Dry washing in and around the San Diego area.

[danodog]

My boys are getting a dry washer and some sluice boxes for Christmas and we are complete newbies. My youngest son has been interested in gold mining since his first experience panning in Julian California. I bought pay dirt for him when he kept bugging me, but that only intensified his interest. Now my older son is interested and they have watched a couple of Gold shows. I originally was going to buy a dry washer from a local retailer in San Diego, but a friend of mine knows a friend who wanted to sell a like new Thompson puffer. I got an incredible price on it, so the rest is history.

We plan on joining GPAA and a local prospecting club called SPMA that has access to claims. Other than that I have no idea. The kids are going to be crazy when they see that dry washer Christmas morning. I have told them repeatedly that it is too expensive to too much labor.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[stefen]

can't wait to see the pans loaded with chunky nuggets...

 

[socalal99]

Best of luck. Suggest you also buy you and your kids some very good dust masks.

 

[Hoser John]

Read post in Gold Prospecting forum here as them sluice boxes can get you into trouble now, few weeks ago clown Brown cut all miners throats with Water Quality board bull. HIGH QUALITY DUST MASKS ARE MANDATORY......-John

 

[danodog]

Thanks for the replies. I will research quality face masks. Good thing I was warned on sluice boxes. I was about to buy two of them.

 

[Hard Prospector]

SPMA and Treasure Seekers of San Diego(meetings in Escondido) are your local clubs and good ones too, Treasure Seekers is especially family friendly. Both clubs have claims in SD county however best claims are within a few hours at Cargo Muchacho and Randsburg. You don't need to be GPAA member to join these clubs. There is good gold pocketed up in some areas around the county however its most certainly on private property. I applaud your efforts to get your boys active outdoors which reminds me of a bumper I saw some time ago: "Kids That Camp, Hike and Prospect Won't Steel Deal or Murder"

 

[danodog]

Read post in Gold Prospecting forum here as them sluice boxes can get you into trouble now, few weeks ago clown Brown cut all miners throats with Water Quality board bull. HIGH QUALITY DUST MASKS ARE MANDATORY......-John

Are sluice boxes the same as hand sluices? I might have used the wrong terminology. I didn't see restrictions on hand sluicing and both of the prospecting stores in my general area sell hand sluices like the Keene A51. It would be disappointing to make a purchase and have it rendered useless.

 

[Goldwasher]

Sluice es are not banned don't worry about it

 

[KevinInColorado]

But don't get an A51 if you don't already know how to run it. They are more difficult to learn to use well than a Bazooka Goldtrap sluice such as the Sniper or Prospector models. Get one of those instead to shorten your learning curve and GET MORE GOLD!

 

[goldenIrishman]

I was born and raised in San Diego and that's where I started my gold mining adventures. I've since mined in Georgia and now live in Arid-Zona. I saw how Commiefornia was heading and got out of the state while the getting was good.

I wouldn't suggest the GPAA claim that's between Santa Ysabel and Julian for a newbie. VERY rough trail in and out of it and tons of poison oak in that canyon. As was stated before, join up with a local club and learn from those that have experience with the type of equipment you're planning on getting as well as the different areas of the county.

There's a lot of gold in the San Diego area but most of it is on private property. If you've got any friends up in the back country try hitting them up to let you do some prospecting on their land. I used to mine from just a few miles outside of Ramona all the way out to Borego Springs. I know guys that have found gold while digging the footings for building foundations near the coast.

 

[danodog]

Thank you all for the replies. I just joined GPAA and have the mining guide, but I can't look at it because it is a Christmas gift for my boys. I will also join a local club SPMA, so that should give us access to enough "convenient" locations. I will have to reach out on the private property to see what is available. I hope to be dry washing the last week of December with my boys. I hope we find a little color, to keep the fever going.