Moving Day

It was time to move camp closer to the job site which advances forward each day. The Luna's love to come to the mine on the weekends and help which is great. We took down the house and moved it and all of its contents to the new location.

Photo 1. The group just after finishing the job and eating lunch.
Photo 2. Isaias giving Franco his nephew a piggy back ride.
Photo 3. Leonel with a truck load ready to roll. Franco in the back seat, thumbs up.
Photo 4. Apolinario, Sergio and Ricardo Jr. waiting for the truck to return to load it up again.

Freddy "Gallina" Kruger

When you rent equipment here in Chile you can get it with or with out an operator. We chose to have an operator come with it because it has been many years since I have run a backhoe and the Luna's are busy with their own jobs and unavailable to run the "retro" as they call it here.

So, it shows up with an operator who is called Freddy. Well he is running a machine with a big claw, so the nickname "Freddy Kruger" is immediately attached. Freddy about had a cow when we asked him to back up to this little deposit of ore that we had dynamited and clean it out. It is on a slight incline and his eyes are as big as a plate and he is sweating profusely and it is a cool day. He is not used to working on anything except flat and level ground at construction sites in town. He finished the day, which was only about an hour and a half because the retro was delivered late in the day. I asked Freddy to meet me the next morning so I could give him a ride back to the mine to work. Ricardo and I had a feeling to call his boss and see if he was really coming back. Guess what, Freddy quit. "Freddy tough guy Kruger" is now "Freddy "Gallina (chicken) Kruger". We had the retro for a few more days to accomplish some small jobs a the site. The Luna's came on Saturday to help. Most of them operate equipment so the retro was a chance for them to each show their operator skills. Whenever one of them wanted to run it, the others would tease him and call him Freddy Gallina. Dr. Chapatin was the joke for a long time, but now we have Freddy Gallina.

Pictured are Ricardo and Luis. They are giving a thumbs up to the copper, not Freddy's backhoe skills.

Malo Road, Malo, Malo

This property has not been mined because of the rugged terrain that the road had to be built through. The top photo shows Hector getting the dynamite ready to go.

The bottom photo you have to look hard in the upper right hand section of the photo to see Apolinario and Hector drilling the hill side preparing it for dynamite. At the time this photo was taken we had 200 feet left to blast away so the Cat could finish the road to the bottom of the ravine. It is now all blasted and we are starting up the other side which thankfully is not as rocky and also is a vein rich with copper. We will mine our the ore and build a road in its place.

Cesar Luna family

On our trip to Santiago we were invited to Cesar's home to enjoy dinner with his Family. We had a very wonderful evening getting to know them. The more I hang around the Luna Family the more I like them. They are kind and generous.
Pictures are Me, Cesar, Angelica, Paola, Rosa, Raenada, Christina and Chase.

Old Out, New In

We picked up the new compressor, literally. Ricardo had a Chinese model that we used for as long as we could. We were grateful to have it but it did not make enough air fast enough so we had to resort to getting a new compressor. Wow is it nice. Quiet fast and efficient. You can start it and actually walk away and it will run alright all day long. It will run two drills all day long with out a problem.

La Chinita

The truck I drive is a Chinese knock off of a Toyota pickup. It is made by the Great Wall Motor Company and the model is called "Socool". So cool huh? The Guys at the mine pinned the nick name "La Chinita" on the pickup. So when we were in Santiago recently taking care of business we drove passed a restaurant with the same name, could not resist stopping and snapping a photo even though Raenada and Chase protested because they were tired and wanted to get back to the motel.

It is usually sunny and warm at the mine, but some days it is overcast with sea fog or clouds from Argentina to the east. You have to take all kinds of clothes with you each day because it can go from hot to cold very fast, or from cold to hot.

We Have a Zoo Too!

There is not much to eat in the Atacama Desert so the few animals that do live here drop by for a few scraps of food each day. The Foxes or Zorro's shows up most everyday about the time we finish eating so they can have a few left overs. I am not sure what they eat when we are not there. I have not seen any thing else that they could eat besides a small lizard. The workers say that there are mice in the hills but I have never seen one. There are no bugs, no vegetation nothing it looks like the surface of the moon. We leave a bowl full of water out for them to drink but they don't require much water.

The bird that is pictured showed up one day and I hurried and snapped a photo. He went to the food bowl and began squawking at another bird just like him across the ravine. He chocked down some food. All of a sudden the other bird flew in and the two began sparring on the ground. I had just put my camera away and I missed a National Geographic moment. The two continued to fight and then they flew off pecking and squawking at each other in the air. There was a third bird involved that was smaller, he had been watching the scuffle and as soon as the other two left fighting he flew over and finished off the food. Pretty smart bird.

Good Stuff

Chile has lots of good stuff to eat. We found this delicious treat at the giant new grocery store called Jumbo. If you show up at Jumbo in the evening you can see most of the residents of Copiapo there shopping. It is like trying to get on a ride at Disneyland. We like to go look at all of the items that we are not familiar with. Raenada has become pretty good at cooking with ingredients that are available here. One of our favorite things at Jumbo is the fresh hot bread. The people hover around the bread bin until the hot bread is ready and then they use tongs or plastic bags over their hands and grab as much as they can. We walked by one evening and I said to Raenada that it looked like a bunch of sharks going after fresh meat. After they get their bread bagged they stand in a line and a attendant weighs the bread and attaches a bar code with the price of the bread so you can pay at the front of the store.

