Our Wish for the New Administration and a Prospectors' New Year's Resolution

Wouldn't mind a stack like that, would you?

Gold is up to $856 today and stock market is off 332. No comment!

WOW! I did a good job of getting all my information out last week. I thought I had left one out, but it looks like I got everything said that was on my list. I have lots of other opinions , but they aren't necessarily appropriate for a gold prospecting blog, so I'll spare you my soap box. So many things are interconnected with mining and prospecting for gold, precious metals or gemstones, that it is hard to decide which topics are appropriate for these pages.



As we inaugurate a new President today, may I say that I wish the new administration well, and pray that they all find the wisdom they will need to lead us from here. And as the old administration leaves, may I also say that the choices they made may not have been any different had someone else been at the helm. Hind sight is ALWAYS 20/20, and sometimes the choices are bad and less bad.

We are having record and near record warmth here in Denver, and the nice weather is really welcome. Not to worry, though, we are back to colder temps by Friday and the weekend. January usually gives us a nice warm up just to tease us into thinking it is Spring right before it puts us into the deep freeze one moe time before it starts to warm up seriously. We are all out washing windows and getting things cleaned up in time for the next cold snap that will keep us in or near the house for the rest of the winter.

I have begun my updates to the website, but it will be slow going this year with the size of the site. I'll start posting updates next week, but you might not see much happening as I have eliminated the GPOC companion pages, changed the name of another page and broken that one up into two pages. I AM hoping to get the menu under better control with some roll overs for subpages, but it will be last on my list as it will take quite a bit of time to do it. Site maintinence must come first as well as new information pages.

Here's a good New Years' Resolution for you: I resolve to do more prospecting for gold, precious metals, and gemstones so I can keep my other New Years' Resolutions to get fit and lose weight. Words to live by, don't cha think?

I have a new twitter follower by the handle of keepinitinthepan. You might want to look him up on twitter and follow along.

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

And Just Where Do You Think the Price of Gold Is Going in '09?

So, up, down, sideways, or? Gold prices for this year are being predicted all over the place. $2200 an ounce, $500 an ounce, who do you believe, and what do you do with your gold investments? Miners going forward, or downward? What’s the outlook and how do you interpret all the data? Everyone has to decide for themselves, and of course, no one can say for sure, but reading and listening to everyone might get you on track.

Long term, most analysts remain bullish, but short term is another thing. Like I said, I read between $2200 for a high to $500 for a low. My opinion? I think gold will either hold where it is or drop in the near term, but bounce back by year's end....I'm just not sure how much. With so much money being pumped into economies around the world, more people should be sheltering into gold, but they aren’t, which might mean they are all simply scared to do anything. Gold recently broke below its’ long term moving average, which does not look good for it going up right away, and its’ highs have been lower, and lower.

I’m not sure if gold will start back up after the middle of the year or a little later. In the mean time you can watch for some very good buying opportunities in the near future in gold. If it makes it back to $500 an ounce, I know I’ll be buying. If it gets to the $2200 by the end of the year that others predict, I’ll be selling. I think the highs and lows will more likely be in between somewhere no matter what happens, as things usually are never as bad or as good as the extremes predict. In the future, gold is sure to go up as inflation heats up by sometime in 2010. You cannot crank out all these dollars and not have inflation in your future.

And what about the gold miners? Well, when you are dealing with stocks, you must consider the companys first. If you wish to invest in them, make sure you are buying the COMPANY, and not the movement in the stock. In general, right now, you should be looking for good companies that have lots of cash on hand and are leaders in their sector with an excellent business plan, and a low price for what you are getting.

Another investment venue in gold is gold coins. These are becoming harder and harder to get, and, as most of you know, the U.S. mint ran out of their Buffaloes last Fall. Older gold coins will continue to be a good investment when gold prices are down. They appreciate rather fast when demand for gold goes up, as many people will invest in the coins before anything else.

