Snow in the Gold Country of Colorado

Mt. Antero on Tuesday. Doesn't look any better today.
Temps in the upper 40's. BRRRR!


More Panning Gold From Tin Pan Prospecting

Took a couple of friends to Tin Pan for a day of just gold panning and this is what we got. Thought you'd like to see it. There's about half a gram, there, in the pan.

For those of you on my case about blog posts, This blog's for you. :>D Denver Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show was a bit slow for wholesalers, but retailers saw a lot of traffic all days. Gold Prospectors of Colorado had their gold panning troughs out all three days, and of course they were very busy. The display cases had some awesome items in them, including one that had some very nice blue colored aquamarine from the Mt. Antero area. Most of you know I spent my time with T.L.E. International selling Emeralds.

After the show, we took up where we left off with the BLM and Cache Creek. GPOC will have volunteers up there this Saturday to do some cleanup and tree removal. The trees are already down and ready to be moved, and they will be knocking down coyote holes and general cleanup. The Beaver pond will get mucked out next Tuesday and an additional pond put in above the exsisting beaver pond to try and catch sediment before it enters the beaver pond. The sediment removed from the pond will NOT be available for prospecting and an effort will be made to spread it out to begin our long term reseeding effort.

We are also engaged in talks with BLM to modify the area's use regulations for next year, and there will be many changes. Everyone needs to remember that this area was developed originally as a wildlife refuge, and mining a small part of this area is a secondary concern.

To protect the wildlife aspect of the area, mining usage will need to be restricted further to prevent destruction of the downstream areas. Sluicing and panning will be restricted next year to a reasonable time limit, as there were many with sluice boxes who came into the area and stayed all season. Some are still there. This amount of use was never intended for this area. It was intended for casual, recreational, vacation time use and not to be mined as one would mine their own claim.

Should an individual or group want to do this level of work, they should be filing their own claim and dealing with the bonding issues connected with that claim, and not be doing this level of work on public land. Altercations with individuals concerning water usage and regulations was a big problem for hosts this year, and the new regulations will insure that these problems are kept to a minimum next year.

You will be required to fill out a short form to be placed in a collection box, like is used for fee for use parking areas, but there will be no fee. Collection of this information is to ensure that individuals are not in the area past their bonding permits or their number of allowed usage days.

Information on the area will be consolidated and all forms, website and kiosk will be in sync to minimize confusion. Highbanking permits will remain as they were this season, but without the extension. There were very few extensions asked for, and there were many highbankers who stayed in the area far past their permits plus any extensions they would have had. The elimination of the extension will help in tracking how many days a highbanker has been set up. (Leaving your highbanker set up is counted as a days work, whether you work or not).

Weather is too cold here today to get out much, and so, those of you who are blog starved get a treat. The fourteeners are covered in snow and the sky is cloudy. This weekend promises to be much better, and our last week in B.V. this season should end on a pleasant note. Hopefully, all of you had a successful prospecting season.

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

Gold Panning at Cache Creek

The high country is really starting to put on a wonderful show. We got some very nice pictures of the turning leaves this past Friday while we walked around Cache Creek with Gayle Gresham and her husband John.

Gayle is writing a piece about one of her relatives and 'rustling' which should be interesting, and we certainly will be looking forward to reading it when it is finished. She has several generations of miners in her 'tree', and her G.G.Granddad happened to be working at Cache Creek while they were mining the area early on. She has been to the area several times, but never up around where they had stopped the mining, so we offered to give her a tour and teach her how to pan for gold like her ancestors did.

She was a quick study and proved that gold mining is in her blood. She picked up the swishing motion to separate the black sand from the gold at the end of the process really well, and with a little practice, we are sure she will be using that gold pan as well as the rest of us.

