Bedrock and Gold: The mysteries . . .

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Do you love to chase the gold? Please join me--lots of gold hunting tips, stories of finds (successful and not), and prospecting poetry.

Nugget in the bedrock tip:

I had a visit with a mining buddy this past weekend, and he told me of an epic battle to get a nugget out of the bedrock, and of what he learned from the experience. I thought some of you might like to learn from his mistake.

While out detecting one day, he came across a large sheet of bare bedrock. The bedrock was exposed because the area had been blasted off with a water cannon (a monitor), by the old-timers! It was not fractured bedrock, in fact it was totally smooth.

He was not optimistic at all of the prospects of a nugget. But, for some reason (we've all been there) he decided to swing his detector over that bedrock. After a long time, just as he was about to give up on his crazy hunch, he got a signal, right out of that smooth bedrock.

There was no crevice, no sign of a crevice, nada! So, he had to go all the way back to camp to get a small sledge and a chisel. The signal in the rock intrigued him, but he still wasn't overly optimistic. For those of you that have chased signals in a similar situation, sometimes there's a patch of hot mineralization in the bedrock that sounds off, but this spot, according to him, was sharp and clear right in the middle of the signal, not just a general increase of the threshold like you get when you pass over a hot spot in the bedrock.

Anyway, he made it back to the spot and started to chisel his way into the bedrock. If any of you have tried this, it's an awful job, and you usually wind up with cut knuckles--at the least! Regardless, he kept fighting his way down, busting out chunks of bedrock. He kept checking the hole, and the signal remained very strong.

This only puzzled him all the more as he could clearly see that it was solid bedrock with no sign of any crevice. He finally quit at the end of the day, at a depth of about a foot, but still, nothing in the hole.

An experienced nugget shooting friend dropped by the next morning to see him, and asked him how the hunt was going. My buddy related his tale of the mysterious hole in the bedrock, and told the friend to go over and check it out, and see if he could solve the riddle.

Later in the day, the other nugget hunter returned. In his hand was a fine, fat, sassy nugget. It weighed in at about an ounce and a quarter! After my friend returned his eyeballs to their sockets and zapped his heart to start it again, he asked where the nugget had come from.

Imagine his surprise when he heard it came from the mystery hole!! He asked how deep the other guy had gone into the bedrock to get it. "Well, no deeper" was his reply.

So, here's the rest of the story as to what happened. When the successful nugget hunter got to the bedrock, he scanned the surface got the same strong signal as my buddy. He widened out the hole and scanned again. Still a solid tone. He widened the hole some more so he could get his coil in, and here's the key and the lesson in this story, he got a strong signal off the side of the hole, about six inches down, but set back another inch into the side of the bedrock!!

My unlucky friend, the true discoverer of the gorgeous nugget's resting place had gone deep past the signal while digging his hole!!

Now, of course, a good pinpointer would easily solve this problem. The problem was, my buddy didn't have one, so why would he widen the hole, right? Well, the other guy was the one with more experience, and that's why he did. It was a lot more work, but what a payoff!

So, my buddy's butt is still black and blue from where he kicked himself for the next week or so for having lost such an incredible prize.

Some nugget hunting lessons are harder than others to learn. . . .

All the best,

Lanny


P.S. When in gold country--check the bedrock, regardless of whether it looks likely or not! Mother Nature likes to play games sometimes.

 

