Where as our blogs to date have given more of the macro situation – our physical journey, a US state-wide perspective etc this entry offers a feel for the micro side of life on the road. We may be in one place for 10 days but life is far from static as the days unfold in the tiny little community that is Katherine Landing. Named after someone’s daughter, so the story goes… : )
Katherine Landing is on the Arizona bank of Lake Mohave part of the Lake Mead State Park. All the lakes are man made with the once mighty Colorado River having been dammed in no less than four places in this stretch alone. These Lakes are big. Lake Mead alone is supposed to have more coastline than the whole of California! They call it coastline and even talk about the beach… beach?? – it’s nothing like the Felixstowe we remember.
Katherine was the site of a gold mine and like all gold mines in the USA closed in 1942 as they were not considered critical to the war effort. Katherine Landing is a pretty little place with numerous sandy coves surrounded by hills and distant mountains with snow on them when we got here and fringed with palm trees. The 24hr bright neon signs, tarmac and slot machine chatter has been replaced with bird song, hills walks, moonlight and coyote howls.
After spending 10 days here we have grown attached to the place as we have walked a lot of the trails over the hills and around the lake and being entertained by an amazing (mad) Irish woman from Dublin. Bridget – one of 16 children (only 10 survived), moved to the US in 1958 so she could marry an Irish protestant (Bill). They have four daughters (our age) all who can apparently talk you to death – just like their mother!! Bill, as you would expect said very little – poor sod.When we first arrived it didn’t look too promising. Pretty enough but nothing more than an old ghost mine, an RV campsite, boat launch / small marina and house boat rental and repair business. OK it’s got a bar (closed until April) a ship themed restaurant (yawn...) with not a single vegetarian option… oh, except a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. It did have a shop… that sells flip flops, milk and matches. Life on a houseboat must be one long party : )
We spent Day One walking the hills and moaning about a very loud mouth American woman nearby and her bloody dashound that barked at everything that moved. By Day Three we have found some fantastic walks to isolated coves in warm sunshine. A trip to that old mine site that morning and to our utter amazement I found a rock the size of a chicken’s egg with tiny flakes of gold in it. GOLD… just after we took the attached photo of my ecstasy, Jane picks up a piece the size of a football also riddled with small flakes of gold! (well she would, wouldn’t she……..). Gold Fever was taking hold, with us looking around as we stuffed about 20Kg of rock into my pack before anyone came along - as you do… and then a long laboured walk back to the RV.
By Day 8 we are having fun – researching Katherine mine (it produced over $2m of Gold 1940 prices) braking up the rock and panning for gold - tricky with a hammer, tweezers and a plastic bucket - but great fun. We now have a small container full of something that looks like gold (in solution) even if it is only a couple of grams in weight. After a couple of days you can see why most prospectors’ who made a claim died disillusioned and broke - BT was a far easier option. That loud American woman… yes, she turned out to be Irish! and we are sitting drinking G&T watching the sunset with her and her husband looking at wedding photos of her girls! While the bloody dog (Willy) still barked at anything that moved. Jane’s told me I can’t do my ’the little prick’ joke. Funnily enough we were even a bit sad when they left to head back to their ranch in Oregon.
So after 6 months of going somewhere we have finally relaxed into the fact that it’s not how far or how fast you go… it’s how you go about it. The whole valley is riddled with gold – fools gold most of it – but you are never going to get rich chasing gold.
Our gold strike at Katherine Landing was in fact much simpler… meeting and greeting strange, interesting people, walking across the hills, stunning mountain backdrops, sunsets over the lake and a beautiful multi-coloured carpet of wild flowers as spring unfolded in front of our eyes in the previously barren desert. All pure gold : )
However, as Jane has just pointed out, my attempt at ‘life coach’ metaphors and poetic imagery is all very well, but we are in the USA to do the National Parks, including the Grand Canyon! With this comment still ringing in my ears we have finally booked an RV site at the Canyon from March 14th only hope the weather gets it’s act together……….
Take care
Den and Jane X
