Summer Gold Prospecting in Colorado

Happy end of summer to you all! It has been a long summer for us in many ways, and yet it has gone by quickly at the same time.  I am trying out a new format for the blog that seems to be working out well.  I have made several posts to it and it is easier to use than blogger, so I will be working on embedding it into the site later this Fall.  

Gold closed yesterday at $1615.80, which is up a bit since the beginning of summer.  Predictions are that it could go to $2500, but I think that is too optimistic before the elections.  December....well, I will have to wait and see.

We have been very busy with helping a parent with health issues this Spring and half the Summer.  A back surgery and kidney issues, as well as other family obligations, has kept me away from the blog for too long.  I even wrote one and then did not have the time to post it!

We have made connections with an old friend, Phil Martinez, who runs Vista Mining Adventures, and has started providing a pay for use area on his claims on the Arkansas River.  We have enjoyed our time there this summer dredging and pulling the fine gold we find there out of the river.  It is a peaceful place where you wave at, talk to and enjoy the rafters and fishermen in the area.  

We have also spent a few days in the Cache Creek area.  While there are some ongoing problems, the BLM, Forest Service and Camp Hosts are doing a good job of keeping things under control and the riff raff out.  We heard of a coordinated effort recently to clean up the area of a group who had come in, mined at night, dug out the banks, overstayed their time in the camping areas, and in general left a mess.  They were fined, run out, and were made to clean up the camps.  I hear they were even raked!  We had to head home right after this report, but we will check it out as soon as were are back at camp.

The miners on Antero have had a rash of claim jumpers with pistols and big threats.  One woman who owns a claim there, was run off her claim by a guy with a gun and a threat that someone was on the ridge with her in his sites, and that she was to vacate the area before she got hurt.  I heard a similar story last year.  Most probably the same guy.

Well, that's all for now.  Hope your gold prospecting summer has been a good one.  I have a report of snow on Mt Bross a day or so ago, so Fall is descending on the high country.  Still plenty of time to find gold in Colorado, but we are reminded that our play time there is coming to an end.  As Always,

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley

www.hookedongold.com

hookedongold@gmail.com

Finding Gold in Colorado Update

June 1st is looming, and with it all of the summer fun we prospectors look forward to.  I am hearing that many are already in the water finding gold in Colorado, and run off looks to be a mild one this year for most of the state.

With my Mom on the mend, we are looking forward to our first weekend in the mountains in a few days. It will be a few more weeks before we can be there for the rest of the summer, however.  I am already missing the mountains stay and am beginning to feel trapped in the city.  

There are several changes in the areas open this year for prospecting for gold in Colorado.  Tin Pan Prospecting, in Fairplay/Alma, will be open on a very limited basis, only for dredging, and you will need to contact Chad directly for more information.

Vista Mining Adventures, on the Arkansas River, is once again open for all gold prospecting, except highbanking.  You can contact Phil Martinez, Sr., from their website www.vistaminingadventures.com for more information and pricing.

I see gold is up slightly this morning at $1568.60. Would love to see it at $2500, but that could be a stretch for this year.  This year could be interesting for the price of gold, though.  If it only increases as its' previous rate, it should top out about $2200.  Time will tell if it can rise to that level this year, however, there are predictions to the $2500 level, so watch the price if you are looking to sell gold this year.  An investment in GLD might be a good move right now, too, but consult your own brokers on that, and do your diligent homework on it if you have a mind to dabble in the stock market.  It is set up for you to lose.

Here is to a good prospecting season and good prospecting buddies.  May you have a great time this summer, and that you stay safe.  As always,

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley Weilnau

www.hookedongold.com

More Information on Cache Creek

I have a short post for you today concerning Cache Creek regulations.  I am in the process of helping my Mother with some major medical problems that have kept me hopping since we returned from Arizona, and, also, from blogging.  Soon, that will be over and I will be able to share with you more often.

According to the BLM office in Canyon City, in addition to the ban on motorized equipment, no mechanized equipment of any kind will be allowed.  This will include anything with wheels, such as hand trucks, wagons, wheel barrows, zip lines, or anything that is not brought in or out by hand, nor can you use anything mechanized to assist you with extraction or processing of placer gravels. This may include anything battery operated, but I have not asked that question, specifically.  If you wish to use battery operated equipment, you will need to make sure you will be allowed to do that by contacting the BLM Canyon City office.

A call to the Salida Arkansas Headwaters office produced a different response, but that office is not authorized to do anything for the BLM but issue Arkansas River bonds for pumping water.  For any information on the Cache Creek area, you will need to contact the BLM Canyon City office directly, as the Salida office does not, and will not, have current information on the area.

