Here is the first installment of Melissa's blog she sent me to update. It is a bit late as mail from the lodge is sluggish.

July 10, 2006

I blinked, and now my only holidays for the summer are over.

We made it out of camp on Friday and into Mayo at 4pm after a 2 hour helicopter flight. I was very lucky to have a place to stay in Mayo with my cousin Trevor and his girlfriend Kerrie. I was also very lucky to get a shower and laundry done in short order after arriving, which I am sure they were grateful for too. Mike finally arrived at about 10 pm and sported some sort of growth on his face, some would call it a beard. I was still able to recognize him though. The next day we took Mike on the standard tour up to Keno Hill, but unfortunately the clouds were right down to the ground, so we had to look at postcards of the signpost instead of actually driving up to it (it’s a really common photo spot in the Yukon). We did get to see the museum and have hot dogs at Mike’s place (different Mike!) so it was still really good. We managed to get Trevor’s truck very dirty – apparently the dirtiest it’s ever been!
That night was nice because we went to see Pat and Ada (Trevor’s grandparents) who have been really nice to our family. Of course they fed us (even though we had supper already) and we left with a bag of goodies. They have so many interesting stories and know so much about the area. Pat is in his mid-eighties so things were a lot different for him growing up. He showed us a picture of him and his brothers and sisters on a raft on the Yukon River, the oldest around 14. They lived near Pelly Crossing and in the fall would head down the river to Dawson City for school. I guess it was about a 4 day trip. Pat said that his father would tell them: “Why should I par for a steamboat ticket when the river flows that way?!” A very different life.
Sunday we drove to Dawson City. Thankfully we left the rainy weather behind. Trevor and Kerrie went golfing while Mike and I puttered around town. We had ice cream and saw some of the sights. For supper we went to a fabulous Mediterranean restaurant, which seemed entirely out of place in Dawson. Then we were off to Diamond Tooth Gerties. We did not gamble but did watch the Can Can Dancers. It was quite good and Trevor almost got dragged up on stage. After having a few drinks (the first for me in over a month) we headed out into the sunlight at 1am back to Klondike Kate’s, where we were staying.
I left the next morning with my crew (who were also staying in Dawson) and I left Mike in the care of Trevor and Kerrie. A really terrific weekend and so many thanks to Trevor and Kerrie, who were extremely gracious hosts and patient tour guides. I hope Mike and I can return the favour some day.

July 11, 2006

I’m back to work after my 2 days of holiday, which has to last me until the end of the summer apparently. Although, we were informed right before our holiday that our program will be cancelled at the end of July instead of the end of August. Whoops, they didn’t have enough money! The company has said that they will try and find us other placements in other camps, but who knows [they are all now going to Blende Camp].
For now though, we are in an absolutely stunning lodge on the Canol Road, just inside the NWT border. Yesterday morning we left from Dawson City and drove south, the first 4 or 5 hours were uneventful. The drive to Faro was quite pretty and we hit the town of Ross River at five o’clock. We filled up the gas tank (last stop for gas on that road!) and headed for the ferry. Lo and behold, the ferry closes at 5… We talked to the ferry operator and pleaded our case but he had no sympathy for being 10 minutes late. Faced with spending the night in Ross River, we drove around a bit and suddenly noticed that the ferry was moving across the river. We went up to this ferry operator to see if we could persuade him to help us out. “For a price” he told us. Well, I’ve never had to bribe anyone before. He made it seem like it was all official, but I think we all had some serious doubts. I felt like asking if we could get a receipt for it, but thought twice ☺. Then we were finally on our way down the famed Canol Road. For the most part it is a single track that you can’t go faster than 60 km/h. It was okay going (only 1 big puddle splashed over the hood) until the last 40 km. Usually the lodge sends an old army truck out to get people across the last stretch, but it is passable by truck… if you don’t mind a few dents and scratches. The worst part was a part they called the Boulder Creek, where we needed the truck in 4 wheel low, in 1st gear… and we still just barely made it. The truck got high centered a few times, and we scrubbed both bumpers… thank goodness it’s a company truck! We finally rolled into the lodge at 12:30, ending our day of 14 hrs of driving. The Canol Road is incredibly scenic and quite nice if enjoy the isolation. Oh, I forgot to mention 2 things: 1) We were driving a Ford – take that JJ! 2) I got to drive the nasty stretch, which was super fun!

Melissa

Hello,

Well, it’s pouring rain here tonight, we seem to have lost our nice sunshine for a bit. Things are rolling along well in Blende Camp here, core is spinning and geology is getting done. I talked to Melissa today and it sounds like she and her crew are doing really well down at the Dechenla lodge. I guess the country around there is absolutely beautiful, and they found golf ball size sphalerite! That’s bigger than I have ever seen. So there will be some updates on the Dechenla lodge with accompanying pictures whenever Melissa gets to a computer.

The plans have been arranged and it looks as though Melissa will finish off her summer here at the Blende! The best news that I have heard all summer. We need a couple of people here to map the property, so it was decided that she would be a great candidate, I of course did not really object. And I am supposed to tell Trevor and Kerrie that she will be through Mayo around the 1st or 2nd of August.

