Change over

The Sports, Vacation & RV show in the Kenny King tent is over. Next will be the Tyson Wells Arts & Craft Show and then The Rock & Roll Classic Car Show. Along with that comes the change over in the people who stay here and those who come.

At Rice Ranch there was an influx of travelers who used the site for their full hook up facilities as they stayed for their short period of time. Now, what was an almost full camping site is now back to it's open spaces. Over night the campers have moved on to other destinations.

Left behind are the vendors of Rice Ranch. For most it has been a nightmare. The expected crowds never arrived. Many did not even make their expenses. I've been told this is nothing new. Vendors come here on a dream of making big bucks. Enough to get them through the year. This year because of the high cost of gas, the economy and the weather it didn't happen. There are those who wonder how they are going to get back home because of their lack of sufficient funds. In reality the gold rush is not over and the results for many of these prospectors is the same.

Looking around at the hills I know there is gold in them thar hills. I've even had the chance to sit with one of the vendors and pan for gold at his motorhome. He brought a couple of buckets of dirt from the hills and did the paning at home. It was a good learning experience and we even found some flower gold during our paning. No nuggets. But the sparkle is just as bright.

There is another vendor here who sells gold nuggets and jewlery. Has a big dog at his back and a bigger pistol on his hip. Here in the wild west of Arizona you can pack a gun as long as it it visible. He does his digging in Utah where he has a claim and some of his selling here. He said that in past years the crowds have been larger and even for him it is an off year.

There are people who have been coming here for years, even decades and there are many first timers here both vendors and visitors. It is a trip worth the time for the varied experiences offered. One being the cheap medication across the border in Mexico. Inexpensive dental and eyecare. These items save people on a limited income a lot of money and is worth the trip alone. Of course our medical system here does not approve of this but they don't pay my retirement.

Even though we, as vendors, only found fools gold in those hills we are considering returning next year. There's something about those hills that grab you.