I finally made it to Colorado! Options

[ChuckD]

Well, I got invited to come up to a private ranch outside of Durango and do a little prospecting on the La Plata River. This guy had posted on another forum that he was looking for someone with a highbanker to come up and “profit share”. Of course, when two people with limited experience get together you both find out that there’s a lot more to this prospecting than just shoveling dirt. Anyhow, after a hard day of panning, I found a total of maybe ten “flakes” about 1/3 the size of a black pepper flake... luckily, I’m not hard to please... I consider my trip a success. Since we didn’t find a good spot, we never set up the highbanker. I told this guy about the club and that he oughta join because there’s some members that could really help him out in reading the river and telling him where to look. Of course, it’s supposed to snow tonight, so I don’t know what the next couple days will be like as far as looking for gold goes. Trying to decide if I’m gonna head back home to Texas or maybe spend a few days driving through the mountains... the scenery has been something I’ll never forget. Plus, as of yet I still haven’t been attacked by a bear... but you can bet my head was on a swivel today! And I still haven’t caught my breath.

[EMac]

Congrats on making it out as well! Did you figure out if that heavy rock had gold in it? Should get folks' opinions on that thing.

[ChuckD]

Congrats on making it out as well! Did you figure out if that heavy rock had gold in it? Should get folks' opinions on that thing.

No sir, i haven’t figured it out yet. I left Durango this morning headed toward Montrose to meet with another friend in the GPAA but ran into some nasty weather and icy roads past Purgatory and decided to turn around and head home. I veered off into the National Forest south of Pagosa but never got out of the vehicle. I was hoping to run into a (Park Ranger?) , but never did. I have no idea what the rules and regulations are as far as where one can stop, or dig or anything... and I didn’t want to break any laws or rules or anything. I’ve asked several people questions and get different answers from each one. Long story short, I’m in a motel room in Clovis right now and I’ll finish up my trip home tomorrow. By the way, EMac... I really appreciate the info you’ve shared. I would have liked to have been able to meet up with you and learned more about all of this prospecting stuff... maybe next time! I’ve noticed that sometimes a club member will say they know of a good spot but they don’t have the funds or they need a ride... I’m not rich or anything, but I’d be more than willing to supply food, gas, and transportation to someone who’d be willing to share their knowledge and experience on a trip later this summer. Of course, it’s kinda hard committing to something like that with a complete stranger... I was hoping to at least meet up with some of the “regulars” on the forum but things just didn’t work out this trip. Maybe next time.