jasonbo
Sr. Member
Mining for treasure
By JAMES ARENS The Daily Journal
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/local/ci_3935934#
Ryan Garner/The Daily Journal
Ray Inman, president of the Mendocino Lost and Found Metal Detectors Club, leads the group in its annual treasure hunt Sunday afternoon at Mesa Park near Lake Mendocino. Inman has been hunting for treasure regularly since 1984.
One man or woman's trash may be another's treasure.
When it comes to the Mendocino Lost and Found Metal Detectors Club, treasure can be found in some unlikely places.
"When you find a coin that no one has touched for 2,000 years, it's awesome," said Jo Inman, vice-president of the club and wife of club President Ray Inman.
Sunday's hunt was the 15th Annual Metal Detector Hunt and was held at the Lake Mendocino Mesa Park.
Hunters from Ukiah, Willits, Potter Valley, Santa Rosa, Windsor and Lake County came out to compete for prizes. Each club member paid a fee of $20 and bought a prize to be won after the hunts.
"Lustre Jewelry gave us an earring set worth about $75," Ray Inman said.
Intense waving of electrical wands picking up the faintest of beeps signaling metal to be mined out of the ground is the reason participants come out.
"You come out here because you want to find stuff," Ray Inman said. "Especially gold hunting."
The club has about 20 to 25 members, and 15 of them were at this hunt with aspirations of winning one of the prizes.
A field is marked off with yellow tape, and silver coins are planted, with some coins painted and stamped with a number correlating to a particular prize. Some are buried in the ground, so being skilled with the detector and digging them up is the only way to find the coins. "It does take some getting used to," said Bill Dowling.
Metal detecting is also a pastime that pays for itself.
"I've found a gold nugget that was over an ounce, a Celtic coin while I was in England and rings and necklaces during my hunts," Ray Inman. "In Hawaii, I found a diamond ring that a recently married woman lost while she was swimming, and I returned it to her and she was so happy," Inman said.
Walking around and waving the wand is also a great way to get some exercise, with hunts lasting for about 30 to 60 minutes.
Ray Inman, 77, has been metal detecting for more than 20 years. "I still get excited," he said. "It's an adrenaline rush."
During Inman's travels to England, Hawaii and Mexico, he and his wife uncovered many small trinkets and treasures that haven't been touched for quite a long time.
"We went to England and found half a snaffle bit that used to go in a horse's mouth and it was stamped Knights and Nobility," Inman said. "It is bronze and gold plated and is only one of two in the world, and it's on display in the Dover Museum in England."
Buying equipment to start up this sport is reasonable, with detectors on the lower end costing $99 and ranging all the way up to $5,000 for the high tech detectors. "This is a sport that you make back what you pay though," said Jim Inman.
Metal detectors can be purchased locally from G I Joe's Outdoor Store, and those new to the sport can start mining for metal objects right away.
Inman has other mini-hunts planned for this year, with the next one sometime in August. Contact the Ukiah Parks and Recreation Department at 463-6237 for more information.
By JAMES ARENS The Daily Journal
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/local/ci_3935934#
Ryan Garner/The Daily Journal
Ray Inman, president of the Mendocino Lost and Found Metal Detectors Club, leads the group in its annual treasure hunt Sunday afternoon at Mesa Park near Lake Mendocino. Inman has been hunting for treasure regularly since 1984.
One man or woman's trash may be another's treasure.
When it comes to the Mendocino Lost and Found Metal Detectors Club, treasure can be found in some unlikely places.
"When you find a coin that no one has touched for 2,000 years, it's awesome," said Jo Inman, vice-president of the club and wife of club President Ray Inman.
Sunday's hunt was the 15th Annual Metal Detector Hunt and was held at the Lake Mendocino Mesa Park.
Hunters from Ukiah, Willits, Potter Valley, Santa Rosa, Windsor and Lake County came out to compete for prizes. Each club member paid a fee of $20 and bought a prize to be won after the hunts.
"Lustre Jewelry gave us an earring set worth about $75," Ray Inman said.
Intense waving of electrical wands picking up the faintest of beeps signaling metal to be mined out of the ground is the reason participants come out.
"You come out here because you want to find stuff," Ray Inman said. "Especially gold hunting."
The club has about 20 to 25 members, and 15 of them were at this hunt with aspirations of winning one of the prizes.
A field is marked off with yellow tape, and silver coins are planted, with some coins painted and stamped with a number correlating to a particular prize. Some are buried in the ground, so being skilled with the detector and digging them up is the only way to find the coins. "It does take some getting used to," said Bill Dowling.
Metal detecting is also a pastime that pays for itself.
"I've found a gold nugget that was over an ounce, a Celtic coin while I was in England and rings and necklaces during my hunts," Ray Inman. "In Hawaii, I found a diamond ring that a recently married woman lost while she was swimming, and I returned it to her and she was so happy," Inman said.
Walking around and waving the wand is also a great way to get some exercise, with hunts lasting for about 30 to 60 minutes.
Ray Inman, 77, has been metal detecting for more than 20 years. "I still get excited," he said. "It's an adrenaline rush."
During Inman's travels to England, Hawaii and Mexico, he and his wife uncovered many small trinkets and treasures that haven't been touched for quite a long time.
"We went to England and found half a snaffle bit that used to go in a horse's mouth and it was stamped Knights and Nobility," Inman said. "It is bronze and gold plated and is only one of two in the world, and it's on display in the Dover Museum in England."
Buying equipment to start up this sport is reasonable, with detectors on the lower end costing $99 and ranging all the way up to $5,000 for the high tech detectors. "This is a sport that you make back what you pay though," said Jim Inman.
Metal detectors can be purchased locally from G I Joe's Outdoor Store, and those new to the sport can start mining for metal objects right away.
Inman has other mini-hunts planned for this year, with the next one sometime in August. Contact the Ukiah Parks and Recreation Department at 463-6237 for more information.
