1
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:02,033
[rattlesnake rattling]
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00:00:11,467 --> 00:00:13,367
[Nick] I probably fell in love
with gold mining
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00:00:13,367 --> 00:00:14,767
when I was a kid.
4
00:00:14,767 --> 00:00:17,567
I've always had the dream
to have my own mine.
5
00:00:17,567 --> 00:00:20,800
But right now, I'm lucky
to break a gram or two a day.
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I mean,
if I did two grams a day,
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00:00:22,367 --> 00:00:24,066
I'd be tickled pink.
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00:00:24,066 --> 00:00:26,567
I absolutely wanna be able
to provide for my family.
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00:00:26,567 --> 00:00:28,100
Come on, Arrow.
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00:00:28,100 --> 00:00:29,767
There you go. Good girl.
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00:00:29,767 --> 00:00:32,900
This is, uh, I guess,
Casa del Dan,
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00:00:32,900 --> 00:00:35,533
and got my little dog bed
right here.
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Box of dog toys
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and pretty much
everything I need.
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I'm the caretaker
of the property,
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00:00:41,467 --> 00:00:43,567
and it really
is truly my little
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00:00:43,567 --> 00:00:45,400
piece of paradise here.
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00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:48,467
It's something special.
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00:00:48,467 --> 00:00:50,834
Hopefully, we can
keep the place.
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00:00:52,266 --> 00:00:54,367
[Nick] I mean,
everything's on the line.
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00:00:54,367 --> 00:00:56,133
Literally everything.
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00:00:57,166 --> 00:01:00,066
Freddy and Juan's help
is desperately needed.
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00:01:03,066 --> 00:01:04,767
[Juan] Let's make
some gold, guys.
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00:01:04,767 --> 00:01:06,400
[narrator] Freddy Dodge...
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00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,266
There's no guarantees
in gold, buddy.
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[narrator]
...and Juan Ibarra...
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00:01:11,166 --> 00:01:12,667
All right.
Well, let's do it, huh?
28
00:01:12,667 --> 00:01:14,767
[narrator] ...have mastered
the art of getting gold
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out of the ground...
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[Juan] Look at that.
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[narrator] ...in the most
rugged places on earth.
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[Juan] I'm feeling
a little sick, Freddy.
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[narrator] Now, they rescued
struggling miners...
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00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,567
Ooh. That's not good.
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00:01:26,567 --> 00:01:29,567
[narrator]
...who've risked it all
to be rich...
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[man] Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Shut it down.
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[narrator] ...but are about
to lose everything.
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[man] Eyeballs.
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[narrator] To revive
these failing mines,
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Freddy and Juan
engineer the impossible.
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[man] Well, I've never heard
of a under sluice before.
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[narrator]
Deliver some hard truths...
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This material
you're digging now
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is totally worthless.
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[narrator]
...and track down the gold.
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00:01:49,700 --> 00:01:51,767
That's what dreams
are made of right there.
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00:01:51,767 --> 00:01:53,667
[narrator] But if they don't
at least double
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00:01:53,667 --> 00:01:55,767
the miner's gold recovery,
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00:01:55,767 --> 00:01:58,166
they won't take a dime
in return.
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00:01:58,166 --> 00:01:59,900
So it's 10 times
the amount of gold.
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00:01:59,900 --> 00:02:01,166
-Whoo!
-That's awesome.
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00:02:01,166 --> 00:02:02,433
[all laughing]
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00:02:13,867 --> 00:02:15,500
[Freddy] I don't know
which way to go.
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00:02:16,767 --> 00:02:18,300
They didn't tell me
there was gonna be
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a fork in the road.
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00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:24,767
Hmm.
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00:02:24,767 --> 00:02:26,800
-Let's flip a coin.
-Let's do it.
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Heads, right.
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-Tails, left.
-Tails, left. Yeah.
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-Heads.
-[Freddy] Lady Liberty's up.
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[Juan] Yup. Go to the right.
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Perfect. Go.
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-[laughing]
-[Freddy] He steals my coin.
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Thanks for the coin, Fred.
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[Freddy speaking]
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[narrator]
20 miles from the rim
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of the Grand Canyon,
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00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,500
Freddy and Juan follow
a dusty desert road
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00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:57,800
to the 180-acre Ballard Mine.
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00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,667
Yeah, there's been
a lot of gold come out
of this area,
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00:02:59,667 --> 00:03:01,100
huh, Fred, over the years?
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00:03:01,100 --> 00:03:03,066
Yeah, my buddy had a mine
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00:03:03,066 --> 00:03:06,300
about five, ten miles
from here, and he did well.
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00:03:07,066 --> 00:03:08,767
[narrator]
Gold was discovered here
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during the Civil War,
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and was crucial to building
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Abraham Lincoln's
union war chest.
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Since then,
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00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:19,000
the rich mountain veins
of the county
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00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:23,467
have produced
more than 2.5 million
ounces of gold
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00:03:23,467 --> 00:03:27,800
worth $4.5 billion
in today's money.
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00:03:30,266 --> 00:03:31,400
[Nick] Hi, guys.
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00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:32,700
You made it.
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00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:34,166
-Hey, guys. How's it doin'?
-How you doing?
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00:03:34,166 --> 00:03:35,400
-How are you doing?
-Good, good.
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-I'm Juan.
-Hey. Good to meet you.
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[Danny] Nice.
Thanks for being here.
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-Who's this killer?
-This is Arrow.
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That's my guard dog.
She's vicious.
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Watch your ankles.
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-[Juan] She's a cutie.
-Thank you.
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00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,667
So, how long have you guys
been out here?
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00:03:45,667 --> 00:03:47,567
Uh, well, I started
looking at the property
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about three years ago.
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The plant's been out
a little over a year.
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00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:52,000
[Freddy] Are you living here
at the mine?
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00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,634
No, I live
about 70 miles away.
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00:03:55,567 --> 00:03:59,066
[narrator] Nick staked
his savings of $10,000
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00:03:59,066 --> 00:04:01,300
on a down payment
for this land
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00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:04,166
in prime Arizona gold country.
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00:04:04,166 --> 00:04:06,100
But the lack of consistent pay
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00:04:06,100 --> 00:04:08,667
has put his dreams
of supporting his family
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00:04:08,667 --> 00:04:10,000
on the line.
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[Nick] I haven't even made
this month's payment yet
105
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for this property.
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You know,
if that forecloses on me,
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I could lose everything.
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00:04:16,567 --> 00:04:18,066
How'd you get involved, Danny?
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00:04:18,066 --> 00:04:20,800
So, his dad
is my oldest brother.
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-This is my nephew.
-You've known him a while.
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-Yeah.
-[all laughing]
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A while. Forty years now.
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And unfortunately,
I'd actually
thrown my back out
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and couldn't walk.
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Nick had the property then,
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and so that brought
me out here.
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And I got my back
strengthened again,
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and I can walk without a cane,
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and I was designated
the caretaker of the property
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and have been out here since.
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[Nick] Danny, I used
to look up to him big time
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when I was young.
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00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:48,367
That's part
of my motivation, too,
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00:04:48,367 --> 00:04:50,767
is to be able to really fuel
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00:04:50,767 --> 00:04:53,667
his next part of his journey.
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00:04:53,667 --> 00:04:55,767
It's kind of
a whole new start.
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So you got a camp out here
or something?
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-[Nick] That's it.
-[Danny] That's my domicile
right there.
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00:05:00,266 --> 00:05:01,767
-[Juan] Okay.
-[Danny] That's my car V.
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00:05:01,767 --> 00:05:03,367
[all laughing]
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[Freddy] You're staying
in your car out here, then?
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Yup. Until I can get
a little place built there.
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[Nick] The plan is to build
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-a nice little
rock house up there.
-[Freddy] Okay.
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00:05:10,567 --> 00:05:12,367
So for you,
this is plan A, B, C, D,
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-all the way through on?
-[Danny] This is it.
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If this fails,
I'm in big trouble.
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I see that.
Can we see some of your gold?
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00:05:17,467 --> 00:05:18,667
Do you have
any of it with you?
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00:05:18,667 --> 00:05:20,800
[Nick] I sure do.
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-[Juan] Oh, there you go.
-[Nick] Yeah.
It's pretty gold.
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[Juan] Real pretty.
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00:05:24,166 --> 00:05:25,467
So, Nick, realistically,
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what do you got to get
out of this ground?
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00:05:27,100 --> 00:05:28,300
What's your goal for the year?
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00:05:28,300 --> 00:05:31,367
[Nick] Well, I have to cover
at least 50 ounces this year.
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Make sure the payments
are paid,
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00:05:32,867 --> 00:05:36,467
make sure there's fuel,
and, you know, move forward.
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00:05:36,467 --> 00:05:38,000
How many ounces
you do last year?
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00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,500
One.
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00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:42,500
-One?
-[Nick] Yeah.
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00:05:42,500 --> 00:05:44,200
-[Freddy] You know
that's a huge leap.
-Yeah.
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00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:45,867
That's, like,
jumping the Grand Canyon
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00:05:45,867 --> 00:05:47,367
that's over here somewhere.
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00:05:47,367 --> 00:05:48,867
[Nick] Yeah. Yeah.
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00:05:48,867 --> 00:05:50,300
[Juan] Well, let's go
take a look at the plant, huh?
