Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Hooked on Gold Question for Jan. 24, 2007.

Gold is used in many ways on Air Force One. In what major way is gold used in its' defense?

NO COPY AND PASTE ANSWERS, PLEASE.

Lots of answers about the use of gold in the computer components, but we were looking for something a bit more interesting.

ANSWER: Gold plated reflectors are used to protect Air Force One from heat seeking missiles. Pretty cool piece of trivia, don't cha think?

A Golden Trip Part ll

Jan 27, 2007

Fog. The morning started with the people above us coming
in around 11:00 p.m., and having their children run around
until 12:47 a.m. Not much sleep for us, as we were up
before 6:00. Albuquerque was shrouded in dense fog, but
we left after breakfast around 8:00, and the sun burned
it off as we went, by about 8:45. The day was clear and
warm, around 40 most of the day. This leg of the trip
has many sights and excursions one can take, with the first
sight at Laguna. Here you will find the only white
mission I have ever seen. There must be more, but out
in the middle of nowhere like it is, it must have been
an eye catcher for travelers in the wilderness, as it
sticks out and can be seen for miles around. White eye
catchers were used frequently by the Spanish to mark trails.

Around Grants, N.M. you will find several roads that go
off to the north announcing the Bandero Volcano. Along
the road, here, you will see where the lava has bubbled
up out of the earth's crust instead of flowing. Also in this
area, the mesa colors turn from the desert beiges to reds
and oranges.

Another oddity is the fact that the continental divide
is here at mile marker 47, a much lower elevation
than at Flagstaff where you might have expected to find
it. You will also see the beginnings of spires that tell
of Monument Valley and Chaco Canyon located to the north.
The Indian jewelry centers in Gallup could take a week to
visit all by themselves.

In Arizona you can see TeePee's, the Painted
Desert, the Petrified Forest, and the largest Petrified
Tree in the world. Notice, also, the layers of red and
green sediment in the rock in the cuts along the highway.
Indian markets are numerous all the way to Winslow. You
remember Winslow, Arizona, don't you? It was immortalized
in song.

After you leave Winslow, the landscape begins to roll.
You think you are in the foothills of Flagstaff Mountain,
which is looming in the distance, but, you would be wrong.
You see, you are approaching the rare and nicely preserved
natural landmark of a meteor crater. Off to the south
of the highway, about a mile away, you can see the rim of
the crater. Get off at exit 233 at crater city and go see
this wonder of the southwest. The crater is about 2 1/2
miles around, 550 feet deep, and 4,000 feet across. Those
rolling hills you have just been through are the consentrical
rings around the impact site, much like the rings a pebble
makes when thrown into water.

While we are marveling once again at the crater, we find
the scrub brush turning to Ponderosa pine and know that we
must begin our watch for the Elk herds that abound around
the big mountain. At Flagstaff we turn south down highway
17 towards Camp Verde where one of the desert forts was
located. Montezuma's Castle, a very well preserved group
of cliff dwellings, and Montezuma's Well are all located at
Camp Verde. From here it is a short trip to the top of the
hill, then west across the mountain range to Humbolt and our
next week's adventures in the Bradshaw's Here, also, the
cactus start to show up. Further south there are sauguaro and
joshua trees. Both large cacti survive there where the
Mojave and Sonoran deserts merge.

We hear we missed all the snow in Denver today. Too bad.
We've never seen snow before! LOL!

Friday, January 26, 2007

A Golden Trip with Snow, or Arizona Dreaming

We are away on time this morning and missing most of the
traffic out of Denver.The morning passed quickly as we
chatted and as we approached Walsenburg, we wondered about
crossing the mountains over to Alamosa and taking 285 south
to Santa Fe. After a brief discussion, we decided to do that,
since neither of us has ever been over La Veta Pass, and we
have been enjoying 285 down to New Mexico in recent years.
It proved to be a good choice with little traffic and
beautiful scenery. The valley at Alamosa was a cold 21 degrees
after the down-right balmy 41 degrees in Pueblo!

If you have never experienced the mountains south of Alamosa,
you should. You come to Antonito, just north of the state line,
near where the oldest church in Colorado, Our Lady of Guadalupe
Parish is located. The chursh was built in 1856 by settlers to
the area. Another attraction south of Antonito is the Cumbres
and Toltec Scenic Railroad, a narrow gauge that is open in the
summer for touristexcursons. Check their website at
www.cumbrestoltec.com for more information. Their 2007
summer schedule is not posted yet, but check back later
this spring for their phone number, when they will begin
and prices. If you go, mention us.

The snow in the mountains between Antonito and Tres Piedras
glistened like a million diamonds, and the white was blinding.
As we dropped off the escarpment south of Tres Piedras, the
temperature rose sharply 40 degrees and climbed steadily to
44 degrees at Mesa Vista. On to Espinola and down to the
Veterans Highway that bypasses Santa Fe to the west. We
have decided to stop in Albuquerque for the night and take
the last leg tomorrow to Humbolt. We only wish we could
stay a day to investigate and examine the pertoglyph park
again. Maybe on the way back when we visit with relatives.
Tommorow we will have our first chance at finding gold when
we reach the Prescott Valley. Wish us luck!
We know you wish you were here.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Hooked on Gold Question of the Week for Jan. 17, 2007.

What is the fineness grade of the gold found in the main tertiary channel gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California, and briefly describe why it is this grade.