We are enjoying a beautiful, warm Spring here in Colorado.  I hope you are finding gold where you are looking and we are looking forward to finding gold and prospecting for gold in Colorado.  Our time in Arizona was special and lots of fun.  I am considering starting a facebook page for Hooked on Gold to share more pictures and make commenting easier for those of  you who visit here.  I am thinking it might be a better way to restart the forum.  Let me know what you think, and as always,

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley Weilnau

Gold Prospectors: Casting call for Major Cable Network

Calling all prospectors!  I have information about a casting call from Metal Flowers Media out of California, looking for men and women between the ages of 28 – 52 “with legitimate experience in trucking, logging, construction, mining and shipping.”  Below you can see the email sent to me from Alisa.  Get in touch with her if you think you qualify for this new major network project called “Boomtown Greenland”  We can’t…we’re ‘too old’. But, if you do, tell her you saw it here.

 My name is Alisa, and I'm casting a major cable network that is seeking the most experienced miners, loggers, truckers, contractors, and shippers from across the country to star in “Boomtown Greenland”, a new major network project. The series will follow these hard-nosed, brash team members as they risk it all in some of the most harrowing weather and topographical conditions known to man at an attempt for fortune in precious metals and jewels. Both individuals and teams are being considered.

Men and women between the ages of 28 – 52 with legitimate experience in trucking, logging, construction, mining, and shipping are encouraged to apply. Looking for both existing teams and individuals. This is the chance of a lifetime for the right individual.

If you are interested or know anyone good for this and can help spread the word, I would really appreciate it. Looking forward to speaking with you further. Thanks for your time. 

All the best, 

Alisa Walters

Casting Assistant

Metal Flowers Media

Boomtown Greenland

267-334-1042

No Motorized Equipment at Cache Creek in 2012

Shooting out a fast, short post on important information to those of you who look for gold at Cache Creek in Colorado.

BLM posted this page today concerning requirements for prospecting for gold in Colorado at Cache Creek:  http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/rgfo/minerals/locatable_minerals/placer_mining/Arkansas_River_Dredge_Permit.html

Looks like they have had enough with the problems, fighting, and general complaints about highbanking at Cache Creek, and have decided not to allow highbanking there beginning this year (2012). 

While motorized equipment will not be allowed in the area, casual use/hand equipment will still be allowed.  What the requirements for that will be is not yet known, so watch the BLM site for updates.  I will post what I know when I know it.

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley

www.hookedongold.com

hookedongold@gmail.com

Escaping the Cold of the Colorado Winter to Arizona Gold

The stock market is making a move into positive territory again, so that probably means it will take a dive as profits get taken out of it.  Gold is not following it, however, but is still at a healthy $1755.00 this morning    .

                                                                                                     

We have escaped the Colorado winter for a few weeks by traveling to Arizona where temperatures are warmer, however, this year is quite a bit cooler than last year.  It is very dry here, and they did not get the rain they need in January, so the plants are suffering.

Even so, we are traveling around to a few old haunts and some new ones, as well.  Of interest to many of you will be the Tucson Show, Rose Creek, Cave Creek, Wickenburg Gold Show, and the Bisbee area.  I will take these one at a time so I can go into more detail.

Our first trip out was to Rose Creek, an old favorite, and there are many changes there even though the area looks pretty much the same.  The prospecting is still good with a few gold nuggets being found here and there.  The creek redeposits gold all along its' course with each gulley washing rain. 

It was about 38 degrees that day, so we did not stay too long.  However, we did get a look at the creek and diggings have taken the banks back about another 3 feet or so.  We did find a little gold dust, but did not try panning in our usual spot upstream a ways.  This area is open only to hand equipment and we will give it another shot on a warmer day before we head back to Colorado.

We were surprised by the number of people parked along the side of the road to access the area…and on a Tuesday!  I can only imagine what this looks like on the weekend.  We talked with several prospectors there, and they were from all over as well as locally. 

For those of you who will visit the snow bound mountains this summer, I do hope you are getting your equipment into shape now.  If you haven’t gone through your cons from last year, do it before Spring gets here or they could wait for another year for you to find out what is in them.  LOL!  I’ll give you a look at the Tucson show next as I have a lot of pictures to resize for it. 