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Lanny in AB

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting

SushiDog

Sr. Member
Oct 5, 2010
265
3
Sacramento, California
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark (Under water unit)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hi Lanny & and the rest of the gang!....Yup!....."the dog" is back!....and as promised, I am posting all of the trials.....tribulations.....and tales of our adventure that Hefty and I took to his claim on Monday.....sorry for the delay, but things were a little hectic around here when I got back, so grab yourself a cup of coffee....hot cocoa....or an adult beverage of your choice....relax....and enjoy the saga of "Hefty the '49er Man & SushiDog (woof!)....ha, ha, ha, ha.....this is the title of the video (smile).....Okay.....now that I did a little housekeeping.....here we go -------->>>>>I woke up at 0400 hrs. (4:00 am to you civilians!).....after getting about 4 hours sleep....no problem on the sleep....(I am used to it from playing marathon video poker sessions)....so....I pick up Hefty at his house at 0530 hrs. sharp (5:30 am to you civilians!).....and all I saw was this mountain man standing there with his backpack.....we greeted each other a hello and a good morning, and as Hefty was putting his gear in my truck....I said...."You LQQK just like a '49er!".....Hefty gave out a very distinctive chuckle and replied, "I was wondering when you were going to say that!".....(If you guys LQQK at the video, you will know what I mean).....so we get into the "buggy" and away we go.....heading toward the gold country.....the mother lode....Hefty's gold claim!....Yeah!.....both of us were talking for the entire drive.....a great conversation sure does make the trip seem so shorter!.....needless to say.....Hefty and I hit it off really good from the moment we met each other....(hey! hey! hey!....this isn't the "Dating Game!")....the drive went by so fast, I really don't know how long it took us to get there.....we stopped by a store on the outskirts of town, then headed up the highway to the trail head we were going to take to the claim.....so we parked the truck, got our gear on, and away we started up the trail....hiking this trail was arduous from the git-go.....a very steep climb with lots of loose rock, and switch-backing like nobody's business.....Hefty mentioned to me that he hasn't been up to the claim for a year, so we might find some surprises along the way.....and we did....there were a few landslides across the trail, as there were a few fallen trees.....and plenty of ticks!.....I wore my Camouflage trousers and shirt, and when I "bloused" my trousers, I made sure the strings were tied really well so the "chisai tomadachi's" (Japanese for "little friends" aka: the ticks!) would not be able to go up my legs.....Hefty stopped a few times to take some ticks off of his trouser legs, and so far, I had no "hitch hikers" that I could see....the way I figured it.....I will let Hefty go in front of me for two reasons......he knew which way to go to reach the claim.....and more importantly....I figured he would pick up all of the chisai tomadachi's instead of me! ha, ha, ha!....darn!....I let the cat out of the bag!....Sorry Hefty!.....Gee....um.....I am not sure which way to go on the trail to get back to that claim....hmmmm?????.....Guess who's taking the lead next time?....Yup!....Hefty!....as we were hiking the trail, we were watching for any animal tracks.....we found some deer tracks, and a large "scruff" mark left by either a bear or bob cat (cougar)....as we continued our hike, and this hike was no picnic!.....Hefty stops at a place on the trail and says....."See this rock?.....I was riding a mini-bike down this trail.....hit this rock....and I went over this cliff!".....I couldn't believe what I was seeing.....the first thing that came to my mind was....."How did this guy survive this accident down this cliff?".....then I verbally told him....."yeah....I went over on the mini-bike....crashed....lost my pistol....(it's still down there somewhere), and when I could gather my senses.....this finger was broken LQQKing back at me, and my ankle was broken".....Wow! is all that I could say to Hefty.....then Hefty continued....."to make a long story short, Hefty replied, they had to send in an air medivac chopper to get me out of here"....I just stood there in amazement shaking my head saying...."You should have been a dead man".....so after that part of the "tour" was over.....we continued on our trek.....Hefty was pointing out certain spots in the landscape to take note of as we traveled, and after a little over an hour of hiking a very arduous, and sometimes treacherous trail.....we finally arrived at his gold claim.....I mentioned to Hefty that it sure was funny that we did not see one solitary animal anywhere as we hiked that trail.....(besides the ticks).....when we climbed down to his claim, Hefty was really surprised to see what he saw.....the claim was trashed by someone, and the place LQQKed horrible.....Hefty started to investigate the refuse that was scattered about that part of the claim.....it was their "staging" area and base camp if you will.....and after a few minutes, Hefty says...."I know who did this, and I am going to be in touch with him soon".....so besides showing me different places of note, Hefty was LQQKing around for any more tell tale signs from the claim jumping slob who violated his claim....after Hefty showed me the famous "L Wall".....we started walking the claim.....Hefty LQQKs down on the ground and says...."LQQK....deer tracks.....and sure enough.....a good size deer had left his tracks.....how do I know for sure it was a "he" and not a "she?".....that was simple.....as I LQQKed slightly off to my right.....and at eye level....I saw a used condom stuck in a tree bush.....and it had been there for awhile....I said....."Hey Hefty! that must have been one lucky deer because he left his used condom behind in the tree!".....Hefty turned around and LQQKed and just chuckled....."Hey Hefty.....that's our first find of the day!"....Hefty just chuckled as we kept moving on.....
not too far from the tree.....actually just on the other side of the condom tree.....Hefty finds a tampon! "Wow Hefty" I shouted...."that's our second find! what a treasure!".....I then went on to tell Hefty about Metal Detecting etiquette.....and I know this was going to be a surprise to him!....."Hefty....let me share some of the ethics of Metal Detecting with you"....."Okay", Hefty replied....."well.....you see.....we have a very strict ethic of making a place LQQK better than when we found it"....then I continued....."Ah....when you find trash....or dig trash.....you are suppose to pick it up, put it in your bag, and then dispose of it".....I could see the little wheels spinning in Hefty's mind as I said it.....his piercing baby blue eyes LQQKing at me with a little discernment.....and perhaps....he was thinking to himself...."You aren't gonna tell me what I think you are gonna tell me, right?"
