RIP highdesertranger

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This is a reminder and announcement that there will be a Campout get together in honor of Mike, “High Desert Ranger” from the 22d to the 29th of January at Scadden Wash in Quartzsite. For those of you who will be attending the RTR this is also a good location for camping near to town. The paved road is rough but most people drive in the dirt on either side of the road and it’s fine.

On the 29th there will be a memorial stone and plaque placed for him at Celia’s Garden in town. His mother, along with other family members, will be traveling to Quartzsite to attend and it would really be nice if we could have a great show of support and love for Mike and his family.

The coordinates to the camp are

33°39'26.7"N 114°09'02.1"W
It sounds like a beautiful tribute. Will it be recorded?
 
(33.6605820, -114.1491124)

Scadden wash coordinates from google maps (camp together). This is the spot where someone dropped a pin— not the spot chosen for the memorial.
 
Mike's sister was at the campfire last nite..............

The Stories and Drinks.....Laughter and Tears.... all flowed non-stop
Sad and beautiful.
Thanks for letting me know about that
I hope someone will think to record all the stories
 
It was really wonderful you guys got together and did this for him... I wish I had had a chance to go along on one of his mining expeditions, it would have been a blast...

Cheers.
 
I'm camping with you in spirit!

HDR, Mike, was an amazing guy.

His knowledge and helpfulness continues to inspire me. I often find myself thinking"what would HDR do/say" as I'm planning my camper restoration and eventual travels.

Happy travels and big nuggets in the Beyond, Mike! 🍻
 

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The Memorial is absolutely beautiful............the basic design is a representation of a Gold Pan

IMG_5859.JPGIMG_5857.JPG
The center of the memorial features a huge quartz rock sourced from the desert from YARC camp

A Gold patina plaque has a photo of Mike in high-relief with two verses.........Words from Paint Your Wagon.......
"I was born under a Wandering Star"........and a quote attributed to Mike

A statuette of a Miner panning for gold is also included on the rock



IMG_5858.JPG

Kudos go out to RoamingRaven.......Darlene and Clint..........Cammalu and GotSmart for their hard work

RIP My Friend
 
The Memorial is absolutely beautiful............the basic design is a representation of a Gold Pan

View attachment 30259View attachment 30260
The center of the memorial features a huge quartz rock sourced from the desert from YARC camp

A Gold patina plaque has a photo of Mike in high-relief with two verses.........Words from Paint Your Wagon.......
"I was born under a Wandering Star"........and a quote attributed to Mike

A statuette of a Miner panning for gold is also included on the rock



View attachment 30261

Kudos go out to RoamingRaven.......Darlene and Clint..........Cammalu and GotSmart for their hard work

RIP My Friend
Wow. Such a lovely and well-thought-out tribute and what a great portrait.
Condolences to his friends and family.
 
I had no idea he had passed. I've been reading his posts and thinking how knowledgeable he was. I'm damn sorry to see this post.
 
It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you all that highsesertranger, aka HDR or simply my friend Mike passed away today from Lou Gehrig's disease.

I met Mike at the 2017 RTR and was lucky enough to spend the next three with him. To know him here you would think that he was gruff. He and his prospecting camp certainly fit the bill of a gruff old prospector but in person he had a heart of gold.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Buddy, you will be missed.
OMG! He's been gone roughly 5 months now? I've been away for a while, but I remember conversing with him on occasion. Nice guy. R.I.P. Mike.
 
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