Big Balls Mining Group

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What kind of vehicle do you drive to get you way out into the good desert prospecting spots? If you go with BillBrew and Grivy from Big Balls Mining Group, it takes something extra special. Most desert vehicles won't carry enough of the necessary supplies for their prospecting methods. They just don't carry enough liquid. That's not lots of water, but kegs of BillBrew's beer and plenty of ice. Think I'm exaggerating? Here's the proof. Lets go prospecting with them.

The Beer supply van, uh, prospecting truck

Here they are, parked miles from the nearest watering hole, uh, beer hall. That's not a problem though as there's probably more beer in the van than in all of the bars in a 6 county area. If this is early morning they are probably still passed out in the back of the truck. In the afternoon, it gets too hot to stay in the truck and they have to get up and search out the largest available shade tree.

BillBrew searching for a shade tree

Shade trees in the middle of the desert sometimes are hard to find. Since the beer truck, uh prospecting truck, isn't four wheel drive plus it's loaded full of beer kegs and ice, it won't make it up the large hills. The search for shade has to be done on foot. The advantage of this method is that on the way, some actual gold prospecting might occur. It's hard to locate gold when you are sitting in the back of the truck with a beer in your hand or when you are driving down the road weaving back and forth  with a beer in one hand and steering with the other on these un-improved remote roads.

BillBrew checking out the hill

Here BillBrew is either falling down the hill or trying to get to the top. After a few beers, he probably doesn't know which either. From the top of the hill he might be able to see the truck. Otherwise he's hopelessly lost. One scrub bush looks just like all of the other bushes. In the desert it's easy to get lost. GPS receivers really help you find where you are as long as you have a map also. Of course they have neither.

Continue Prospecting on Page 2