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00:05:50,300 --> 00:05:52,467
-Let's do it.
-Let's do it.
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Nick, you know,
he's put his heart and soul
159
00:05:55,767 --> 00:05:58,567
and his money
into this operation,
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so he doesn't wanna
see it fail.
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It's his dream.
He doesn't wanna lose it.
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00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,567
But it's a tall, tall, tall
cliff to climb after.
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00:06:05,567 --> 00:06:07,600
We know they only got
one ounce last year.
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So here's the beast, huh?
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[Nick] That's the beast.
166
00:06:11,767 --> 00:06:14,400
It was out of my budget
to drill wells
167
00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,166
or haul water and just...
168
00:06:16,166 --> 00:06:17,767
It's dry, 100%.
169
00:06:17,767 --> 00:06:19,700
[narrator]
Unlike most gold mines,
170
00:06:19,700 --> 00:06:22,233
dry plants use no water.
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00:06:23,967 --> 00:06:27,166
Instead, inside Nick's
dry sluice,
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00:06:27,166 --> 00:06:29,600
an air compressor forces air
173
00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:31,367
to flow up through pay dirt,
174
00:06:31,367 --> 00:06:33,800
blowing away
the useless material,
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00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:35,700
while heavier gold sinks,
176
00:06:35,700 --> 00:06:37,867
getting caught
in an air cushion
177
00:06:37,867 --> 00:06:41,233
that traps the gold
in backwards riffles.
178
00:06:43,367 --> 00:06:46,867
A dry plant is up to
15% less efficient
179
00:06:46,867 --> 00:06:48,266
than a wash plant,
180
00:06:48,266 --> 00:06:52,100
but allows mining in places
with little to no water.
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00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:54,200
[Juan] So did you build this
entirely by yourself, Nick?
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00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:55,266
[Nick] For the most part.
183
00:06:55,266 --> 00:06:57,166
You'll have to pardon
the rudimentary
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00:06:57,166 --> 00:06:58,367
55-gallon drum.
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00:06:58,367 --> 00:07:01,000
That's just what
I was able to scrounge up.
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00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,000
-[Freddy] Well,
let's fire it up.
-[Nick] Let's do it.
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00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,166
Juan and myself,
we'll just kind of
stand back and...
188
00:07:06,166 --> 00:07:07,667
-Take a nap.
-[Freddy] ...see what
goes on. Yeah.
189
00:07:07,667 --> 00:07:09,100
-[Juan laughs] No.
-All right.
190
00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:10,300
We'll watch it for sure.
191
00:07:16,100 --> 00:07:17,600
This is part
of what's killing me.
192
00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:21,100
You know, gas is not cheap,
diesel's not cheap.
193
00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:23,667
So it's skin of my teeth
every time.
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00:07:23,667 --> 00:07:24,900
[Freddy] Fire it up.
195
00:07:26,066 --> 00:07:27,767
[narrator]
Running the plant requires
196
00:07:27,767 --> 00:07:31,800
as much as $850 in fuel
per month.
197
00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,800
A heavy cost for an already
cash-strapped operation.
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00:07:36,266 --> 00:07:38,000
All right. First bucket.
199
00:07:39,967 --> 00:07:42,900
Timer's started. Four hours.
200
00:07:43,967 --> 00:07:46,500
[narrator] Nick feeds dirt
into his hopper,
201
00:07:48,066 --> 00:07:49,967
which travels down
to a trommel
202
00:07:49,967 --> 00:07:52,900
made from an old oil barrel.
203
00:07:52,900 --> 00:07:55,100
A drive system
made from a motor
204
00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:58,333
and two small tires
turns the trommel.
205
00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,467
Steel mesh holes allow
smaller gold bearing material
206
00:08:03,467 --> 00:08:06,800
to fall into the blow boxes
or dry sluices,
207
00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,900
where air blows away the dirt
and traps the gold.
208
00:08:12,900 --> 00:08:14,867
[Freddy] I know
it's a dusty son of a gun.
209
00:08:14,867 --> 00:08:16,600
[Juan] Yeah, my eyes are full.
210
00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,800
[Nick] This mine
means everything to me.
211
00:08:22,567 --> 00:08:25,600
Everything I've done
for the last 12 years
212
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,800
has gone into
getting to this point.
213
00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:31,266
So it's been a long haul.
214
00:08:31,266 --> 00:08:32,634
[man] Here we go.
215
00:08:35,066 --> 00:08:37,600
[Nick] I do have big dreams
and aspirations.
216
00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,200
I would like to build
a golden empire, if you will,
217
00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,600
have many operations
all over the place.
218
00:08:43,166 --> 00:08:45,000
But I realize
that's a long way
219
00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,100
from where I'm at now.
220
00:08:47,100 --> 00:08:49,867
I lost everything,
and I mean everything
221
00:08:49,867 --> 00:08:51,400
in '08, '09.
222
00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,500
My daughter, Grace,
she's 20 now.
223
00:08:54,500 --> 00:08:56,734
She had to go live
with my parents in Florida.
224
00:08:58,500 --> 00:09:00,400
It was very hard on me.
225
00:09:01,166 --> 00:09:03,500
And I really wasn't able
to even...
226
00:09:03,500 --> 00:09:05,200
see her grow up after that.
227
00:09:06,066 --> 00:09:08,667
I hit the mountains, dredging.
228
00:09:08,667 --> 00:09:10,266
[narrator]
To support his daughter,
229
00:09:10,266 --> 00:09:13,266
Nick turned
to solo gold mining.
230
00:09:13,266 --> 00:09:14,333
[Nick] See down in there?
231
00:09:14,333 --> 00:09:16,100
I'm gonna start going
into that a little bit more,
232
00:09:16,100 --> 00:09:17,100
underneath them boulders.
233
00:09:17,100 --> 00:09:20,300
Got a lot of gold,
a lot of nice big nuggets.
234
00:09:20,300 --> 00:09:23,266
But then,
all the places that I'd go
235
00:09:23,266 --> 00:09:25,200
that had water to dredge,
236
00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,700
slowly but surely
started drying up.
237
00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:30,567
[narrator] In 2018,
238
00:09:30,567 --> 00:09:32,600
Nick met his
current wife, Mikey,
239
00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,000
and her two sons.
240
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,233
And just six months ago,
they had a baby daughter.
241
00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:41,900
[Nick] Got the Ballard
family hanging out,
242
00:09:41,900 --> 00:09:45,000
came to visit,
bring me some supplies.
243
00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:46,867
[narrator]
With five mouths to feed,
244
00:09:46,867 --> 00:09:50,000
Nick decided to go big in 2021
245
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,066
and set up his own mine.
246
00:09:52,066 --> 00:09:55,066
[Nick] Some of the view.
And then there's Grace.
247
00:09:55,066 --> 00:09:57,000
-What do you think of it?
-I love it.
248
00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,367
-[Nick] Yeah?
-Yeah. It's a lot of land.
249
00:09:59,367 --> 00:10:01,100
[Nick] Hopefully,
we can make it work.
250
00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:02,500
-[Grace] I know you will.
-[Nick] Hopefully.
251
00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:04,000
[Grace] It's gonna blow up.
252
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,400
I don't much care
for fancy houses
253
00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,367
and fancy cars and everything.
254
00:10:08,367 --> 00:10:10,100
It's really the ability
to do things,
255
00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:11,600
to do things for my family,
256
00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,100
to do things for
extended family like Danny.
257
00:10:14,100 --> 00:10:15,567
That... That's my passion
258
00:10:15,567 --> 00:10:17,333
and that's what
I wanna be able to do.
259
00:10:20,166 --> 00:10:21,834
It's all looking pretty good.
260
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:25,567
[narrator]
At the end of the plant...
261
00:10:25,567 --> 00:10:27,467
-Look at that.
-[Nick] Yeah, I know.
262
00:10:27,467 --> 00:10:29,867
That should all
be going into that
dry wash sluice.
263
00:10:29,867 --> 00:10:31,100
Yup.
264
00:10:31,100 --> 00:10:34,266
[narrator]
...Juan sees pay dirt
that could contain gold
265
00:10:34,266 --> 00:10:37,667
falling off the screen
and into the waste pile.
266
00:10:37,667 --> 00:10:39,166
[Juan] He's got
a punch plate up there.
267
00:10:39,166 --> 00:10:41,166
So really,
all this smaller material
268
00:10:41,166 --> 00:10:42,867
should be going through
that punch plate.
269
00:10:42,867 --> 00:10:44,400
It's never having
a chance to get
270
00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,133
properly sluiced in that box.
271
00:10:57,867 --> 00:10:59,433
[Nick] That's not good.
272
00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,066
[narrator]
Three hours into the test,
273
00:11:04,066 --> 00:11:05,533
the trommel stops.
274
00:11:06,467 --> 00:11:09,300
[Nick] I just about had it
with this dang thing.
275
00:11:16,567 --> 00:11:18,800
[Nick] Get it spinning.
It's a little heavy.
276
00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:20,734
Yeah, heavy.
277
00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:23,567
[Nick] I don't know
if it's that wheel's getting
278
00:11:23,567 --> 00:11:25,266
too wore out
or the other wheel.
279
00:11:25,266 --> 00:11:26,634
I don't know.