That was what she found in her very first spade full of dirt from Cache Creek. 4 small pieces of gold, and not bad if we do say so ourselves! We panned the day away along with a home schooled group from Colorado Springs who were on a field trip with their kids. Gayle spent a few minutes with them to give them some of the history of the area and to share a couple of stories about her grandfathers. (More on them later) :>D

We spent a very pleasant day with everyone on Friday...that is until we all decided the smoke from the "camp fire" wasn't a "campfire" but had become something much bigger. We have since heard from the Chafee County Fire Dept. that it did look like it began as a camp fire, so everyone needs to be very aware of the danger of fire out there concerning your camp fires.

Gayle runs a blog on the history of her family, which includes mining, that you can see here at http://www.coloradoreflections.blogspot.com/ , and I must say it has some very interesting information on it.

I have two more posts to get in before next week. As most of you know, this weekend is the Denver Gem, Mineral and Fossil show at the Merchandise Mart along with several other hotels and, we hear, some goings on at the Coliseum. That means I will be spending 10 hour days in the emerald booth with my friend Pedro from Colombia. Come out and see some of the most amazing rocks, gems, and fossils this side of the Tucson Show. Stop by the panning troughs set up each year by the Gold Prospectors of Colorado in the N.E. corner of the Merchandise Mart.

Lots more mining to do yet this year, so get out there and find some gold!

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley Weilnau

Gold Prospecting in the Mountains of Colorado

Yup, that's a forest fire starting up. at Cache Creek Sept. 11th, '09

Are you looking for mining equipment at good prices on hand tools and accessories? How about some gold concentrates to have on hand for indoor panning? Find what you are looking for and monthly specials on mining equipment, too.

A great big "HOWDY" to all of you today. My posts seem to get farther and farther apart, but rest assured, I haven't forgotten you. Every time I log in I cannot believe how long it has been since the last post. We ARE having FUN, however, and time is flying by. :>D

Since my last post, we have visited Tin Pan several times with friends, dredged a bit on the river, collected Apache Tears and Garnets on Ruby Mt., met people at Cache Ck for gold panning lessons and walk throughs, met with BLM twice on site, and had a forest fire crop up above the work area on the Cache Ck. open area. Yes, it has been a busy couple of weeks!

Aspen trees have started to turn yellow, gold and red, and each day, now, we find many more have followed suit. If we don't get too much early snow higher, we could be in for some really nice viewing this year. Beetle kill continues to advance at an alarming rate, though, and you will find many more forests with grey, needle less pine trees next year.

Denver Gem, Fossil and Mineral Show will be Sept. 18th through 20th, so put that on your calendar and go spend a day there if you are in the area. GPOC will have their gold panning troughs out for the public to pan from, too.

I came across an interesting piece this past week by miningweekly on the rise in gold prices I thought you might like to read. There was also an article on Gold Rush Days in Sacramento, Ca. that was a lot of fun.

Well, that's about it for today. I have a lot of information to get onsite and will begin to work on that next month. In the mean time....

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
http://www.hookedongold.com/
hookedongold@gmail.com
http://www.hookedongoldprospecting.ning.com/ a prospecting community/forum

Review of Tin Pan Prospecting in Fairplay

We had the opportunity to stop in at Tin Pan Prospector/Outfitter, the new panning/prospecting pay for use area located west of the highway 285 bridge, just south of the light, in Fairplay this weekend. The operator, Chad, was informative, pleasant, and really knew his stuff.

We tried out the panning ‘tub’ and were surprised at the amount and size of the gold we found. Panning is 10 bucks a day per person, and from what we saw, it is one of the best values around that we have seen lately, as you can see above.

That's your host, Chad. Great guy!

Tin Pan Prospecting is located south of the light at Fairplay on highway 285 on the west side of the bridge that crosses over the South Platte River.

Gravel is brought in from off the property, for panning, so we decided to try out the highbanking area for a couple of hours. We had two shoveling and one classifying, and came away with roughly a gram of gold for our efforts, which we all thought was a pretty good deal.

Most of the gold was nice sized flakes right out of the moraine bank, and Chad told us we had brought back more than what had been showing in that area. He proceeded to take material from our bank back to the panning area. Highbanking runs around $30.00 a day with your own equipment, and there is equipment for rent on site starting at $30.00, too. Sluicing, dredging, and metal detecting are available, but dredging is closed on the river for this season.