Yup! "That used condom and tampon should have went into your "finds" bag!"....."as a matter-of-fact....where is your finds bag"....Hefty didn't have one.....well.....good thing I guess....."perhaps the deer will come back for that used condom, and the female who left the tampon will be back for her little treasure as well, and they will do the responsible thing by picking them up and throwing them away"....."Wow! Hefty! what a day! I can't believe the treasures we have found already!".....we continued to walk the claim.....the claim is very very rugged to say the least!....I mean.....it would take a person working every day, and ten lifetimes just to cover this side of the claim.....not to mention the other part of the claim across the river.....when we can across some vertical slate, both of us mentioned Lanny.....we could see where the vertical rock could have caught some gold in the crevices, so we decided to swing the detector around there for awhile.....that's when I got two good hits with the GoldMaster.....one piece turned out to be a shrapnel piece of lead.....the other a shrapnel piece of metal....perhaps shrapnel from someone shooting a bullet into the rocky hillside....gosh!....duh?!.....that's really smart!.....shooting bullets into rocks! (go figure).....Okay....okay.....so far so good....let's see?....."Hey Hefty!....we've had a pretty good day so far!...."we found a used condom....a tampon....and two pieces of shrapnel!".....Hefty just let out one of his thunderous chuckles.....and he just loves to respond with...."Yup...yup...yup...yup!"....ha...ha....that really gets me going (smile).....so we continue walking the claim.....he points out to the left of us some tertiary river channel.....ancient river bed.....and it LQQKs sweet....it is as virgin as it was made thousands of years ago, and we are going to get into that shortly.....In my opinion and observation.....the claim on the other side of the river is the choicest part of the claim....I mean....the terrain is well distinguished, and not as rugged as the side we are on now....when you LQQK at the terrain across the river.....well....everything is "talking" to you....we stopped here and there and shot some video as we walked the claim.....when we reached the end of the claim....on this side of the river.....Hefty pointed out some more nice rock to hunt with the detectors.....Hefty pointed out a spot on the river....at the shore line.....where him and his dad found some nice nuggets....so he told me to sweep that area of the water with the GoldMaster.....the water was calm where we were at, and about two feet deep....neither Hefty....nor I brought any rubber boots with us.....so when we got our first "hit" with the MD, we started to dig.....I was bringing up a lot of sand and small gravel....and as I dug deeper, we finally started to get the good red clay with every small shovel full that I dug out.....I kept digging, and I kept getting a "hit"....Hefty took a pin pointer to the gravel that I was shoveling out to see if there was anything in there.....I moved a few small rocks....I guess the rocks were no larger than 6 inches in diameter, with a couple that were almost bowling ball size.....I told Hefty that we have to remember what Lanny taught us....."go low and slow.....and move the detector on the ground.....back and forth".....so we did that.....I finally took out the last rock before the area we were checking became only sand and gravel.....I did another "Lanny sweep" and got a big "hit".....I told Hefty that there was definitely something there.....on my last sweep, I was able to shovel out some more red clay and gravel.....when Hefty went through it with his pin pointer.....we found.....we found.....ah....er....we found a Lincoln cent penny!....this was a good hunt!....Hefty remarked...."I am very impressed with your MD! that machine found that penny buried under a six inch rock!"....I said...."yeah!".....we went a few more yards down the river.....along the edge as we had been doing, and Hefty said...."Sweep here"......so I started to sweep the MD, and we got a big hit....I could see on my meter that it was a 50-50 chance of being either iron or gold.....well....giddy-up!.....we worked that area hard too....doing the same thing that we did when we recovered that Lincoln cent....when we finally found the target, it was a very very old piece of iron that was shaped like a hook....I mean....a thick hook that you would have on a wall to hang a jacket on.....Hefty started to rub it, and it was covered with black sands.....and it crumbled easily when he rubbed it....that piece of iron had to have been there for at least 100 years, or more than likely....more.....so that was our latest find....another treasure! (smile)....so we finally walked on, and we came upon the end of the claim.....Hefty pointed out a little history of this place, and showed me a few things that remained from a guy who had actually jumped his claim.....so we talked for awhile and exchanged some ideas.....we both agreed to make up an action plan for this area of the claim while the river was still running high.....I know Hefty wants to search that L Wall, and that's cool....I have a set of walkie-talkies.....and they have about a 10 mile range.....so if Hefty wants to work that part of the claim, and I work the back end of the claim, we can do so because we will be able to communicate with each other....of course.....Hefty owns the claim, and he's the boss.....I also took the liberty of shooting my S&W .38 Special service revolver....I wanted to test some new shot loads to see the pattern they would make, and I popped off a few caps as well....I was not impressed with the shot loads.....time was running out, and daylight was getting short.....so we decided to head on back to the truck.....the trail has several arduous switchbacks as I mentioned earlier in this story, and for two old timers like Hefty and me, we negotiated the trek back in stride....oh....by-the-way.....the only animal that we ever saw on this trip was a goose flying down river late in the day as we were about to leave.....that's strange.....Hefty and I discussed a lot of stuff on the phone the day after we returned from the claim, and I think we might just have a plan to employ at the claim.....Hefty is suppose to get his GoldBug sometime this week, so when we return to the claim, we will both have a gold machine to swing.....you know what? I think I just found myself a partner!....and not to mention.....a good solid working man who shares the old school values as I do.....Oh!....about the treasure we found that day!.....well.....our partnership says when we work together like we did that day, we split everything 50-50.....we found 6 objects total.....so Hefty gets three....and I get three.....and since Hefty is the claim owner.....his share is the used condom, tampon and Lincoln penny!.....(Hefty....I need to get that penny back to you!).....and I am satisfied with my treasures.....all three of them (smile).....I will shoot more video every time we go out, and share our adventures with you guys....I hope you have enjoyed this tale, and perhaps the next tale will be a little more exciting....who knows? right?.....SushiDog
 

