San Diego gold

[Sample Pan Dan]

Got out today for a little sampling, and found a nice little spot I will return to. Found a couple "chunky" pieces for SD gold.

 

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[Sample Pan Dan]

Ya that's the area I'm playing in now. Cottonwood creek I probably less than 10 miles from where I'm digging now.

 

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[discordia]

Crushed up some quartz rocks that had black iron minerals in them that I took from a quartz vein on our last trip. Panned half of it so far and got a few really really tiny specks and one really really tiny flake. Super careful transferring to vial. Took about three hours. Not sure if possible to take a pic because it's so small. Need a better magnifying glass or miner's loupe.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Went out to the creek for a few hours by myself this morning. Would love to get a video of Gold N Sand for Bkpkr, but hard to do by myself :-)
I did find a few more decent flakes, and still gotta repan the cons. What seems strange to me at this point is although my hole is now prob 4' deep, the bigger gold seem to come from the top 2' of gravel as I open up this hole. Next trip will find me wearing a snorkel mask with my head in the water butt up like a duck. It's killing me that I can't see the bottom!

Here's the hole first trip

And here's what it's become

Oh and I'm quickly running out of water! :-(

 

[Hard Prospector]

Could be a good time to move some of those bigger rocks like some have suggested while you still have water to work with. Looks like a promising spot and nice pics.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Ya I think you're right, but both are still half burried in over burden, I had no idea the smaller one was there when I started. I've been pulling rocks as big as basketballs out of this thing.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

That and the big rock is resting on the smaller one. I was actually thinking of digging the gravel on the upstream side of the big rock so as to try to move it upstream?

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Went out for a couple hours this morning. Great day, except the bugs are starting to get outta control already!

 

[Colt gold]

Dang, thats a great placed you got there! I wish i could buy some of that dirt off you

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Thanks Colt gold, that was about about 12 gallons of 1/2" classified gravel.

 

[Alex Burke]

Everytime I see this thread I think of this idea I had for a TV show. Basicly post locations like this and film the location the next day to see and interview people show up to dig and what tools they bring etc. For some reason I think it would be funny if people started digging for diamonds in a upper class San Diego estates creek out of the blue.
https://maps.google.com/?t=h&q=http://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/kml.php?labno=10214055

 

[discordia]

You know there is a trail you can hike down from the east side of those san diego estates but apparently the part below it is private property? Which is the upper part of the san diego river... I think.

 

[Hard Prospector]

You know there is a trail you can hike down from the east side of those san diego estates but apparently the part below it is private property? Which is the upper part of the san diego river... I think.

I believe your referring to the east trail that starts at the San Diego Country Estates and winds down to cedar creek falls.The trail winds through mostly public land and is usually open to foot traffic although I have seen it closed once or twice for whatever reason.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

I ain't telling no one where this spot is :-)

 

[Alex Burke]

I guess it does look possible lol, the "Volcan mountains" nearby maybe some kimberlite, maybe after a good rain....

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

That show would be, the great race meets gold rush! Hmmm¿

 

[Hard Prospector]

Went out for a couple hours this morning. Great day, except the bugs are starting to get outta control already!

When it starts getting warm and the bugs start appearing(gnats,blow flies, skeeters etc) I modestly increase my garlic intake everyday if I plan on being in the woods a lot. Garlic flavored sweat helps keep the bugs(and the old lady) from chew'in me up.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Hadn't thought of that. Thanks Hard Prospector.

 

[63bkpkr]

drywallman, HP is right about the garlic helping to keep thinks away from you 'out there' as well as in town.

IF you really need to move that rock I would suggest the 8000 pound rated cable hoist from Harbor Freight, ~ $25.
Couple it up with a half set of tire chains (real chain type not cables tire chains), some hold down cable wrapped around an anchor point and it should come out of that hole. Works a lot safer if you have some of those hefty nylon trucker tie-down straps like they use on highway rigs to hold their loads down, available at flea markets I'm told.

Boulder Bra (tire chain) in action, a cable between it and the 8000 lb Harbor Freight cable hoist that was tied off to a convenient tree (tied off so the tree would not be damaged).

But then again if the best samples came from the top 2' there might not be anything down below it to make moving it worthwhile. One never knows where the gold really is! If it were me, I would move it then you would know for sure about "that" boulder.

Nice fish in your Avatar, Bass? Keep having fun.........................63bkpkr

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Nice fish in your Avatar, Bass? Keep having fun.........................63bkpkr

Yes a nice large mouth from under Interstate 5, near Oceanside California. We talk about urban prospecting all the time, here's some urban fishing. :-)
Notice the graffiti on the bridge columns..

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Oh and my plan is to make this hole about 6x6 And see what lies below when I hit bedrock. The problem when I get ready to move those rocks will be my anchor point. Not a whole lot of trees close and handy, I may have to rig 30+ feet of strap or chain to be able to crank that rock up and out.

Slow week at work, so I was back out today for a few hours. She yielded a little more, for my effort. Not bad at all for about 6 trips about 3hrs average.