This pan shows what we got out of the $25.00 can o dirt. They also carry $10, $15 and $50 cans.

Chad tells us that the company will be adding several new properties next year to those already available to prospectors. You can even purchase a season pass that gives you access to all the properties. They will be looking at the possibility offering weekly or monthly rates next year. For the money, it looks to me like this is a good deal, and you will have access to patented and private property claims. We were impressed with the areas they are looking at having available for next years’ season. I know where we will be spending more of our own prospecting season next year. Heck, I know where we will be spending some of THIS years’ season that is left to us. LOL!

Their website is located at http://www.coloradogoldprospecting.com/ , but the prices quoted there are higher than they are presently charging. Chad says he will be open daily until after Labor Day weekend, and then you will need to call during the week to use the property. He will stay open to the public on weekends until the season winds down and snow is falling.

So, what do I think? I liked the atmosphere, the property, how it was managed and most of all the gold. Pictures prove my point. I also purchased one of the $25.00 cans o dirt and weighed out ½ a gram (7.5 grains) of nice sized flake.

Looks good in the pan above, doesn’t it? Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will find that much, but at least you can see what I got. They offer $10.00, $15.00, $25.00 and $50.00 cans o dirt, but they are out of the 10 and 15 dollars cans right now. Nice gift idea for that prospector you know for Christmas or a drawing at a club meeting.

If you are looking for a good place to spend some time panning, this is one to try out and lessons are included with the price. If you are looking for where you want to play in the dirt next year, consider Tin Pan Prospecting's season pass. Remeber, you will have access to all their properties for the season. Good people to work with, and a lot of really good gold. They also work with groups and offer a variety of outfitter prospecting experiences, including BBQ and camping arrangements. Stop by their spot just south of the light in Fairplay on highway 285. You won’t be sorry!

Gold Prospecting and Golden Yellow Leaves

We came back to B.V. from spending 6 days at home, to beautiful azure blue skies, whispy clouds and high 70's temps......this is August. August, when temps should be in the mid 80's and we should be needing the fan on all night long and still sweat.

Prospecting for gold has been hit and miss all summer, what with hosting Cache Creek more than we intended, and having major problems crop up there, too. However, we still have, what, 6 weeks to find gold. I think we have had time to pick up a whole 4 grams of placer gold and under half an ounce metal detecting. We are hopeful the rest of the season will be better gold wise. :>D

Trees are turning yellow already, and frost has been around each night above 9,000 ft. Looks like fall is coming in early, but fall is my favorite time of year. Warm days and cool nights. AND no work to go to each day. AAHHHH!

We took a trip yesterday east of Salida to try and find a peridot field we could hunt. No luck in finding the field, but the weather was wonderful, and we saw country we had never seen before. Placid ranches with lush grass and fat cows. What hasn't gotten frosted and turned yellow is still green like it was spring. Trees looks well watered, and perhaps they can begin to resist the pine beetle that is decimating the forests in Colorado.

Circumstances at Cache Creek have quieted down and things seem to running more smoothly than in July. The place looks like it has been bombed out and holes are really big. The parking lot is still full every day and there are large groups who come in on the weekends. Plan accordingly if you are coming there. Good luck to you in your search for gold, and may you find enough gold to make your experience worth all your effort. I know finding gold is only one of the aspects of prospecting for gold. Having the opportunity to be in the out of doors with a purpose, or not, is certainly worth getting up in the morning for. I hope you feel the same way. :>D

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
www.hookedongold.com

'09 Colorado State Gold Panning Championships

Colorado State Gold Panning Championships '09

Yes, that's the 'get up' I wear to 'official' events. I think I'll post it on FB, too! :>D

Colorado State Gold Panning Championships in Breckenridge last weekend were hectic, but we were able to get through everything before close on Sunday.

Rain (and snow above 11,000 feet) greeted us on Friday morning and made it difficult to get started on time. Junior events had to be postponed until later in the weekend so that Old Timers and National Style could get completed on Friday.