nuggy

Sr. Member
Aug 22, 2010
460
62
Detector(s) used
Fisher Gold Bug Pro, had; Minelab Eureka, Bounty Hunter, Garrett, Fisher and Whites.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks Sushi, you gave me a few good laughs there, good writing, thanks for the post, good to hear you are getting out into the wilderness. Sounds like you guys had a good day. Need to get out myself, 4wd problems and work keeping me home. Nuggy
 

Hefty1

Bronze Member
Dec 5, 2010
1,702
1,477
:sign10: Sushi you put that together very well.......one thing we will talk about about later.
The split of those finds....LOL

Hefty
 

SushiDog

Sr. Member
Oct 5, 2010
265
3
Sacramento, California
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark (Under water unit)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks for reading Nuggy.....it wasn't the greatest adventure, but I am glad you were entertained a little....yeah....the terrain and landscape was spectacular to say the least! It's just amazing how diverse one mountain can be in the mother lode, and when I am trying to read what happened to a particular segment of the mountain....well....it just boggles my imagination and mind....the human animal does not have the capability to even start wrapping their brain around the forces of nature....anyway....yeah...it was great getting out and about....I hope our next saga will be a little more exciting, and by the way! Nuggy....you gave me quite an education here too, and I am grateful for that! and the other guys here too....all of the guys who chime in on things as the thread grows....this place is my world Nuggy, and it is a quality place to be....and we can have a different point of view about something, and that's all good too! but you guys here are so civil, and everyone is a gentleman.....this place IS a natural high for me....and you can learn some Japanese too! ha, ha, ha!.....thanks again nuggy, and I would consider it a pleasure to rub elbows with you any time....SushiDog
 

