Tales

The Misadventures of a Prospecting Trip It was definitely worth it. June 2006 Sometimes what starts out crappy, ends up not so bad. I need to remember this. I was recently preparing for my prospecting trip to Alaska.  All the usual stuff.  Get a list, buy all the stuff, lay it out on the floor. […]

Traveling the Alcan, Alaska Canadian Highway Thursday, June 2012 Some extracts from my Alcan log as sent to my Family – Unedited Subject: Thursday’s Adventure.  Where is my photographer when I need her? Today was a long day, an exciting day, a boring day, and a small world. I was anticipating a long day because

Traveling the Alcan, Alaska Canadian Highway  Friday, June 2012 Some extracts from my Alcan log sent to my family (unedited) Friday’s Adventure.  It could be worse.   What started out as a short day and a short drive turned suddenly into a long drive. I left Whitehorse, Yukon at about 6 AM after having a

The Mean Grandpa Creates a Hill It snowed a bunch last night so the Mean Grandpa went outside to shovel his driveway. The driveway was covered in a blanket of snow. Without thinking the Mean Grandpa started to shovel all the snow to the end of the driveway near the small hill in the back

King Joseph I – The King wrote to ask me about purchasing a ghost town so he could bring his “micronation” to the United States. I gave him directions to Cuba. Mike, what happened to your eyebrows? Let’s just say you should not attempt to lite your gas furnace when there is a gas leak.

No, I don’t hate dogs It is pretty safe to write this story now as my neighbor moved over ten years ago and the last I heard they were living 2,000 miles away. I don’t think they will bother to come back and threaten me with violence.   Some people think I hate dogs. Not

The Nuts in the Nursing Home On a recent visit to a nursing home Kate’s friend Julie got bored. She and her brother were getting tired of all the talking and sitting as they went with their parents to visit a relative in the nursing home.  They spotted a bowl of peanuts across the room

How I learned to like coffee During the process of growing up around coffee drinkers, some people seem to naturally develop a taste for coffee. Even my grandchildren now watch closely whenever I pour myself a cup. You can always see it in their eyes.  It’s something new that they’ve never tried. This inevitably makes

How to scare a bear! When I am out hunting ghost towns I like to wander into the local bar and find the “old timers.” The challenge is to see if I can get them to tell me about their past. Typically, I get skeptic looks and silence— until they realize that I just may

And then the fight began. Well, it has been one heck of a day. My sides hurt so badly I can hardly move. I got a backache that won’t quit, a toe that points in the wrong direction, and a head that feels like someone is inside pounding to get out. On top of that