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley

www.hookedongold.com

hookedongold@gmail.com

Suction Dredging Ban NOT Overturned in California

Thanks to readers Rick Solinsky and Jerry Hobbs who were kind enough to let me know of an error in the last post, I am sharing some more information on the California dredging ban.  I am posting what they sent me here:  


We got rid of the injunction to stop issuing permits, but now have the 2 laws, SB670 & AB120 to get rid of. There is a hearing on the 2 bills feb. 22, 2012.

I misinterpreted the original post and so did quite a few other people.  Please note that the original link below is about the injunction to stop issuing PERMITS, and not lifting the dredging ban.  http://www.plp2.org/forums/showthread.php?483-PLP-WINS!!!-injunction-overturned-Suction-Dredging-permits

Thanks again for the clarification.  I received the last link from GPOC whom I must now inform of their own error. (I thought this was too good to be true)!  I will go and add a comment on the other post as well.  Rick, and Jerry, submit one too so we get the story straight.

I have deleted the other post the original post to help with the confusion.
 

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley

www.hookeongold.com

hookedngold@gmail.com

Looking forward to Summer's Golden Sunsets

                                    Sunset at CORA, near Fairplay last summer

 Sheesh! Every time I log into Blogger the format is different.  LOL!  

Gold price closed at $1667.00 for the weekend.  Everyone is wondering what it will do in the coming weeks, too.  Half of what I read says up and the other half says down.  The Federal Open Market Committee meets next Wednesday and what they decide could make a difference....but maybe not.  I think everyone agrees gold will go up some time this year, and possibly to $2000.00 an ounce.  Not too far off its' annual average march of 10% a year for the past 10 years, so that is a safe bet.

Did you know that the average age of vehicles on the road went up this year?  Yup, 10.8 years old.  Now, if all of you who have cars on the road out there that are as old as mine, went out and bought a new car, the price of metals (especially palladium) might go up.....or not.  However, Russia's stockpile of the metal becoming depleted and its' largest miner of nickel and palladium cutting production next year, might.

On the website, you should be seeing the menu being changed, and, hopefully, I found all the page links that needed severing.  I saw that part of the menu buttons were still going to pages that I should have cut off last year.   I don't know about you, but last year was a STRANGE year around here.  Well, some years are just like that.  The site should be tightened up and some information has been updated as well.  I will get back to other pages and look at them for updates this next week.

On a personal note, we are making our plans for some time in Arizona in February.  It is still up in the air as to whether we will make the 2012 Tucson Show, but we WILL be headed south some time in February.

I saw while I was doing updates, that Hooked on Gold has been online for 7  years!  Lots of things have happened since then, too.  Hope your week is a golden one and make sure you are out there finding gold or at least making plans to.  I am looking forward to spending more time on what I started this website and blog for and less on the things that are just busy work.  

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

Happy Gold Prospecting New Year!

                                                         Happy New Year to All! 

Blogger has made many changes since I was last here. However, I see the default font is still unacceptable and I can't seem to change it until the post is completed. (sigh) Always something, eh?

You will find updates going on on the site, so please bear with me as I change the menu, etc.  The store is going away...just not enough activity to warrant keeping it going, and the price of gold is getting high enough I cannot keep up with gold nuggets any longer.  Rest assured, however, I plan to keep up with the website.  Hopefully, with less going on, I can blog more this year and worry about selling a whole lot less.  I, also, am still getting form requests I assume for the Bucket Classifier.  That page should have been gone years ago and I cannot find links to it anywhere.  If you find one, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHERE IT IS!  If you have asked for it and not gotten it, it is because the page should be gone and what you are sending does not tell me what it was for.  I also had forms for panning instructions at one time.

I DO hope all of you have had a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season.  Mine starts at Thanksgiving and ends with New Years, so the season encompasses many weeks.

December was cold and we had 16 inches of snow in Denver, half our snow for the winter.  We are enjoying very mild temps the first of January, and I hope this doesn't mean February will be -40 degrees!

We are planning on a trip to Arizona for the Tucson show and to spend some time with friends there.  I am looking over last year's calendar and am picking which stories to share with you this winter about our gold prospecting adventures here in Colorado.  Finding gold in Colorado is becoming very challenging, although several areas still are producing enough to keep everyone happy.

Hope the beginning of your year is pleasant, and you find time to get your prospecting equipment in tip top shape for the coming season.  Be vigilant out there and watch what is happening with the laws.  Contact your representatives and make sure your voice is heard. 

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley Weilnau

www.hookedongold.com

A Summer's Worth of Finding Gold in Colorado

Summer is winding down, and with it gold prospecting season here in Colorado. While many will continue to search for gold, most of us will be settling in for the coming of the holidays and winter.


