Just When I Think I Got It All

[Condor]

As most of you know, I moved back to Sunny Yuma last year and I am literally 30 minutes from known placer locations.  Unfortunately, these locations are no big secret and everyone and his dog have detected or drywashed these areas.  I'm out there at least 4 days a week for 3 to 4 hrs at a stretch.  I have hammered these areas dozens of times and lately have been down to finding a few tiny crumbs for my effort.  I've been running the Insanely Hot settings just to eke out a few tiny bits and keep my interest up.  I've  reconciled this effort with the fact that I'm getting my morning exercise, fresh air and glimpses of desert wildlife.  I consider it a successful week if I can find 2 grams, the price of a tank and a half of gas at $2.05 a gallon AZ prices. 

This morning I drove out to one of my least hammered areas, probably only been through there 6 times this year.  I endeavored to stay out of the big washes and gullies and focus on the hillsides with short narrow washout zones that might concentrate some gold.  They certainly concentrate .22 slugs, but .22s are mostly near surface targets and I don't waste too  much effort.  I had managed one tiny bit and noticed a gully that I had avoided in the past because the overburden gravels are too deep.  I decided to give it a go and was surprised that at a higher elevation this gully flattened out and meandered between the hillsides totally hidden from normal view.   No drywash tailings and no dig holes in a zone that had produced gold for me in the past.

Obviously my photos reveal that there was indeed gold in the upper portion of that gully.  The biggest nugget is 4.3 grams and was down 21 inches as measured on my pick handle.  I was running wide open Insanely Hot settings, HY/Normal, Sens 20, smoothing off, threshold erratic at 21.   The nugget was wedged up against a huge block of granite that prevented me from getting a decent swing of the coil.  Several times the signal disappeared and the only way I could reacquire it was raising the coil about 4 inches above the hole and sweeping the coil briskly.  You can't trust the Super D coil when poking it down into tight spots on a deep target,  it really needs some side to side movement to be at its best.  I don't think it was ground balancing the signal out, just not enough movement. 

So, a successful morning and I'm covered on gas for 4 more weeks, but summer is almost here and I imagine I'll work my way up to N. Nevada.  I expect I'll see some of you boys up there soon.  

 

 

[vanursepaul]

Sweet!!!

 

[Nevada Brian]

Congratulations, sounds like there could be some deep nuggets in that wash, time to dig!!

[AU_Solitude]

19 minutes ago, Condor said:

at $2.05 a gallon AZ prices.

What sorcery is this 

[auminesweeper]

Congrats, that a great result for a few hours work,

well done,, john

[Tortuga]

Nice gold. I need to get around to trying those settings one of these days. 

[beatup]

Congrats Steve i like hearing that you are still finding the good stuff down in sunny Yuma.

[Au4Gold2]

Very nice work.....goes to show you, never worked out. 2.05 per gallon? California...just yesterday went to 3.09 in my area. 

 

[mn90403]

NIce as always ... 1/4 ounce for a trip works quite well.