You know there are some meatballs on that basalt cap. Found a small camp with "fines" tailing pile. Square nails galor! BTW this came from the topsoil!
I'm glad you're out swinging that detector. Sooner or later you'll get it over a nugget.
If there's a tailings pile and lots of old square nails, I'd sniff around a bit more. Go slow and maybe you'll pick up a cool artifact or two along with some gold.
I'm taking next week off to venture off my own property with my new MXT for the first time. I expect to find a lot of iron junk, and lead sinkers, but I've also found Au pickers in the slate bedrock when crevacing... Is it too much to ask for beginners luck and a nugget?
My plan is the same as yours... Dig every target, dump into a bucket, and pan out every couple gallons to see what's there.