The price of gold has been on a wild ride this summer, sitting at around $1860 now, and pricing it for sale has been tricky.  If anyone has been on the store site, you will notice that it is disappearing and I am not sure I will continue to offer it, as the high price is pricing me out of the market, requiring a substantial investment in it to continue to offer smaller gold.


We have had a busy, busy summer, and, yes, I continue to get comments on the lack of blog posts.  But to tell the truth, there is so much to report, it is hard for me to decide what to tell you.  That, and the lack of time, has kept me from sharing more information.


I hear that Cache Creek is a complete zoo this year with over a hundred workers there on some days.  We have had camp hosts who have been charging for lessons and help, selling their contraptions in the parking lot, cutting down trees, digging huge holes, people who continue to abuse the site, and threats from BLM to close it down.  We have avoided it like the plague and have still been pulled into the drama.  

GPOC needs to be more careful who they put in there, and the lack of real concern over who the hosts are or how long they are there has been a real concern for all members.  Board members have not been kept up to date with what is going on there, not allowed to see the regulations for the area unless they go to Cache Creek and get their own copies.  If GPOC is to continue this relationship with BLM, the quality of hosts needs to be addressed.  If it is too hard to find volunteers for this, then we need to sever this relationship instead of putting people in there who have already shown themselves to be unreliable in their conduct, or to have them push the envelope until they are removed from the site and/or lose their club membership.  It seems our camp hosts are no longer there to help the public, but for personal gain.


I am also hearing that the Forest Service may be overstepping their bounds in regard to the Arkansas River area around BV.  We have heard they are riding herd over BLM area as well as Forest Service, and have heard that they are issuing tickets, but I don't know that for sure.  They were not supposed to be doing that until all the signs were in place, and then only on Forest Service land.  BLM should be taking care of the land they manage.  The drama there continues as well.


Meanwhile, we have been happily looking for gold in other places, here in Colorado, and enjoying the peace and tranquility of South Park near Trout Creek Pass.  Hopefully, your gold prospecting season has been as pleasant as ours, and that you have found gold to put in your bottle.  We have found enough to make it worth our time finding gold in Colorado.  Until next time...


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

                       Recirculating systems we used in South Dakota on a friend's claim

Summer is here and with it, Gold Prospecting season! 

The blog has had to take a back seat this winter and spring as we have had a lot of things going on in our personal lives that has had to take up a lot of time and energy, and has left little time to think about what to blog about.  I have heard your cries and pleas to start it up again, and hopefully, things will settle down some so I will have more time to devote to it.

We have spent the past two weeks in South Dakota with friends who have a new gold prospecting claim there and were wanting some help with proving it.  This type of work will usually cost you big time, but since they have been friends for a while, we decided to take some time to visit the Black Hills again and run the roads, see the monuments, and spend some time in the beautiful out of doors.  

They have had an unusual amount of rain this year, and the wild grass is lush and being mowed everywhere.  The white tails are abundant, and we have had fun watching a group of turkey hens and their chicks several days while they looked for bugs in our vicinity on our friends’ claim.  We got a couple of pictures of the buffalo that roam the area of Custer State Park, too, and enjoyed driving through the one way tunnels and over the pigtail bridges on highway 16A.  Of course, we took an afternoon to visit Mt Rushmore and had ice cream for lunch.  :>D 

I have not posted any new information on the Arkansas River changes for this year, as I cannot find anyone who will give me the information.  I have been informed by the BLM that some of my information is incorrect, but have yet to get a call back from them to let me know what needs changing.  I also have not heard back from GPOC’s president on the information, either, and there is a lot of information out there that is in conflict. 

I also, have not heard that there have been any changes at Cache Creek for this year.  Until I hear otherwise, I assume that everything there is the same as it was last year. 

For those of you who have decided that I do not research my information, I most certainly do, and any information that I put out is the best I can get at the time.  If I could get the powers that be to assist me better, I could report better.  If you have an issue with any item on a page, it would be more helpful for you to reference the URL or the page rather than to assume I know what you are talking about.  My site has over 70 pages, many with similar information on them and I cannot know what you are talking about if you don’t give me the page you were reading when you decided my information was incorrect.  Nasty emails sent to me about it won’t help with getting the information corrected, assuming it is incorrect, since I have no idea what information you are questioning.

On a more pleasant note, we are headed home tomorrow and will be back in the Colorado Mountains some time next week.  Looking for gold and finding gold in Colorado will be a top priority.  Hopefully, we will have more gold in our bottles this year than we did last year.  In the Mean Time:

Good Prospecting To You,

Shirley Weilnau

www.hookedongold.com

hookedongold@gmail.com

Gold Close Friday June 24, 2011 $1502.60

The Gold Prospecting Bog That Almost Isn't. LOL!

