klunker

Mitchel; Please take lots of extra film and get it developed as soon as you get back and share your pictures with us. You might even consider a slide show.

be careful what you wish for

Sourdough Scott and I played hooky and snuck out detecting between storms. I took him to a place and showed him where I found a few bits once before which was about a 30' x30' knob of bedrock. I went over it one more time with the 7000 and found nothing so I figured I would send Scott there with his 6000, knowing that I had left absolutely nothing. Dang it! The son of a gun found 4 bits that the 7000 missed. I got skunked that day but I'll eventually get over it. So I can't say which detector is the best for final cleanup.

Strick. It's actually his Lincoln in the photo. He got it hung up on a small boulder up at the claim and Sourdough Scott and I accidentally rolled it over getting it unstuck. we had to cut the top off so he could get back home.

Every bit of gold, regardless of it's size should be considered as a gift.

Don't be fooled! this video was created by A, I. Though the resemblance is uncanny, it is obviously not us. We keep our detectors in much better ground balance.

This happened many years ago. I don't know if it could be considered as interesting, but to me it was shocking and very traumatic. I still have nightmares and remember every detail like it was yesterday. That was the day I found....................... NOTHING!

Exploration. If it was any good then they would still be there mining. 2 cents please. Visa and master card accepted with valid I.D.

Oh My God! I'm an artifact! If any of you should find me keeled over while out detecting, remove the coins from my pocket and buy a beer, give my detector to a deserving youngster, but DO NOT disturb my remains lest you be fined and imprisoned. You may also want to send a brief note to inform the Smithsonian.

The revolvers where returned to the brush patch that was once Main Street, the gold pan was frizbeed back into the rusty can pile adjacent to the town site, and the gold was thrown into the tailings piles in the gulch to the East. And the curse was lifted.

Yes. Almost every word is true. It's just when I string them together that a few folks here have a wee bit of doubt.

After many years of research combining science with my imagination I have located the site of the last Sierra gunfight. The last Sierra gunfight occurred in the 1930’s in the depths of the Great Depression on the Main Street (the only street) of a mining town which was located in a forsaken corner of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The town was well known for its’ red dust in the summer, red mud in the winter, and its’ poverty year around. The local claims produced just enough gold to provide the miners an escape from their desperate circumstances by way of cheap, watered down whiskey, but never enough for extravagances like healthy food and proper clothing. Except for one claim to the East of the town. The one good claim had recently begun producing course gold and frequent large slugs that the Sierra mountains are famous for. This gave all of the local miners some hope, but hope would not buy whiskey, food or clothing in the short term so, human nature being the same then as now, they all began scheming of various ways to get possession of the rich claim. Some considered outright murder but they knew that would just put them first in line for the next miner with the same idea. One miner, however had a plan that might possibly work. He had worked the claim a year previous without success and he argued that he had only rented and not sold the claim to the miner who presently worked the claim. But the miner working the claim argued that he bought the claim fair and square for two dollars and a quart of whiskey. A miners meeting was scheduled for the next Sunday to decide the matter. There were two saloons in town at opposite ends of Main Street. On Saturday evening the two disputing miners began buying drinks, on credit, for all comers, one on the North end of town, the other on the South end. The drinking went on until the wee hours of Sunday morning and would have continued longer had the saloons stocked a more substantial inventory. The saloon owners were happy to oblige, each thinking that their favorite patron would certainly prevail at tomorrows miners meeting. By sunrise many of the miners were considering cutting off their own heads to alleviate the pain from that now non-functioning appendage but none had the steady hand needed for such a procedure. So they went to the miners meeting in no condition to render a sound, fair judgment about anything that required a fair amount of sound judgement. The miners meeting started promptly at nine o’clock and was a rushed affair to say the least. The dispute was put to a vote without any discussion, debate or speeches. The vote was a dead even tie. This is not what the miners expected, wanted or needed. What they wanted, expected and needed was to go to their cabins and slip into a deep comatose state which ended in sobriety or death, either being preferred over their current state. All of the miners knew that if the meeting was allowed to continue to break the tie it would devolve into “facts” that could not be substantiated, Presbyterian vs. Methodist, the North vs. the South, Strike vs. dip, and apex and it would take hours if not days to finish. Then one less than sober miner had what sounded like a brilliant idea. “Let them settle this with a gunfight at high noon”. All agreed as this was clearly the most expedient solution, not to mention grand entertainment. To keep things scrupulously fair, the entire town was searched for the two closest matching revolvers until a pair of identical caliber and manufacture where found, the only difference being one had a slightly longer barrel than the other. At high noon the contestants stood facing each other at fifty paces. At the drop of a gold pan they drew their weapons. The miner with the shorter barrel cleared his holster first and delivered a fatal shot, but not fatal enough in the short term. The other miner was able to draw his weapon and deliver an instantly fatal shot due to the better accuracy of the longer barrel. Two good miners lay in the street, their souls departed, their bodies beginning the ultimate return to the earth from whence they came, as shall we all. The whole town shocked into sobriety and was aghast at what they had done. They knew that the saloons were broke and never to reopen, the red dirt would forever remind them of the bloodshed, and anyone associated with the town would be exiled from polite society. The town and the claims were completely abandon by Monday evening

Over the odd nugget and under the odd nugget hunter.

Quick answer; 5000.

Around here they used to say "gold is where you find it", but it should be " gold is where you find it, but it's mostly where you don't". This truth is best illustrated buy a photo of this years detecting boots. Lots of gulches, hill sides, and ridges.

If it's in the gully it's on the hillside. if it's on the hillside, you better check the ridge. If it's on the ridge you better check the other side. if it's on the other side, you better check the next gully. And now it's time to detect back to the jeep and go back to camp.

Not if she was detecting.

Nevada claims must have corner stakes / monuments. They must be maintained. California claims do not require staking but it is wise to do so. All claims must have an up to date location notice on the claim. Don't trust any of it. I would get a blister on my typing finger if I tried to explain it here. If you have a specific target area to prospect, this is the perfect time of year to do your research. But be aware It appears BLM mistakenly closed nearly 3,000 claims and still hasn't sorted the mess out. There are folks on this forum that are much more adept at this aspect of prospecting than I so I'm sure some will reply. Lotsaluck.

Two of the picks in the pickture where found in nearly identical circumstances along with a large digging bar. I posted a photo on this forum back a couple of years ago titled "I found two pickers and a solid gold bar" no one has believed a thing I have posted since. My detecting pick has failed to get itself loaded on my Jeep many times, but Ive' always been able to find it again.

Klunker the Pic of your Picks is wrong side up... It's not my fault. SOMEBODY slipped me a quart of moonshine in a mason jar just before new years eve. I believe Sourdough Scott is suffering from the same affliction. We disavow any responsibility for our failings until about mid February.

your post piqued my interest. Now I don't want you to feel your being picked on, but your much too picky about the picks you pick to pick up. So I took this pickture of the picks in my pick up that I have picked up by not being picky about which picks I pick to pick up.

I'm definitely out-classed here. I'm just not a good enough person to be near that much lightening.

Iron. It gives a much stronger signal than gold of equal mass. I once had to chop through 2 brontosaurus and a pterodactyl fossil to remove a square nail head at 37 feet down. I was quite disappointed.

Jees you guys. when I was a kid I used to play in old mines all the time. and for the dozens of times I went into rotten adits I only was nearly killed a few times. I would love to go back and find some of these old mines ( I'm still a kid) but they have all long since caved in.

Dang it MN and FM. Now you two have got me thinking I should act my age and get a hearing tested. I'm getting so deaf I have to wear Glasses.