THE GOOD OLD DAYS!!

[Fullpan]

This was toward the end of my dredging career - had been working full-time job in reno
and could only make down to this very remote spot on SF Yuba in Ca. on weekends - the separate platform had a gas-powered winch
to drag big boulders from the face to 30ft. deep water. The rock basket (blue barrels) had a trap door to handle cobbles. Dredge was 5" triple sluice Good Times

 

[Oakview2]

Hey Fullpan, how about a picture of the fruits of your labor

 

[Fullpan]

1st pic, "old Bill" with some chunky stuff - last pic - yours truly circa 1988 Notice calender on "wall" behind
me to try and keep track what day it was - didn't work.

 

[63bkpkr]

Yes The Good Old Days

Thanks for the pictures and the trip down your memory lane! Interesting use of barrels though it must have been tough getting them in there as well as out. That is some dry looking river bank but with the size of the pool I'd guess the main running part of the river was in the are of where the picture was taken from. Nice gold as well, I hope you saved all of it to sell when the prices were much higher! I was sluicing a backpackable unit back in 93 and never even found a fleck of gold. I suspect I had this result as I did not have a clue as to what I was doing and I was by myself, course that's still true.

May your pan find a nice pay streak for you in 2013............63bkpkr

 

[Fullpan]

Thanks for the comments, 63 - Yes, that is bottom end of 300 yd, very dry in summer, gravel bar. Got about 2dwt/day just screening and sluicing flood gold
off the top 12 inches, before graduating to the dredging. Someone could make decent wages there today with a DW in summertime. I guess i worked
maybe 5% of bar. (assuming no one has worked it since).

Yup, got home with some suveniers.

Paid several "illegals" to help pack stuff up and out, for a bunch of weekends, when i quit. Sorry folks - left a couple "modern artifacts" behind.

Afraid the only "fullpans" i'll see again is pics that the youngsters here take. oh well, it was a fun ride!

 

[Oakview2]

Those were indeed the Good Old Days

 

[Gravelwasher]

Hello Fullpan,

What a good looking set up you had going, sure wish they would allow it again as I would be doing it myself.

Way to go and wow nice gold, the chunky one below the dime reminds me of some rye patch gold.

 

[Goldwasher]

Nice stuff, awesome adventures.

 

[Fullpan]

Hello Fullpan,

What a good looking set up you had going, sure wish they would allow it again as I would be doing it myself.

Way to go and wow nice gold, the chunky one below the dime reminds me of some rye patch gold.

Hi Jay, So you've been to Rye Patch nevada? Never was much of a MDer - no patience but went there several times for nice quartz crystals, and always
stopped to Bs with the guys camped there. Saw some of their awesome stuff. Ever try Rabbithole or Placeritas?

 

[Hoser John]

Sure miss them dayz a old when miners were bold and environutz weren't invented....good ol'SF Yuba will produce forever,Purdone crossing waaaay back in 88 or so a funny ol'Fieldler under Purdone crossing bridge with my ol'6" too-Boulders bigger than busses but sooooooooooo much righteous gold for those who were bold---albeit crazy too-John

 

[Fullpan]

Hi John - see a couple widowmakers right there! Just thinking how many more pounds would of been, had I apprenticed from you. Lots of trial and error
mistakes when you don't learn from experienced people. Never worked Purdon but attended a few "social events" there

 

[Fullpan]

1. A better pic of "the rock" 2. One of the "Canadians" who made a lease deal with claimowner. They had an "underwater"
6 inch dredge working deeper water in the swimmin hole. Wonder why there wasn't more of these used? I saw some of their
chunky gold - said they were getting "5 to 6 dwt/day. They gave up after 6 weeks, saying it was too hard to pack gas a
mile and a 1/4 up from claimowners camp, as there was no path and they had to "boulder-hop".

3. Overhead shot of gravel bar and swimmin hole at top, courtesy GE. Remember, its still claimed!

 

[GrizLeeBear]

There were good old days, weren't there? Thirty years from now the young'uns will look back on today as the Good Old Days.

 

[Hoser John]

NO BECAUSE THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO DREDGE OR MINE LIKE FREE HARDWORKING MEN LIKE US IN DAYS OF OLD. They're good ol'days will be face in tv,computer,video games,tweet,text,twitter **** and what not. The art of production and communication is dead and dying as ya see kids/teens 10' away from each other TEXT so the don't have to talk or learn how to write just LMAO and such silly crappola-John

 

[Goldwasher]

Not me and not my Kids They both have their own Rock collections and Gold they both know how to Pan and fish....and Fish for Panfish.. My son wants to hunt he already Know his gun safety and Knows how to shoot.... he is in 4th grade and reads at an 8th grade level just got his star tests back reads better than 97% of kids his age, I bet my Daughter has better handwriting then most of us here...I will definitely be talking about some good ol' days. Gonna have another little Diaper filler come Late July early August....and look forward to raising another Smart Adventuorus Little American I bet they're a lot like a bunch of the kids and grandkids of posting and reading members here....just a hunch..

 

[Goldwasher]

Lol....notice how they both have their fingers off trigger..man they're good

 

[Fullpan]

Pville, the pics and words kinda choke me up. There's still hope.

 

[calnatv]

My little guy after a hard day mining



Several years later about to take the plunge



And finally all growing up hiking with Dad to a old mining site

 

[Goldwasher]

Calntv The top picture is classic....face in ground, dog staying warm....awesome..Tthanks for sharing your adventures Fullpan...the pictures are great.How much did the Golden Chinese Cannonball weigh?

 

[Fullpan]

Calntv The top picture is classic....face in ground, dog staying warm....awesome..Tthanks for sharing your adventures Fullpan...the pictures are great.How much did the Golden Chinese Cannonball weigh?

13.50 ozs Paid an outfit in Nev. Cty 20 bucks to perform S.G. test - results, approx. 3 and 1/4 ozs. gold