Saturday morning we found ice on the truck windshield, but clear skies and sunshine at breakfast time. We squeezed one of the Jrs. events in the morning, and had a very full field of teams, women's and men's events, which left us with no time to finish men's on Saturday. Sunshine abounded, though, and everyone was in good spirits with good competition and camaraderie. Cleaning enough sand became a problem with equipment that kept breaking down, which also slowed everything down. Fortunately, we had a back up system that could be run to help get the sand cleaned of gold for competition.

Sunday morning also was sunny but without ice on the windshield, and we started the day squeezing in the last Jrs. competition and then finishing men's before moving on to State in the afternoon. There were 25 competitors signed up and I dropped to judge so we could run dry and speed simultaneously, which helps to speed things along. This gave us just enough time afterward to run World's Dry before we had to begin tearing everything down to go home.

This had to be one of the toughest years to get everything in with rain, equipment, and the large number of competitors, but everyone had a great time and most of the weather was very good. More pictures will get posted in the next week as I get them resized, as well as announcements of the winners, hopefully tomorrow as I go through and find them all. We have video to post as well, as soon as Larry gets it put together. Have you ever seen anyone pan for gold blindfolded? Well, we did a panoff blindfolded. It was really something to see! Lots of fun. Had to have two competitors that were evenly matched to do it, and they both did a good job.

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

Colorado State Gold Panning Championships National Style Champions

'09 National Style Champions

Left to right, Gary Beaderstadt 2nd, Eric Vesterby 1st, Stacey Smith 3rd, Sue Drewes 3rd. Congratulations to the first of our Colorado State Gold Panning Champions for '09.

Weather in Breckenridge was wet and cold, but we managed to find enough dry skies to get the competitions started. Weather today should be better as we start today with Teams and move on to Jrs, Women's, and Men's. Come on out and join us! Weather is predicted to be sunny and in the 70's. See you there.

Good Prospecting to You,

Shirley

www.hookedongold.com

'09 Colorado State Gold Panning Championships

Come one, come all to the '09 Colorado State Gold Panning Championships this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Breckenridge, Colorado. Brought to you by Gold Prospectors of Colorado, we will hold three days of gold panning competitions that will include Jrs., Old Timers, National, Teams, Women's, Men's, State, and Worlds Dry.

GPOC will also have their panning troughs out for the public to try their hand at gold panning as well as watching some of the best panners in the country compete for this year's titles.

Come on out and join us for three days of fun in the high country, and try your hand at finding gold with a gold pan like the old timers did! See you there.

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
www.hookedongold.com

Resolution of Issues at Cache Creek

I posted this today on the ning site, too, and rather than have to retype the information, I am going to just copy it for you here. I can't really make it better or different. Spelling probably will be better here, though, as I wrote this very early this morning. :>D

I am VERY happy to report to you this morning that the situation at Cache Creek this past week has been resolved without arrest or revocation of permit. I also want all of you to know that the BLM was very cooperative in sending a team to get this under control, going so far as to pull a ranger from Montrose to assist while the Canyon City field office ranger was unavailable. We want to thank them for their response.

The person in question was successfully contacted by Ranger Ted and other BLM department heads and was made to understand what violations he had made and what consequences there would be if he did not cease his line of belligerence. No matter what happens up there, assault is not OK. It is against criminal law and we still have the option to have this person arrested and prosecuted, so watch your conduct out there. This is not the wild wild west.

For any one's information, the distance from each other needs to be at least a shovel's length or ten feet. An 18 foot perimeter around you is unreasonable and BLM officers have said that no one may interfere with anyone else prospecting there that is doing so lawfully. The area is public land and any one has the same rights to digging in any spot as any one else. We will continue to respect, at minimum, the 10 foot rule and not digging in someones hole that has a bucket in it and shows up each day by noon to work that hole. Let me make it clear here, that we are not required to do this. We are trying to extend some common courtesy to all of you.

