Dizzys Diggin Thread - 2014

[DizzyDigger]

Starting to feel all alone here, so if folks don't know,
comments (good, bad or indifferent) are always welcome!

 

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[KiddoTheMiner]

Starting to feel all alone here, so if folks don't know,
comments (good, bad or indifferent) are always welcome!

So how's making that video goin

 

[Duckwalk]

Makes me want to go through all my old pictures to find the blacksmithing pictures I have of me younger. I used to do pioneer festivals and things of that nature.

 

[425jesse]

Morning Dizzy! It has been a little quiet on here, but I think it's because we are all like a crowd of entertained onlookers to your writing. You take great pictures and your adventures are fun to "tag along" on through reading!

I was up in your neck of the woods yesterday (Sorta) for work, and ended up with 2 hours to spare at the end of the day, so I went and did a little prospering not too far from the confluence of deer and NF stilly. Have you ever dug up on Deer? Not too bad colors for a short day!

How is your new classifying tool working? Are you running 2 pumps now, one to keep cube running and a second for the classifier washer wand? It looks and sounds great! Hope to hear more about it and how it works soon!

Cheers!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Morning Dizzy! It has been a little quiet on here, but I think it's because we are all like a crowd of entertained onlookers to your writing. You take great pictures and your adventures are fun to "tag along" on through reading! I was up in your neck of the woods yesterday (Sorta) for work, and ended up with 2 hours to spare at the end of the day, so I went and did a little prospering not too far from the confluence of deer and NF stilly. Have you ever dug up on Deer? Not too bad colors for a short day! How is your new classifying tool working? Are you running 2 pumps now, one to keep cube running and a second for the classifier washer wand? It looks and sounds great! Hope to hear more about it and how it works soon! Cheers!

Running two pumps is a good idea since you need to leave to Gold Cube pump running all the time to keep those vortex mats wet, otherwise you'll get bubbles in the mat and then you can lose gold

 

[DizzyDigger]

Thanks for the company guys..I knew someone was reading my ramblings..If'n y'all
were nearby I'd buy the first round

So how's making that video goin

So far, it's not going too hot, but I'm workin' on it. I've shot many thousands of
pics with the old 35mm, and now with DSLR's, but I've never had a thing to
do with video. Best I've got to shoot video with at the moment is my trusty
Nikon D90, but it's not what it does best.

I also need to find a free video editing program so I can at least do some
minimal editing and splice video's together to make a proper film.

Makes me want to go through all my old pictures to find the blacksmithing
pictures I have of me younger. I used to do pioneer festivals and things of that nature.

Very cool! Blacksmithing is one of those old arts that needs to be
preserved. As a kid I used to watch a neighbor who was a farrier,
and he'd use the same heat source to do all kinds of ironwork.

If you can dig 'em out, then post 'em up in your journal,,

Morning Dizzy! It has been a little quiet on here, but I think it's because we are all like a crowd of entertained onlookers to your writing. You take great pictures and your adventures are fun to "tag along" on through reading!
I was up in your neck of the woods yesterday (Sorta) for work, and ended up with 2 hours to spare at the end of the day, so I went and did a little prospering not too far from the confluence of deer and NF stilly. Have you ever dug up on Deer? Not too bad colors for a short day!
How is your new classifying tool working? Are you running 2 pumps now, one to keep cube running and a second for the classifier washer wand? It looks and sounds great! Hope to hear more about it and how it works soon!
Cheers!

Jesse, if you keep telling me you like my writing I swear I'm
gonna break down and start posting up some real stories...
..actually, not real, they're more like Prospecting Fiction.
(had to do something with all the free time I have..lol)

I know the creek, and yep..been there and dug that..
Most of Deer Creek is very difficult to access, but I can reach it
from my side of the mountains.

Haven't used the new classifier yet, but hope to get out sometime
in the next few days and give it a workout. I keep hoping that the
Meniere's will go into remission again, but until it does my "good"
days will be few and far between. Time will come when it does take
a break, and I keep the truck packed and ready to go when I am. ...

I've just got one pump right now, and another will have to wait
a bit, but no worries. I like to get all the hard work over with
before sitting down to feed the Cube, so the Cube won't be
running while I'm digging and classifying.

Running two pumps is a good idea since
you need to leave to Gold Cube pump running all the time to keep those vortex
mats wet, otherwise you'll get bubbles in the mat and then you can lose gold

Kevin, I had heard you could turn the flow off and on with the
Cube and not lose any gold. Think it was on a Cube video...did
I hear wrong?

Been reading about how others soak down the mats before using
the Cube, and liked Doc's idea about putting Jet Dry + water into a
spray bottle. To be honest, I've never done anything to prep the
mats in my Cube...just put it together and turned it on..

Mixed up a spray bottle with the jet dry, and it's now packed in the
same tub as the Cube, so next trip I'll definitely pre-soak those
mats!

Heard a big commotion out on the front porch while I was typing this,
and found this critter with a mouthful of my cats food...



Chased his arse back down to the river bank where he belongs. Don't
know why I waste the time though, 'cause he'll be back before the nights
over. Nuthin' out there for him to steal now...

 

[Duckwalk]

Hey dizzy, look at windows movie maker. It's free through microsoft

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Hey dizzy, look at windows movie maker. It's free through microsoft

was about to say that, lol
its pretty easy to use too
I use it for my videos

 

[KevinInColorado]

The inventors of the gold cube, Red and my mike, are clear that you should keep that pump running constantly while there's gold in your mats. None of that off and on stuff!

