Gold and the new age of "Green" energy

Gold is back up this morning to over $666.00. I will have a link in the Hooked on Gold newsletter this week sent to me by a reader to a video with a diferent viewpoint on global warming. I will link it here as well when I get it. The youtube version's sound is more in sink than the videogoogle. Very interesting point of view put out by the BBC, and an hour and 13 minutes long. What these scientists have to say is enlightening and profound in the end. Yesterday, here in Colorado, our Democratic controled legislature passed a bill requiring untilities to increase their "green" production to 20%. I don't know about you, but I'm really sick of utility bills going up and the power companies getting the blame. Green power isn't cheap! It is expensive to build and is unreliable as an energy source, however, those of Al Gore's ilk have decided for us that we WILL pay higher utility bills while they do whatever they can to gt their hands on more of your money to do it. Now, you ask me what this has to do with gold. Mines use electricity to operate, and this legislature has effectively made it harder for any mining (this means oil, too) to be profitable. There are now, also, too many people who used to be with Green Peace that no longer agree with their "vision". What would this world be like without mans use of fossil fuels and metals? Where would the computer age be without gold?

Beetle Kill in Gold Country

What is beetle kill in gold country? Any of you who travel to Colorado have noticed the pine trees turning reddish and then brown and then grey. Most of you are probably aware that it is caused by pine beetle that burrow under the bark of the trees and kill them by "ringing" them, thus cutting off the tree's system it uses to get water and nutrients to all of its' parts. Thus, beetle kill in gold country. There is an article in today's paper that says up to 90% of the trees in Summit and Grand counties are infected and will die, and that the infestation encompasses at least 1,000 square MILES of forest. This tragedy is due to overzealous environmentalism, which hinders and prohibits the husbandry management of forests. Environmentalists do not seem to be interested in preserving what we have, but allowing mother nature to "take her course". Well, believe me, mother nature could give a RIP about what species lives or dies. Only man cares. Only man can protect what is here, and only through careful MANAGEMENT can that happen. Mother Nature has destroyed these forests which will take decades to replace. Careful logging and management of the forests would have preserved them. Instead of using wisely what we have, environmentalists have WASTED entire forests to neglect and non management, but then I suppose fire IS better. The Haman fire we had a few years ago attests to that. I am sure no one was bothered by the smoke, and the animals that died in it were better off. Yes, it was started by man, but the conditions that existed were also created by man. What does this have to do with gold prospecting? We work in the natural environment, educate the public to responsibility, and teach how to properly engage in activities that might be seen as destructive, to be done in positive ways. Fish love us! We provide new, freshly turned spawning beds when we dredge responsibly in rivers. Gold panning, sluicing, dry washing, and metal detecting get us out in nature where we can experience and connect with it. To watch the destruction of the forests in my state is heartbreaking and irresponsible of our government. All the prospectors,large and small, put together have not damaged the number of acres that this trend in environmentalism has. 1,000 acres in two counties. This number does not encompass the entire state, which has also seen the devastation of the forests. Drive up Clear Creek from Denver and see what I mean. All those trees that are dying have already infected 5 or 6 more, and this June, those trees will infect 5 or 6 more. One thing that is certain. The beetles will eventually stop spreading. They do tend to literally eat themselves out of house and home without management, and even the U.S. Forest Service agrees that it is too late to stop the complete destruction of the forest in some areas. So what is going on now to clear the dead trees? Clear cut logging.

Gold is back down

Gold is back down this morning to around $655. Hooked on Gold still cannot make changes to the website as the server is still "upgrading". Three days is a long time to not be able to make changes or blog. Sure, we have weeks that are busy and there isn't much to say, but not this time of year. The gold Question of the week didn't go off because there was no way to post it. I try several times a day and get the same "page cannot be found" messages, and so far I haven't gotten an answer to my queries about when I can get back into the sitebuilder. For now, you have static pages to view. We will be off to the mining museum at the School of Mines tomorrow, and looking forward to seeing their excellent selection of mining "stuff". They have an excellent library. Newsletter recipients got a short discussion of global warming and some of the possible effects on mining. I read an interesting analogy on the rising seas theory. Everyone learned in school how water expands when it freezes. If global warming causes the ice to melt, wouldn't the seas fall as the water compresses back to it's liquid state? I am not sure this is the correct way to interpret this, but it is an interesting suggestion to think about. Not exactly anything to do with gold, but an interesting thought, none the less.