Only one highbanking permit is permited per person for the year and can be extended for an additional 10 days for a total of 20 days per season. On the KIOSK you will also see a regulation that says if your highbanker is set up and you do not run that day, you must count that day as a day used. We lost two days ourselves this past week on our permit dealing with storms and this situation. THRILLED that we lost a day to this mess!

Anyway, rest assured that the situation has been dealt with and this individual is now aware that BLM does know what is going on and that they are prepared to defend us and what we are doing. Also that we, under the hosting contract with GPOC, are under their federal employee umbrella for defense. We cannot control the bear, however, and all of you are on your own where it is concerned. LOL! Make sure you keep you food, toiletries, and anything that has scent under control at all times. You are in his backyard, not the other way around.

One other thing I would like to bring up is that BLM will be modifying the regulations this fall to deal with some new things that are coming up this summer. One will most probably deal with the number of days sluicers will be allowed to use the area. This is NOT an area to come in and mine all summer like a claim, monopolizing large areas that others should have equal access to.

Please help us bring a good experience to the hundreds of people who access this area.

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
www.hookedongold.com

Obeying Gold Prospecting Rules and Regulations

Natural Granite Arch east of Buena Vista

Time is just going too quickly. I think I'm doing OK with information and then find out that I haven't blogged for weeks! As you can see, we have been having a bit of fun with the UTV wandering around seeing things we cannot see with the truck. Oh, we find some gold, too. :>D

Hosting occasionally up at Cache Creek is interesting to say the least. We find all kinds of people there, and most are very nice. We enjoy talking with them and giving them out information along with tips on what to do with equipment or how to use a pan. Every once in a while, we come across someone who just does not play by the regulations and it makes it VERY hard for everyone there, least of all us. Law enforcement has had to be called this last week, and we are still trying to get everyone in the same place at the same time to straighten out a few people who think they have a 'claim' up there on some of the ground.

Yes, we have been threatened and acosted, too, as many of your have read elsewhere, but we do hope to be able to solve this problem without anyone getting hurt or arrested. A word to everyone about public land; you cannot come to Colorado and set yourself up to make a living finding gold on public land. First, you have to move too much dirt, and second the BLM frowns on it. Yes, it is hard to catch you at it, but, come on, people, you are on the honor system with this, and apparently some of you are pretty dishonest. The area can be shut down in an instant, and quite frankly, we are getting tired of a few others coming here from other states and ruining these areas for us, the residents of this state. Just because you can does NOT mean that you SHOULD. Right now, if they close down Cache Creek, I will not miss it. I am REALLY tired of the B.S.

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

Time Passes Quickly When You Are Finding Gold

Mountain Vistas in Gold Country!

It's July 5th. I am having a hard time believing that my last post here was on June 27th! I am online almost every day writing somewhere and answering questions, so if I have neglected you here, I am sorry.

Gold closed last Friday around $931.00 and it is at $929.60 now. The 4th of July weekend was quiet at Cache Creek, and we are looking at our second trip back home to pick up mail. That might not seem significant to you, but that means we have been away for almost a month, since the P.O. will only hold for 30 days. Our oldest son will be celebrating his 35th birthday this week, and the youngest is moving. Needless to say, this trip back will be very busy although short.

We have found gold most days we have looked, and with the Arkansas still near flood stage, Cache Creek and Point Bar are about all there is that can be worked right now. Lots of nice gold is still coming out regularly. Most days there is one highbanker to every 4 sluices at Cache Creek, and some days there are no 'bankers at all. Weather has been cool with rain most days, too. New signs have been placed by the BLM concerning trees as too many are being undercut and taken down. They also placed a piece of plexi glass on the permanent information side of the Kiosk so weather and wind doesn't send the papers flying all over the parking lot.

We had our water pump go out on the new UTV on Saturday, and we suspect it was damaged in the first place, as I could smell coolant and water vapor from the start. The impeller also does not turn, so we are looking at conversations with the shiper tomorrow morning to see what needs to be done. We are looking forward to some July sunshine, and then will probably complain about how hot it is. LOL! DID find some more old markers and got a better look at others that we have photographed before the pump went out. Until next time...

