In Gold Country #8 - Backstory

#61 - Things slowly returned to normal, and we broke up into groups again resuming our talk. “Goodnights” and “Thanks” to Gino, and to Jim and Robert for the cooking, and “Thanks for the beer!”

Welcome! I’m glad you are here. 

Here’s a recap of In Gold Country - James is checking out a gold claim he has the option of getting having won it in a poker game. He meets other miners and prospectors and spends the weekend with them at their outing. The Bear has just made his appearance, and disappearance. 

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 Chaps – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 

     #8 – Backstory 

Things slowly returned to normal, and we broke up into groups again resuming our talk. “Goodnights” and “Thanks” to Gino, and to Jim and Robert for the cooking, and “Thanks for the beer!” made the rounds as folks started making their way back to their sites.  

No one moved closer to the fire. I didn’t find myself as comfortable in the woods as they were and was glad that I was set up nearer the fire. I didn’t see me going to sleep any time soon. 

Alex and I worked the fire, Alex still with his guitar.  

I said, “Those were good songs, Alex!” 

“Thanks,” he answered. “It’s hard to miss with that selection. I just need to play ‘em without messing ‘em up.” 

“You did fine. That’s a nice guitar. I used to play.” 

“Really! Here, give it a go!” he said, taking off the guitar and handing it to me. 

I slung the strap over my shoulder and strummed a few chords. It did feel good in the hands. 

“I have a Gibson from way back when. I played electric most of the time. I had a Les Paul and a Tele. We thought we could make a go of it.”  

I was sorely in need of practice. I handed his guitar back to him. 

“Yeah, me too. I stopped getting in and out of bands and recorded on my own. It was a better situation, but it wasn’t paying any bills. It was funny, I was playing more, yet, playing out less. Things were a mess.

“I was just wasting away, with no direction. One day my wife, Shari, said, ‘You used to go up in gold country on your motorcycle and pan for gold. That made you happy. Go! Be careful!’ Kinda like your mother would say ‘Get out of the house, go outside and play, don’t come back ‘till dark.” 

He paused, then added, “It’s craziness, the music bug. Like being bit by the gold bug and getting Gold Fever. In my case, Rock Fever.” 

More folks were calling it a night. Robert and Jim and Slow Mo stopped by and we said our “Goodnights”.  

Slow Mo asked, “Streak, where you playing next?” 

“I’m playing over in Prescott, and in Williams, starting Thanksgiving through Christmas. They should be good gigs.” 

“Well, have fun. I’ll try to get up there. See ya when I see ya.” They moved on into the night. 

“Alex,” I said smiling, “how did you get to be called ‘Streak’?” 

He smiled back, “Gino started it. Not long after we met. By the way, he called you, ‘Hold’em’.” 

“What?!”

“Yeah, and Jessica is ‘Gems’, and ‘Slow Mo’ Ronnie. And ‘Goldfather’ Jim. ‘Mother Lode’ Janet. He gets a kick out of it. They do seem to stick.” 

“Does Gino have a nickname?”  

“I’ve heard Jim call him ‘The Goldster’.” 

“Well, I’ll be danged,” I added. 

We stared into the fire.   

“How did it happen,” I asked? 

“Well, we had just met. On New Year’s Day, a couple of years ago Shari and I were out for a drive going to sample an area I wanted to try. I’d been prospecting for about a year. We were south of Moccasin, you know, on Highway 49? 

“I decided to try this dirt road alongside a creek we passed. Soon enough, the road became too much for my two-wheel drive. We got out to look around. Following the road, on foot, we went up an incline. I heard some kind of activity, and around this turn on the decline, there was this fellow.  

“His truck had gone off the road and he was trying to winch it out. He had a come-along attached to the rear frame and anchored to a very convenient oak tree. Well, the front right wheel was bound up over the road edge. He couldn’t work the winch and steering wheel at the same time.” 

“I whistled ‘Hello’ just as Otis saw us and let out a howl. He turned around. I said, ‘Let me help’. We exchanged names real quick and Longino, as he had introduced himself, got in behind the wheel.  