280
00:11:29,667 --> 00:11:30,600
[Freddy speaking]
281
00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,266
[Juan speaking]
282
00:11:34,567 --> 00:11:36,567
-[Freddy] What do you think?
-[Juan] Honestly,
I'm a little nervous.
283
00:11:36,567 --> 00:11:39,600
You know, I think
there's so much that needs
to be done here.
284
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,233
[Freddy]
Massive amount of work.
285
00:11:44,900 --> 00:11:47,467
-That's four hours
right there.
-That is four hours.
286
00:11:47,467 --> 00:11:48,700
Why don't we call it, Freddy?
287
00:11:48,700 --> 00:11:50,367
Probably got blisters
all over his hands.
288
00:11:50,367 --> 00:11:51,900
Just shut her down, Nick.
289
00:11:56,266 --> 00:11:57,367
[narrator] In the first test,
290
00:11:57,367 --> 00:12:01,266
Nick and Danny burned through
$15 worth of fuel,
291
00:12:01,266 --> 00:12:04,200
running just two yards
of pay dirt.
292
00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:08,166
The equivalent
of four excavator buckets.
293
00:12:08,166 --> 00:12:09,867
[Freddy] You guys are working
your butts off.
294
00:12:09,867 --> 00:12:12,567
Wrap a 3,000-foot
rope around it.
295
00:12:12,567 --> 00:12:14,000
-and go for a run.
-Yeah.
296
00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,266
-[Freddy] Well, yeah.
-Yeah. Right?
297
00:12:15,266 --> 00:12:17,967
[Juan] That'd probably
be more efficient.
298
00:12:17,967 --> 00:12:20,900
What we wanna do now is,
let's clean both boxes.
299
00:12:20,900 --> 00:12:22,467
-We wanna do a gold weigh,
see where we're at.
-[Nick] Okay.
300
00:12:22,467 --> 00:12:23,767
-[Freddy] We'll go from there.
-[Danny] Yup.
301
00:12:23,767 --> 00:12:25,467
[Nick] Good.
302
00:12:25,467 --> 00:12:27,867
[Freddy] Juan and myself
ran across, you know,
303
00:12:27,867 --> 00:12:30,233
guys and their plant
in need before,
304
00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:32,900
but this one's really needy.
305
00:12:32,900 --> 00:12:34,867
It's more of
a manual labor plant
306
00:12:34,867 --> 00:12:37,000
than a motor-powered plant.
307
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:38,800
We're gonna help them
all we can.
308
00:12:39,467 --> 00:12:41,100
But will it be enough?
309
00:12:49,867 --> 00:12:51,000
[Juan] How we doing, guys?
310
00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:52,200
[Freddy] How's it going, guys?
311
00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,967
[narrator]
On the Ballard claim
in northern Arizona...
312
00:12:54,967 --> 00:12:57,166
-[dog barking]
-How's killer doing today?
313
00:12:57,166 --> 00:12:59,100
-Oh, killing.
-Oh, hey, buddy.
314
00:12:59,100 --> 00:13:00,700
[narrator]
...miners Nick and Danny
315
00:13:00,700 --> 00:13:02,767
prepare for a reality check,
316
00:13:02,767 --> 00:13:05,233
the results of their
first test run.
317
00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:07,900
There's not a lot there.
318
00:13:08,567 --> 00:13:10,767
[Juan] No, there really isn't.
319
00:13:10,767 --> 00:13:12,033
[Freddy] No.
320
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,400
It's not showing anything
on troy ounces,
321
00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,266
let's kick over to grams...
322
00:13:21,266 --> 00:13:22,800
-Grams.
-...and see what it does.
323
00:13:27,867 --> 00:13:29,800
[Freddy] Two tenths of a gram.
324
00:13:30,867 --> 00:13:33,367
So that's a hundred
and sixtieth of an ounce.
325
00:13:33,367 --> 00:13:34,600
Yeah.
326
00:13:35,967 --> 00:13:38,867
[narrator] Worth just $12.
327
00:13:38,867 --> 00:13:40,667
It's the worst gold weigh
328
00:13:40,667 --> 00:13:43,567
Freddy and Juan
have ever seen.
329
00:13:43,567 --> 00:13:45,100
That's a tough one
right there.
330
00:13:45,100 --> 00:13:46,700
-Yeah.
-Yeah. Yeah.
331
00:13:46,700 --> 00:13:48,066
Yeah.
332
00:13:48,066 --> 00:13:50,000
Right now, you're burning
more diesel fuel per hour
333
00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:51,166
than you're getting gold.
334
00:13:51,166 --> 00:13:52,400
-Yeah. No kidding.
-Yeah.
335
00:13:53,266 --> 00:13:55,667
Well, let's me and Juan
336
00:13:55,667 --> 00:13:58,467
figure some stuff out here
and make a game plan.
337
00:13:58,467 --> 00:13:59,867
[Juan] We'll come back out
in the morning
338
00:13:59,867 --> 00:14:01,166
and then we'll
give you guys the ideas
339
00:14:01,166 --> 00:14:02,800
of what we got,
and go from there.
340
00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:04,266
-[Freddy] All right.
-All right.
341
00:14:04,266 --> 00:14:06,000
-Here you go, bud.
-Hey, thank you.
342
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:07,700
-[chuckles]
-See you in the morning.
343
00:14:09,700 --> 00:14:10,867
[chuckles]
344
00:14:10,867 --> 00:14:12,900
-Yeah.
-Not that great.
345
00:14:12,900 --> 00:14:14,934
-No.
-Yeesh.
346
00:14:16,900 --> 00:14:19,400
I'm sure they can help us
sort that out, man.
347
00:14:20,467 --> 00:14:22,000
You know,
348
00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,367
those guys are over there,
I don't want them to hear me.
349
00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:27,166
So I'm gonna talk
a bit softer, but...
350
00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:29,100
you know,
they're in tough shape here.
351
00:14:29,767 --> 00:14:32,100
That spot he's digging in
right now
352
00:14:32,100 --> 00:14:33,567
may not be good enough,
353
00:14:33,567 --> 00:14:35,500
but he's got
a lot of land here.
354
00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:37,867
Maybe it has potential.
355
00:14:37,867 --> 00:14:40,300
[narrator] To get to their
50-ounce target,
356
00:14:40,300 --> 00:14:42,900
worth nearly $100,000,
357
00:14:42,900 --> 00:14:44,367
and keep their mine,
358
00:14:44,367 --> 00:14:49,000
the Ballards need almost
13 times this amount of gold.
359
00:14:50,100 --> 00:14:53,266
In a word... "terrible."
360
00:14:53,266 --> 00:14:55,066
I don't think
I've ever seen Nick
361
00:14:55,066 --> 00:14:58,700
as disappointed as today
when we did that weigh in.
362
00:15:00,100 --> 00:15:02,667
I can feel for him
'cause he's really
on the line.
363
00:15:02,667 --> 00:15:05,500
He's got family
and the property payments
364
00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:07,166
and everything, so...
365
00:15:07,166 --> 00:15:09,367
Yeah, I could
really see him...
366
00:15:09,367 --> 00:15:11,333
Where that hit him
really hard.
367
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,367
Man, Freddy, there's just...
368
00:15:22,367 --> 00:15:25,100
There's just so many things
we gotta do to this plant.
369
00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:26,300
-Yeah.
-But right now,
370
00:15:26,300 --> 00:15:28,700
he's spending a dollar
to make a dime.
371
00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:30,567
More than a dollar
to make a dime.
372
00:15:30,567 --> 00:15:33,266
Let's hope we can
do some things for him
373
00:15:33,266 --> 00:15:36,200
and help him dig out
of the hole he's in.
374
00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:38,767
Reality's reality.
375
00:15:38,767 --> 00:15:40,166
With the amount of material
they can run,
376
00:15:40,166 --> 00:15:41,667
even if we triple it,
377
00:15:41,667 --> 00:15:43,000
it's still gonna be rough.
378
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:44,567
They'll do better,
379
00:15:44,567 --> 00:15:46,400
you know, but they aren't
gonna get rich.
380
00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:48,533
But maybe they can
make a living.
381
00:15:50,100 --> 00:15:51,467
How's it going, guys?
382
00:15:51,467 --> 00:15:52,800
-[Juan] Gentleman.
-Good. And you?
383
00:15:53,500 --> 00:15:54,667
[Juan] How's that pup doing?
384
00:15:54,667 --> 00:15:57,066
[Danny] She's doing good.
Waiting for good or bad news.
385
00:15:57,066 --> 00:15:58,300
[all laughing]
386
00:15:58,300 --> 00:16:00,200
Well, I don't know
if it's good or bad,
387
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,000
but we definitely wanna
do a few things.
388
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,867
Obviously, the trommel drum
is first and foremost.
389
00:16:05,867 --> 00:16:07,033
-That was just terrible.
-[Danny] Yeah, yeah.
390
00:16:07,033 --> 00:16:09,100
[Juan] We actually wanna do,
like, a drive system on it.
391
00:16:09,100 --> 00:16:12,266
-[Danny] Okay.
-[Juan] To be able to actually
drive it efficiently.
392
00:16:12,266 --> 00:16:14,500
As far as your
recovery system,
393
00:16:14,500 --> 00:16:16,467
you know, right there
we probably saw 20% of dirt.
394
00:16:16,467 --> 00:16:17,867
[Freddy] 20, 25% of stuff.