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley

Cache Creek Gold Prospecting Responsibilities

Trees should stand tall at Cache Creek, not down in a hole!

Cache Creek is becoming a challenge to keep things from getting out of control. While most miners in the area adhere to the regs, there are those who feel the regs do not apply to them when no one is watching. Several violations will be addressed here, and hopefully get the word out that these types of infractions jeopardize the continuation of keeping the area open to the public.

First is the undermining of trees. NO ONE who has NOT contacted the BLM about tree removal is allowed to remove ANY tree for ANY reason. The tree above was undercut three feet past its' tap root. This tree was also marked in orange and was to be saved. Who in their right mind would undermine a tree to this extent and cause such a hazard to all who are in the area? Camp Hosts called BLM concerning it and obtained permission to take it down, but if this irresponsible conduct continues, BLM will close this area due to the unsafe nature of the area to all who visit.

FIRES MUST BE CONTAINED IN A METAL FIRE CONTAINER, AND MUST BE OUTSIDE THE DAY USE AREA! In case you are not aware, the middle mountains of Colorado are under extreme fire danger regardless of the amount of rain we get. Beetle kill is so wide spread that any fire is potentially the start of a fire here that will be unstoppable due to the number of dead and dying trees. Certainly, no one using Cache Creek would want to be responsible for or prosecuted for starting such a fire. This is NO JOKE! It is VERY serious, and beyond being ticketed for having a fire on the ground and not in an elevated metal fire pan, the Federal Government WILL jail you for starting a forest fire, as they have before for irresponsible behavior.

PICK UP YOUR CIGARETTE BUTTS!

FILL IN YOUR HOLES! While we are aware that many leave the holes open for themselves or others to use after they have left the area, this poses a danger for anyone walking above them. Camp Hosts are constantly filling in holes and pits that others leave. This is exhausting work, and if you think it takes too much of your time, imagine how much time it takes for those who did not make them in the first place.

The bear is becoming more aggressive. It is appearing earlier in the evening and is getting used to people, their noises and movements. This is creating a situation where the camping signs will need to be moved so that all the camps are not so close together creating a foraging opportunity for the bear. You are in its' habitat, not the other way around, and it would be prudent for campers to spread out a bit so that a confrontation with the bear is less likely to happen. The area being used now may be convenient, but it is creating a problem with congestion, etc.

We are hopeful that all will abide by common sense and the regulations posted on the kiosk, as well as not pushing the envelope when no one is watching. We are not there to babysit all of you, but it seems as if some of you need that. We truly do not want to lose this area to the irresponsible actions of a few. Please do not shoot at the bear. An attack will close the area and the bear will suffer the consequences as well as you will. All of you are responsible for policing yourselves and questioning your neighbors if their actions are not in compliance with regulations. Enforcement is NOT your duty, but you can ask why they are acting the way they are, and report to the camp host any questionable activity as soon as possible so that action by them can be taken.

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
www.hookedongold.com

New Gold Prospecting Toy

Ready to find those yellow rocks!

Wow! getting everything written and posted while being involved with all we are doing in reallife is becoming more challenging. I will have several posts in the next couple of days concerning gold and Cache Creek, and other things going on.

Today, the UTV is finished and ready to roll. Cloudy weather may keep us close to 'home' and not out finding gold, but we should be able to take our new toy out for a spin on some back roads to see how it handles. That's it in the photo, and yeah it's for us old people. Originally developed for light duty use on a farm, it looks like it will be just what we need to get around on those roads we cannot get the truck up.

The gold prospecting season here on the Arkansas is starting to heat up, even though weather has been a hinderance. Most days have been warm until early afternoon when we get showers, sometimes lasting into the evening. Everything here seems to be about a month behind and we still have cottonwood cotton flying around. We have found gold with our pans while we are hosting at Cache Creek and taken the metal detectors out to find some more gold, too. Website should show you the changes in the claim status at Cache Creek in the next day or so. We have active claims now at the cemetery, so you need to stay out of there. All for now. Stay tuned!

