bustin cracks at yankee jims

[419GottaMinute]

Went out with my mining buddy, john, today. Found these beauts aways up river from the bridge. No big pieces, butt load of fines though. Gonna run it through the shops blue bowl tomorrow and will update.

 

[gold nuggets]

Will be looking for your update and some nice gold PICTURES!
Love the PICTURES!

 

[419GottaMinute]

Update: used blue bowl.around a dwt. Not bad for a great hike and a few hours on the river

 

[DesertNuggets]

Nice take! Love cracks.

 

[kmil10]

Nice color 419

 

[MadMarshall]

Shirttail side? I was out there on Indian creek for a few days Feb 15,16,17 had some nice cracks myself. Glad you did well.

 

[419GottaMinute]

Yup, shirtail side. Creek was pretty cold. I will be happy when water is down enough to go open some holes where we were. Think I ll try my hand at gravity dredging this summer!

 

[TAKODA]

 

[sidvail]

Camped at Euchre Bar 15-17th. I didn't do near as well as 419. But at least I can say I made the hike

I ran into a swarm of ladybugs of all things. A campsite near the bridge was covered with 1000's of them. Did I see a post here where someone mentions ladybug migrations around that area. These lady's must have been tired and stopped for a rest. Very nice area.

 

[419GottaMinute]

Sid: jsut be glad your not down there now! The north fork canyon trails are so beautiful! Did you see many peopke down there? Really glad you made the trip. Do you think you'll go back?

 

[419GottaMinute]

The pic is out my back door in colfax right now

 

[Joel1316]

Wow! That's a big change in weather!
We were at Mineral Bar on Saturday and we were in shorts, shirts and was still too warm. Now its snowing!

 

[sidvail]

Yeah, I think I'm lucky I got out when I did. Didn't see a soul until Sunday on the way back up. A couple groups with their dogs just out for a hike. And that snow is happening today? Whew!

Yeah, I'll definitely go back. Some of the prettiest country ever. I've revised my backpack contents and should make a better showing next time. I did hike downriver for a ways Saturday night to see what was down there. Was hoping on more bedrock. Is the water high right now? Or low? Didn't see a way to really get upriver from there.

 

[419GottaMinute]

Not sure sbout the water level, hoping to go run my sluice at ponderosa or mineral bar this weekend. I ll check my old trail maps to see about the route of the trail, as I believe all the trails connect at one point or another. These trails used to be the only way to get from the gold towns, such as iowa hill, yankee jims, colfax to the mining camps at pickering bar, fords bar (which had a toll bridge), euchre bar and government springs.

 

[sidvail]

I wanna try Ponderosa again. All I took last time was my pans, shovel and a bucket. All those cracks and holes along there just look awesome. What do you think? Crevice tools and a pocket dredge?

 

[419GottaMinute]

Ponderosa is primarily flood gold, fines and flakes. Sluicing is a must. Talked to several people crevassing there , not too much luck. I have never worked upstream from the bridge, but there are some large cobble piles up that way. The guy who turned me onto the place has worked up and down that section of river pretty extensively and said no matter where you go or how deep you go, its pretty much all flood and pays the same.

 

[Fullpan]

Camped at Euchre Bar 15-17th. I didn't do near as well as 419. But at least I can say I made the hike

I ran into a swarm of ladybugs of all things. A campsite near the bridge was covered with 1000's of them. Did I see a post here where someone mentions ladybug migrations around that area. These lady's must have been tired and stopped for a rest. Very nice area.

sidvail - My understanding is, the ladybugs actually hibernate up in the canyons, then at first sign of spring they gather to fly down to the ag. fields in
the Central Valley. Someone correct me if i'm wrong about that. I do know they can bite! lol

 

[419GottaMinute]

I have yet to see it on the north fork, but I have seen it happen on he south fork and consumnes in el dorado county. Thousands of lady bugs gathered on river cobble, quite a sight to behold.

 

[NeoTokyo]

Hey thats pretty nice!

Man I want to snipe that river!

 

[sidvail]

Fullpan,
So they hibernate up there huh? I gotta tell ya, that was the strangest thing. I've seen ladybugs before, but never more than a couple at a time. Wow! There were hundreds of them all over this old coffee pot, and a cloud of them hanging just 5 feet off the ground. Way cool.