395
00:16:17,867 --> 00:16:19,700
[Juan] Was actually
going off the end of it.
396
00:16:20,266 --> 00:16:21,567
[Freddy]
We'll add a punch plate,
397
00:16:21,567 --> 00:16:24,100
-vibrating screen on the end.
-[Nick] Okay.
398
00:16:24,100 --> 00:16:26,166
[Freddy] You know,
it'll allow you to add more
399
00:16:26,166 --> 00:16:28,467
blow boxes on the end of that
in the future.
400
00:16:28,467 --> 00:16:29,667
[Juan] Yeah.
401
00:16:29,667 --> 00:16:31,400
Another aspect
is your prospecting.
402
00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:32,667
You need better ground,
you know,
403
00:16:32,667 --> 00:16:34,367
'cause you're not running
a ton of material.
404
00:16:34,367 --> 00:16:35,767
-[Nick] Mmm-hmm.
-[Freddy] You know, this gulch
405
00:16:35,767 --> 00:16:37,500
you're playing with
right here,
406
00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:39,667
this is the last one
I would touch here.
407
00:16:39,667 --> 00:16:41,266
Don't be discouraged
'cause, I mean,
408
00:16:41,266 --> 00:16:43,000
there's been a lot
of mining here.
409
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,266
[Juan] Sounds great.
410
00:16:44,266 --> 00:16:45,567
[Freddy] And then, right now,
411
00:16:45,567 --> 00:16:47,100
you're not getting enough gold
412
00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:49,166
to pay for the diesel,
and that doesn't cut it.
413
00:16:49,166 --> 00:16:50,767
So we're gonna
try to save you money
414
00:16:50,767 --> 00:16:52,667
-and get your efficiency up.
-[Nick] Okay.
415
00:16:52,667 --> 00:16:54,066
And I'm no solar expert,
416
00:16:54,066 --> 00:16:56,066
but you've got
a lot of solar here.
417
00:16:56,066 --> 00:16:58,767
-Yeah.
-That's not a problem
out here. [laughs]
418
00:16:58,767 --> 00:17:01,367
[Freddy] So what if we put
a solar panel system in,
419
00:17:01,367 --> 00:17:03,467
then the solar will be running
your whole plant
420
00:17:03,467 --> 00:17:04,967
without any more gas,
421
00:17:04,967 --> 00:17:06,700
-just the sun.
-[Nick] Awesome.
422
00:17:07,467 --> 00:17:08,867
[Juan] This is kind of
a first for us,
423
00:17:08,867 --> 00:17:09,967
and to me, that's exciting,
424
00:17:09,967 --> 00:17:12,600
because it's something
that hasn't really been done.
425
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:14,800
[Nick] You might be in luck,
'cause I actually have
some solar.
426
00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:15,800
[Juan] You got some panels?
427
00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:16,867
Yeah, I've got solar
at my house,
428
00:17:16,867 --> 00:17:18,700
and I've got a little extra.
429
00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:19,734
[Juan] Oh, awesome.
430
00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:22,967
[narrator] In addition to
getting the Ballards
431
00:17:22,967 --> 00:17:24,500
on better ground,
432
00:17:24,500 --> 00:17:27,266
Freddy and Juan
will attach a 3-foot wide
433
00:17:27,266 --> 00:17:29,300
custom sprocket
around the trommel.
434
00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:32,900
A motorized chain will turn
the barrel consistently
435
00:17:32,900 --> 00:17:35,000
to increase
the amount of pay dirt
436
00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,567
going through the plant
by 400%.
437
00:17:38,567 --> 00:17:41,166
A new punch plate
at the end of the trommel
438
00:17:41,166 --> 00:17:43,000
will be aided by a vibrator
439
00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,266
to filter
all gold-rich pay dirt
440
00:17:45,266 --> 00:17:47,367
into the dry sluice.
441
00:17:47,367 --> 00:17:49,667
Finally, in a first ever bid
442
00:17:49,667 --> 00:17:52,000
to not just increase recovery
443
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,266
but also decrease costs,
444
00:17:54,266 --> 00:17:56,800
the guys will construct
an innovative
445
00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:00,600
solar panel trailer
to power Nick's dry plant.
446
00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:01,600
The goal?
447
00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:05,600
To make all of his gold
nearly pure profit.
448
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,000
It's beautiful here,
and I know you don't wanna
lose your property.
449
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:10,767
So it strikes home.
450
00:18:10,767 --> 00:18:14,066
When I was 16 years old,
I lived in my car. Right?
451
00:18:14,066 --> 00:18:15,467
So I've been there, right?
452
00:18:15,467 --> 00:18:16,600
I had nothing.
453
00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:17,867
And nobody ever
gave me anything.
454
00:18:17,867 --> 00:18:18,900
[Juan] Mmm-hmm.
455
00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:21,500
[Freddy] And I see
the situation you guys are in.
456
00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,300
I've been in a similar one.
457
00:18:23,300 --> 00:18:26,567
So, it's even more important,
you know, for us...
458
00:18:26,567 --> 00:18:28,300
For me and Juan,
459
00:18:28,300 --> 00:18:30,700
you know, to help you guys out
the best we can.
460
00:18:30,700 --> 00:18:33,400
Freddy and I talked about it.
We wanna do this %100 free.
461
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:35,467
That changes my life.
462
00:18:35,467 --> 00:18:36,934
It changes my life.
463
00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:39,667
[Nick chuckling]
464
00:18:39,667 --> 00:18:42,166
-I'm getting in on that.
-Oh, bring it in, man.
465
00:18:42,166 --> 00:18:43,767
[Nick] Thanks guys.
Man, I really...
466
00:18:43,767 --> 00:18:45,800
You don't even know,
like, seriously.
467
00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:47,367
[Juan] No, we got
limited time.
468
00:18:47,367 --> 00:18:48,767
-I think we should get
to work, huh?
-All right.
469
00:18:48,767 --> 00:18:50,900
-Let's go.
-All right, guys.
Appreciate it.
470
00:18:50,900 --> 00:18:53,200
[Nick] So I'm super excited
with their ideas.
471
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:54,867
I can't express
my gratitude enough.
472
00:18:54,867 --> 00:18:56,467
I really can't.
473
00:18:56,467 --> 00:18:59,100
It's just a blessing
to have them involved
with this experience
474
00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:01,900
and the growth
of this operation.
475
00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:10,767
[Freddy] We're gonna build
a punch plate screen.
476
00:19:10,767 --> 00:19:11,734
[Danny] All right.
477
00:19:11,734 --> 00:19:13,367
[narrator] Freddy and Danny's
morning task
478
00:19:13,367 --> 00:19:16,200
is to tag team
the vibrating punch plate.
479
00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:17,667
[Freddy] We're gonna
have holes here
480
00:19:17,667 --> 00:19:19,467
that allow that material
to go through
481
00:19:19,467 --> 00:19:20,800
into their dry wash sluice.
482
00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:22,467
[Danny]
So I just pin her down?
483
00:19:22,467 --> 00:19:24,200
[machine whirring]
484
00:19:24,900 --> 00:19:26,500
[Freddy] Sounds good.
485
00:19:28,667 --> 00:19:30,066
[Nick] This is it.
486
00:19:30,066 --> 00:19:32,000
[narrator]
While 70 miles away,
487
00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,700
Juan retrieves
spare solar panels
488
00:19:34,700 --> 00:19:36,400
at Nick's compound.
489
00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,367
-[Juan]
There's the family, huh?
-[Nick] Hey, yeah.
490
00:19:38,367 --> 00:19:39,967
[Juan] Let's go meet them.
491
00:19:39,967 --> 00:19:42,367
[Nick] This is Ivory
and my wife, Mikey.
492
00:19:42,367 --> 00:19:43,700
[Juan] Mikey, how you doing?
I'm Juan.
493
00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:45,100
-[Nick] Juan Ibarra.
-Nice to meet you too.
494
00:19:45,100 --> 00:19:46,100
Oh, hello, little one.
495
00:19:46,100 --> 00:19:47,467
-[Nick] That's Ivory.
-Hi cutie.
496
00:19:47,467 --> 00:19:49,033
I missed you guys.
497
00:19:49,867 --> 00:19:52,166
Oh, I missed you
so much. Yeah.
498
00:19:52,166 --> 00:19:54,000
Nick, he's very caring,
499
00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,300
very passionate
about what he does.
500
00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:58,767
He definitely
sacrifices a lot.
501
00:19:58,767 --> 00:20:02,100
It's definitely hard
being here without him
502
00:20:02,100 --> 00:20:04,767
while he mines quite often.
503
00:20:04,767 --> 00:20:07,300
But I'm behind him 100%.
504
00:20:07,767 --> 00:20:09,467
[Nick] This is the entryway.
505
00:20:09,467 --> 00:20:12,000
[narrator] Nick bought
this remote barndominium
506
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,900
eight years ago.
507
00:20:13,900 --> 00:20:15,600
Obviously, got
a wood burning stove
508
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,900
to keep warm,
and AC to keep cool.
509
00:20:18,900 --> 00:20:21,367
You know, pretty much got
everything we need.
510
00:20:21,367 --> 00:20:24,800
[narrator] Adding on
living quarters bit by bit...
511
00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:26,700
-[Nick] Four walls
and a roof, right?