What does this mean for gold prospectors? Well, the raw gold you find will only go up in value. Your major cost is your equipment and your time and labor. Find more gold and you’ll be worth more, that’s for sure, but remember that you are NOT a hobbyist OR a recreationalist. You need to see your activities as FOR PROFIT. I have another piece coming out later this week about the new things the U.S. Forest Service has to say about these attitudes. Until then...

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley Weilnau

Where is Gold Going This Year?

So, where do you suppose the price of gold is going this year? It's at 857.60 right now, off its' high of the day, but still not any where near its' low of last year. The pundits are still saying it could reach over $2,000 by years' end, but it usually ends up somewhere lower than its' predicted high.

Last year's predicted high was somewhere between $1,200 and $1,500, and it never did come close to either. I suspect it won't make the $2,200 I read earlier this week. However, the prospect for the metals are better than they have been for a while, and you should watch for oil to start going up from here. I am reading that the natural gas situation in Russia is heating up Europe, too. How long do you suppose the Europeans will wait for gas to be delivered from Russia during the winter?

I have more to report on, but wanted to get out a blog today before the whole day is gone. See you tomorrow. Are you making plans to get your gold prospecting equipment repaired for this next season? Arizona is looking good, but we probably will have to wait the winter out in Colorado. I know, I know, but SOMEBODY has to do it!

One side note here: Larry's Dad's memorial service was yesterday morning. (Seems a long time ago, now) We had a three man honor guard come from Ft. Carson to pay respects to a WWII veteran, and the ceremony was very nice. The family opted for no gun salute, though I have always liked that part. Lawrence William Weilnau will be long remembered. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, three siblings, three children, 5 grandchildren, three great grandchildren with one on the way, and numerous friends.

Hooked on Gold Gazette Dec. 14, 2007.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HOOKED ON GOLD GAZETTE

Gold Spot Closing Price for Friday Dec. 14, 2007: $793.10

Spot price Dec. 7: $794.40

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Calendar of Events

December

12th GPOC Christmas Party 7:00 p.m. Bring unwrapped gifts for children for the Marines toy drive
19th GPR Members Christmas Party
24th CHRISTMAS EVE
25th CHRISTMAS DAY
31st New Year's Eve
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NEWS

What a golden time of year! Do you have that smell of new fallen snow at your house? Some of us have had too much of it, and some nothing but ice storms. Hopefully everyone has their electricity back on. The Holiday is just around the corner, so I hope you have most of your Christmas shopping finished and the cards in the mail. They say the biggest mailing day will be this Monday, so get it off before then. You may be lucky enough to have post offices in your area that are staying open longer tomorrow.

If you have been watching the price of gold this past week, you have seen it go from a high of around $815 back to just below what it was last Friday. I am reading more and more material and financial papers that are agreeing that gold has and will continue to follow the stock market in it's ups and downs. If you look at both charts for that past 5 years, they are pretty much mirror images. What does that mean for gold next year? It can go either way. If the markets are up Gold will probably follow, and if it is down, ditto. Yeah, cop out, you say. But, this is a new trend in gold that the world has not seen before, and all are still waiting to see how it plays out. If gold is no longer the inflation hedge that everyone has always turned to, what will be?

China and India will continue to demand more of the world's gold every year, so the price must reflect that pressure. Who knows how much old gold is still in the vaults of the world's banks, and they trade it all the time as a commodity, often manipulating the price as they did much of '07. I find the ups and downs of the gold price in recent years to be nearly unpredictable, as there are so many variables that can and do effect the price. One thing remains sure. People will ALWAYS collect and horde gold. They love the yellow color, it's special properties, how it looks against the skin, and how heavy it feels.

New regulations are coming out this next year for Cache Creek usage. I went into some detail about it in the last blog, so if you haven't read it, you might want to do so.

