive and worth the time to take the winding road. This is the place where riches were made, and the drive, the spot, the history and the views make it all worth a million dollars in my book. A good day indeed!

Views from Hwy 550

The Silverton steam engine in town!!

Thee Pits Again BBQ. Featured on TV it's THE place to eat in town.

Bits of mining history are everywhere on the Million Dollar Highway

Old miners hats at the museum

Downtown Ouray as viewed from Hwy 550

Downtown Silverton

Now THAT's what I call lunch. BBQ at Thee Pits Again.

Turmoil at Sea, Old and New – Dauphin Island, AL

“Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead” Admiral Farragut, Aug 5th, 1864

Inside historic Fort Gaines. The anchor is from U.S.S Hartford, Admiral Farragut's flagship.

It’s said that Admiral Farragut uttered these rousing words on Aug 5th, 1864 as his fleet, blocked by torpedo fields and under gunfire from Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan plunged ahead through the mouth of Mobile Bay to a key victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay. It was one of the most notable naval battles of the Civil War and broke the Confederacy’s last major port stronghold in the Gulf of Mexico. The turmoil at sea  has long since been swept away with the tides, but its history remains recorded on the impressive Fort Gaines at Dauphin Island. 

Biking the Western End of Dauphin Island

It’s just one of the many turmoils to have touched this place over the years. Dauphin Island is part of a chain of barrier islands in the Alabama Gulf, built up over ~20,000 years by the action of sea and wind depositing great big sandbars in the mouth of the bay. Given its precarious position at the very southern end of Mobile Bay its been the first line of defence for war (the French, Spanish and British have all claimed it’s shores), hurricanes (over 10 major storms have hit the place), and most recently the BP oil spill (we spoke to a recovery group who told us they still pick up over several hundred pounds of oil every few weeks).

The Ferry crosses Mobile Bay from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan

Despite all this the Island endures and is able to renew its beauty and resources. It’s one of 10 most important worldwide sites for bird migration, a bountiful fishing port (hosting 10 annual fishing rodeos and a 850 foot fishing pier) and provides over 7 miles of coastline. Economically it’s driven by tourism, fishing and the expansive natural gas fields (the largest in the continental United States) in Mobile Bay. It’s a unique spot with a rich and resilient history, and well worth the drive to where the sea, the winds and the land meet.

The Southeast Bastion of Fort Gaines points towards where the Union fleet assembled for its run into Mobile Bay.

The public boat ramp and afternoon view of Little Dauphin Island on Gulf Side of Mobile Bay

Early morning fishing

Endless coastline and blue sky

Beach in the Forest…And Just One More Gator Story

Beach in the Forest. What a combo!

So, we’re almost at the end of our time in Florida. We decided to spend our last few days here in a little State Forest in the “inner Panhandle”. It was a bit of a ”just point at the map” kind of choice and we really had no idea what it would be like, but it seems the winds of luck are with us and it’s turned out to be a really neat stop.

Blackwater River is one of the purest white-sand bottomed rivers in the world. The snow-white quartz sand here is the same stuff that’s on the coast and Blackwater River meanders through the tall pine-trees leaving banks of the stuff draped in sandbars along the curves. What it becomes is beach in the forest and it’s home to one of Florida’s most iconic and beautiful Canoe trails. It’s truly gorgeous and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

Gators...this is how they do it in the Panhandle

And then, of course, there’s still the gators. Now, it must be at least 4 or 5 posts since I’ve last mentioned them, but darn it, I just can’t help it. Up here it seems there’s a whole new approach to the beasts which has probably got something to do with the history of the area. The Panhandle was always considered a bit of a Wild West kind of place. Tallahassee is an Apalachee Indian word meaning “old town” or “abandoned fields”. By the 1830′s it had the reputation of being an outlaw frontier which Ralph Waldo Emerson called “a grotesque place…rapidly settled by public officers, land speculators, and desperadoes.”

So, I guess I can’t blame that some of the ‘ol Cowboy attitude still lingers. Up here, you see they don’t tell you not to go in the lakes, but rather give you the more independent advice to “Swim with Caution”. Having read the rules, I can just picture the exchange:

“Honey, do you perchance see any gators” I ask
“Nope” says the Frontier man scanning the horizon
“Okie dokie, then I think I will just go for a quick dip” says the juicy Scandinavian

A few moments elapse while said piece of meat splashes in the water

“Sweetie, would you mind terribly nipping off to the Ranger Station to let them know an Alligator is approaching”

Yes, this is Florida, and yes, I am rather Gator obsessed, but you gotta admit it’s funny stuff. So, with a chuckle and our toes in the sand, we’ll say adieu to our time here and hello to Alabama. It’s been a wonderful ride, gators and all!

Butt in the sand...it's a wonderful feeling

Late afternoon at Blackwater River