Help Relocate A Snowbound Placer Miner

[Underburden]

I've had it with all this snow we've got here in north central Idaho. I moved down here from Wasilla, Alaska back in 2007 and we never had this much snow in Wasilla.

I've recently sold all my placer claims and I'm starting to scale down all my assets. Retirement up here has been nice but I need to warm my bones. We're looking at Nevada or Arizona as our next and final residence.

We want to continue our pursuit of the gold but we'll have to get re-trained to dry prospecting and swinging our metal detectors.

If you were to recommend a location within those two states that offers the opportunity to continue gold prospecting, I'd greatly appreciate it. Oh, and any gold clubs you recommend would be helpful.

We'll drive down for an exploratory trip before commiting.

 

Thanks

Bob

[Sourdough Scott]

The Reno area is real nice. But colder winters than you might want. But lots of gold to be had in all directions, wet or dry. In Arizona I like the wickenburg and quartzite areas.

[jasong]

If I were going to retire anywhere it'd be Prescott, AZ. Perfect year round temps, still get seasons, nice Ponderosa forests, plenty of gold, nice town with older buildings with historic character. Flagstaff is awesome too but further from gold (and very snowy). Anywhere else in AZ is too hot for my tastes personally, as a guy also hailing from a chilly climate.

 

Durango, CO would be my second choice, but it's probably too cold and snowy there.

[chickenminer]

Bob...

 I know the feeling! -40 here the other night and the old bones just don't tolerate it like

they use to !

 In 2012 my wife and I spent two weeks rockhounding in Northern AZ . First time I had been out of Alaska

in 50 years ! What a hoot it was and I loved that part of AZ. Talk about bizarre scenery !

 The old Route 66 in the Oatman area was way cool, but I feel in love with Canyon de Chelly !!

 Route 66 ......

 

 Oatman area

 

 Robin and I painted desert

 

Petrified wood along a road cut

 

Canyon de Chelly  panorama.... absolutely stunning area

 

 A Tarantula Hawk killing a tarantula ... worse part of AZ.... spiders !!! 

 

[Sourdough Scott]

I forgot about Oatman. I like that place too. Don't forget to take a giant bag of carrots when you visit. To feed the donkeys.

[Patrick in Havasu]

Nix on the carrots now days.  Unhealthy diet they say.  (whoever THEY are).  Now the sell brown paper sacks with a what I guess is hay in little bite size squares, and I do mean bite.  Try to keep the brown bag hidden, or you may cause a stampede on main street.

 

Cold beer, and good food also

 

I've been there many, many times, and its always a hoot. 

 

Patrick..........

[tvanwho]

Only 1 snowstorm in Chicago this year, temps in 30-60 range since early November, lots of rain, sure hope it stays like this. am sure we will pay for it in Jan/Feb tho...I kinda like global warming this winter anyway....

 

I like Arizona too but being as how I've spent 45 years in FLAT, Sea Level, NE Illinois now, I can't hardly breathe around Prescott or Rich Hill or Snowflake at elevations of 4-5000+ feet plus, something to keep in mind before moving there...plus they do have vicious dust storms, forest fires, and Valley Fever arround Phoenix.

 

There is always a tradeoff, the good and the bad...at least we have plenty of water in NE Illinois, but no gold and no mountains to speak of .

 

-Tom, need to find mountains, gold, warm weather, and under 2000 feet altitude, good water supplies, low cost of living and housing, where might that be?

[chickenminer]

I forgot about Oatman. I like that place too. Don't forget to take a giant bag of carrots when you visit. To feed the donkeys.

 

Ah yes ... how could I leave out the donkey alarm clock !!

[Reno Chris]

Well here in Northern Nevada I have 6 inches of snow on the ground its supposed to hit +5 degrees tonight. Not as bad as the cold you have now but cold enough. Not very good for dry washing or metal detecting this time of year, either. Not much gold to be had down around Las Vegas, which is why a lot of prospectors spend winters in Arizona. On the other hand, summertime temps of 110 or more in AZ are not so great for prospecting either. So you either prospect AZ in winter-spring-fall and take summer off, or you end up with the snow bird route - winters in AZ, summers elsewhere.

[jasong]

 

-Tom, need to find mountains, gold, warm weather, and under 2000 feet altitude, good water supplies, low cost of living and housing, where might that be?

 

Pacific side of Costa Rica.