So, is anyone out with a metal detector or a gold pan yet and finding anything interesting? We are itching to get out, but have decided that we MUST do something about the build up in the house before this season gets started in earnest. One truck load of "good stuff" has gone to the ARC store already, and I am sure another will find it's way there soon. Motorized equipment season is about here on the Arkansas River. It wiil start April 1st, and with the nice weather we have been having, and the river still not in run off stage, it may be a really good time to hit the sand bars while they are exposed. Water quality is becoming an issue with the State, and it seems that claim owners will have another State government agency to deal with. Some claim owners are being required to pump DREDGE water to the bank for settling before returning it to the river. That's right. You read me correctly. DREDGE water. Water quality agencies are getting there fingers in. Another agency wants to get their fingers in on the permitting side too. Information on these two new agencies is being received now and more information will be coming out on these issues as time goes on, so stay tuned for more of what they will be requiring.

Gold Question of the week Where is it?

Howdy all. As you have noticed this week's Question on gold is not on the Hooked on Gold site. The reason is that my server, clickincome.com/clicksitebuilder is down and has been since yesterday morning! No way of telling when we will be back online, so be patient until they get it fixed. This is just the latest in a number of frustrations with this company, and we will be looking at taking the major site to another server. Can't call. No one answers the phone and online or email tech support, usually right there, must be inundated with mail as there was no response from them either. So, you will need to wait for your chance at winning the gold for now. Also, the blog! Good thing for Blogspot or I would have no way to communicate with you. Unfortunately, their builder is very easy to use and I will hate to leave it. Who knows. Maybe the "fixes" will make it worthwhile to stay with them. Don't know. I need more pages and the upgrade just costs too much. The mentoring program was good, but not long enough and I can find lots of the same information on the web for a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately, when I began as a complete novice,I didn't know any better. I will be putting together a program that a newbie can use at their own pace instead of a 12 week slam telephone course and then access to a mentor by e-mail for a year. There were a thousand questions that have come up since my year is up that I can't get an answer to. Yes, I am ranting, and fuming, and down right mad! If there was any way to ask for refund from these people I would. However, they are very careful to not guarantee ANYTHING and, believe me, the cost is way too much for what you get. Also, don't fall for the "You gotta have a merchant account to take credit cards with". Believe me, PayPal works fine until you get to the point where you are BIG, and then you will have a $5,000.00 month limit. In the meantime, it will cost you about $50.00 a month PLUS the 3% on the credit card amounts. Their affliate programs are coming off my site and offering my "Free gifts" with them are ending, too. Enough on that for now.

Gold is up again at $663.30 as I write. We will be headed this weekend for a tour of the gold, gemstone, mining museum at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Looking forward to another tour, as it has been a few years since we were last there. We will be meeting with some of the members of the Denver GPR club at 9:30 a.m. in the north parking lot. Everyone is showing us their metal detecting finds for the past month, and we have been having grandchildren and throwing out household stuff and trying to get things back under control before the season starts....again! Looking over my gold nugget inventory, some of my prices are looking cheap agin, so you might want to grab some of it before I am forced to raise them due to the continued rise in the replacement price of gold.

Gold Question of the Week for March 7-14, 2007.

Gold is beginning to make a recovery these past few weeks with highs around $670.00.

CONGRATULATIONS TO: RANDY for being the first, correct, qualified answer to the Question for the week of March 7 - 14th!

Hooked On Gold's QUESTION OF THE WEEK: March 7, & 14, 2007.

What is the term "mineral light", and to whom is it attributed?


ANSWER: GOLD was referred to as the "mineral light", and is attributed to Hindu Philosophers. The ancient Hindu's also considered gold to be sacred and a symbol of wealth, prosperity, love, generosity, power, and illumination. Thus the illumination of gold was the "light".

Gold Question of the Week for Feb. 28th

Hooked on Gold's Question of the Week for Feb. 28th, 2007.

In what state was the first buckline dredge, that was successful in the U.S., located, where was it located and when. By 1910 approximately how many buckeline dredges were operating in California.

ANSWER: The first successful bucketline dredge in the U.S. was operated on Grasshopper Creek in Montana near Bannock in 1895. In 1910 there were 63 dredges still operating in California.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JAN for being the first, qualified, correct answer to this week's question.

Gold Question of the Week for Feb. 21,2007

From mid February through mid March, how many potential miners passed through San Diego on average per day in 1889 to reach the gold placers in the Santa Claras? How much is estimated to have been spent on mining equipment and supplies as a whole on the venture, and how many dollars worth of gold was estimated to have been extracted.