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley Weilnau
www.hookedongold.com
www.hookedongoldprospecting.ning.com
hookedongold@gmail.com contact us

Cache Creek Gold Prospecting

Building from days long ago

Ok, Ok, it's been a while since I have had time to enter a blog post on this site, but we have been SUPER busy. Twitter helps with info, but it just isn't the same, is it? Weather has not been with us so far, but it should be getting better as June turns into July.

We have begun the Camp Host program at Cache Creek and begun trying to address some of the problems in the area. Undercutting of trees is still going on and everyone needs to remember that you need to stay 10 feet from the trees leaving their main roots alone. Cutting of trees is prohibited and the digging of straight down pits is dangerous. Anyone doing that needs to fill those in completely. It is NOT the Camp Hosts job to clean up your mess.

Another item that came to our attention is the claims at the bottom of the valley near the highway and below the cemetery. Those are now active and everyone needs to respect that and stay out of there.

The Porta Potty has been a big hit, so much so that GPOC is looking into having it pumped either twice a week or putting in a second one if funds permit from the grant money. All for now.

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

Gold Prospecting in the Rain

Another great shot of Mt. Princeton from Snowy Peaks RV Park.

Last week was dismally wet with rain nearly eveny day. This is one of the last shots I got of the mountains before everything went cloudy and grey. I have a couple of great shots out my back window of the park and how wet and gloomy the day was yesterday posted on hookedongoldprospecting. You can see them on the main page.

Snow lines were below the trees today as we sped our way through South Park on our way back to Arvada to open mail and finish getting everything ready for our summer escape. We will still have a few trips back and forth, but we should be able to stay most of the time in B.V.

We have injoyed our stay at Snowy Peaks, too, even though the weather has been less than great. Even in the rain, the staff goes busily about their chores and everything in the park is kept tidy. Six shower/restrooms and an onsite laundry makes keeping everything clean very convenient. Many activities are scheduled throughout the week in addition to everything that is going on in Buena Vista.

With all the snow and rain we have had these past couple of months, I want to remind everyone that we are in Spring runoff in Colorado, and all the streams and rivers are running high and swift. It only takes a couple on inches of swift water to knock you down and send you tumbling along the boulders. 6 inches can turn a car over.

Gold prospecting season is heating up. Have fun out there, but remember you are looking and finding gold in wild places, so be careful.

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

Visiting Cache Creek

It's HERE! The Porta Potty was put in at Cache Creek this weekend! And they even came in and serviced it while we were there.

Yes, gold prospectors, the porta potty is a reality at Cache Creek. This is a BIG plus for us and credit needs to go to the BLM and GPOC for all their hard work and cooperation to keep this area open for gold prospecting.

The creek is runing with lots of water now, but those who were in the area this past weekend left trash all around, cigarette butts, and even had fires within the area on the ground and not in fire pans. These are things that can not be tolerated. Trash removal and fire pans are state wide regulations that must be abided by. I would like to remind all that keeping this area open has been a long struggle for everyone involved and we certainly do not wish to see this oportunity destroyed because of a few who have decided that they do not have to abide by rules and regulations. Oh, and, PICK UP YOUR BUTTS!

We met some great people while we were there, even one who is a member of the hookedongoldprospecting.ning.com membership site. Another has been hiking in since mid spring after seeing the new sign at the beginning of the power line road. Also took it upon himslef to reattach the papers to the kiosk. Thanks Issac!

As always, we enjoyed ourselves completely and look forward to our next time there. Oh, we didn't find much gold this trip, but we will find an area we can work and find some gold. Did hear another story of big gold coming out of the highbanking area last year late, though.

It started raining here just before dusk, and we may get some more during the night, but the next few days look to be nice with possible showers in the afternoon. Those who follow on Twitter saw my first twitpics posted there today. The white peaks were gorgeous this morning. As Always,

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

Gold Prospecting from Buena Vista

Mt. Harvard from Snowy Peaks RV Park

Hey gang! We have sunshine this morning in Buena Vista! Yesterday was so gloomy no one wanted to do much of anything. We had a propane bottle to try and fix and then it started to rain...and rain. It started about 3:30 p.m. and was still raining when we went to bed. Not hard, just steady. One of my twitter follows sent a twitpic from west of here while it was snowing.

