Cache Creek Update Summer 2013

I have been in camp for three days, now, while Larry is in Cripple Creek at the Colorado State Gold Panning Championships. It has been a nice time for some much needed rest and decompression.  The only thing slightly in the way and of annoyance is the fact that the water main broke two days ago and I have been without water since then.

Now, ordinarily, one would hop in the vehicle and go to the nearest town to pick up 5 gallons, but, remember, Larry is in Cripple Creek for the weekend.... with the truck.  That means whatever water I have here is all I have.  As luck would have it, I was planning on catching up with dishes just before the main blew and had filled bowls and pans with water for a soak before I heated up the water to get them washed.  Hence, I was fortunate to have had about three gallons of grey water for toilet uses, etc. 

On top of that, a friend stopped by and left me a gallon of fresh water for coffee this morning, and as it is looking, possibly tomorrow as well.  Under other circumstances, I would be hiking to the stream or the lake to get more grey water tomorrow, but Larry and the truck will be back some time this evening.  Always fun at my house.  

I started this post yesterday before the water issue came up, about what is happening at Cache Creek this summer.  We were in there earlier this last week and I got some pictures of the road and the water flow, along with the big hole that the BLM filled up.  Almost all the trees are now marked with orange and you are supposed to stay 10 feet away from them.  As you would expect, everyone is complying....NOT.  I have pictures to prove it, too.  They were also told, but did not even stop digging to reply much of anything. 

Here is what the road in looks like now with the by-passed bog.  They left the road going down in there so you can still use the camping spots, but the other side has been bulldozed shut and marked.

Stream flow right now is reasonably good, but the new owner above is threatening to shut off the diversion.

Here is one side of the big hole, and the rest of it looks the same. I had to stand too far away to get the whole thing in, and then you could not tell what it was.  The BLM was not pleased with the type of work done in there this winter/early spring. Several 6 foot tunnels had been excavated, that they did away with. 

Here are three more shots of the big hole area.  The guy in the first shot with the yellow buckets is undermining the trees, while the other man had just talked to him about staying away from them.  It's depressing how little some people care about whether this area stays open or not.  We stayed for a bit and did some panning.  Brought out a nice little string for a couple of hours work.  

We have had some rain in the last few days, which is good for the fires still burning in Colorado and for the forests in general.  The West Fork complex in southwestern Colorado is expected to burn for another couple of months.

Gold is up a bit right now at $1235.50, and silver as well at $19.67.  Everyone is pretty much bearish on gold for now, which means we are near a bottom for it.  I expect a rally by October.  The announcement by the Feds last week did exactly what they wanted it to do....make everyone take a deep breath and hold it for a while.  LOL!  Check out www.vistaminingadventures.com and talk with Phil Sr. if you are looking for a place to play in the water on the Arkansas River between BV and Leadville, learning how to pan for gold or do a little dredging, so you can find some of that Colorado Gold.  As always......

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley Weilnau
www.hookedongold.com
hookedongold@gmail.com

                      Mid June, and the Arkansas is Running Bedrock to Bedrock

WOW did it take a lot of time and energy to finish the front yard at the main house! Once started, of course, you can't just run off and leave it. Naturally, we had lots of things come up that were unexpected and had to be fixed, but now it will take care of itself til we go back in the Fall and my Mom will not have to worry with it.

So, gold, huh?  It's still a little depressed with a close on Friday of a little over $1391, but silver is still around $22.00.  A long way from $40!  They will both probably jump around this region most of the summer.  There may not be a lot out there to bump it up till Fall.  Then again, there is the unforeseen that can always put all bets off.

Since getting into our summer digs we have been on the run trying to catch up.  We spent a couple of days with Brian and Yolanda Busse discussing plans for this year's jewelry and what will be happening up at the Thank You Lord Mine on Mt. Antero.  We should get to help with some rock mitigation and exploration there this summer.  (Yes, THOSE Brian and Yolanda Busse. We have known them for many years.)

We also visited with friends in BV while grabbing ice cream for the old man and lettuce and broccoli for me.  Thursday and Friday we were on the Arkansas River with Phil Martinez, a very long time friend, at his river claims, also known as Vista Mining Adventures.  His dredge and cleanup Neffco bowl set up is sweet, and he has been prospecting for gold in Colorado most of his life.

If you are interested in the bowl, he is the sole distributor/dealer.  It will handle around 25 tons a day.  Contact him at www.vistaminingadventures.com, also, if you are interested in learning, panning, sluicing, dredging, but NO HIGHBANKING! The River is bank to bank right now, so he will not take new people or children until the shore paths are safer.

In between we visited Leadville to see what was going on and took a day to settle into the summer trailer.  Took the ATV out for a short spin and it is in major trouble which means expensive to fix.

The word on Cache Creek is that the bog has been by-passed and they bulldozed all the material, filling in all holes and overturning much of the area.  Apparently, the BLM was NOT happy with the group/groups who tunneled into the banks this winter.  Besides that, the new owner of the private property the diversion comes off of is threatening to close it off.

Last, I am receiving many requests for a form that was discontinued three years ago.  PLEASE, PLEASE, let me know where you find this.  I cannot, for the life of me, figure out where it is.  Send me the url in an email so I can eliminate it.  I get no information to send it to, so I have no idea who is sending it to me.

That's it for this week.  Be safe out there, and have a wonderfully eventful season. As Always...

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley Weilnau
www.hookedongold.com
hookedongold@gmail.com