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Lanny in AB

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Well Sushi and Hefty--you guys really have a nice little spot to play around in there. That is one sweet looking spot to play. On your video footage, I'm going to have to go with something like what Eagle believes--the spot where the L is, it looks definitely like someone wanted to move the water around that point. So, Eagle's idea comes into play--it looks for sure like someone wanted that water to stay away from the inside of that corner. If it is a dam/wing-dam, the size of those rocks would surely do it. That would allow whomever built it to dig down and try to get to bedrock on that corner. (And, being an inside corner like that--it would be a prime spot to check for a gold trap.)

Now, as to where Hefty found his nugget. If you look at the end of your L wall, that's a natural spot for a nugget to "spin" out during high flood water. At peak volume and flow, it would follow the wall along, and as the water velocity raced to the end of the wall, the water would immediately fan out and spin around the end of the wall creating a low-pressure area--the perfect spot for a nugget the size Hefty found to drop out of the water column. (Gold is lazy--it wants to get out and drop every chance it gets--absolutely no more travel than is absolutely necessary for gold--not one micro-second more than is essential. Lazy gold always wants to stop any energy and get down for a rest. It also always wants to take the shortest route. Lazy, lazy, lazy--these aren't my ideas--they've been taught and followed forever by people chasing the gold.)

As well, across the river, where that bedrock rises up from the riverbed and steps up; well, there's some nice looking cracks running down into those blocks of bedrock (at least that's what it looks like from the video). And, with the size of gold that's traveling down that stream, that bedrock would sure give it a place to stop. Once is stops in an area like that--it's there forever--so, go get some!

You have to think flood water/high water when you look at that bedrock. Look at the formations and try to imagine the middle of the stream at high water. Where are low pressure areas going to be created? What's going to create them? Well, anywhere the water can suddenly widen out, spin around (like a corner), drop and flatten out (after a rapid), have to swing around a large bedrock outcrop (inside bend), slam into that big boulder in the middle of the stream (big low-pressure drop zone right behind it on the downstream end)--of course the gold is going to drop.

I liked the shots of the actual stream-bed with the big boulders too--with the water packing rocks that size, and then dropping them where you've shot video of them, the gold is going to drop out with boulders that size too--if it's there--it has to. Gold is bound by laws, and it has to follow them.

You're located in a chute/trough area with spots off to the sides (either side, depending on the shots you've taken) where it is very clear to see where suction eddies/low-pressure zones were (other side of the river--the water cut back into the bank to the right, and back upstream--that's a suction eddy.) Gold loves to drop out in suction eddies (lazy gold's life-long dream). Man what I wouldn't give to dredge that claim--what a party--it's a dredging dream with all that bedrock cropping up like that--all that structure. The huge boulder in the river must be sitting on bedrock or it would be gone, heading for the bedrock. (Unless it's a massive piece of an outcrop?)

Your best shot for detecting is going to be on that exposed bedrock, and on bedrock where suction eddies have spun out big bowling ball/watermelon sized rocks and larger, because that low-pressure area that was created there (by whatever force) is why that size of rock dropped out there. If you're detecting and you start to find lots of nails, spikes, chunks of lead, pieces of cable, etc. you're going to be very close to the gold (the gold run may be to the right or left of that line of heavies, or sometimes it's underneath it).

Because that area is in a chute, everything has been pinched and concentrated and anyplace that broke up the flow of the river gave the gold a chance to drop. I'd bust some cracks in the bedrock and have a blast sniping--you bet (read and re-read that article by Russ Ford--he's the king). I'd locate all the suction eddies you can find, dig in and test with your pan to see what's running with those bigger rocks that have dropped. Any spot you can find shallow to bedrock with those big rocks spun out on top of it--follow the three rules of prospecting: test, test, test.

For sure you guys sound like you had some good male-bonding adventure time--nothing better--nope--nothing. I"m just sad that I couldn't have tagged along (me being stuck up here in the deep-freeze and all--I'm just going stir crazy, that's all). I'm glad you found some metal with the detector, and hey--you've already broke the ice--you found money!!