Have you had a busy winter?  I certainly have!  It has been tough finding time to blog, even though there is a LOT to tell you.

We went to Tucson and visited friends in Arizona while we were there.  We traveld around the Superstitions, Wickenburg and the Vulture Mine, but missed the Bradshaws and Links Creek this time.

Gold was selling high in Tucson, so we did not indulge in a buying spree as we have in past years.  Many of the old gold dealers have gotten out of the business as the face of selling gold to the public is changing.  We did visit the big show downtown one day and took a few pictures of the gold that was there.  You did get to see the one big Aussie nugget.

What brought me to the blog today is the spot price of gold hoovering just under $1500.00 right now.  I saw it was $1496 a few mintes ago and silver is at $43.  Silver has really been jumping in the past couple of weeks!

What has kept me so busy the past few months has been health issues with my Mother.  She has decided to quit her wandering ways and will share a permanent address with Larry and myself where she will be closer to family and can get the help she needs with the small things like getting to the hospital if she needs to.  She is 81, so it's about time.  She can fly out a visit whomever she wants to for as long as she wants to, but mov ing her every 6 months to 2 years is becoming hard on her, and I'm getting too old to want to do it anymore.

I spent some time this last weekend doing some information updates on the site.  There are a LOT of new regulations for the Arkansa River in 2011 coming out of the BLM this spring and I will have some time to tell you some of it in May before we take off for prospecting season.

I have many questions coming at me about the GPAA claim on the Arkansas above Elephant Rock, so I will address that now.  The BLM is requiring a plan of operation and a bond for any claim that wishes to allow motorized equipment on the Arkansas River.  The GPAA has elected NOT to file the required plan nor to put up the bond necessary for reclamation of the area, so be aware that those claims will be restricted to panning and sluice boxes.  Recirculation equipment can be used as well as metal detectors and dry washers, but anything that requires water being pumped from the river will not be allowed in those areas.  You will have two agencies watching, so if you are out there with your dredging equipment they WILL find you.

Along with this restriction on the GPAA claims, be aware that all claims in the dam site area south of there have been dissallowed and there will be no public prospecting at Elephant Rock, the last I heard.  If that changes I will let you know.  Propsecting for gold in Colorado is a challenge every year.  This one is no different.

Gotta run! May is coming up fast and I have a million things to do before Memorial Day weekend.  I think of all of you often.  I just do not have the time right now to talk to you very often.  I'm sure you all understand.  I WILL be writing to you as often as I can, and if you have any questions you know where to find me.  hookedongold@gmail.com.  As always,

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
http://www.hookedongold.com/
hookedongold@gmail.com

Gold at the Tucson Show

    What does 52 POUNDS of Australian gold look like?  Came with it's own guard, too.

So how do you like that really big piece of gold in the picture?  Gold spot price is sitting at $1423.30 this morning and silver at $34.37.  They have both been holding at pretty high levels most of February.

How has your winter been going? Ours seems to be going by at a faster pace than usual, and we attribute that to a winter get away to Tucson and Arizona in general. The above nugget recently found in Australia, was one of the highlights of the Convention Show in Tucson the last weekend of the two week show there, where you can find almost anything you want in the way of fossils, gemstones, and rocks.

This is where you can have your pick of giant sized specimens from around the world, and it takes most of the two weeks to see it all.  We were there for 4 days and saw most of 5 shows.  We passed up gemstone shows this year in favor of more rocks and gold.  :>D

Much has been going on this past month and friends on FB have heard a lot of it, but I will share more details with you here than on the wall.  Thanks to all who have an interest in this site.  Updates will be forthcoming and I would appreciate anyone who finds a broken link to let me know where they find them so I can fix the problem.

The site is large enough that I often do not find all my interlinks, so please do let me know if you find one and what page it was on.  hookedongold@gmail is the way to tell me about those, and thank you for letting me know.

No word yet on Arkansas River BLM  gold prospecting changes in Colorado.  GeoCommunicator is on again and off again.  Seems like they are trying to get it back online, but occasionally it isn't there.  Gald to see it is making a comeback.  LOL!

Back at cha in a few days. Spring is definetely in the air and we are looking forward to the Summer gold prospecting season.  Get that equipment in shape now so you are ready to get out when the weather permits.  That could be any time now for those who are hardier than I am.  That wind off the snow to the west of Denver is C*O*L*D!