NO COPY AND PASTE ANSWERS, PLEASE.

ANSWER: The grade of the gold found in the tertiary channel gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California is 900. The lode mines of the area have gold deposits that are much lower in grade, due to the silver that is found with it. It is thought that the percolation of the water over and around the placer gold deposits leaches the silver out of the gold over time, leaving the placer deposits of a finer grade of gold than the lodes they come from.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Gold profile

Wow! I hadn't realised I had been posting as long as I have to my gold blog. I wandered around a bit and found out that I hadn't posted a gold profile, so it is there now. There are so many little lose ends to tie up when you start so many pages that you lose the logins! LOL! You might like my answer to my "question" they threw at me. I'm sure you've "never" heard it before. Gold is back up today. $631.60 as I see it on my Kitco streamer right now.

Gold, Gold Prospecting, Metal Detecting, Videos

WOW! I found a collection of gold prospecting videos that I have posted at http://www.thevideosense.com/user/MQS/ The permanent link is in the right hand linking column. They include a video by Tom Massie about the early years of George "Buzzard" Massie and the beginnings of the GPAA, a story of the Klondyke, a video on a restored mining town in Australia, one on a gold panning demonstration, specimen gold from the 16 to 1 mine in California, vacation footage, metal detecting, and more. The library will be added to every week as we find videos to include, and we will be posting our own as well. Grab a cup of "joe" and plan to set a spell and be entertained. A couple of these are half an hour of pure pleasure!

Gold Question of the Week for Jan. 10, 2007.

WELCOME TO HOOKED ON GOLD'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK. Here is the place for some FUN, INFORMATION, and WINNING FREE GOLD!

A 2 grain vial of crystalized gold from the Mad Muther Mine in Nevada is up for grabs, and can be yours just for being qualified,and the first to correctly answer the QUESTION OF THE WEEK! To insure that the gold gets passed around, winners will be limited to winning once every EIGHT weeks. Answers to the question of the week come in fast, so be quick. You will find the new Question posted on Wednesday mornings. A hint to the question will be given in the newsletter if a winner is not found before Friday morning so subscribe to the newsletter to get your updates on the question of the week, as well as other site updates and schedules. OK, now let's win some GOLD!


CONGRATULATIONS TO: AARON for being the first, qualified, correct answer to the question for Jan. 10, 2007!

Hooked On Gold's QUESTION OF THE WEEK: JANUARY 10, 2007.

What is considered to be the most likely source of the placer gold found in southeastern North Dakota, briefly describe how the deposit was formed, and how it was uncovered.

NO COPY AND PASTE ANSWERS, PLEASE.

ANSWER: The most likely source for the gold found in southeastern North Dakota is generally accepted as having come from the Black Hills, brought down over the preglacial surface by an ancient river flowing in that direction. The placer deposit was covered by glacial material, and then uncovered by the Sheyenne River where it was found by prospectors in 1884. http://www.state.nd.us/ndgs/NDNotes/ndn6_h.htm for the link to this page. (This link does not look live for some reason. If you would like to read the information, copy and paste it into your browser).

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Jan 3, 2007 Gold Question of the Week

Gold's roller coaster ride continues into the New Year! Hey, did you see the winner for the gold question last week? If not, here it is. Check on Wednesday mornings for the current questions. Be the first, qualified, correct answer to the week's question and win a 2 grain vial of Mad Muther gold from Nevada. Good Luck on winning the gold!

CONGRATULATIONS TO: GLENN for being the FIRST Winner in 2007! Also, for being the first, qualified, correct answer to the question for Jan. 3, 2007.

Hooked On Gold's QUESTION OF THE WEEK: JANUARY 3, 2007.

In Montana, name the county that has produced the most placer gold to date, and what is the total amount in ounces?

NO COPY AND PASTE ANSWERS, PLEASE.

ANSWER: Madison County.....2,507,250 ounces of placer gold. That number is half of the total amount found in the county including lode gold. It is not usual that the placer gold amount is anywhere near the lode amount.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

A Golden New Year

Another New Year is just beginning, and all of our hard work is paying off. We found more gold last year than we did the year before, sold some gold, bought some gold, looked at gold, coveted beautiful specimens of gold, ate, drank, and slept gold. Yes, it was a GOOD year! We found gold in the river, on the mountainside, in the desert, and just about everywhere we went looking for gold. Some times we found a lot of gold, some times we only found a pinch, but the adventure was worth each and every trip! This year is shaping up to be just as golden, and we are looking forward to seeing YOU everywhere we find gold. If you are looking for gold, let us know. We may be able to help you find it in the area you are looking. If not, we can probably point in the right direction for help. Talking and e-mailing with prospectors is always fun! May your NewYear be golden as well.

Gold Question of the Week for Dec. 13

How many Christmas Carols are there that include the word "gold" in the title? Also, please name.

NO COPY AND PASTE ANSWERS, PLEASE.

ANSWER: Here are Jim's answers: Everyone should at least have thought of "Silver and Gold"

1-Glorious, Beauteous, Golden-Bright
2-The Golden Carol
3-The Golden Time is now at hand
4-The Golden Tyme is nowe at hande
5-Lovelist Dawn of Gold and Rose
6-My heart of Gold
7-Rich Gold from the Earth is Delved
8-Silver and Gold
9-They leave the land of Gems and Gold