We are on hole number seven now for this summer and yesterday we broke the thousand metre mark, but still along way to drill to get the goal that was set. Hope all is well with everyone, I have attached some photos of the area around camp that I recently took.

micheal.

Well, middle of July already, hey? How time flies when your having fun. And with the sun finally shining on a regular basis things are getting increasingly more fun. The core is steadily coming out of the ground it is busy around camp. Although our core here is not quite as large as what James is bragging about over at Schaft Creek (www.schaftcreek.blogspot.com), it isn’t the size that counts its how you use it.

Two nights ago we set up an evening expedition up to a snow filled cirque for some boot skiing. Nothing like sliding down snow, on the side of a mountain with your feet… and in July. It was a fun time, sure to happen again.

Looks like the program here will run until about the middle of September. We are anticipating that if the creek does not run dry it will freeze or we’ll have snow on the ground by that time. So the plan is to drill until we can’t drill no more.

I wish you all good health.

micheal.

Hello again,

Sorry it has a while for an update. I was on a break for a few days. It sounds funny, I leave camp and stop going on the internet. Anyway, Melissa and her crew switched camps so she had the weekend off, so I went out for a break and we spent the weekend with Trevor and Kerrie. The first two nights were in Mayo then we went to Dawson City for Sunday night. It was nice to get some rest and spend time together. Both Melissa and myself would like to send thanks to Trevor and Kerrie for their hospitality, it was very much appreciated.

I am back in camp again, in the sunshine for a change. Melissa should now be in her new camp at the Dechenla Lodge, which is west of Ross River on the NWT side of the border, it sounds like a nice place. I guess I will be here at camp until my journey home at the start of September, not too long to go as the summer seems to be flying by. The work is building up here as the drill keeps turning and pumping out the core, which is good because it keeps me from missing home too much. I hope all is well for everyone; it is good here.

micheal.

July 2, 2006

Only a few more days in our fly camp and then we get a few days off before moving to our next camp. Things have gone well work-wise. We are well ahead of schedule (despite the weather) and should have no problem getting everything accomplished that the company wants. We’ve walked over a lot of ground here and sampled quite a bit. There are some beautiful mineral occurrences, both economic and not. The last few days have consisted of us getting completely drenched while the local sheep laugh at us (I think they know more about the rocks than we do!). They make going up the hills here look pretty easy. We’ve gotten ourselves into a few tight situations here, mostly in trying to follow creeks. The last one we were trying to get down ended up being choked by ice, with water rushing underneath over a waterfall. So we scaled a few ledges and up a 60 degree slope to get out. And always the sheep are laughing.

We have also been spending a lot of time at another property, just a half hour helicopter flight away. Mostly we just prospect (hit lots of rocks) and silt sample there; due to the enormous size of the area.

This camp is astonishingly beautiful (when we can see the mountains!) so it’s a little sad to leave it. There is a lot to look forward to though. My days off should be fantastic. I had originally hoped to spend some time in Mayo with friends and family on my own, but somehow Mike managed to get the same days off, which is unexpected and so exciting. Before this development I wasn’t sure that I would see him at all before I left for our new camp. I can’t wait!

The new place we are going to is on the North Canol Road, just over the border in the NWT. We’re staying in a lodge the whole time. Maybe I’ll be able to stand up to put my pants on in the morning now! We’re all looking forward to solid floors, proper roofs and semi-regular showers (which I am sure our pilot would also appreciate us having…). We will be working on a number of properties, each one is about 10 km x 10 km at least and from the sounds of it we will have three days per property – not counting any weather days! Should be busy, but that’s the best way to be in the field.

I’m missing home a lot, especially on the weather days. I have little things to help though. Pork Chop, our camp dog, is quite cuddly – much like Bailey. Plus, the other night the cook made chocolate pudding cake (in the BBQ!) just like Mom’s. Oh, and she makes banana bread (also in the BBQ) but it isn’t as good as yours Dad.

I miss you all and see you soon.

Mel (Sissa)

~Looking at the drill from behind~


Well, I have good news from the Blende Camp…finally. We finished our first hole!!! It is a bit –ok, a lot behind schedule, but it is done. It was pretty successful as well; we saw what we wanted to see. Then I got to try out the new toy we got for finding the dip and azimuth of the bottom of the hole. Now the task is to finish up the logging on this first hole and await the goodies that arrive in the next to come. I have included a photo of the drill that we are using as well as an aerial view of the east zone of the property where we are drilling.

I am only in camp for a couple more days until I will go on break for three or four days. Melissa and her crew are switching camps, so Mel and myself will hang out in Mayo while they have some time off between camps. I am looking forward to getting the tour of the area I have heard so much about.

Things are staring to get into a rhythm here in camp now that the core is flowing, and time is beginning to fly by. It feels like I just arrived at the Blende and it has already been almost a month. Nothing but fun though. Bye for now.

mike.


~East zone of the Blende property, the roads are from the 1991 drilling~