We have a couple of days to try and get out to Cache Creek and see what has been going on so far. We might even pick up some gold while we are there prospecting. :>D

I have a gold prospecting article for you today on the resurgence of gold panning in the U.K. at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1188876/Gold-rush-How-hundreds-turned-prospecting-beat-crunch.html

Later prospectors.

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
Gold Prospecting Equipment
www.hookedongold.com
www.hookedongoldprospecting.ning.com
hookedongold@gmail.com

Cache Creek Gold

Mosquito Pass

Yes, it is still cloudy and gloomy here, and it has rained twice since lunchtime, but we are still in the beautiful Colorado Mountains for the summer, and you ain't! LOL. Ok, maybe you are, but most of you ain't.

Good news yesterday! The BLM gate to the highbanking area at Cache Creek was open yesterday so let the gold getting begin. Remember to have you special bonds for this area.

While you are in your rush to BBQ and find gold, please remember to take a few minutes to remember or thank those who have served or are serving this Memorial Day Weekend. We know we appreciate each and every one of you, and thank you all for your sacrifices so that we can remain a free people.

Article of interest I came across concerning the future prices of gold can be found at http://www.goldensextant.com/commentary34.html#anchor376929

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

Gold Prospecting to Begin Memorial Day Weekend

Mt. Massive earlier today from Adelaide

Gold has closed up this week at $956.50 and silver at $14.69. Quite a ride from the $880's a few weeks ago, eh?

Toady we ventured out to do some prospecting. Found a bit of ore and got caught in a downpour at about the Hayden Ranch through Twin Lakes. Granite was dry when we got there on our way back to camp, but by 5:15 p.m. there was some pretty intense rain falling in BV. It has stopped, but we are predicted to have more of the same through the weekend.

To boot, the hills were all white this morning and I expect them to be that way again tomorrow. Hopefully, the gate will get opened tomorrow to the highbanking area at Cache Creek. We'll stop by tomorrow and see if it is or not.

I haven't had much time to blog the last few days, but now that we are settled in, more or less, I will have more time to get more posted about what we are doing, and what is going on. There is much going on on twitter, also, and you can follow the 'twits' with an RSS feeder or your own account.

Speaking of a lot going on, if you haven't joined the new prospectors networking site at http://www.hookedongoldprospecting.ning.com you are missing a lot of information, questions, answers and activity. Discussion groups have been started on many topics and we have members signing up almost daily. The site has lots to keep you busy and interested. Check it out, join up and invite your prospecting friends to do the same.

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley

Ready for Gold Prospecting

Camp is set up now for the summer here at Snowy Peaks RV Park, and we are a couple of very 'happy campers'. LOL! The weather is gorgeous, sunny and warm. We bugged out about 8 this morning, stopped into Frenchman's Creek to pick up the tailer, and got ourselves parked before noon. All afternoon we have been getting things situated and cleaned, and making lists of what we need to bring up next week. Wifi connection is great, and the dish is working, so we are all set for prospecting for gold, blogging, and relaxing. Looks like rain tomorrow, but we have plenty to keep us busy if it gets too nasty.

Gold closed the weekend at $930.90 a nice leap from this morning before we left. I found an article this past week on the mint at Carson City I thought you might like. If you ever find any gold coins made by this mint, be sure and keep them. They are usually in high demand and sell for very good prices.

Watch this next week for information on Cache Creek and the changes and new items coming to the area on the website. I have placed some of the information on http://www.hookedongoldprospecting.ning.com for members to read. Anyone can join the site and we have lively discussions going on about metal detecting, Cache Creek, and Lost Canyon.

Have to go get ice cream.....I know, but we gotta do what we gotta do. More later this week.

Good Prospecting to You,
Shirley
P.S. We read this morning that mining companies are suing Ken Salazar, head of the department of the Interior, for canceling some of the scheduled auctions for leases earlier this year.