Dizzys Diggin Thread - 2014

[Oregon Viking]

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.

View attachment 1021156

View attachment 1021157

View attachment 1021155

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..

Nice!
The Pacific northwest is a great place to live!

 

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[DizzyDigger]

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

Every now and then I get a good day, and when I do the concept
of "Carpe' Diem" is fully embraced...

Jesse: It is running high, but the deeper parts are the slots closer to
the banks. It's dirty, too, as it's all snow melt. Hopefully that's the last
of the snow melt for awhile, so now it can drop down low and expose
some fresh ground. I've dug just about everything above the average
water line, so until it drops I'm going to try running large qty's of
the sand bar. It's got lots of small gold; usually nothing bigger
than about 60 mesh.

I'll post the video at the end.

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

As I was driving along and dodging the deer and elk that seem too
stupid to get out of the road, I was also thinking of what spots on
this bar haven't been dug...and there ain't many. It's just about
high-graded out now, but there is still plenty of gold to be dug
if I'm willing to run more material per trip.

You'll see in the video that I'm trenching an area parallel to the
river, and just above a few small plants growing on the bank.
I don't like moving or damaging plants if I don't have to, so
in this case they became the line between two digging spots.
I did dig under them and gently clean off the material from
the roots, but immediately reburied them in some fresher
material.

It was a beautiful morning, especially with the fog sitting on the
water. Don't know why, but I've always liked fog as a photo
subject..it's always changing and can make for great pics if
ya do it right. The pics above were just .jpg snapshots I
didn't really take time with, but I do have a couple of this
same valley taken from elevation.

Here's one I shot a few years back. I still sell a print of
it on occasion, and framed along with the print is a copy
of Poe's "Land of El Dorado". It's a panorama, so be
sure and view it at full size.


"Valley of the Shadow"

Image with the poem is posted here:

http://www.pbase.com/dizzygazer/image/138111934/original

Was in the middle of digging, looked up and saw this wisp just
hanging in the air across the river..had to try and catch it...



As Jesse mentioned, the water was running very high, and all
of the other areas that I'd worked previously were under water,
so, I picked the last spot available and went to work. It was
higher up the bank where the rocks have dropped out and just
the sand piled up, so I dug deeper to get to what I hoped was
a gold bearing layer underneath.



Processed the cons the next day, and when panning down the
+30 material I noticed a large volume of small garnets, along with
a couple other cool looking little stones. Not sure what those
ruby red ones are, but wish they were bigger so I could polish
up a few in the tumbler.



Some new prospectors might not be familiar with the various
mesh sizes we so often speak of, but here's a couple pics
for reference.

This first one is gold that's smaller than 60 mesh and larger
than 100 mesh:



And this gold is smaller than 100 mesh...aka: -100 or
100-. I'm not sure which is the correct way to express it..)





Sorry the -100 pic isn't sharper, but I had a hard time steadying
the camera for the shot.

Total for the day was less than 1/10th g.

So...here's my first video. Tried to show how well the new
classifier worked, along with some shots of the surrounding
area. Used Movie Maker to combine 3 different clips into one,
longer video, and even tossed in a good tip for those of you
who are chasing this small glacier gold.

BTW, never said I was handsome, but I am handy!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Dizz, glad you had a good day and took the time to share it with us. Beautiful site, nice video and that gold cube sure does catch the fine gold well!

 

[AzViper]

Mike,

I am so jealous of you. Being able to go out for the day and have such a beautiful flowing river to work beside. Having unlimited access to water is just unreal in my book. Southern Arizona has no running water with the exception to monsoon season but the water runs off so quickly it’s gone in a matter of a few hours. I would welcome an opportunity to have water such as you have.

The images are of the Rillito River and Tucson, it’s really a dry wash. As you can see they run power poles down the river and weeds grow into trees. A local radio station has a contest each year when the ice will break in the river (Tongue In Cheek) The only time this river flows is in Monsoon season and will flow bank to bank at a depth of 5 ft. At its widest part the river is 300 plus feet. When we get rain its flows at an incredible speed as the water is flowing off of mountains in the 9000 foot elevation just a few miles away. We are lucky to get 13 inches of rainfall a year.

​

 

[stephenhansen2]

You doing alright mike. Haven't heard from ya on here for a while?

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Mike,

I am so jealous of you. Being able to go out for the day and have such a beautiful flowing river to work beside. Having unlimited access to water is just unreal in my book. Southern Arizona has no running water with the exception to monsoon season but the water runs off so quickly it’s gone in a matter of a few hours. I would welcome an opportunity to have water such as you have.

The images are of the Rillito River and Tucson, it’s really a dry wash. As you can see they run power poles down the river and weeds grow into trees. A local radio station has a contest each year when the ice will break in the river (Tongue In Cheek) The only time this river flows is in Monsoon season and will flow bank to bank at a depth of 5 ft. At its widest part the river is 300 plus feet. When we get rain its flows at an incredible speed as the water is flowing off of mountains in the 9000 foot elevation just a few miles away. We are lucky to get 13 inches of rainfall a year.