The pre-spritz with a diluted Jetdry solution sounds smart. I've always just wet it down with the pump hose and a soft brush but the spritz sounds quick and easy.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Kiddo/Ducky: Looks like Movie Maker was part of the XP SP2
package, so I already had it. Before I figured that out I went
to download it from a site, and my Avast went into overdrive
fighting off all kinds of spyware.

Got that cleaned up and then realized I already had the program..

Still need to figure the program out, but at least I've got a good
place to start. I'm a wizard with Lightroom, so hopefully this won't
take too long to learn.

Kevin: Gotchya.. Until I can get another pump
I'll just do all the classifying first, then sit down and relax by
the river while I feed the Cube all those tasty little golden morsels..

It's 0215 now, and I'm just waking up from 13 hrs. of good sleep.
Feel pretty good, and with sunrise just after 0500 I'm gonna take
off from here about 0430. It's been hot here (anything over 80º
is hot IMO), and at the moment in my shop (located in the garage)
it's 70º and 77% humidity, so it'll likely be a fairly miserable day
of hot, humid weather. Still, gonna try to get 3 or 4 hours of
work in before it gets too hot.

Question's been on my mind: "How long before I have to completely
give this up?" Not a one of us wants to accept their mortality, and
the weaknesses of the human body. I'm stubborn as hell (just ask my
wife..lol) but there's a point where that just won't cut it any more. What
really chaps my arse is I'm only 54 (OK, I'll be 55 on the 10th), and my
mind and will just aren't ready to "lay down my sword" just yet.

The mountains, rivers, creeks and deserts have been "home" for me
all my life, and I just can't handle the thought of having to look at
it all, and then not be an interactive part of that natural environment.

Dylan Thomas understood the fire that burns within us, and he
knew of the frailty's of men as well..

******************************************************

Do not go gentle into that good night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

*************************************************

Whether it's months, or years from now...I ain't goin'
down easy, so if the Grim Reaper dares to show his
face he's got a shock coming...

Journals are a place to share even some serious thoughts,
and I apologize for the brief departure from all the positive
writing. I've always been called a "deep thinker", and sometimes
ya just gotta let some of it out. Young folks may not understand
it all, but that's OK...it's not something for you to be concerned
with for a long while. Time does march on, however, so live
every day as if it was your last!
**********************************************

Battery's charging well, and I need to go put some chow
together to take along. Plenty of water is #1, cause in this
weather ya sweat like crazy and it don't take long to get
dehydrated.

I should be back home before noon, and hoping to clean
up some nice gold tonight!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Dizz, here's hoping you feel much better soon. Part of the trick to aging well is finding younger folks to do some of the work. I was out digging twice a couple weeks ago with my two nephews (they came from Issaquah, WA to Denver) and boy did they work hard in the creek!

 

[425jesse]

Hope you had a great day in our hot weather! Anything above 80ish and I whine and swear! Sounds like you like it as much as me! LOL Here's to a good day on the gold!!!!

 

[Duckwalk]

I'm in ga and have hate summer from the day I was born. 83 at 97% humidity is like 102 in desert

 

[goldenmojo]

Just hot here today, 96 and worked in the metal barn all day. Was about 120 in there with no air. Need to dip a pan.....

 

[DizzyDigger]

Just hot here today, 96 and worked in the metal barn all day.
Was about 120 in there with no air. Need to dip a pan.....

In temps like that I'd be dippin' myself in that water..

Got out to the bar about 6:15, and it was a gorgeous morning,
but all too soon it got hot, and humid. Couldn't put my sunglasses
on without 'em fogging up..lol

Did manage to run 30 gal. of classified material, and was off the
bar by 11:30. No shade on the bar, and I'd been sitting in the
heat/humidity for too long. The first half-mile out of there requires
4WD, and it was the first time I ever used A/C while in 4WD..
Ran some errands on the way home, and at 2:30pm it was 89 on
the front porch (in the shade).

Did over-do a bit, and paid the price this afternoon, but after a couple
hour nap I'm doing fine. The new classifier worked excellent, and while not
quite as fast as I'd have liked, it gets the job done without much effort.
No back strain, and it does a super job of classifying the material.

Kevin: my grandsons are still too young, and my only nephew is
nearing 30, so unless someone joins me I'm on my own. If your
nephews are in Issaquah they're not far from the Raging, so send
'em down there with pans!

Kiddo: I actually shot some video today.. Not sure how they
came out, but will figure out how to post 'em up tomorrow when
I write up the trip report. So far I haven't touched the cons, but
do know I got a little gold as I saw it sliding down the slick plate.
River was high, and odds are what I came home with is smaller
gold in the -50 to -200 range, and when I run the cons tomorrow
we'll see if it was worth the effort.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Dizz, I'm already scheming for the four of us to get together when I come up to visit (unsure when that will be but will definitely reach out to you then!)! They are both hardworking teenagers with gold fever and I'm sure they'd love to see your Goldcube at work!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Early morning on the river..

Kevin, I'll be looking forward to it, so drop me a PM when
you decide to make the trip.

I did shoot some video, but am still editing them in Movie Maker.
Not a hard program to learn, but sometimes I'm a little slow
on the uptake...

Here's a couple still shots taken from the Longhorn Bar that
I just couldn't pass up.







Some days up here the clouds sit right on the ground, or river. This
stuff burned off within minutes of the Sun hitting the river.

Been up all night working on those videos (had to start over a few
times..lol) so will try and write up the rest of the trip this evening.

Hope Y'all enjoy the pics..

 

[stephenhansen2]

pictures look great. cant wait to see the video. Glad to see your up and able again dizz.

 

[425jesse]

Holy Heck that is soooo full right now! How deep is the river in the middle out there? Keep up the good work Dizz!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Thanks Dizz!

...and the pics look beautiful, can't wait to see the video!