Thursday morning, I checked my email and it showed that Laura left Salt Lake City at 7 a.m., so I am out the door. I don't know a lot, just that I am headed for Hanksville, Utah. We had read about a place there in the Henry Mountains that has a good run of placer gold. We checked the weather and it was supposed to be nice--in the 60s and maybe a shower or two. I jump into the GMC Jimmie and off I go. Well, about 100 miles down the road, I was suddenly in the worst blizzard I have ever seen. Then my day was made complete--my transmission started dropping into low gear. I should know by now I am the unluckiest person alive.

I head back home doing thirty MPH and in low gear. I pulled into the garage, cussing and complaining, while tossing all my gear into the van. Waving once again, I am off on my great adventure.

This time I go north. It looks clear that way. I get into Colorado to jump over into Utah and once again Mother Nature says, "I still don't like you!" Within fifteen minutes, I am snow blind. I kept going and going, just knowing it is nice ahead, just as CNN promised. I started down all these winding steep canyons, gripping the seat covers with my butt cheeks all the way. Then I kept watching the clock. It was right at one p.m. I had no idea how much further it was, but I could just picture Laura sitting there tapping her foot and cussing me, saying, "Well, this is three trips Alan didn't show up for!" Then I saw sunlight. It was so nice. So down the road I went in seventy MPH winds.

I pulled into Hanksville at two p.m.. Or at least I hoped it was Hanksville. I guess they couldn't afford a sign showing the name of the place.

I drove through town looking for Laura's green monster truck (by the way, driving through town means passing three buildings), and no Laura. I figured she got tired of waiting for me and drove up the BLM road to check things out. So I went in and bought a phone card and called home to let them know I am alive. I know they missed me so much. My youngest son said, "Cool. You're there. Mom and Robbie went shopping." I decided finally at six p.m. to drive up and down the road to keep warm under the heater and see if I can spot Laura coming in. There is two roads coming in and I had no idea which way she was coming in on. So I decide, "Ok. Laura had bad weather and went home." I called my house and said, "I guess I will head back, I am the only one here."

Marie said, "Well, you made the trip, stay at least one more day so you can and hunt."

With frozen snot running down my cheeks and teeth rattling, I think I know now I need a shrink. Dark has now set in and all kinds of bad things are running through my mind. After all, Laura and Jim's little driving experience stuck out in my head thanks to Jesse showing her old car on his web page. At this point, I am scared. I forgot to get phone numbers or anything. As I said, this trip lacked planning. Then it hits me! I know the chat room family can help. I called home again. Marie got online to find Laura's home phone number to make sure she is home safe before I go out and get some sleep.

I now have one phone number. It's Jesse's. He knows everything about everyone. I call and some Eskimo woman takes five minutes saying, "No Jesse here. I know no Jesse." (Jesse tells all the Eskimo Women to say that)

My life at this point is at its lowest. I called home one last time and now she has Laura's home number. I called and then I had a heart attack. Laura left that morning and they have heard nothing. I told them to let me go out a ways to see if I spot her. Then I asked everyone coming in if they had seen a green truck on the side of the road. Nope. Nothing. I called her home back. Just as I was about to hang up, here comes a green pickup. I told them, "She is here," and you could hear the sighs of relief. I started flapping my arms like a frozen chicken to let her know it's me and she drove past. You don't want to know the names I was calling her at that point. She turned around and came back, pulling in slowly. You could see she was crying.

I thought, "She isn't a happy camper." She got out and came at me. I am checking to make sure she doesn't have the big stick to beat me with. She says, "This has been the worst day of my life. I need a hug and you had better be Alan."

After I patched up the six broken ribs I got from the hug, I said, "You call home let them know you're okay." And I called mine. Then we got coffee and she told me how her wiring had shorted out and a crook got her for $250 to fix it. Then a nice couple had followed her on into town. Then we went on out closer to where we would be going gold hunting. It was freezing, so we just sat under the van heater and talked. I learned about how wonderful everyone was at Happy Camp and in Arizona. I also heard about everything everyone did there. By then, it was almost daybreak, so Laura went and rested in her truck. I leaned back and the next thing I knew I am surrounded by howling coyotes. I got out and there was Laura going through the area, picking up rocks. We chatted some more, then I went into one of the gullies to look around. She said, "Be back in a few--potty run." I found some good signs: white quartz, then rose quartz, and also purple quartz. About then, I heard, "Damn rabbit! Damn you! (Silly Rabbit! Tricks are for Kids!!) Wish I had my big stick, I would kill you!" All I could do was giggle.

We got out the topo maps and saw I was on the wrong road. We went to town for coffee and hot chocolate and here came snow. I have no luck! Out the road we go but no getting to our mountain. The roads off the highway are too bad in snow. So rather than waste the day, we went looking in the canyons off Lake Powell.

The next morning, it was still lousy weather, so I added gear oil to Laura's truck so she can make it home. Meanwhile, I had transmission fluid pouring out of my van. We decided to go say HI to the folks who helped her that night and hunt an old ghost town there. Meanwhile, Laura is shoving Tylenol down me like candy. My back was out and I was in pain. We went to meet those folks. They're very wonderful people, plus we have an invite to hunt their place anytime. It's been in their family over 150 years. We visited a while as I sat there petting their sixteen year old dog, who has no teeth and his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth (I called him RC). We bid them goodbye, but only after the man got to hug Laura. We got to the site of the ghost town. Nothing left but the old corral. The rest went downstream in floods. Once we pull up at the ghost town we get out and get ready to hunt. I reach down and grab the xlt already assembled and ready to hunt...About this time I begin to hear the song "another one bites the dust" and then get this cringe feeling like in the movie the hustler.......Laura reaches down and grabs this fancy hard black case, reminds me of those pool hustlers on tv. I get this feeling like rc does a lot and the word *SNAKE* comes to mind. Slowly she opens it up and I see her wearing this sombrero and and the pancho and wearing guns everywhere also smoking a short cigar......gosh I know she is gonna hustle me on this hunt.

We found lots of iron and broken plates and I found one piece of metal with a rose on it. Looks like a bookmarker. Laura said, "Alan, it's two p.m. We best get." Back at her truck was the toughest part of the trip--saying goodbye. After lots of hugs and many tears, we parted ways. Yes, I signed the stick first!

My luck holds true. I got to drive all the way home in a blizzard. Back home and I have Marie check to see if Laura is online and safe.

I didn't find treasure there. Or did I? Yes, I did. I found Utah's greatest treasure--my friend Laura. She is now a part of me forever. Thank you Laura. I just hope we get to hunt again some day.

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