Finally Got The Wife To Come Along Prospecting With Me

[Jin]

After 2 years going solo on my prospecting trips I found out that by buying a caravan my wife would finally come prospecting with me. Originally we bought the caravan for trips away but she said she didn't mind if we took it away to prospecting areas now and again. The only downside is I had to buy something to tow the van so I bought a new jeep and she said no bush bashing in it as she doesn't want scratches or dents. My Prado is slowly getting destroyed with all the rough tracks and river crossings I do in it.  So it looks like ill be doing lots of walking for the time being.

The next door neighbor had an electric powered mountain bike which I bought but it needs a new battery. The bike does 80kmh, but I think I'll stick to 20kmh and at least get there in one piece. Should be really good to be able to ride across the country looking for potential gold bearing ground. Walking takes too long. 

Anyway, we took the van for its maiden voyage 6 weeks ago and the wife loved it. She reads a lot while I detected which seemed to work. Hopefully one day she might even have a go at detecting. 

There's nothing better than coming back to the van for a hot shower and a home-cooked meal. Usually, my solo trips consist of detecting from dusk until its dark, eating dry bread and a can of soup for dinner. Then crawling into the rooftop tent and going to sleep. As I only get to the Golden Triangle once a month I need to make it count. I found cooking/cleaning wasted to much time. Heck, i don't even have time to butter my bread so the butter stays home. A good day detecting for me is around 11 hours straight. And that's swinging the 18" Elite. Usually can only manage 2 days of that and then i want to go home. Besides, i think the family doesn't mind me going every month because there short trips.  

We're off again next week this time to Daylesford which is a nice little town. I'll probably get up at 5:00 am and detect until 10:00 am then take her out and go for a few walks.

Got a new "SteelPhase sP01 Audio Enhancer" coming this week so that will be good to see how it compares to the B&Z booster.

Heres a picture of our last trip. It was a stopover at Waanyarra on the way home. Ended up finding a few bits near the campground so that was a bonus.  

 

[Northeast]

Jin, with the amount of gold you've been finding I'm surprised you haven't had a few wives wanting to head out with you 

And bread with your tinned soup - that's luxury  

Seriously though, really nice rig and great that the wife is interested ??

[Jin]

Cheers Northeast, I wish I was finding a lot of gold. Just have a few good runs now and then, but the truth is only getting out 2 days a month makes it pretty hard to find new patches. Sometimes I have 10 or more spots marked on the GPS and give each spot 1 hour and if nothing turns up or I don't like the look of the spot I move on.  I love prospecting and the thrill of the hunt. The golds a bonus. Just happy that the wifes taken a small interest in my hobby.  

[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi Jin… I enjoyed reading your post because it expresses my lifelong inclination to include my wife and family in my prospecting adventures. I’ve enjoyed a good deal of success in doing so for over 30 years now. Of course this is just one example of many endeavors where I’ve always been responsible for the guidance and stewardship pertaining to all things family related. So I guess I’m saying thankyou for sharing your thoughts and feelings in that regard.

Below, just for the heck of it, I’ve included a few photos of my lifelong prospecting partner in winter camping scenes. She’s a very astute metal detectorist with an impressive history of silver recoveries here in Ontario, and the best of companions in all weathers. As depicted below, it seems that we invariably find ourselves in early winter conditions because we are always reluctant to pack-up and leave our North Country prospecting environs. 

So thankyou Jin, and congratulations on acquiring your new camper and Jeep, I’m sure these will encourage your wife. And who knows… we all were once newcomers to the hobby… just maybe she’ll eventually become a dyed-in-the-wool prospector. 

 

[Jin]

Hi Jim, Looking at your photos I don't think my wife will rough it that much. And she hates the cold. My daughter and I have only managed to get her to go skiing once and she said she'll never go again. 

We went camping once when we were first married but she didn't like that there were no toilets/showers and a powerpoint to plug in the hairdryer. Probably my fault I never set up the campsite properly. The next wife I'm going to make sure they like the outdoors first before marrying them. (only joking - lucky this one has stayed with me for 30 years)

The new camper has all of the mod cons and she loves it. I'm just happy that i might be able to go prospecting a little more often now. When I find my next patch ill let her have detect and hopefully the thrill of finding a piece of gold on her own makes her want to do more prospecting. Either way, it's nice having your partner tag along.  

[Reg Wilson]

Jin, mate you're getting soft. "Luxury". "When I was your your age I slept in a hollow log and ate lizards for breakfast". (raw)

[Jin]

Yes, I agree, I am becoming a bit soft, lol. I think I'll give the log a miss, actually the log and the lizard. 

[Northeast]

5 hours ago, Jin said:

Yes, I agree, I am becoming a bit soft, lol. I think I'll give the log a miss, actually the log and the lizard. 

Blue tongue and goanna - you don't know what you're missing!!  But stay away from old moggy - they taste like crap

[Jim Hemmingway]

10 hours ago, Jin said:

Hi Jim, Looking at your photos I don't think my wife will rough it that much. And she hates the cold. My daughter and I have only managed to get her to go skiing once and she said she'll never go again. 

We went camping once when we were first married but she didn't like that there were no toilets/showers and a powerpoint to plug in the hairdryer. Probably my fault I never set up the campsite properly. The next wife I'm going to make sure they like the outdoors first before marrying them. (only joking - lucky this one has stayed with me for 30 years)

The new camper has all of the mod cons and she loves it. I'm just happy that i might be able to go prospecting a little more often now. When I find my next patch ill let her have detect and hopefully the thrill of finding a piece of gold on her own makes her want to do more prospecting. Either way, it's nice having your partner tag along.  

Hi Jin… yes I fully agree with you that it is nice to have your wife along for the prospecting trips. I can tell you frankly that most of our friends, workmates, and neighbors have no real interest in pursuing hobbies or other interests in the great outdoors. I think that the likelihood of persuading our spouses to accompany us on such trips is greatly enhanced if we explain to them that there will be opportunities for them to indulge some of their interests too. Even after 45 years of marriage, I have to remind myself that girls are different from us, and their interests do travel along other lines that are equally important to them. 

So it is a good idea to plan ahead to ensure that they have such opportunities. For example it could be making provisions to include a (clothing, antiques or whatever) shopping excursion or whatever interests her, and to ensure that her books, knitting, or whatever else she prefers, are packed safely into the camper for her use. Our wives will enjoy accompanying us all the more, and will appreciate that we’ve made the extra effort to accommodate them and ensure they can be clean and comfortable. It’s a win-win scenario. 

I also like the idea of letting her find a gold nugget even if you have to plant one at a shallow depth. Once they’ve had that success, they may find that in addition to the alluring gold nugget, that they have enjoyed a sense of individual accomplishment too. We can never be quite sure just what aspect of the hunt might capture their interest. Also, perhaps developing some rudimentary knowledge about local mineralogy (pretty rocks) may be all that’s required for the next small step to metamorphose her into a genuinely interested hobbyist. 

But of course Jin, if none of the above works, well there’s no worries. The unconditional affection and loyalty of a good dog can amply supply most of our companionship requirements. Moreover, there is a great deal to be said for heading to the outback and enjoying some uninterrupted, relaxing solitude. It’s all good.

Thanks for taking some time to share in this discussion. I like your ideas, and wish you every success with your future prospecting adventures. Hopefully we’ll interact here again soon. 

Attached below as an afterthought are some silver examples my wife and I have found while working together at one time or another over the years...

Jim.