Monday, May 17, 2021

This mine may be mine

 




One of my reasons for the trip west was to take a second look at some property I'm interested in purchasing in the desert. The owner has several parcels for sale and beneath those parcels are several small mines and four large ones, three of which actually connect, creating a network of tunnels that run for mile and come up in all sorts of distant places. I've now logged four solid days in these tunnels and barely seen a small percentage of the underground space though I've walked for miles--it's incredible.


No water or power on site, but I'm researching alternatives and seriously thinking this could be my new vacation home/secret lair/end of times retreat.





























































































































And if any of my friends are interested in scenic, remote desert land surrounded by BLM wilderness land with the nearest neighbors being about 15 miles away, hit me up. I can't buy ALL his land but he's looking to get rid of it all and there's some real possibilities here for a cabin/trailer homestead site, even if it means you'd have me and the dogs for neighbors.

24 comments:

  1. Looks like some of the tunnels are in good shape and some...not so much...

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  2. You might want to have me head out there and meet up. The issue of shoring and the reliability of shoring through seismic events is a concern. Welding up cages with I-beams or even tough DOM works. You needn't do it throughout your network, but I recommend pouring reinforced concrete at the entrances, then running back with new shoring.

    You can camo those installed supports that might be visible outside such that IR, etc. won't show the cave (a cold spot) I can offer some specific suggestions. Burying cargo containers to be able to link to your network isn't a bad idea. Bring light in through mirrors. They're tough, they will show up on ground penetrating radar, though. We can talk about that as well. They show up as metal and as a void. USGOV spent a lot of money on detection systems as a result of the early Afghan experience - adding to the knowledge of sensor systems used in Vietnam.

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  3. PS. as to power, you might want to check in the area and see if there is a local propane distributor who would be willing to fill your tanks. Use gas for heat and back up electricity through a propane generator.

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  4. As an alternative- all that old growth shoring would be worth a fortune about now.....

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  5. If you do do this, you'll need to get a mine cart to move all your various things back in to the back.

    And concur with LL. If not him, then a competent miner or geologist or civil engineer person to check out the stability of the areas you want to use and tell you of the areas you don't even want to get near.

    And... rodents and caves/mines out west. There's a host of bugs and viruses that exist out there, from Hanta to Bubonic, that you'll want to get a competent infectious disease dude/dudette to deal with.

    Surprisingly, many of those resources may be available from your local county offices.

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  6. New dog runs for Murphy and Belle to escape from! That should keep them entertained for years. So thoughtful.

    Hmm, might not need a backhoe, with all that available! Time and cost savings!

    You are getting all underground rights, yes?

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  7. So you want to be a graboid when you retire?

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  8. Email me. Details are important, but I might be interested in a piece of that.

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  9. Hmm. Guy I knew at work retired to S. Co. Built a place locally known as "the bunker." Thick poured concrete walls built into the hillside and solar. Seemed happy with it last we heard.

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  10. Good luck with the project, also damn glad you're alive. Was beginning to get worried there for a while.

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  11. Tyler Vernon would be proud. Seriously though, I dig it a lot.

    I've thought about one as a bolt hole for a long time. Alas, finding one that isn't flooded, poisonous, or ready to drop on your head is a very tall order. Looks like you may have really found something.

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    Replies
    1. Heh. Nice reference there.

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    2. Indedd. I got the reference as well.
      And he already has a "Lair".

      Of course, this one isn't in Vermont, but still.

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  12. Where is this and what was mined.

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    Replies
    1. S. Cal, and metals--Lead, copper, silver and some gold.

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  13. What were they mining?

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    Replies
    1. Mainly lead for the world wars but also zinc, copper, silver and gold. It all ran together.

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  14. You don't do things half-way: New Orleans where the water table comes up to the second shelf of the refrigerator to the high-desert.

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  15. Have you checked to see if you are allowed to reside on that plot? Some states don't allow one to live on a mining location. Since it is already known as a mine, working or not, this may be a problem. CA really likes to control land usage. Just informed that our utilities will double in price from noon to suppertime. So, they want to restrict electricity from when it is produced by the sun or wind, and there is no current way to store that energy for nighttime. Real bright people in charge here.

    Any underground water? It would be good if you could drill down to an aquifer. Buying it by the truckload may become a big problem in that area, since they want to add more control of it. Magnum PI actor got in a big hassle buying it by the truckload for his small ranch in So.CA a couple years ago.

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    1. The tracts have been converted to Fee Simple so completely cool. One site nearby does have a well, but no electricity. It's possible to set up a pump and generator tho.

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  16. You might want to check how prevalent lead dust is on that property. Might be a real health issue if it has small particles that can blow around, or be tracked to working or living areas. Current owner might not have checked. Probably depends on how it was mined and/or processed. Bullet sized is not a problem, unless you are driving on it, or otherwise shredding it in some fashion. Breathing particles of it, or getting it into your food is where the danger is, as you probably already know.

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