You would think that the Chileans would be large with all the bread and pastries they eat, but most are very thin. They eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. Most do not own cars so they walk long distances to catch a bus or collectivo.

Doctor Chapatin

The Cat Operator, Francisco, showed up and immediately earned the nick name of Doctor Chapatin from the Mexican situation comedy "El Chavo del Ocho". Ricardo pinned it on him because of the shape of his mustache, and it stuck. "Dr. Chapatin" is 74 years old and jumps off and on the Cat like he is 15 years old.
He was quite an interesting character. At lunch he always had two plates full of food, so now when ever anyone gets more to eat they get called "Dr. Chapatin.

Dr. Chapatin's sidekick was the mechanic who went by the name "The Italian". His family immigrated to Chile generations ago but he is still proud of his heritage. He is pictured in front of his white Kia truck that could go anywhere. Funny looking truck but it got the job done. We found out that the "Italian" was a member of the church, so his new name became Hermano Italiano. The Italian and Dr. Chapatin are pictured in front of the Kia pickup.

The other photo is of Dr. Chapatin and Luis checking out the road construction.

La Chinita gets Hitched

Sebastian and his younger Brother Isaias built a custom tow hitch for the Chinese pickup. These guys can make anything from left over parts and pieces.

I wanted to buy a hitch and receiver but they do not have them for sale here in Copiapo. I was grateful that they volunteered to help me out.

Sebastian is a Mechanical Engineer and Isaias is a college student. Sebastian would love to open a fabricating shop someday to build and repair mining equipment.

Santiago

Lots of modern shopping and real cool old buildings that have survived many earthquakes. This is a great city. Clean, safe but a little spendy.

New Obsession

We have visited every yarn store in Chile!!!

No joke, Raenada has been busy during the day at home in between cooking, cleaning and gutting the fish(jk), knitting baby blankets, hats and sweaters. She is actually pretty fast and is teaching herself different styles and techniques. I really did marry Molly Mormon!

Vaca Gorda (Fat Cow)

On a street called "Cienfuegos" in the old part of Santiago is a little piece of Heaven. Look at that hunk of meat that Chase is about to devour. Along with the meat you can get a Chilean Salad which is thinly slice tomatoes and onions with oil and salt. Simple but delicious. The meal also includes all the hot fresh bread and mini empanadas you can stomach. Of course you need to wash it down with Coca Cola or Agua con Gas. You can't eat here everyday but once in a while is good for the morale of the troops!

More Luna Photos

Ricardo and Hector checking out the vein of copper. Ricardo says it all.







Sebastian holding a rich piece of copper.

Little Sebastian enjoying a piece of cow.

Luis and Alejandro on grill duties

Luna Family and Friends

Photo 1: Berta Luna

Photo 2: Leonel Luna

Photo 3: All the Luna Crew and one Gringo at the Parrilladas. Chile had a day off of work so the Luna Ladies made lunch for all of us.

Photo 4: Luna Ladies and one Gringa. We had beef, pork, choripan (Chilean Sausage real good stuff), potato salad, Chilean salad (Tomatoes, onions with oil and salt it's the best)! Bread of course and pop to wash it down.

Photo 5: Ricardo Luna and his best friend Luis. I was very glad to have their help for 21 days on the road. They took their vacation time to spend it building road.

DynOmite

Check out this sweet video that Chase put his life in danger to take. Not really thank goodness for zoom lenses.

Happy Campers

Left to Right
Chase, Apolinario, Alejandro, Leonel and Hector.
Great bunch of hardworking guys.

Top of the World

Love this place!

It NEVER rains in this part of Chile!

On previous trips to Chile we were told that it never
rains in this part of Chile.
I have been in Chile almost 2 months. Raenada and Chase arrived one month ago. The night they arrived in Chile it rained. It has rains two more times since then.
This is the big joke with the Luna Family, our Associates, that this is really not rain but a figmint of the imagination.
In September they say that the barren hills will be covered with blue flowers because of the rains.

Tsunami Cloud

Most days are sunny and warm. Once in a while the mist rolls in and you better find a coat and hat. It is a heavy wet fog.

You have to bring the whole closet with you to work. Lots of layers when it's cold and then take the layers off when the sun comes out.

Copper Ore 7% Not too bad.

Nice copper deposit we found in the middle of the road.

Descending Into the Great Chasm

What a beautiful view!

The Cat is cutting a platform to stack all of the copper ore on. The canyon below will take some time to cut a road wide enough for the big trucks to go down, so for now it will be a service road for the 4 X 4 pickups and mining equipment. We will widen the road as we harvest the ore that is in the roadway.

We will mine the hills side across the ravine and haul the ore in the bucket of the backhoe to the platform. The haul trucks will have ample room to turn around and then be loaded with ore.

The Cat started to cut the road into the chasm but started chocking for diesel because the fuel filter is plugged. We stopped by the shop that owns the Cat and the "Italian" gave us another filter to install tomorrow.

It rained off and on all day since early this morning. It "never" rains in this part of Chile! Right?.... since we have arrived here it has rained 3 times in a month. This is more rain than they have received in the past 10 years.