View attachment 1022057 View attachment 1022058​

the kind of gold you guys get is unimaginable to us here in Georgia

so I guess its a little give and take

 

[DizzyDigger]

Stephen, thanks for the concern. The last few weeks have not been kind,
but then again, it could be worse than it is. Meniere's isn't fatal...it just
makes you wanna die..lol. Lots of dizzy days right now, so I can get up
and around to take care of myself and the duties here at home, but beyond
that I'm parked 'til this subsides. Meniere's can be completely unpredictable,
and, as always, I'm hoping the next period of remission will come soon!

Keith, we get an average of 75-80 inches of rain per year, so a lack of
water is not generally a concern. With all the snow melt from the hot
weather, the rivers all have plenty of water, and some of the feeder
creeks are running very low. This is a great opportunity to check areas
I couldn't normally get to due to higher water flows on small creeks.

Growing up in So. Cal. and spending the bulk of my weekends out in
the desert, I've seen flash floods, and they scare the crap outta me.

 

[425jesse]

Hey Mike! I'm glad to see you on, but bummed the dizzy is giving you a hard time right now. Well, it was too damn hot last few weeks anyways. I got back out to deer creek last weekend after checking out the Oso Landslide. Wow I have never seen anything like that.
Deer creek was fun to dig a second time, but this time, she kicked my butt. I got a tiny bit of gold...
But really, I was most successful with birdshot recovery. Isn't that how it goes!!?
Hope you feel better soon and get back after that season goal!!

Jesse

 

[DizzyDigger]

Yeah, it's quite the mess, ain't it..

Have you spot checked any areas downriver of the slide? Think
that slide could have pushed down a glacial deposit right into the
Stilly?

FWIW, I've been fighting this disease since 2005, and I really
enjoyed the months of remission I had, but it seems things
are now back to "normal" (for lack of a better way to say it).
It's sorta like having a kidney stone...it irritates the hell
out of you for awhile, but this too shall pass..

Most folks with disabling diseases don't get the mini-vacations
from their disease like I do, so I consider myself blessed to have
had that time. It'll come again, and I'll be packed and ready to go
when it does..

 

[425jesse]

Mike, you truly have a great outlook. I genuinely admire you. Feel better brother.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Mike, you truly have a great outlook. I genuinely admire you. Feel better brother.

well said! Wishing you the best Mike!

 

[AzViper]

Mike Vertigo can really be a bit*h. My wife went through feeling of off balance, dizzy, ringing, etc. The doctors placed in a machine to help correct her. That was 3 years ago and so far no recurring issues. Get well my friend.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

hey dizz I found a solution for your digging problem

 

[DizzyDigger]

Thank you all for the awesome support..it really means a lot to me.

A friend of mine wrote this some years back, but for those unfamiliar
with Meniere's it does a good job of explaining what some days can be like:

Menieres symptoms

Keeping a positive attitude is what keeps me going, and it had to start
with accepting the fact that there are some things in life that we simply
can't control. At that point we have a choice...we can allow it to drag us
to the depths of depression (been there), or, we can accept what is and
move on in life as best we can. I'm always hoping for a cure, or some new
therapy to come out that actually works, but I ain't gonna sit sit here and
hold my breath in the meantime. Instead, I'm gonna live each and every
day to the fullest, and if it's a bad day, well, then there's always tomorrow.

If tomorrow doesn't come, then I'm walking on Streets of Gold.

Man once told me that "Your attitude determines your altitude". He was
right.

Kiddo: I'd love nothing more than to add one of those little diggers
to me gear. Areas where I prospect are considered as "Wild and Scenic",
and if I got caught using that cool little backhoe on the bank of the
river there would likely be jail time involved..lol.

I appreciate the thought though!

Right now I'm looking forward to visiting with Kevin when he
comes to the NW in a few weeks. It's too hot/humid to be outside
much right now, but I am going through some old cons and
black sand to see if I can find another piece of flypoop missed
previously...

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Thank you all for the awesome support..it really means a lot to me.

A friend of mine wrote this some years back, but for those unfamiliar
with Meniere's it does a good job of explaining what some days can be like:

Menieres symptoms

Keeping a positive attitude is what keeps me going, and it had to start
with accepting the fact that there are some things in life that we simply
can't control. At that point we have a choice...we can allow it to drag us
to the depths of depression (been there), or, we can accept what is and
move on in life as best we can. I'm always hoping for a cure, or some new
therapy to come out that actually works, but I ain't gonna sit sit here and
hold my breath in the meantime. Instead, I'm gonna live each and every
day to the fullest, and if it's a bad day, well, then there's always tomorrow.

If tomorrow doesn't come, then I'm walking on Streets of Gold.

Man once told me that "Your attitude determines your altitude". He was
right.

Kiddo: I'd love nothing more than to add one of those little diggers
to me gear. Areas where I prospect are considered as "Wild and Scenic",
and if I got caught using that cool little backhoe on the bank of the
river there would likely be jail time involved..lol.

I appreciate the thought though!