ANSWER: The gold rush to the Santa Clara's came at the end of the large rushes to the north, and was joined by many who had been there, but a little late. They quit jobs, left families, and journeyed south for their dream. 300, on an average day, passed through San Diego on their way to Mexico and were plaqued at the border with restrictions and delays. It is estimated that a quarter of a million dollars was spent by these people before mid March was over, for the total dollar amount of $20,000 worth of gold that was extracted. The experienced miners did the best with the Mexicans coming in second. The first group knew what they were doing and the second helped each other. The rest had no clue what to do, how to do it, or what to do when the water ran out. San Diego History.org will give you the rest of the story. And it is a fascinating one to read.

Gold Question of the Week for Feb.14, 2007.

CONGRATULATIONS TO: Glenn with 2 n's for being the first, correct, qualified, COMPLETE answer to the question for Feb. 14th.

Hooked On Gold's QUESTION OF THE WEEK: February 14, 2007.

Which is more rare - A 5 carat Diamond or a 1 oz. gold nugget? PART TWO: Since it is Valentines Day, give me your answer to this question as well. Which is more rare - the answer to the first part of the question or true love?

When you send in the answer to the first part, include your source as the question is pretty easy to guess. I want to know that you looked it up.

NO COPY AND PASTE ANSWERS, PLEASE.

There were lots of quick obvious answers here, but no sources were submitted with them. Congratualtions to Glenn for sending in his answer WITH the source.

ANSWER: A one ounce Natural Nugget is more rare than a 5 carat diamond. One source for this answer is at: fairfield.k12ct.us. Search: gold nuggets and diamond facts You will also find a great site under this search about not getting ripped off from auctions and buying gold nuggets in general.

Is a one ounce natural nugget more rare than love? The overwhelming vote was that true love is more rare than a natural one ounce gold nugget, and finding it is even more rare. Are any of us surprised?

Gold at the Tucson Show

From top, Nevada gold specimen,California gold specimen, Tiger Eye from Australia.

For those of you who don't know about the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil show held each February in Tucson, Arizona, you are missing one of the real treats of the winter. The shows span about 4 weeks, with many overlapping each other. We had heard about this show for many years, but were unable to attend due to work conflicts. This was the first year we were able to go, and it was all we had heard and 10 times more.

Both wholesale and retail venues abound, and it was hard to find what we wanted to see in the 4 days we were there. We settled on making sure we saw the vendors we know personally, buying gold, and catching a small part of a couple of the wholesale gem shows. We saw a lot and missed a lot more. The shows are so big you could pick one to attend and not see all of IT in 4 days.

The gold we saw and bought was abundant, but not as much as there had been a few years ago when gold was the show theme. However, we did see and photograph fabulous gold specimens from the U.S. and around the world, and bought gold nuggets at reasonable prices. Remember, I didn't say "sand" prices, but reasonable "gold" prices. Special specimens were shown from California (with a couple of large specimens being bought by collectors before they were even seen), Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Australia, and Arizona. Do you notice a pattern with gold places beginning with the letter A? LOL!

Shuttling from place to place is recommended, as the shows blanket the city. Parking, trying to drive everywhere, and finding your venue is a dunting task that the shuttle drivers can relieve you of. Traffic can be a problem and will be worse next year as Tucson plans to be working of the downtown bidges and freeway interchanges. We had no problem finding restaurants with little waiting for seating. We had anticipated a problem with this due to the number of people in town for the events, but this proved not to be the case.

If you have a passion for gold, gems, minerals and fossils this show is a must at sometime in your future. If you have been there, you know it is a treat to be there. The weather in the middle of winter is an added plus as it was 83 degrees while we were there. A great trip, and a great time.

Gold Question of the Week for Feb. 7, 2007

Hooked On Gold's QUESTION OF THE WEEK: February 7, 2007.

How much of the "Mother Lode" is said to be still in the ground?

ANSWER: As many of you found out, this is another of those questions that has many answers. Sources report anywhere from 74% to 95% of the "Mother Lode" is still in the ground.

Hooked on Gold Question for Jan. 31, 2007.

Jan. 31, 2007 Question of the Week: What percentage of gold found in Alaska was within 25 miles of Fairbanks?

ANSWER: 37 % of the gold found in Alaska was within 25 miles of Fairbanks.

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!

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.