Kevin in Colorado...and elsewhere

[KevinInColorado]

Hi GG, it was cold and windy yesterday so the kids just panned at our practice tubs, they didn't get into digging, etc like the groups did the prior times.

You are certainly right about that gray/black layer...great gold in there!

 

[KevinInColorado]

A view of the upstream end of the near side cobble bar at Big Bend. A few months ago this looked all dug up and bombed out by prospectors. One big storm and boom, back to pristine.

I went up to Big Bend today to sample a spot no one goes to and so I could try out a new mod to my little Bazooka highbanker setup. The sampling went great, multiple colors in every shovelful. (See pic in post below). However the PVC piping of my water manifold broke in the cold so no testing for me today

I really gotta get this highbanker sorted out since that's the only way to easily process this little hotspot I found...it's nowhere near a spot to set up a sluice (and that's the only clue I'm giving!)...

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Wow! That's incredible how nice that looks! That place was potholed out the wazoo!

 

[mytimetoshine]

I really gotta get this highbanker sorted out since that's the only way to easily process this little hotspot I found...it's nowhere near a spot to set up a sluice (and that's the only clue I'm giving!)...

You could borrow my Mini rocker, lol

 

[KevinInColorado]

Wow! That's incredible how nice that looks! That place was potholed out the wazoo!

Says the guy who did his share! ;-)

BTW, here's my gold from the spot I sample panned:
3 pieces +50, rest is 50-100 (above) and -100 (on the right), so this was tiny stuff but about a half dozen colors or more in each shovel. You could KILL with a Gold Cube in that spot!
...as you can see I left a little black sand in there with the -100's

Here's Goldpanner Dave about 18 months ago digging a pothole in that very spot that looks pristine today. Gotta love Mother Nature!

 

[goldenmojo]

Somebody get that man a dry shirt.....Looks like a cool spot and perfect for running a bazooka.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Somebody get that man a dry shirt.....Looks like a cool spot and perfect for running a bazooka.

Well, it was 18 months ago, so it was pretty warm, not like last week when I froze my feet. My dear wife bought me some battery heated socks. Have to see if they fit OK under hip waders. In the picture above, I just had on tennis shoes. And the wet shirt felt pretty good.

 

[goldenmojo]

Looks like your having a blast. As long as no extra life insurance policies have been taken out recently a gift of electric socks for your waders would be completely acceptable.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

View attachment 1260781
A view of the upstream end of the near side cobble bar at Big Bend. A few months ago this looked all dug up and bombed out by prospectors. One big storm and boom, back to pristine.

I went up to Big Bend today to sample a spot no one goes to and so I could try out a new mod to my little Bazooka highbanker setup. The sampling went great, multiple colors in every shovelful. (See pic in post below). However the PVC piping of my water manifold broke in the cold so no testing for me today

I really gotta get this highbanker sorted out since that's the only way to easily process this little hotspot I found...it's nowhere near a spot to set up a sluice (and that's the only clue I'm giving!)...

Well, you could drag filled buckets to the river but that is an awful lot of work when you can set a Bazooka up right in the river and shovel directly in; of course you might not as good gold as your spot. Like you said, a Gold Cube would be a good idea.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Looks like your having a blast. As long as no extra life insurance policies have been taken out recently a gift of electric socks for your waders would be completely acceptable.

I was having a blast. Kevin and I had a great time that day (we always do). And no extra life insurance policies have been bought. However, I get your drift, don't fall down with the hip waders and electric socks on.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Got out again today (quite a streak lately!). Finished the section of creek I was cleaning out, moved my dam up stream and started on the next section. The first running on a new dam as I move upstream is always fun since I don't have to shovel tailings much...I'm just filling in my prior hole after all Anyway, despite the time spent tossing rocks upstream for the new dam I did pretty well. Pics tomorrow I hope.

Edit: see post below for pic. Got 0.13 grams.

 

[49er4ever44]

Hey there Kevin. Really liking the thread and all the gold pics! I recently moved out here to Grand Jct and was a little sad that the gold is mostly back east from here. I'll be in Denver on Thursday, Friday and maybe Saturday this week if your interested in meeting up to run some dirt? I messaged Grizzly also to try to enlist him. I've got a keene a52 and wasn't sure if the water this time of year would accommodate? If not I'll be panning!

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

The waters great 49er. I got out yesterday too, did a full Kevin Kleenup too! Lol
I've got a get back to Arapahoe bar! I'm betting I could do a half gram in 2 hours with the water so low! Need to get my rake back out!

 

[49er4ever44]

Ok I'm loading the truck up now! Lol now it just needs to be Thursday...

 

[49er4ever44]

Just had a buddy tell me there was gold at the Gross reservoir head waters just north of Denver. Any clue if that is true?

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Yeah the Boulder area has some gold, but regs in Boulder county are stupid. No prospecting... But I've heard of gold up lefthand canyon, just never got up there with this stuff so readily available!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Hey there Kevin. Really liking the thread and all the gold pics! I recently moved out here to Grand Jct and was a little sad that the gold is mostly back east from here. I'll be in Denver on Thursday, Friday and maybe Saturday this week if your interested in meeting up to run some dirt? I messaged Grizzly also to try to enlist him. I've got a keene a52 and wasn't sure if the water this time of year would accommodate? If not I'll be panning!

Hey there! I'd love to get out together but it won't happen this time...I'm already booked up with non-gold stuff those days I hope you and GrizzlyGremlin get out. He knows his stuff so I'm sure you'll do well!! The flows are low at Arapahoe Bar ( I was there last Thursday) but still plenty of water for whichever sluice you have.

To your other point about the Boulder area, it completely depends who owns/manages the land in Boulder County. Specifically, Boulder County Open Space doesn't allow ANYTHING to be disturbed on their land- you can't even pick a blade of grass to chew on while you hike! On the other hand, land outside their control is often much more welcoming! It takes a little research but you can find places to dig in Boulder Co. Start by using the Boulder county assessor website to figure out who owns what.

As far as gold in GJ, your main resource would be the mighty Colorado River. There are gold bearing streams feeding the Colorado River upstream of GJ...I've found gold in the Co River near Silt for example...and there were commercial placer operations on the Gunnison River many years ago...so there should be gold in your area. Probably on the Colorado, just below the confluence with the Gunnison would be a smart place to check.

...if this tip pays off, or not, please let me know how your prospecting goes and whether I can share what you learn with others or if I need to keep your secrets

 

[49er4ever44]

We'll catch ya next time Kevin. I appreciate the info and I'll update ya with what we find. (I doubt it'll be worthy of keeping secret!) I'm just now learning about landmatters and other tools for research and it looks like there is Placer to the south west of me (about 15 claims) maybe worthy of further investigation. I was curious if ya know anything about gold-n-detectors claim? I need some classifying screens and was thinking about supporting some locals. Thanks again

 

[KevinInColorado]

Glad to hear you are checking out mylandmatters

Definitely stop in at gold -n-detectors for your classifiers and to sign the waiver for the claim. That way you don't have to worry about where it is vs where you are. I've not experienced or heard the gold is better there than in the rest of the 10 miles of canyon open to visitors. There's a lot of miles of river to explore in that county park and it's the waterway that made Colorado - due to the gold rush it started. Enjoy being a part of history!

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Yeah that claim isn't great, its in a very steep part of the canyon.