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
http://www.hookedongold.com/
hookedongold@gmail.com

A Happy and Golden New Year!

                                                            From the Souk in Dubai
Happy New Year to All! We have had an extremely busy holiday season, and the whole family was sick through half of it.  Flu shots are a good thing, but they only work partially when the bug has mutated away from the original. Still, the lesser version was WAY better than the full blown version the youngest son is battling now.

The New Year brought in plenty of blackeyed peas, beautiful sunrises, a clean house, snow the week after Christmas (so we didn't have to play the slip and slide while traveling), and a new job contract.  It is starting out pretty darned good for us!  We hope the same is true for you. 

All of this bodes well for a long and productive gold prospecting season this summer.  We plan to visit Arizona this winter, too, and do a little gold prospecting with friends while we are there.  Wish us luck at finding that yellow metal!

The mountains in Colorado have 130% of their winter snow pack already.  This could make for a very interesting year prospecting for gold in Colorado.  No new news yet on what the BLM and Forest Service is doing for the Arkansas River or the South Park area. 

Gold spot price closed on Friday at a resounding $1422.30, and silver was at $30.94.  Gold didn't quite make its' predicted $1500 for 2010, but the silver spot price surpassed most expectations. 

Off to a 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration this afternoon.  Glad to see you all here.  Hope the New Year sends you good things, including lots of YELLER GOLD!  (Sorry Ben, I couldn't resist). LOL!

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley

Cache Creek Prospecting and Thanksgiving Greeting

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU!

The Labor Day Weekend Cache Creek Gang

We are pleasantly visting at our oldest son's house this Thanksgiving, with family and friends gathered around.  The turkey is nearly done, and we are getting ready to sit down. 

I thought I would take a moment to share a picture from one of last summer's gold prospecting outings with friends from Missouri.  We had our two highbankers running, and the gang cleaned out a tree that had died and recently been cut down at Cache Creek.  It produced some nice gold, which, unfortunately, we did not get a picture of.  I'll do that later and show it to you in another post.

Gold is at $1373 now.  Hope your Thanksgiving is a wonderful day filled with all the good things that you expect.  As we begin our Holiday Season, may we all be thankful for what we have, family, friends and each other.

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley

http://www.hookedongold.com/

hookedongold@gmail.com

Hooked on Gold Gazette 11/20/2010

                                          Summer Camp in CORA at the end of the year

HOOKED ON GOLD GAZETTE


• Gold Spot Closing Price for Friday: $1354.50

• Spot price last Gazette : Somewhere around $1230.00

________________

Gold ‘N’ Store

_________________________________

NEWS

Well, well. So, I am wondering this last week how I am ever going to get everyone caught up with all the news and info, and I remember the Gazette was one of the vehicles I use to do that. Funny, when you don’t use your tools for a while, how rusty they can become.

As usual, the price of gold is up more than it has been down. The last Gazette published in May shows it was over $1200 and now we see lots of days with the price over $1400.

As I have reported, the claims and open areas north of Buena Vista are closed to gold prospecting until the BLM has put into place a new plan for the area. In addition to this, the BLM is looking to require claim owners on all of the Arkansas River to self police their claims and leave BLM out of the enforcement of those areas. This isn’t a final on this issue, but they are strongly leaning to that side and GPOC is grappling now with how that would impact them and their liability on their Arkansas River claims.

In South Park, mine and claim owners are also having an ongoing issue with the U.S. Forest Service head. It seems that the attitude there is that if you don’t get the reports done, no one will fight you on it and you can shut down mining in the area very effectively. That department may find it a more difficult to do than they anticipated. There is word around that not just the small claim owners are unhappy.

The next order of business concerns the dredge piles on open space property in Breckenridge. We were finally able to meet with the open space people, and their decision on this matter was not to allow prospecting for gold,digging, panning, sluicing, or removal of material in the area. We have advised that they add signs to their already existing signs that address this issue so there is no confusion in the future.

With the Thanksgiving Holiday just around the corner, I’m going to keep this Gazette short. Getting back into the habit of sending this out each weekend is what was most important right now. We do hope you enjoy a wonderful Holiday Season and that you don’t fall asleep at the wheel driving home after all that pie and turkey. For those of you who do not celebrate Thanksgiving, we also wish you Happy Holidays and that this season finds you and yours happy and well.
As a last note, yesterday was our 39th wedding anniversary. Yes, friends, that means that Larry has put up with me for more than 40 years. I must have SOME redeeming qualities after all.

Have a great weekend. That’s it for me.

Until Next Week…..

