Mining the Colorado Mountains with the Weather Channel

 Naw, we aren't in the Weather Channel show, but this is a picture of Larry and friends Jan and Tim hunting for gemstones on Mt Antero in 2011. I'm behind the camera, of course.

Gold closed Friday at $1667.20, silver at $31.43, and the DOW was over 14000 this past week, although it didn’t hang around there for long.  Lots of speculation out there about what gold will do in the short term as it is having trouble holding its’ 200 day average.  Not a particularly good thing for right now, but it certainly doesn’t mean we are looking at a crash, but possibly a good pull back.  Platinum has been closing above gold for some time, now.  Has something to do with it being needed in catalytic converters for cars.

A nomination that caught my attention this past week was the appointment of the next Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, president and CEO of REI.  I have not heard why our own Ken Salazar decided not to continue in that role for the next four years. 

Mark your calendars for March 26^th and the premiere of the Weather Channels’ series “Prospectors”, featuring many Colorado gem miners.  While they aren’t after gold, these people are definitely successful at what they do.  I know several, am acquainted with others, and they mine the mountains of Colorado.  You can see the trailer at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=422192217855655

We are almost at the end of our kitchen remake, and it is turning out to be really nice.  So far, the project has not had too many set backs or problems that were a disaster.  I’m sure most of you can relate.  Glad to have it finished this winter and not hanging over our heads as the weather turns to spring. 

There is so much to report on that has to do with legislative and court issues that are of concern to prospectors large and small, I am going to link you out to International California Mining Journal to read about all of it.  If you don’t have a subscription to this magazine, whether online or snail mail, you should consider getting one.  www.icmj.com Besides keeping you up on many of the issues you need to know about, they write excellent articles on metal detecting and prospecting in general. 

That’s it for now.  Do your research for that place you are wanting to find while the weather has you inside.  And, as always……

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley Weilnau

www.hookedongold.com

hookedongold@gmail.com

Hooked on Gold Gazette Jan 25th

Summer time fun. Don't know about you, but I'm tired of being COLD!!!

HOOKED ON GOLD GAZETTE

· Gold Spot Closing Price for Friday: $910.50
· Spot price Jan. 18th: $880.50
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Calendar of Events

JANUARY 2008
1st New Years Day
9th GPOC Meeting 7:00 p.m. Colo. Springs

FEBRUARY
TUCSON GEM, MINERAL, and FOSSIL SHOW – Tucson, Az.
13th GPOC Meeting 7:00 p.m. Colo. Springs
22nd – 24th Gem and Mineral Show Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Colo.
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NEWS

BREAKING NEWS! Closure of three large mines today in South Africa have placed the supply of platinum and gold in jeopardy. The local utility/power supplier informed Anglo Platinum, Anglogold Ashanti, and Harmony gold mines that they would be unable to guarantee continued power supplies to them due to power shortages and worker strikes. Gold reached a high in overnight markets of $924.70 on the news.

The cost of making a penney has neared it not surpassed 2 cents. How much longer do ou think we will be carrying the coin in their present state? Aren’t we ALL picking up penney’s we find on the ground?

Ever wonder what the gold market has been doing by percentage gain each year since 2000? Well I found a chart that tells you just that. Don’t know for sure what gold will do in the future, but the past has been remarkable.

2001 33.10%
2002 20.10%
2003 54.40%
2004 8.36%
2005 40.00%
2006 20.60%
2007 31.10%

This shows an average gain of 27.27%, and will boost gold to $1061.00 per ounce by years end, if it only reaches the AVERAGE, and there are many factors working now to push it past the average.

This year, China began trading in gold futures contracts for the first time ever. The Chinese have an opportunity to buy futures contracts on gold at just 7% of the contract, making it very easy for the average person to purchase the smaller 1,000 gram contracts. The impact of these traders along with world wide traders, could have a substantial impact. As China becomes the world’s largest producer of gold, soon, according to a prediction by the China Gold Association, it could also become the worlds second heaviest buying country as well.

COLORADO is experiencing a surge in mining claim applications. “GOLD?” you ask? NOPE. Oil and uranium. The state has some of the lowest fees in the Rocky Mountain area, and the State is contemplating how much to raise them. Mining companies are complaining, but if you look at Wyoming and Utah, we are charging almost half what other states are getting. I guess you could say, I’m more in favor of the State getting more in fees than to have my income or property taxes raised. Then there is that proposed gasoline tax of 13 cents. I can’t say that the fee hike is necessarily bad for mining as they are already paying higher fees in neighboring states. Heck, if they’re lucky they can spend the fee money in court paying lawyers to fight the environmentalists and locals who don’t want mining and then take their high paying mining jobs and mine somewhere else. THAT would be great for the environment, AND the economy.

The Tucson show is coming up in February. You could be there anywhere from the first of February til around the 17th and see a lot. While much of the show is for wholesale, there is much to see for the average guy. The downtown convention center has something going on each long weekend, and there are other things al over town at many motels, and can be accessed by and “prospector”. I can promise you that if you have never been, you will be on overload by the time you leave. Plan to park your car and use the shuttles.

So, how are you planning on spending your Federal “rebate” check? That is, assuming it can pass both the houses without too many changes, (HA! Can you spell P*O*R*K?) AND you get it before the elections.

Oh! Oh! In the proposed changes to the mining laws that were talked about last summer, how did you like the one about how the water quality coming out of a mine 10 years after it was shut had to be guaranteed to be “clean”? I didn’t see any mention of any consideration of the water quality BEFORE the mine was opened.

The new template is almost finished and it should be in place in March. What with the Tucson Show coming up, there won’t be much time to switch it before we leave, so it will have to wait until we get back. It will take some time to get everything as it should be before it goes “public”. It looks great and just needs a few more tweeks to be ready to start using. Did you find gold this week?
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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
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