-[Juan] Yeah.
512
00:20:26,700 --> 00:20:28,400
-All the essentials are here.
-[Nick] Yup.
513
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:30,800
[narrator]
...the family went fully solar
514
00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:32,800
just over a year ago.
515
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:34,800
Here's the workhorse,
516
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,266
and that provides power
all the time during the day.
517
00:20:37,266 --> 00:20:39,100
The sun is shining,
we got all the power we need.
518
00:20:39,100 --> 00:20:41,567
So yeah, without this thing,
we were running the generator.
519
00:20:41,567 --> 00:20:42,900
[Juan] Oh, man.
520
00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:45,567
And are these new
or are they used?
521
00:20:45,567 --> 00:20:46,600
-[Nick] They're used.
-They're used?
522
00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:47,900
[Nick]
They're pretty new, though.
523
00:20:47,900 --> 00:20:49,800
[Juan] Well, this is
half the battle,
finding the panels, so...
524
00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:51,667
-[Nick] Yeah. Awesome.
-it's great you got them.
525
00:20:51,667 --> 00:20:53,266
-Yeah.
-Well, let's get them
loaded up, huh?
526
00:20:53,266 --> 00:20:54,867
There you go.
527
00:20:54,867 --> 00:20:56,467
All right.
528
00:20:58,367 --> 00:21:00,166
[Juan]
I don't know about you, Nick,
but I'm excited about this.
529
00:21:00,166 --> 00:21:01,400
I'm super excited.
530
00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:02,367
I can't wait.
531
00:21:02,367 --> 00:21:03,600
Go.
532
00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,867
Gonna help me with work
this morning?
533
00:21:29,867 --> 00:21:31,367
[narrator]
With the Ballard mine
534
00:21:31,367 --> 00:21:33,367
not yet producing
enough gold...
535
00:21:33,367 --> 00:21:37,100
[Danny] This is basically
one of my little ones I make.
536
00:21:37,100 --> 00:21:41,367
If I take them into town,
I can make a few bucks.
537
00:21:41,367 --> 00:21:43,600
[narrator] ...Uncle Danny
supplements his income
538
00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,300
with home-crafted
clay tobacco pipes
539
00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:48,934
that he sells
for up to $20 each.
540
00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:54,266
[Danny] At the moment,
I have to rely on my skills
541
00:21:54,266 --> 00:21:56,700
to basically put gas in my car
542
00:21:56,700 --> 00:22:00,300
and food in my belly
and feed my dog.
543
00:22:01,467 --> 00:22:02,433
That is a skull.
544
00:22:02,433 --> 00:22:05,567
And surprise, surprise,
people like skulls.
545
00:22:05,567 --> 00:22:06,533
[chuckles]
546
00:22:08,567 --> 00:22:12,567
I would say that, Nick,
he's a lot like me
547
00:22:12,567 --> 00:22:15,367
in being a free spirit.
548
00:22:15,367 --> 00:22:19,867
Both Nick and I have
gone through some dark times.
549
00:22:19,867 --> 00:22:25,367
And getting out here
has been a opportunity
550
00:22:25,367 --> 00:22:27,400
to focus my life again
551
00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:31,000
and really get it going
in the right direction.
552
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,867
And if this is lost,
553
00:22:32,867 --> 00:22:36,066
I just don't wanna think about
554
00:22:36,066 --> 00:22:38,700
having to go and start
again from there.
555
00:22:39,467 --> 00:22:41,500
And that would be
my happy skull.
556
00:22:42,767 --> 00:22:44,433
Hi, Freddy and Juan.
557
00:22:49,367 --> 00:22:51,567
[Juan] There he is.
558
00:22:51,567 --> 00:22:54,000
-See how
little Freddy's doing.
-Yeah.
559
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:57,400
-[Juan] Hola.
-[Freddy] Hey, hola.
560
00:22:57,400 --> 00:22:58,166
How was was your trip, buddy?
561
00:22:58,166 --> 00:22:59,066
[Juan] Good, buddy.
We're back.
562
00:22:59,066 --> 00:23:00,500
[Freddy]
You find what you needed?
563
00:23:00,500 --> 00:23:02,000
[Juan] Yeah, we got
the rest of the panels
that we needed.
564
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:02,900
They're in the back
of the truck,
565
00:23:02,900 --> 00:23:05,567
so I think we're ready
to rock and roll.
566
00:23:05,567 --> 00:23:08,100
[narrator] The used panels
are a vital component
567
00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:10,100
of the mobile solar trailer,
568
00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:12,266
which could save
the Ballards hundreds
569
00:23:12,266 --> 00:23:14,100
in fuel costs a month.
570
00:23:14,100 --> 00:23:17,667
But the 140-mile round trip
to retrieve them
571
00:23:17,667 --> 00:23:19,767
has cost half a day.
572
00:23:19,767 --> 00:23:21,166
You know, we've got about
five days' worth of work
573
00:23:21,166 --> 00:23:23,000
and about three days
to do it, so...
574
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:24,600
-Yup. Yup.
-...we better get to it.
575
00:23:27,266 --> 00:23:29,233
[Nick] Flying by the seat
of our pants.
576
00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,400
Another day, as usual,
577
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,433
in my neck
of the woods, anyway.
578
00:23:36,367 --> 00:23:38,433
[narrator]
As Nick stacks the panels,
579
00:23:39,567 --> 00:23:43,166
Juan designs his ambitious
new drive system.
580
00:23:43,166 --> 00:23:45,900
Right now, it takes two guys
to constantly rotate
581
00:23:45,900 --> 00:23:47,400
that trommel drum.
582
00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,700
So, with this, it's gonna be
about an 80% increase
583
00:23:50,700 --> 00:23:52,700
just in material
going through the plant.
584
00:23:53,367 --> 00:23:54,667
[machine whirring]
585
00:23:54,667 --> 00:23:57,467
[narrator] The design
is fed to the cut table,
586
00:23:57,467 --> 00:24:00,400
where a 25,000-degree
beam of plasma
587
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:05,500
cuts a giant 36-inch sprocket
out of 3-gauge steel.
588
00:24:07,266 --> 00:24:09,200
This sprocket
will then be fixed
589
00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:11,467
onto Nick's
cement barrel trommel.
590
00:24:11,467 --> 00:24:14,900
A chain connected to a motor
will turn it automatically,
591
00:24:14,900 --> 00:24:16,967
increasing the amount
of pay dirt
592
00:24:16,967 --> 00:24:18,600
processed by the plant.
593
00:24:21,767 --> 00:24:22,667
[Juan] Well, there it is.
594
00:24:22,667 --> 00:24:24,300
There's the new sprocket
we just cut out.
595
00:24:25,367 --> 00:24:26,767
I'll start working
on the base plate
596
00:24:26,767 --> 00:24:28,166
for the motor
and the gear box.
597
00:24:28,166 --> 00:24:30,033
Try to get those
all knocked out today.
598
00:24:38,867 --> 00:24:40,100
[Freddy]
How's it going, Danny?
599
00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:41,200
Good.
600
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:42,600
[narrator] By the plant,
601
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:44,367
Freddy checks Danny's progress
602
00:24:44,367 --> 00:24:46,600
on the vibrating punch plate.
603
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,567
So I laid out a grid for Danny
604
00:24:49,567 --> 00:24:51,100
to have him
drill holes in here.
605
00:24:51,100 --> 00:24:52,667
So he got
all the holes drilled.
606
00:24:52,667 --> 00:24:54,500
And now it's time
to put it together
607
00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:55,734
and see what we got.
608
00:24:57,100 --> 00:24:58,500
[narrator]
Freddy's punch plate
609
00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:02,000
will efficiently filter
pay dirt into the dry sluice
610
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,100
and increase the amount
of gold in the box
611
00:25:05,100 --> 00:25:07,800
designed with
expansion in mind.
612
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,567
[Freddy]
This is strictly custom
613
00:25:09,567 --> 00:25:11,200
for your wash plant
right here.
614
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:12,467
It's unique.
615
00:25:12,467 --> 00:25:14,400
All you gotta do is
start drilling holes in it.
616
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:15,600
-Okay.
-Right?
617
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,100
And then you can
put another dry wash
618
00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:19,667
sluice right underneath
there, right?
619
00:25:19,667 --> 00:25:20,767
[Danny] Right.
620
00:25:20,767 --> 00:25:22,667
[narrator]
The length of the plate
will allow Nick
621
00:25:22,667 --> 00:25:25,467
to add further dry sluices
in the future,
622
00:25:25,467 --> 00:25:27,967
increasing the capacity
of the plant.
623
00:25:27,967 --> 00:25:30,300
-You see what I'm doing here?
-[Danny] I do.
624
00:25:30,300 --> 00:25:32,667
Do that on the other side
if you would, sir.
625
00:25:32,667 --> 00:25:34,400
[drill machine whirring]
626
00:25:36,367 --> 00:25:37,900
[Freddy] Could you hand me
one of those springs, bud?
627
00:25:37,900 --> 00:25:38,900
[Danny] You got it.
628
00:25:43,867 --> 00:25:45,600
[Freddy] This wind
isn't helping us any, Danny,
629
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,300
-that's for dang sure.
-[Danny] No, sir.
630
00:25:49,467 --> 00:25:51,867
It's been pretty gusty
all day.