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley (MQS)

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THE ARKANSAS RIVER is now CLOSED TO MOTORIZED EQUIPMENT until MARCH 1st.

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Local and National Governments take stand on Gold Prospecting in Colorado

Golden Aspen's changing near Fairplay, Colorado

October has come and gone, and there were so many things to catch up on before the Holidays begin, I have not taken time to chat with you.  There is so much information to share, I am having trouble knowing where to begin!  LOL!

With the mid term elections over with, perhaps we can, once again, learn how not to use the mute button on the remote while trying to watch the part of the news or any other program without it.  Many things we had decided simply not to watch so that we didn't have to constantly have a finger on the mute button.  I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way.

Have you been watching gold rise most of the Fall?  It sits at $1333.40 as I write.  Will it make $1500 before the end of the year?  My crystal ball isn't sure, but it is highly likely that it will.

November 3rd, and here in Denver we are still waiting for our first snow fall.  We did finally get a killing freeze a little before Halloween, and so, are now enjoying Indian Summer, and what a post season summer it has been!  Highs are in the 70's at least two days a week, and we should be looking at mid 50's and low 60's.  You know how much I LOVE summer, so I am happy that the good weather in holding.

News on gold prospecting in Colorado was not good at the end of the season.  The BLM, Washington Department of the Interior, has given orders to the Canyon City office to close all mining claims on the Arkansas in the Buena Vista area that are tied to the old dam project.  In fact, ALL prospecting in that area is forbidden until a new plan for the area can be worked out.  This will probably take most of the winter to accomplish, so we are looking at Spring before we will know any word on even the public areas. 

They will be confiscating equipment and no motorized vehicles will be allowed down the road.  It is strictly for hiking, biking and walking.  No camping is allowed in that area, either, until further notice.  Residents in the area have been up in arms over the claims and camping going on there for some time.  Apparently Washington's head of the Interior Department, has decided to uphold the old dam site claim from the 1890's and keep everyone out, thus ensuring the residents that they will continue to have their private hiking trails and river walks.  Funny thing, though.....that dam site area apparently was originally for hydraulic mining, and not water storage or hydroelectric power. 

We had an opportunity to meet with the Breckenridge Open Space people in October to open discussion about getting limited prospecting allowed on the dredge piles in the open space owned by both Breckenridge and Summit County.  The meeting was short and there was some discussion and questions about commercial mining or selling the gold found back to open space, but the committee decided to talk about their ability to monitor the activities if they were permitted.  A couple of weeks later we were contacted and informed that they would not be allowing this activity on the old dredge piles within the open space area.  We suggested that they put up signage letting people know that the activity is not being allowed and that they risk confiscation or ticketing if they come into the area for prospecting of any kind.  That also means rocks, people.  No rock hounding is ever allowed on open space anywhere unless specified by the group in control. 

Ok, that's enough for now.  New camp is closed for the winter and everything was put to bed about 4 weeks ago.  There have been three pesky bears breaking into campers on the upper mesa, but everything else has been pretty quiet.  We are settling into the holiday/winter routines and waiting for Spring and time to dig again.   Hope your Fall has been as nice as ours.  I'll have to be back to tell you about the last trip to Mt. Antero and our fossil dig at a friend's place east of Trinidad. 

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

Back to Bring You More on Prospecting for Gold

My, but gold has made a nice jump since I last visited with you!  You have probably been wondering why I have been away for so long, but believe me it had nothing to do with boredom.

In August, I got a google alert that my domain name was used in a page title or a variation of the original domain.  I have this alert sent to me for obvious reasons, but keeping an eye on who is using my brand name is the number one.


This alert took me to a page that had 5 links back to my site updating the page whenever I published anything.  My blog was linked to it twice, and thus updated the page twice every time I blogged.  Now, I'm a generous person, but I don't like someone else getting credit for my own work, and doing it without my permission.  The page was made to look like I was selling the product, but it was not me, and for a product I would not sell.  There was no contact information for this person, so the only solution was to stop posting and see what happened.

Well, I have waited long enough, I guess, as the links now go to golf sites, but the page still uses my domain name.  So, now you know why I have been away so long.  I have much to say, and it has been tough staying away long enough for this person to abandon the links.  More this weekend, now that I have my explanation out of the way.  