Well, all the best, and keep asking questions,

Lanny
 

SushiDog

Sr. Member
Oct 5, 2010
265
3
Sacramento, California
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark (Under water unit)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hi Lanny....thanks for the additional education! and your dissertation on how you evaluated the video is pure genius! Um? I sent you a PM in response to your very gracious post, so we will leave it at that for now....SushiDog
 

FiresEye

Sr. Member
Aug 17, 2010
322
4
That reminds me Lanny,

In the summer where I live people use lots of pesticides, chemicals and alterants, so the water is polluted even when it's slow moving, even though it may not be "muddy" the clearest water can hold a lot of toxins.

" Where I live " is the great Golden state of Georgia in the SE US. Where do you live and have you ever been here?


I've learned to wash up after a hunt, but my next idea is this 5 gallon water jug with spout, I'll string it in a tree in the summer and let the sun bake it warm, after my underwater snorkel sniping, I'll retreat to the shore grove and shower, towel off and dress down in some clean summer clothes.

I've been to some camping events where showering in the wild was necessary, but after being in the water before, I can feel the toxins, and in the future, I will not make contact with that source!

So, back to that sunny day, in that bright spot by the river where the gold tells a long story. Well, after I get all cleaned up, I'll sit in the dry by the light and look at a glimmer brighter than the star in the sky!
 

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Lanny in AB

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
FiresEye--I've never had the privilege of visiting your great and very historical state. I'm still up here in Canada chasin' the gold.

We use solar showers all the time, unless it's a cloudy, cold day of course, and then we have to get more high-tech.

I like your metaphorical language,"So, back to that sunny day, in that bright spot by the river where the gold tells a long story. Well, after I get all cleaned up, I'll sit in the dry by the light and look at a glimmer brighter than the star in the sky!": nicely put.

All the best,

Lanny
 

Hefty1

Bronze Member
Dec 5, 2010
1,702
1,477
Hey Lanny
You are right about that bedrock across the river at the lower end. Cant wait for the water to go down, but that might be some time cause we have a storm coming in thats suppose to last for 7 days with 5-6 inches of rain, I started on the ark today. Hope it floats.
Got the GB SE. My wife caught me opening it up and made me put it back under the tree.
She said i had to wait till Christmas. :icon_santa:

Hefty

P.S. It came with a finds bag. :sign10:
 

SushiDog

Sr. Member
Oct 5, 2010
265
3
Sacramento, California
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark (Under water unit)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hefty....this is going to be a great Gold season! We need to really be on guard to protect your claim from claim jumpers this coming Spring and Summer....I have a two man inflatable boat, so we can get there when the river settles down enough to navigate it....the boat is double hulled, which is good....SushiDog
 

EagleDown

Bronze Member
May 13, 2010
1,857
629
California
Detector(s) used
Whites MXT, Whites TDI
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hefty1 said:
Hey Lanny
You are right about that bedrock across the river at the lower end. Cant wait for the water to go down, but that might be some time cause we have a storm coming in thats suppose to last for 7 days with 5-6 inches of rain, I started on the arc today. Hope it floats.
Got the GB SE. My wife caught me opening it up and made me put it back under the tree.
She said i had to wait till Christmas. :icon_santa:

Hefty

P.S. It came with a finds bag. :sign10:
I hope the finds bag has a leak-proof sanitary pocket on it. :laughing9: :laughing9:
 

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Lanny in AB

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Hefty1 said:
Hey Lanny
You are right about that bedrock across the river at the lower end. Cant wait for the water to go down, but that might be some time cause we have a storm coming in thats suppose to last for 7 days with 5-6 inches of rain, I started on the arc today. Hope it floats.
Got the GB SE. My wife caught me opening it up and made me put it back under the tree.
She said i had to wait till Christmas. :icon_santa:

Hefty

P.S. It came with a finds bag. :sign10:

Hefty--that's awful that your wife caught you and now you have to put your newest toy back under the tree. :laughing7: Too bad, but I guess you'll just have to wait.

The good thing about storms is that they move the gold around, and your area is a natural trap. Plus, anything still hung up on the sides of any canyons or washes has a chance of moving down and making it into your trap as well.

With seven days of rain coming--you'd better get crackin' on that Ark!