631
00:25:51,867 --> 00:25:53,567
I'm really worried
about welding right now
632
00:25:53,567 --> 00:25:56,767
because any stray spark
could start a fire.
633
00:25:56,767 --> 00:25:58,700
Let's just hope
the wind slows down.
634
00:26:02,567 --> 00:26:03,667
[narrator]
Back in the cut truck,
635
00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:05,900
Juan puts
the finishing touches
636
00:26:05,900 --> 00:26:08,233
on the drive motor
for the trommel.
637
00:26:09,367 --> 00:26:10,967
I'm gonna
get it wired up, test it,
638
00:26:10,967 --> 00:26:12,800
make sure our rotation's
the way we need it
639
00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,233
and then we'll get it
down to the plant
and get it welded on.
640
00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:23,934
[machine whirring]
641
00:26:29,467 --> 00:26:31,066
There it is.
642
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,367
[narrator]
But with two and a half days
left in the rescue...
643
00:26:35,367 --> 00:26:38,100
Hey, Juan, I'm coming up
to the cut trailer to see ya.
644
00:26:38,100 --> 00:26:40,100
We've got a pretty
big problem here.
645
00:26:40,100 --> 00:26:42,834
[narrator]
...Freddy bears bad news.
646
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:45,166
[Freddy speaking]
647
00:26:45,166 --> 00:26:47,166
-Oh man, it's bad out there.
-Yeah.
648
00:26:47,166 --> 00:26:49,133
This whole trailer's shaking
all over the dang place.
649
00:26:50,066 --> 00:26:51,467
[Freddy]
There's a red flag warning.
650
00:26:51,467 --> 00:26:52,867
[Juan] Are you kidding me?
651
00:26:52,867 --> 00:26:54,400
[Freddy]
We cannot strike an arc.
652
00:26:56,667 --> 00:26:59,100
[narrator] A red flag warning
is put into effect
653
00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:02,200
when humidity is low
and winds are high
654
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,100
to prevent
devastating wildfires.
655
00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:07,867
It makes fires
of any kind prohibited,
656
00:27:07,867 --> 00:27:10,367
including welding sparks.
657
00:27:10,367 --> 00:27:13,767
The build must
come to a standstill.
658
00:27:13,767 --> 00:27:15,266
[Freddy] The way the wind's
blowing right now,
659
00:27:15,266 --> 00:27:18,567
it probably gusts 60,
70 miles an hour.
660
00:27:18,567 --> 00:27:20,300
But we're not gonna be
the guy that catches
661
00:27:20,300 --> 00:27:21,667
this valley on fire.
662
00:27:21,667 --> 00:27:22,800
That's for damn sure.
663
00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:26,066
[Nick] Some doubt, you know,
664
00:27:26,066 --> 00:27:27,867
if we're gonna get it
done in time.
665
00:27:27,867 --> 00:27:31,834
I want to be a very good
provider for my family.
666
00:27:32,567 --> 00:27:34,000
I've got too much into this.
667
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,767
Every single thing I have,
668
00:27:35,767 --> 00:27:39,934
every ounce of my being
is invested into this project.
669
00:27:40,667 --> 00:27:42,333
I've got to make it work.
670
00:28:00,567 --> 00:28:02,000
How's it going, Nick?
671
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,200
Good. And you?
672
00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:05,266
Fine, except the wind.
673
00:28:05,266 --> 00:28:07,166
Yeah, it's picked up
today, huh?
674
00:28:07,166 --> 00:28:09,667
-Yeah, it's picking up.
-Yeah.
675
00:28:09,667 --> 00:28:12,800
[narrator] At Nick Ballard's
dry mine in Arizona,
676
00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:16,900
a red flag warning
is in place for a second day.
677
00:28:16,900 --> 00:28:19,400
But the welding delay
opens opportunity
678
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,467
for another urgent need
on the mine site.
679
00:28:22,467 --> 00:28:24,800
We cannot finish
the plant right now.
680
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,467
So, for the moment,
681
00:28:27,467 --> 00:28:29,767
we're gonna go
do some prospecting,
682
00:28:29,767 --> 00:28:31,400
see what we can find.
683
00:28:32,767 --> 00:28:34,667
-Well, let's go look around.
-Sounds good.
684
00:28:34,667 --> 00:28:36,567
-I'd like to see these draws.
-Yeah.
685
00:28:36,567 --> 00:28:37,800
I'll follow you.
686
00:28:41,166 --> 00:28:43,400
[narrator] Each of Nick's
gullies or draws
687
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:44,900
was once a stream,
688
00:28:44,900 --> 00:28:47,667
slowly carving gold
for mother lodes
689
00:28:47,667 --> 00:28:48,967
in nearby mountains
690
00:28:48,967 --> 00:28:51,700
and depositing it
onto the rocky beds.
691
00:28:51,700 --> 00:28:53,700
The top of this one
you're working here.
692
00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:55,567
Just by the look of the rock,
693
00:28:55,567 --> 00:28:57,600
you can see this
hasn't been concentrated
694
00:28:57,600 --> 00:28:58,734
-a whole lot, right?
-[Nick] Yeah.
695
00:28:58,734 --> 00:29:01,867
When you mine,
you usually wanna start
at the bottom.
696
00:29:01,867 --> 00:29:03,567
-[Nick] For sure.
-[Freddy] Nature's sluice box.
697
00:29:03,567 --> 00:29:05,500
You know, you get that water
going through there
698
00:29:05,500 --> 00:29:07,000
and it's concentrating
that gold.
699
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:07,967
[Nick] Yeah. Yeah.
700
00:29:07,967 --> 00:29:10,200
I have found some stacks
from some old-timers,
701
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,300
you know, down below
in this gulch.
702
00:29:13,166 --> 00:29:15,867
[narrator] 19th-century
miners in Arizona
703
00:29:15,867 --> 00:29:18,000
often redirected streams
704
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,667
to create powerful
natural sluices.
705
00:29:20,667 --> 00:29:22,467
But they also used bellows
706
00:29:22,467 --> 00:29:26,066
to pump air into
rudimentary dry sluices,
707
00:29:26,066 --> 00:29:28,467
using the exact
same principles
708
00:29:28,467 --> 00:29:32,066
that Nick uses
in his blow boxes.
709
00:29:32,066 --> 00:29:35,600
[Freddy]
So we got three creeks
confluence down there, right?
710
00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:37,367
So if you start
where your best gold is,
711
00:29:37,367 --> 00:29:38,900
get that money
in your pocket...
712
00:29:38,900 --> 00:29:40,000
And then work out, yeah.
713
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:41,400
-And then work your way out.
-Yeah.
714
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:42,233
-[Nick] Yup.
-[Freddy] Right?
715
00:29:42,233 --> 00:29:44,400
-See what you find.
-[Nick] Mmm-hmm.
716
00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,367
Freddy just took me
a little scouting mission,
717
00:29:46,367 --> 00:29:47,266
looking over the ground.
718
00:29:47,266 --> 00:29:49,467
And, I mean,
I'm at the top of a hill.
719
00:29:49,467 --> 00:29:50,433
Then the farther down you get,
720
00:29:50,433 --> 00:29:53,000
the more of that concentration
you will get.
721
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:54,467
There's a plan here
for down the line,
722
00:29:54,467 --> 00:29:55,900
and it's much appreciated.
723
00:30:18,367 --> 00:30:19,767
The wind slowed down
a little bit,
724
00:30:19,767 --> 00:30:21,934
so that's helpful.
725
00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:26,667
The red flag warning
isn't in effect right now,
726
00:30:26,667 --> 00:30:29,767
but I bet it will be
this afternoon.
727
00:30:29,767 --> 00:30:32,367
[narrator]
With less than 24 hours
left in the rescue...
728
00:30:32,367 --> 00:30:34,467
Well, we're gonna
try to get everything done
729
00:30:34,467 --> 00:30:36,400
that we said we were
gonna get done.
730
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:38,800
We just gotta keep going.
731
00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:42,100
[narrator]
...Freddy and Juan capitalize
on the short wind break
732
00:30:42,100 --> 00:30:45,767
to finish their punch plate
and drive system builds.
733
00:30:45,767 --> 00:30:47,166
But the clock is ticking
734
00:30:47,166 --> 00:30:49,266
to construct
a solar-paneled trailer
735
00:30:49,266 --> 00:30:52,600
before the red flag
shuts them down again.
736
00:30:55,367 --> 00:30:57,767
Get loaded up,
head over to the plant,
737
00:30:57,767 --> 00:30:58,567
get the ring on there.
738
00:30:58,567 --> 00:31:00,266
We're gonna put
the drive system on,
739
00:31:00,266 --> 00:31:01,400
get this trommel rolling.
740
00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:06,333
[Freddy] Ready to put
this on, Danny?
741
00:31:07,266 --> 00:31:08,667
[Danny] Let's do it.
742
00:31:08,667 --> 00:31:11,100
[narrator] Freddy plans
to install a vibrator
743
00:31:11,100 --> 00:31:14,100
underneath the punch plate
that will shake the dirt
744
00:31:14,100 --> 00:31:17,133
and evenly classify it
into the sluices.
745
00:31:18,066 --> 00:31:19,600
[Freddy]
You go to that side, bud.
746
00:31:21,100 --> 00:31:22,400
So, push hard?
