OC 49ers Club

[mellowyellow]

Hey all, just joined OC 49ers and heard some
good things about their claims and members. Any info on the Mojave claims would be great. Really want to try some out dry washin out on the claims. I love dry washing. Any tips, areas, or info would be helpful! Thanks. PM me if u want to. This is from this last weekend in Mojave desert. Not so great this trip but had a blast.

 

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[Aurabbit79er]

I have a dry washer !!!!!!
Take me with you!!!!!

 

[mellowyellow]

I have a dry washer !!!!!!
Take me with you!!!!!

For sure, I have all the gear as well. I'm a Mojave rat. Well go after the holidays!

 

[Aurabbit79er]

Sounds like a plan.
Pick a spot and I'll dig like a gopher.

 

[mellowyellow]

Get ready to diggggg! We should stay overnight at least one..

 

[Hoser John]

Yhe club was founded by Don Hoffman as a GPAA club,which new management threw out over 10 years after it's founding. The founders slowly died out from Desert Fever aka Valley Fever from refusing to wear dustmasks whilst drywashing-Don H,Russ B,GR Hock,Richard K,Larr W, and on and on ALL RIP. My and Don's factory and store PESCO financed,started,and perpetuated the club for over 12 years,I retired and Don a few years later. The club HAD some of the best claims in the desert,rivers and foothills. The new folks(newbies) who pontificated knowledge lost ALL the claims EVERYWHERE through procedural ignorance. I personaly spent many 100's a hours and casha getting new claims for the club,but when we left all lost ..... Don't know whats left but we sure had many years of fun with some righteous ol'crazy sobs and will never forget them dayz of old when miners were bold and actually did something besides pontification....John --after ya been there for a year or so to know whatzup,I would like a personal observation posted ifn' ya might,as would be nice to know if all that $$$$,time and effort was for nuttn' or just dust'n the wind as dredging.......

 

[mellowyellow]

Dang John, those old timers all passed from desert fever? Scary stuff RIP. I just starting wearing a mask this las trip after last trip I got so so sick. Been dry washing a lot for over a year in Mojave. Now I want to hit a few OC claims. Even though I still find really nice gold at the red Chispas. A PCSC claim by Gorlock.

I will let u know how some of their desert claims are after I hit em a bit. Last weekend spent a few hours dry washing their "triple RC claim". Not to much chunky gold but a decent amount of pepper. This was by the narrows in El Paso mountain range.

 

[Hoser John]

PCSC has been around for ages also. Toy and Youzi Sato(forgive spelling please) were some of the first founders waaaaay back in the 60's or so? Great club with some fantastic outings and last I heard had managed to keep claims that have produced plenty of gold for many years. My folks were Prez/VP and misc in the PV Gem and Mineral club in late 50-early 60's and Toy/Youzi were members also and GREAT folks. Last time we talked,1990 or so, is when I put on the detector hunt at the OC Fair and mineral exhibit also with some folks. From childhood on many great folks I've been lucky enough to know,party down,grub for gems and gold. Your running with a great crowd--or used to be,and would truly appreciate any up dates as I go back over 54 years with some a them folks--sooooooooo much fun-John

 

[mellowyellow]

Good info on PCSC, thanks JH.. I have yet to go to a "PCSC outing" but I have hot a few of their claims, and let me tell you, the claim I was working in the desert, still puts out very good gold. I'm impressed! This last trip was not so great for me in gold output but had a BLAST.
Here's from this last weekend John. A lot of dirt was moved to get that little yellow dust. Add it to the rest of my dust.

 

[Hoser John]

Sometimes the folks ya meet and the experiences you have are the true gold of the day----John

 

[mellowyellow]

Sometimes the folks ya meet and the experiences you have are the true gold of the day----John

Well said brother, so true.....

 

[kuger]

..heed the warnings of Valley Fever....I had/have it....to go along with my Lyme's Disease.....have had friends die of complications from both,and a very good friend in BAD shape right now with the V. Fever...Doc's these days...truly just "Practice"

 

[mellowyellow]

Thanks Kruger, guess this V fever is no joke. All I need to hear, just bought 10 masks on eBay by 3m with a one way valve. Not taking any chances. What the heck is in that Mojave dirt eh??

Well y'all be safe, and lets go find some mellow yelllllllow

 

[kuger]

This was recently in the paper here
Valley fever deaths higher than thought | Recordnet.com

 

[mellowyellow]

Thanks Kruger, interesting and scary reading.

 

[soupfreak]

Thanks Kruger, guess this V fever is no joke. All I need to hear, just bought 10 masks on eBay by 3m with a one way valve. Not taking any chances. What the heck is in that Mojave dirt eh??

Well y'all be safe, and lets go find some mellow yelllllllow

Amazon.com: 3M 8511 Particulate Sanding N95 Respirator with Valve, 10-Pack: Home Improvement

My Dad worked in industrial insulation, including ASBESTOS! That Mojave sand is nothing to mess around with.

 

[mellowyellow]

That is exactly what I bought on eBay! Lol. Thank you siir!

 

[Aurabbit79er]

Boy, That reminds me.
I went mining with a friend I worked with when I worked at Point Mugu Naval Base.
On a trip to Arizona his wife got it. It had been windy and dusty at some of the places they stopped, but didn't think much about it.
2days later they had to stop at the ER in Laughlin for her. She got it and has never been the same. There were complications and shes on drugs for life. So now every desert trip it'sunglasses, hat, and mask. The Doc told him the worst time is after rains just as the dirt dries out. It has a growth bloom. The wind can carry it for miles, so it's not just the dust you dig. See it's weird she caught it but He didn't. They were together the whole time.
Doc also warned my friend about Hunta Virus found in small caves and old mines, and rundown buildings where rodents hang out in the desert.
He told me all this while we were up at EF in 2002.
He had never gone gold mining and was from back east, and always want to find some Calif gold. So I took him out there and worked his but off.
He went home happy and sore with 1.5 grams and 3 nice pickers.
I told him there are bigger nuggets in the desert you can get with a metal detector with less digging, that's when he told me about his wife.

 

[kuger]

Yep,I got the V.F. and Lymes over 8 years ago now in Monterey County.Haunta is evil bad chit!!!!!When I worked in Nevada I was scared all the time,people die there every year,and in Yosemite this year at least 4 (might have ended up more)died from it...then there is Phnuemonic and Bubonic Plagues.......

 

[Hoser John]

Valley fever rots the lungs and Lyme rots the entire body,mind turns to jello also--seen both at their worst NUMEROUS times and absolutely sickening horrorific slow agonizing death. Wear good dust resperators when drywashing and watch bug bites,many bite but don't stick -ticks-as when a circle appears RUN don't walk asap for help -----John--57+ years of forest /desert ratz crawling around and a single problem yet as I coveth garlic and they HATE it just like mosquitos