All the best,

Lanny
 

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Lanny in AB

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
SushiDog said:
Hefty....this is going to be a great Gold season! We need to really be on guard to protect your claim from claim jumpers this coming Spring and Summer....I have a two man inflatable boat, so we can get there when the river settles down enough to navigate it....the boat is double hulled, which is good....SushiDog

Sushi--claim jumpers are no fun. And, in my experience, too many of them are there to trash and vandalize, that's not counting the ones that are there to steal things. People like that have caused lots of claim owners to seal off access to their ground in the last few years--ground that people have been welcomed on and to for decades. It's always a tragedy when so few ruin it for so many (I will state this again--the vast majority of the people that I meet while out prospecting are truly wonderful people.).

All the best,

Lanny
 

SushiDog

Sr. Member
Oct 5, 2010
265
3
Sacramento, California
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark (Under water unit)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Lanny....you are so right about the very few, screwing things up for the majority of us....and yes, it's a shame....Hefty said he has posted the claim, but people just keep stealing the signs....so what's a claim owner to do?.....and yes....we will be getting 7 days of heavy rain and snow, and we are expecting 6 to 8 inches of rain up in these parts....I do have some very creative and constructive idea's for the little paths leading to the claim, and I will be talking to Hefty about those idea's.....I think claim owners also need to have some temperament when it comes to people visiting the claim site.....in my mind, when an individual comes on the claim, give them a nice hello, and welcome them to the claim....then the ensuing conversation will be enough to let the individual know that it is a working claim....this is my own idea, and this is how I think about treating people.....afterall....the claim signs keep getting stolen....kindness begets kindness.....so why not be a good ambassador of our hobby? Well, this is just a thought....SushiDog
 

Hefty1

Bronze Member
Dec 5, 2010
1,702
1,477
I hope the finds bag has a leak-proof sanitary pocket on it.
Eagle....now thats funny. ;D
 

Hefty1

Bronze Member
Dec 5, 2010
1,702
1,477
Hey Sushi
The two man raft is great, but what does that thing weigh?
And how is it pumped up?

Hefty
 

SushiDog

Sr. Member
Oct 5, 2010
265
3
Sacramento, California
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark (Under water unit)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hi Hefty....oh....did I forget to tell you that you're gonna be the one to pack in that boat? (Nah! Psych!).....good question....this boat is great because it folds up very small.....perhaps 18" x 18" and about 12" thick, and weighs probably no more than 15 pounds....I use a battery pack pump....like the kind you use for air beds....it takes 4 D size batteries, and is just big enough to accommodate the batteries....pretty much square...the oars are very lightweight....aluminum shafts and plastic paddles....SushiDog
 

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Lanny in AB

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Warning--Prospecting Poetry!


I hope you guys enjoy it. It's a bit of a long read.


Old Santy Claus Came out One Night.

The miner bent sat in his shack
Tā€™was Chrismas eve, the sky pitch black.
A blizzard roared outside his place,
A lonesome night for him t' face.

Still, up he gits to hang his sock,
A nail he drives with played-out rock,
And hangs that stockinā€™ up with care
In hopes that Santy will be there.

Why--ainā€™t no cookies--nor no milk,
The finer things just ainā€™t his ilk.
No puddinā€™ pie, nor Christmas cake
The finer things ainā€™t his t' make.

His moneyā€™s gone; the claim donā€™t pay,
The vein he chased has pinched away.
Upon this ground heā€™s toiled his best
His four-score twentyā€™s now his test.

The things that always easy were
Just ainā€™t that way, not now, for sure.
Yet up he gits and hangs his sock,
He sez his prayers and winds the clock.

The storm, she smacks that shack about
But itā€™s built snugā€”the cold stays out.
So, off he goes t' sleepy land
But comin' soon, a visitā€™s planned.

It seems a grizzlyā€™s wide-awake,
Heā€™s huntin hard for grub t' take.
Then up he sneaks upon that shack,
This ainā€™t no Santy with his pack!

He checks the door and finds ā€˜er stout
It seems the minerā€™s locked him out.
That ainā€™t no Christmas way t' awe
Twelve-hundred pounds of fur and claw!