“I worked the come-along and we got the truck back on the road. I was surprised the truck hadn’t gone over the side, as the road was out of the sun at that curve and was still frozen. 

“It slid off right at a claim marker. He asked me if the claim was mine. He said he was going further up the road to check out a claim he was thinking about getting.  

“He was glad we showed up as he was thinking he would have to hike out.  

“He invited us up to a camp-over he had set up for the 1st weekend in April at another place he had further north. ‘This’ place. 

“Well, that’s how we met.” 

“Meanwhile, I was up in the hills for the weekend, late March, and I saw a good-looking place to check out. It was up a drainage leading down to a culvert I’d crossed on 49. I pulled over, saw no property signs or such, but as it was close to town, I thought somebody must own it. Anyway, I could see the place had been worked before. I climbed higher up the hillside and picked out a spot. A widened pool below a drop off before it gathered for another drop. 

“And I found Gold! Nuggets and pickers! I mean ounces! I was dumbfounded. It was crazy. How was this missed before? This can’t be happening! This place can’t be unclaimed, I must be trespassing! Have I been seen? I just sat there, almost afraid to think about it. We needed the money this gold would fetch! 

“I was certain I’d be discovered. My truck was down there on the side of the highway. I stayed up that hill digging until dark. Both to find what gold I could, and to remain as unnoticed as I could.  

“I got home late and showed Shari, and we both got crazy. Then I thought, how do I sell it? Spot price for gold is 80% of value. Gold buyers will get the best of you if you aren’t careful. Some of the gold looked pretty good. I thought I’d wait until Gino’s camp out. Maybe I could get some info there. 

“Well, the guys at the camp-over were cool. It was fun, you know? I told Gino what happened and showed him my stash. I asked him where I should sell it. He was just looking at it, started smiling, looked up and said, ‘Paystreak!’ That’s you, Man. Congratulations, you did real good!

“He turned me on to Jim. He bought my gold at a good price, and I made some real money. I mean, I didn’t get rich, but I felt like it. We got a handle on our bills and we had some spending money. Gave me a stake in prospecting. You know, gas and food. Funny thing though, since meeting Gino, I’ve been able to stay ahead. He always puts us on the gold.” 

Tom and Terri and a couple more of the Red Light Gang came by. They readied a pack for running up the tree. Tom pulled out a couple of beers for us from an ice chest and emptied the meltwater into the water barrel.  

“You sounded real good tonight, Alex! Nice meeting you James. See you tomorrow, we’re done.” Tom said.  

“Nice meeting you all. Thanks for the beer!” Tom ‘thumbed up’ and he and Joe, dollied the ice chest and headed for their camp. 

Well, this was my fourth beer. My head was pretty much swimming. 

“You know,” continued Alex. “Gino has done more than any manager I’ve ever had. After we met, I started spending more time here, and at his other places. He would hear me practicing. One day he asked if ‘I wanted to play at this get together up at I Bar’? - Italian Bar, you know? 

“I said ‘sure’! He got me a gig. That led to more gigs. That was two summers ago. Now, I’ve played in Arizona, on the Grand Canyon train, and South Dakota, at Sturgis and Deadwood. Maybe I’ll get a spot at Elko at The Gathering next year. The festival in Genoa comes up in May. I’m working like never before. And he won’t take a thing for it! It’s the craziest thing. He says, ‘I know a guy’. 

“Shari comes out often for a few days or a week at a time. I get home often. Our lives have changed.”  

He looked at me, “You are easy to talk to. Guess I’ve been runnin’ on.” 

“No, Man, thanks for telling me. There’s always a story.” 

I paused, then added, “Here I am, out here in the woods partying with people I just met. And The Bear. Pretty dang good!” 

Alex smiled, and nodded, and downed a good part of his beer. 

He said, “You know, odds are, I’ve had my ‘Eureka’ moment. But even before I found the gold, there was just no downside to this prospecting. There’s more to it than the gold.” 

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