Right now I'm looking forward to visiting with Kevin when he
comes to the NW in a few weeks. It's too hot/humid to be outside
much right now, but I am going through some old cons and
black sand to see if I can find another piece of flypoop missed
previously...

forgot about regulation, guess I forgot that in Georgia assuming it was on private land you could do that

but another idea for your digging problem, nay kids my age in your neighborhood looking for a part time job
most places wont hire you till your 16 for transportation so maybe you can start a little mining crew

as far as Meniere's goes I hope they come out with a new treatment that will solve all your problems

heavy pans to you

 

[Duckwalk]

Have you tried to smoke a little pot? Lol j/k. Now all I see is dizzy with a crew of 10 13 year old kids by the river while he sits and enjoys a cold one.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Have you tried to smoke a little pot? Lol j/k. Now all I see is dizzy with
a crew of 10 13 year old kids by the river while he sits and enjoys a cold one.

I'd much prefer a couple of 14-16 yo. young men rather than kids, as
they'd get 5x the work done with a lot less complaining...

As for the buddage..well, not a good idea when you're out in the wilds.
'Fraid they'd find me a couple days later wandering in the woods looking
for more Doritos..

Kiddo: Don't think there's a treatment that will solve all of my problems,
but I do appreciate the thought. Did find what's been causing me to feel so crappy
though...apparently my blood sugar up and decided to go ballistic, and I can't
control it with just diet any more.

Gonna take a few weeks to get that handled, but once we do I think I'll be back
in business again. It's been too hot here to get out and work right now anyway,
but by late Aug when it starts to cool off I'm hoping to be back in better shape.

After reading about "sniping" for gold, gotta admit that's got my interest. Dig small
amounts, pan it down and get the good stuff...yeah...that's the ticket!

 

[stephenhansen2]

dizz i have more than a few tricks that could help with your blood sugar. ive been dealing with my diabetes for more than twenty years. at times i had to take more than ten injections a day so i am familiar with what ketoacidosis or high blood sugar is like. besides your regimen of insulin there are other methods that help as well. believe it or not but meditation does wonders. it helps a lot with stress witch will cause your blood sugar to do horrible unexpected things more so than any sugary food because you cant anticipate it. anyways if you want any info on methods that work i would be happy to contribute anything that might ease your unpleasantness.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Thanks Stephen. I'm a Type II, and had taken just meds to
control the bs up until about a year ago, and at that time my
bs and A1C's were so stable I stopped taking the med (doc OK'd).
After quitting the med I still kept an eye on the bs, and it was
always in the 110-125 range, which is where I feel best.

This time of year is always miserable with the Meniere's due
to the constantly changing weather, so I've been attributing
feeling like crap for the past few weeks to it. Then, about
2 weeks back had a little syncope event that put me out
for about 5 min., and since then the bs jumped up. Restarted
the med immediately after seeing a bs reading of 280, and now
it's moderated back into the 140-180 range. I see my doc next
week, and she's likely to add something else to the metformin
to get me back on track.

The blood sugar I can control, and once done it should help reduce the
impact/frequency of the Meniere's symptoms.

This afternoon/evening was the first time in weeks that I could
actually say I was feeling like a human being again, and hopefully
this improvement will continue! Been tearing out what little hair
I've got left having to stay "parked", and any hard diggin' is
probably over for the season...at least til' it cools back off into
the 60's.

Gonna try my hand at some sniping. I like the idea of just taking
my daypack and tossing in a couple pans, a classifier, short-handled
pick, a couple scoops and my crevicing tools. Add in a couple bottles
of water and I'm good for a few hours of scrounging around the
local creeks...

Damn...I sure do miss getting out!

 

[gold tramp]

Thanks Stephen. I'm a Type II, and had taken just meds to
control the bs up until about a year ago, and at that time my
bs and A1C's were so stable I stopped taking the med (doc OK'd).
After quitting the med I still kept an eye on the bs, and it was
always in the 110-125 range, which is where I feel best.

This time of year is always miserable with the Meniere's due
to the constantly changing weather, so I've been attributing
feeling like crap for the past few weeks to it. Then, about
2 weeks back had a little syncope event that put me out
for about 5 min., and since then the bs jumped up. Restarted
the med immediately after seeing a bs reading of 280, and now
it's moderated back into the 140-180 range. I see my doc next
week, and she's likely to add something else to the metformin
to get me back on track.

The blood sugar I can control, and once done it should help reduce the
impact/frequency of the Meniere's symptoms.

This afternoon/evening was the first time in weeks that I could
actually say I was feeling like a human being again, and hopefully
this improvement will continue! Been tearing out what little hair
I've got left having to stay "parked", and any hard diggin' is
probably over for the season...at least til' it cools back off into
the 60's.

Gonna try my hand at some sniping. I like the idea of just taking
my daypack and tossing in a couple pans, a classifier, short-handled
pick, a couple scoops and my crevicing tools. Add in a couple bottles
of water and I'm good for a few hours of scrounging around the
local creeks...

Damn...I sure do miss getting out!

Hang in there Mike, im getting the same way these days, 1 day on 2 days to get over the walk and work, keep on trucking buddy.
You still smoking those dadgum cigs ?
GT.................