So, Mr. Bear he checks the place
And sets himself a torrid pace.
Heā€™s had no lunch since early fall,
He finds a weak spot in the wall--

Itā€™s at this point where shack meets hill
(The minerā€™s hid his mine with skill)--
That griz he pulls some stones away
And steps inside t' eat and play.

Heā€™s in a room, but not the shack
(This spot's fer grub and stores t' pack)
His nose tells him thereā€™s food in here
His stomach senses fun is near.

He finds a ham just hanginā€™ there
And chomps ā€˜er down without a care
He even finds a jug t' try
He rips the cork, and drinks ā€˜er dry.

Heā€™s feelinā€™ rather light of head
He picks a spot, then off t' bed.
The world she turns from night t' day
The storm has purged itself away.

On Christmas morn the miner wakes
He checks his sock, his head he shakes.
He gives a sigh, heā€™s feelinā€™ poor,
And to his mine, un-bars the door

The storage room ainā€™t lookinā€™ fine,
A bruinā€™s there, heā€™s all supine. . .
If Santy Claus left him this brute,
Olā€™ Santy thinks heā€™s mighty cute

Ferā€™ layinā€™ out this nasty gift,
Thatā€™s blockinā€™ up his mininā€™ drift!
Well, what t' do? Now thatā€™s the trick
The minerā€™s thinkinā€™ mighty quick.

T' tippy-toe around that bear,
Well that would take the greatest care,
And if he slipped, or sneezed, or stomped
The minerā€™d get himself right chomped.

Then all at once he has a plan.
He spies himself a blastinā€™ can.
He twists some fuse and strikes a light,
Heā€™ll do this job, and do ā€˜er right.

A lengthy roll toward the bear,
Then thunder happens everywhere!
Now Mr. Bear is wide-awake--
An exit hole he sure does make.

The bear he's gone, but that there blast
Set things in motion mighty fast.
The ground and hill began to quake,
The beams and posts began to shake.

That portal needed new, strong wood
(His Christmas morn werenā€™t lookinā€™ good).
ā€œAw Durnā€, he cussed, ā€œSheā€™s gonnaā€™ give.
There ainā€™t much chance I'm gonna' live.

But he was wrong, and when t'was done
A Christmas gift that miner'd won.
For near the portal, to the right
He saw himself a golden sight.

A vein of quartz all laced with gold
His wondering eyes did there behold.
And to his mind he knew this was
His real gift from Santy Claus!

All the best,

Lanny

P.S. Here's some background info on what inspired me to write this poem--there's a Charles Russell (legendary Western artist and author) connection, as I believe the story I'll refer to in my following notes is from one of his early collections:

This poem is a compilation of several different experiences--the one where the bear broke into the trailer (through the window) of some mining buddies of mine and drank all of their canned beer--got hammered--and then tore through the door when he came to and wanted out.

Another is an experience from a very old western tale I read where two prospectors are lost in a blizzard on Christmas Eve, and their pack horses stop in the trail, as they know there's a cabin just off the trail that their human companions can't see. So, the prospectors hole up in the cabin for the night, hang their stockings (a token Christmas celebration as they won't be making it to where the celebrations going on) and head off to sleep.

Well, in the back of the cabin (the tumbled-down part) there's a griz a hibernating. The big fire they've built in the rock fireplace awakens him (and the smell of the bacon they'd fried), and pretty soon there's a big bear right in the main room licking up their leavings by the fire. Well, hot lead starts flying thick and fast, the bear becomes Christmas dinner, and after a feast, the boys decide to check out the fallen down part of the cabin where the griz was hibernating.

It turns out that there's a bunk under the caved part of the roof on one side, with the skeleton of an old-timer in it--all dressed out in buckskins, a flint-lock rifle laying beside him--a true old-timer--one of the first. So, that gets them thinking, and they scour the ruined part of the cabin, find a hiding place, and there's a nice, fat poke of gold cached in it! (They gave the weight in the tale--it was most impressive, but I can't recall it right now.) So those two old boys got their visit from Santy Claus.
 

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SushiDog

Sr. Member
Oct 5, 2010
265
3
Sacramento, California
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark (Under water unit)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Wow Lanny! You should publish your poems/odes! What a refreshing and enjoyable read...thanks! SushiDog
 

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