GPOC members and anyone wanting to join the group needs a "heads up" as to the membership dues change in '08. Singles will be $25.00 and families $30.00 a year, the first price raise in 15 years. The cost of maintaining the claims goes up each year, as well as things like postage and paper. The new GPOC website is coming along nicely, although it isn't published as of yet. When that happens, I'll blog it here, so watch for it. They are ready to add their old store back in, as well, so you will have another source for your "stuff." I am hiring an expert early next year to help me with the problems I ca not seem to figure out on my own, and have purchased a new template for the website. A new look and feel will go along with it, and, with luck, I can put up a page for all to look at before the whole thing goes live and you are in shock and not sure where you are. Colors look like they will be in the brown, golden yellow, and burnt orange ranges, and it will have a more denim/western feel. Right now you can find the Christmas giffs that are sprinkled around the site for your enjoyment, and after the holidays I should be able to get some new video clips working in the pages as well. Have a fantastic week, and I will report to you on Friday with another chapter in gold. (HINT: The new ICMJ is out and I haven't read it yet. Larry always gets to it first and he isn't finished yet.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

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If you find a broken link, please let us know

THE ARKANSAS RIVER is now closed TO MOTORIZED EQUIPMENT FOR THE WINTER UNTIL APRIL 1, 2008.

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Until Next week.

Good Prospecting to You,

Larry and Shirley Weilnau

http://www.hookedongold.com/

http://www.thevideosense.com/user/MQS/ Prospecting Videos

http://www.hookedongold2.com/ Looking for metal detectors on e-Bay? Click here

info@hookedongold.com contact us

Gold Panning Championships

Colorado State Gold Panning Champions: Center 1st place - Sue Drewes, Right 2nd place - Isaac Beaty, Left 3rd place - Patricia Vesterby.



Ah, home and rest! What a week. The Colorado State Gold Panning Championships went very well, with many new contestants, and many new winners. We had people from all over the U.S., and a great time was had by all. Many thanks to Breckenridge for being so generous in their efforts to make the championships happen each year the first weekend in August.

After the championships were over, we headed for camp and four days of semi rest and prospecting. We met up with friends from Oklahoma and spent several days dredging and prospecting. A very nice restful and enjoyable week. We did not have our grandsons this week, as we usually do, as the oldest one starts high school and had to be back home to register the 9th. We sure did miss them!!!!! The baby is now 5 months old, and after two days of wearing a GPOC tie, he actually tried to put it on over his head when we gave it to him. Adorable! Except for the projectile vomiting he produced the last morning we were in Breckenridge, he took to the outdoors and all the people like a duck to water.

Buena Vista's Gold Rush Days were very nice, with the GPOC troughs filled both days until the wind came up of Sunday afternoon so hard we were chasing t-shirts, and fliers, and magazines. Needless to say, we shut down about an hour early when it didn't stop. We were on the edge of a pretty big thundercloud to the south of us, that produced all the wind. The Cotin Tail gem and mineral show at the fairgrounds was well attended, but many complained that there was too much jewelry, petrified wood, rough for cutting, and not enough specimen material. We bought aquamarine, petrified dinosaur bone, and pieces that are formed when lightening hits sand. There is some very exciting news about one of the big claim owners on Mt. Antero who is looking to open an area of his claim for public searching. Hooked on Gold will be involved with this in a minor capacity and we will let you know about what is happening this next year. That should wrap up the report on this past week. Catch yo in the funny papers later.

P.S. There is scuttle in the markets that the selling of gold by some countries to deflate the price of gold is about to end. Watch for gold to spike when that happens.

Gold is down again

Gold is down a bit again this evening after going over $684 on Friday. OOPPPS! Now it's back up over $685. Speaking of gold being down, if you've been online today looking for hookedongold.com you won't find it. Yup, that's right. The server is down again. That means that we will be switching to a new searver sooner than we thought we would. It also means we will be rebuilding the site, so you will be seeing a shortened version of hooked on gold while we rebuild. Hopefully we will be able to find a template we can modify to redo all of the pages at once on our home computer and upload all at once as well. Anything will be better than this mess.

That also means the question of the week is not for certain this week either. Watch this blog and the site to see if we are back in business or not. Those of you who get the newsletter read about the many colors of gold and how different metals mixed with it naturally or metallurgically make the color different, but does not always mean a lower percentage of gold content.

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.