747
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:24,867
Or fairly hard.
748
00:31:24,867 --> 00:31:26,500
[drill machine whirring]
749
00:31:31,066 --> 00:31:33,400
[Freddy] So we'll turn it on
and we'll see.
750
00:31:33,900 --> 00:31:35,000
Fire in the hole.
751
00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:36,634
[drill machine whirring]
752
00:31:37,700 --> 00:31:38,800
[Danny] There we go.
753
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:40,033
[laughs]
754
00:31:46,467 --> 00:31:49,166
It's loud,
but that's what we're after
right there, buddy.
755
00:31:49,166 --> 00:31:50,233
Right on.
756
00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:53,467
[narrator] One fix down,
757
00:31:53,467 --> 00:31:56,000
eight hours to go
till nightfall.
758
00:31:58,166 --> 00:32:00,567
Right now, we gotta
get this little project done
759
00:32:00,567 --> 00:32:02,200
and get onto the next one.
760
00:32:05,367 --> 00:32:07,567
[narrator] Juan races
to fit the drive system
761
00:32:07,567 --> 00:32:11,200
that will turn the trommel,
saving miner Danny's back
762
00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:13,300
and increasing
the amount of pay dirt
763
00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:14,700
through the plant.
764
00:32:15,767 --> 00:32:16,533
Give that a shot.
765
00:32:16,533 --> 00:32:17,800
Let's see what that
looks like.
766
00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:19,033
-Up here.
-Thank you.
767
00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:24,767
I'm having to cut
that new sprocket in half
768
00:32:24,767 --> 00:32:26,800
so I can get it around
the drum,
769
00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:27,900
and I'm gonna
weld it in place.
770
00:32:27,900 --> 00:32:29,066
Once it's welded in place,
771
00:32:29,066 --> 00:32:30,166
I'm gonna build off of it,
772
00:32:30,166 --> 00:32:31,900
put our new gear box,
our new motor,
773
00:32:31,900 --> 00:32:33,000
and assembly there,
774
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:34,934
so that way,
we can actually turn
the trommel drum.
775
00:32:39,967 --> 00:32:41,800
[narrator]
As the wind picks up,
776
00:32:42,667 --> 00:32:44,266
Freddy takes on the final
777
00:32:44,266 --> 00:32:47,066
and most critical build
at the Ballard mine.
778
00:32:47,066 --> 00:32:48,767
[Freddy] Juan's putting
the drive system
779
00:32:48,767 --> 00:32:50,867
on the plant right now,
780
00:32:50,867 --> 00:32:53,600
and I'm just getting started
on this solar trailer.
781
00:32:55,266 --> 00:32:57,567
This is my
first adventure with
782
00:32:57,567 --> 00:33:00,867
anything over a solar panel
about that big, right?
783
00:33:00,867 --> 00:33:02,567
You know, but that's
how you learn.
784
00:33:02,567 --> 00:33:05,166
If you don't strive
to learn new things,
785
00:33:05,166 --> 00:33:07,066
you never jump ahead.
786
00:33:07,066 --> 00:33:09,767
[narrator] Freddy will
repurpose an old trailer,
787
00:33:09,767 --> 00:33:12,800
adding a steel framework
for solar panels.
788
00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:15,066
The panels will then
run the plant,
789
00:33:15,066 --> 00:33:18,000
eliminating Nick's
expensive fuel costs
790
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,100
and boosting gold profits.
791
00:33:21,367 --> 00:33:24,266
[Freddy]
The wind's a nightmare,
but it is what it is.
792
00:33:24,266 --> 00:33:25,734
We'll just fight through it.
793
00:33:26,567 --> 00:33:29,266
Oh [bleep]
794
00:33:29,266 --> 00:33:32,400
The wind's blowing so hard,
it's moving my steel sideways.
795
00:33:35,367 --> 00:33:37,100
Right now,
our major concern is
796
00:33:37,100 --> 00:33:40,667
if it's blowing angle iron
and steel around like it is,
797
00:33:40,667 --> 00:33:43,266
trying to put these
solar panels in place
798
00:33:43,266 --> 00:33:46,300
in this wind
may be impossible.
799
00:33:47,467 --> 00:33:49,000
This [bleep] wind.
800
00:33:56,300 --> 00:33:58,667
[Juan] Let's get out of here
and give Freddy a hand.
801
00:33:58,667 --> 00:34:01,300
[narrator] The third fix
still not done,
802
00:34:01,300 --> 00:34:04,867
it's all hands on deck
to complete Freddy and Juan's
803
00:34:04,867 --> 00:34:07,934
first-of-its-kind
solar trailer.
804
00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:10,600
Nick, let's bring
a panel over.
805
00:34:11,367 --> 00:34:13,867
Hey, Danny, you wanna hop up
inside of there?
806
00:34:13,867 --> 00:34:14,834
You got it.
807
00:34:14,834 --> 00:34:17,133
We're gonna pick you
this end up in the wind.
808
00:34:18,100 --> 00:34:19,300
Okay.
809
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:22,900
[drill buzzing]
810
00:34:22,900 --> 00:34:26,000
Yeah, these solar generators
sure come in handy for,
811
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,567
you know, not having to put
as much fuel in the generator.
812
00:34:28,567 --> 00:34:30,500
So, looking forward to that.
813
00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:33,266
Maybe I'll survive just yet.
814
00:34:33,266 --> 00:34:34,467
[narrator] Each solar panel
815
00:34:34,467 --> 00:34:37,667
will deliver up to
400 watts of electricity
816
00:34:37,667 --> 00:34:40,467
into the 125-pound batteries.
817
00:34:40,467 --> 00:34:42,300
[Freddy] Ouch. [bleep] wind.
818
00:34:42,300 --> 00:34:44,900
[narrator] Which will in turn
power the plant.
819
00:34:47,767 --> 00:34:48,800
Look at that.
820
00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:50,767
-Oh. [laughs]
-That's fancy.
821
00:34:50,767 --> 00:34:52,467
[Juan] It's part of
our new green initiative.
822
00:34:52,467 --> 00:34:53,767
[Nick] Hopefully
it works, huh?
823
00:34:53,767 --> 00:34:54,867
[Juan] Ah, I'm hoping so.
824
00:34:54,867 --> 00:34:56,266
[both laugh]
825
00:34:56,266 --> 00:34:57,467
[Juan] Get it down
to the plant
826
00:34:57,467 --> 00:34:58,767
and get it running.
827
00:34:58,767 --> 00:35:00,200
[Freddy] Stop the wind,
please.
828
00:35:06,567 --> 00:35:07,900
[Nick] It's flippin' hot
out here in the desert.
829
00:35:07,900 --> 00:35:11,867
[narrator] 114 degree heat
makes mining unbearable,
830
00:35:11,867 --> 00:35:14,467
but it has its advantages.
831
00:35:14,467 --> 00:35:16,367
[Freddy] We've got
a solar-powered hot plate
832
00:35:16,367 --> 00:35:17,900
as long as the sun's out.
833
00:35:17,900 --> 00:35:20,266
It doesn't work real well
in the winter.
834
00:35:20,266 --> 00:35:21,266
Cheap hamburger.
835
00:35:21,266 --> 00:35:23,600
I give it about 10 minutes
and it'll be toasty.
836
00:35:25,066 --> 00:35:27,467
Done. It's hot.
Cheese is melted.
837
00:35:27,467 --> 00:35:28,700
Time for lunch.
838
00:35:30,100 --> 00:35:32,333
Well, it's not the best lunch,
but it's lunch.
839
00:35:40,767 --> 00:35:42,800
-Keep coming.
-[Juan] Go.
840
00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:44,400
Chock the wheels there.
841
00:35:45,500 --> 00:35:47,166
Home sweet home.
842
00:35:47,166 --> 00:35:49,567
[narrator] At the Ballard mine
in Arizona,
843
00:35:49,567 --> 00:35:53,500
trailer in place,
it's the moment of truth.
844
00:35:53,500 --> 00:35:54,500
[Juan] All right,
watch out, guys.
845
00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:55,934
Trommel's gonna start up.
846
00:35:57,700 --> 00:35:59,734
-[Freddy] Yeah.
-[Juan] That's pretty sweet.
847
00:36:05,700 --> 00:36:07,200
So far, everything looks good.
848
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:08,367
Batteries are holding up.
849
00:36:08,367 --> 00:36:10,700
Hopefully, it'll last
the whole test.
850
00:36:10,700 --> 00:36:12,567
-That's pretty impressive.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
851
00:36:12,567 --> 00:36:13,967
For our first attempt
at solar,
852
00:36:13,967 --> 00:36:15,600
-I'm pretty happy with it.
-I am, too.
853
00:36:16,367 --> 00:36:18,634
[Juan] Oh, four hour test.
Here we go, huh?
854
00:36:19,667 --> 00:36:20,900
[Freddy] First bucket.
855
00:36:21,967 --> 00:36:24,000
[laughs]
856
00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:25,300
That is awesome.
857
00:36:25,667 --> 00:36:27,000
It's back saver, huh?
858
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:30,266
[Danny] Oh, mate,
you don't even know.
859
00:36:30,266 --> 00:36:33,066
Yeah. Look at that.