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
http://www.hookedongold.com
hookedongold@gmail.com

Gold Prospecting Season is in Full Swing....for Some of Us

Colorado State Gold Panning Championship Winners - Ladies Division Right to Left, 1st Shirley Weilnau, 2nd Sue Drewes, and 3rd Linda Jent

A lot has happened since I last chatted with you. We have been very busy with all sorts of things, not all related to gold or gold prospecting here in Colorado. Since I last blogged, we have attended Burro Days, the Colorado State Gold Panning Championships have been held, a visit from our oldest son and his family, moving Tin Pan Prospector, RAIN, painting the shed and various other activities with friends. Little of this has had anything to do with sleep, and we spent most of last week trying to catch up on everything.

Burro Days in Fairplay had more people attend it than I have ever seen before. The roads were parked full some 5 blocks away from the Library. It looked like most people were having a lot of fun and, of course, I bought books from the library sale.

Three days were spent in Breckenridge at the Colorado State Gold Panning Championships, where we took a total of 8 medals. I brought home 5 (Firsts in Team, Women’s and Dry, Second in Old Timers, Third in State) and Larry, 3 ( Firsts in National Style and Team, and a third in Men’s).

Our two youngest grandchildren came to stay for a few days at camp along with their parents right after that, and we hiked them around and they went swimming twice. They were pretty worn out by the time they went home. LOL!

Tin Pan Prospector moved from their spot above Alma, across the road. We are still getting dirt moved around and the signs up in the right spots, but everything seems to be working out well.

We hear that things at Cache Creek are good. We also hear that some of the regulations are changing a bit in the prospector’s favor. They may be allowing people with hand equipment to come in and work over the 14 days for a $5.00 per day fee.  That was what highbankers paid to stay past their 14 days with a second permit.  I don't know if they have applied this to sluice boxes, recircs and gold pans or not. 

Next Monday we will be attending the Breckenridge Open Space meeting to introduce what equipment and activities prospectors engage in to the committee, to begin the process of possibly opening up some of the old dredge piles above the Country Boy mine to recreational gold prospecting. The process will probably take most of the winter, as we also must get the items through the Summit County Open Space which controls the open space with Breckenridge. There are several on the committee who would like to see it opened, so we have a good chance of getting this through. We DO need help from any prospectors out there that live in Breckenridge or Summit County to lend a hand. We are commuting more than an hour and a half one way to attend meetings, and weather and highway conditions have been hampering our ability to get to these meetings.

Rain has been a BIG factor in our prospecting these past three weeks. Camp has had close to 5 inches and it has rained every day or night. Alma has had 7 or 8 inches. We are hoping everything doesn’t float away on us one of these days, and we are looking forward to some drier weather. We did get one coat of paint on the shed yesterday before it rained, and we would like to get the second on some time this week.

Other than those things, we have been enjoying our camp in CORA. Even when it is raining, it is peaceful, but the summer is going way too fast. We are hoping we have weather good enough to stay until October. Clouds are already forming over Mt. Bross, but they are white puffy ones, so far.

I have a review on the new blue Keene/Pioneer pan ready to post along with pictures. I’ll post that later this week so watch for it. Love my Safari sluice box!

Until later this week, I am hoping you are having one of the best seasons for finding gold you have ever had.

Good Prospecting to You

Gold Safari Sluice Box Review

The Gold Safari Sluice Box

Guests are gone, new camp is shaping up, and some rearranging is finished.  As promised, I have a review of the Gold Safari sluice I bought last year late in the season.  Since it is gold propsecting season for everyone, I could not find their website active and there are none listed on e-Bay where I found this one.  They may be out finding gold like the rest of us.  LOL! 

The first thing I liked about this sluice box is the 12 inch wide box and riffle system.  This means that the box should be able to handle classified material pretty fast.  The second was the combination of three different types of riffles, each meant to help catch material on it's way through.  It also came with indoor/outdoor carpeting, which we have always liked better than miners moss.  (Too many rocks hang up in it, and you have to run matting underneath.)

The one thing I did NOT like was that it did not have rubber mat or carpeting before the riffles, and it did not come with expanded metal.  Both of these items we added.

The first set of riffles are short round bars.  I wasn't too sure about this when we got the sluice box, but I was willing to give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that they worked in tandem to provide a calm area between them that dropped heavier black sand and gold into, leaving the second riffle to clear out the lighter sand.  Very nice.  The gold showed up, of course, right away in the black mat, and the wide box spread the material out so that I could spade classified material into it as fast as I wanted to.  I watched the second riffle to be sure it was cleaning out adequately, and we went through 10 buckets as fast as we could classify it.

All in all, I like this sluice box.  Be aware that you will need to add the rubber matting or carpet at the head of the box and expanded metal if you want to.  The box sold for around $150.00, and if you can find one, I recommend it. 

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a pic of the gold we caught with the sluice.