860
00:36:33,066 --> 00:36:34,800
[narrator]
Instead of Danny and Nick
861
00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,400
hand turning
the heavy barrel trommel,
862
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:41,100
Juan's solar powered
giant sprocket and chain motor
863
00:36:41,100 --> 00:36:44,367
allows nearly four times
the amount of pay dirt
864
00:36:44,367 --> 00:36:46,000
to run through the plant.
865
00:36:47,166 --> 00:36:49,100
Way better.
866
00:36:49,100 --> 00:36:50,200
[Juan] This is perfect.
867
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:51,600
It's like 6.7,
868
00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:53,333
almost 7 revolutions
per minute.
869
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:56,367
I'm very happy.
870
00:36:56,367 --> 00:36:59,333
My back's happy
and Arrow is happy.
871
00:37:02,166 --> 00:37:04,467
[Nick] This is now
the third hopper.
872
00:37:04,467 --> 00:37:06,967
I don't even think
we're into an hour yet.
873
00:37:06,967 --> 00:37:10,600
So, it's already
running way better.
874
00:37:12,567 --> 00:37:14,400
You see it on this sluice
right here on the end?
875
00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:15,767
The material coming off of it
876
00:37:15,767 --> 00:37:17,266
is a lot cleaner
than it was before.
877
00:37:17,266 --> 00:37:18,400
[Freddy] Yeah.
878
00:37:20,900 --> 00:37:22,400
[narrator]
Freddy's new punch plate
879
00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:25,800
ensures gold-bearing pay dirt
gets into the sluices,
880
00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,000
as well as adding
more real estate
881
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,567
for dry sluices in the future.
882
00:37:30,567 --> 00:37:33,667
Drive's running good,
punch plate's running good,
883
00:37:33,667 --> 00:37:35,867
and the solar trailer's
running everything.
884
00:37:35,867 --> 00:37:38,100
[Juan] Yeah. The solar system,
this may be a game-changer
885
00:37:38,100 --> 00:37:39,300
for out here in the desert.
886
00:37:39,300 --> 00:37:40,400
We did good.
887
00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:43,600
[Danny] Oh, man. Yeah.
888
00:37:45,667 --> 00:37:47,166
[Nick] Last bucket.
889
00:37:47,166 --> 00:37:49,333
Hopefully, there's
lots of gold in it.
890
00:37:51,166 --> 00:37:52,500
Shut her down, Nick!
891
00:37:55,667 --> 00:37:56,867
What do you think, guys?
892
00:37:56,867 --> 00:37:58,000
Yeah.
893
00:37:58,266 --> 00:37:59,300
Way better.
894
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:01,266
[Juan] What do you guys say?
895
00:38:01,266 --> 00:38:02,867
If you guys wanna
get this cleaned up,
896
00:38:02,867 --> 00:38:04,767
then we'll meet back up
and see what
that gold weigh is, huh?
897
00:38:04,767 --> 00:38:06,200
-[Danny] Yeah. Sounds good.
-[Nick] Sounds good.
898
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:21,567
[Freddy] Well, let's get it
on the scale.
899
00:38:21,567 --> 00:38:22,700
-[Juan] Let's do it.
-[Nick] That's good.
900
00:38:22,700 --> 00:38:23,967
Yeah. Yeah.
901
00:38:23,967 --> 00:38:25,166
-You got it?
-I got it, bud.
902
00:38:25,166 --> 00:38:26,867
-All right, bud.
-Short legs.
903
00:38:26,867 --> 00:38:28,367
[laughs]
904
00:38:28,367 --> 00:38:29,467
I was gonna make a comment,
905
00:38:29,467 --> 00:38:31,367
but I didn't wanna
say nothing, Fred.
906
00:38:31,367 --> 00:38:33,600
Well, guys, moment of truth.
907
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:45,567
Seven-tenths of a gram.
908
00:38:45,567 --> 00:38:47,200
So roughly at 40th an ounce.
909
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:50,367
So, we did what, two-tenths
last time of a gram?
910
00:38:50,367 --> 00:38:54,100
And now it's
right at seven-tenths.
911
00:38:54,100 --> 00:38:56,900
[narrator] Nick has nearly
quadrupled his recovery,
912
00:38:56,900 --> 00:38:59,000
while the solar panel system
913
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:02,166
has reduced his costs
to almost zero,
914
00:39:02,166 --> 00:39:05,166
allowing him to earn
thousands a season
915
00:39:05,166 --> 00:39:06,266
from his operation.
916
00:39:06,266 --> 00:39:08,000
That's a really good
increase, guys.
917
00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:10,000
-I really appreciate it.
-[Juan] And having a trommel
918
00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:11,667
that turns without
manual labor.
919
00:39:11,667 --> 00:39:13,367
-That trommel that turns...
-[Juan laughs]
920
00:39:13,367 --> 00:39:14,967
-...is a game changer for me.
-[Juan] And then
on top of that,
921
00:39:14,967 --> 00:39:16,200
-that solar trailer...
-...at the very least.
922
00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:17,600
[Juan]
...is pretty awesome, right?
923
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:19,200
And if you had
a wind turbine up here,
924
00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:20,367
you could run Las Vegas.
925
00:39:20,367 --> 00:39:22,100
[all laughing]
926
00:39:22,100 --> 00:39:24,867
Well, if gold mining fails
I'll go into power generation.
927
00:39:24,867 --> 00:39:26,300
-There you go.
-[all laughing]
928
00:39:26,300 --> 00:39:27,367
Yup.
929
00:39:27,367 --> 00:39:29,467
[narrator] But to stand
a chance at his 50 ounce,
930
00:39:29,467 --> 00:39:34,000
$95,000 season target
and keep his mine,
931
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:36,767
he must move the plant
to richer ground.
932
00:39:36,767 --> 00:39:38,567
All baloney aside.
933
00:39:38,567 --> 00:39:40,166
[Nick] I would
move downstream.
934
00:39:40,166 --> 00:39:41,600
[Juan] It doesn't matter
how efficient,
935
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:43,467
how tricked out
this plant's gonna be.
936
00:39:43,467 --> 00:39:47,166
If our ground that
we're running is $5 a yard,
937
00:39:47,166 --> 00:39:48,700
it's gonna be
a lot better down below.
938
00:39:48,700 --> 00:39:50,100
But honestly, guys,
it's been a pleasure.
939
00:39:50,100 --> 00:39:52,300
We had a great time out here
working with you, guys.
940
00:39:52,300 --> 00:39:53,500
-Come out anytime.
-[Juan] Guys.
941
00:39:53,500 --> 00:39:55,066
-Thanks again, Freddy.
-Thank you, guys.
942
00:39:55,066 --> 00:39:56,100
-Yeah. Thanks again.
-Thanks, Freddy.
943
00:39:56,100 --> 00:39:57,734
-Sure, sincerely.
-Yup. Thank you.
944
00:39:58,567 --> 00:40:01,000
So, Nick and Danny
get the plant down
945
00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:02,500
where the gold should be,
946
00:40:02,500 --> 00:40:04,467
and start looking around.
947
00:40:04,467 --> 00:40:06,100
Who knows?
948
00:40:06,100 --> 00:40:08,266
You know, they may
do really well down there.
949
00:40:08,266 --> 00:40:10,266
That's my hope.
950
00:40:10,266 --> 00:40:11,567
Well, let's get
on the road, huh?
951
00:40:11,567 --> 00:40:12,967
-I'll follow you, buddy.
-Okay.
952
00:40:12,967 --> 00:40:14,000
All right.
953
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:15,767
[Nick] That definitely
breathes some more life
954
00:40:15,767 --> 00:40:16,700
into my motivations,
955
00:40:16,700 --> 00:40:18,900
and it's not the end
of the road anymore.
956
00:40:18,900 --> 00:40:21,367
I've got a little bit more
wind in my sail,
957
00:40:21,367 --> 00:40:23,700
and I look forward
to the future.
958
00:40:33,900 --> 00:40:36,700
Well, Freddy, Juan,
since you've been gone,
959
00:40:36,700 --> 00:40:37,900
I've moved the plant.
960
00:40:37,900 --> 00:40:39,667
I'm on quite a bit
better ground.
961
00:40:39,667 --> 00:40:41,000
At least double
962
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,900
what I was getting up
at that other spot.
963
00:40:43,900 --> 00:40:48,000
Here's some of the chunkies
that I've gotten recently.
964
00:40:49,467 --> 00:40:51,567
[Danny] And I'm gonna build
a little house.
965
00:40:51,567 --> 00:40:53,967
This is my dry storage
that I'm making.
966
00:40:53,967 --> 00:40:57,300
That's gonna be
my little herb garden
and everything.
967
00:40:57,867 --> 00:41:01,500
And that's my view.
968
00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:04,000
[Nick] The solar trailer's
just been a dream.
969
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,000
I actually haven't even
brought the generator
out here.
970
00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:10,567
So, I hope things
continue to progress
971
00:41:10,567 --> 00:41:13,166
because I've got
some giant news.
972
00:41:13,166 --> 00:41:16,333
Mikey and I are expecting
another baby.
973
00:41:18,500 --> 00:41:20,100
I learned a quote
long time ago
974
00:41:20,100 --> 00:41:21,867
that if you
shoot for the moon,
975
00:41:21,867 --> 00:41:24,266
even if you miss,
you'll land with the stars.
976
00:41:24,266 --> 00:41:26,367
So, I'll keep doing it.