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Colorado Prospector - Gem and mineral prospecting and mining forums _ Prospector's Outings and Adventures _ Clear Creek

Posted by: Crusty Feb 10 2016, 11:04 PM

Several of us have been hitting Clear Creek in Jeff Co Open space hard this winter. I think I've been out for 8-9 days already this year! Kinda icy at times, but the creek is pretty low, so there is lots of area to work! A couple of us will be back out Friday if anyone wants to join us!










 

Posted by: Crusty Feb 10 2016, 11:08 PM

emoticon-misc-004.gif










 

Posted by: swizz Feb 11 2016, 08:03 AM

Awesome pics there Yukon Cornelius! "Peppermint! What I've been searching for all my life! I've struck it rich! I've got me a peppermint mine! Wahooooo!"
See ya's again on Friday! emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: EMac Feb 11 2016, 05:12 PM

Looking good guys! I'm going to try and get up there Sunday. What mile marker are y'all working near?

Posted by: swizz Feb 11 2016, 06:21 PM

I'm not sure which MM but it's the last large pull-off on the left before the HWY splits to Central City. I'd say about 1/4 mile before that traffic light.

Posted by: Crusty Feb 11 2016, 08:33 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Feb 11 2016, 04:12 PM) *
Looking good guys! I'm going to try and get up there Sunday. What mile marker are y'all working near?



The big parking lot where we hooked up last time.

Posted by: Crusty Feb 12 2016, 11:05 PM

Had an "OK" day today! Swizz and I Will be back at it tomorrow if anyone wants to join us!


 

Posted by: swizz Feb 14 2016, 09:12 AM

And back at it we were......
Another excellent day on CC with you guys!! Awesome weather, good Gold all around, and great peoples! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Here are a few pics from yesterday's winter excursion.

Looking upstream
https://flic.kr/p/DWHGXbhttps://flic.kr/p/DWHGXb by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Looking downstream
https://flic.kr/p/DyExXxhttps://flic.kr/p/DyExXx by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Jason attempting some home-made waders.... Timber taking great interest
https://flic.kr/p/DaKQMrhttps://flic.kr/p/DaKQMr by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Crusty Feb 14 2016, 09:21 AM

Been a great week, 4 of the last 5 days spent on the creek with friends and GOLD!

Posted by: CP Feb 14 2016, 10:14 AM

Very nice, looks like it was awesome weather and more on the way this coming week. smiley-clapping.gif Spectacular for February digging's! dancing_smiley.gif

Posted by: swizz Feb 14 2016, 01:13 PM

We've been choosing our weather carefully. happy088.gif
I'm snowed-in again today, so... time for some bowling! stirthepot.gif
https://flic.kr/p/DFshC7https://flic.kr/p/DFshC7 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Crusty Feb 14 2016, 01:28 PM

Sorry to hear that... but then you do live in WINTER Park lol


Gonna be in the 60s all week down here in the flat lands!

Look forward to seeing what you've gotten!

Posted by: swizz Feb 14 2016, 03:04 PM

Clean-up is looking good. Only a few specks over #30 mesh but the fines are off the hook. I'm spinning the last of the -100 mesh now and I've never recovered this much micron from CC. Pretty sure everything I have must be flood Gold. I'll post up some pics soon. . char098.gif

Posted by: swizz Feb 14 2016, 03:20 PM

.... here's what I mean, this is just the minus #100 mesh in the Blue Bowl (kudos to Angus MacKirk sluices). That's a lot of micron for only about 1/2yd of material that I moved. I'll do a grand total pic soon with the #30 and #50 mesh combined. Need to final clean and dry it all in the ol frying pan next. happy088.gif

https://flic.kr/p/E6ryijhttps://flic.kr/p/E6ryij by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Feb 14 2016, 04:19 PM

Happy. biggrin.gif Gold fever is cured for the moment.
Your turn Crusty. Should be able to spell out the whole web address with all the dredging you did! laugh.gif
https://flic.kr/p/DbtkRXhttps://flic.kr/p/DbtkRX by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: EMac Feb 15 2016, 12:29 PM

My fever is getting worse! I packed the car Saturday night, but ended up getting a late start Sunday, then errands left me with little time to go up. Getting the high wind warnings for Golden and Central City yesterday, I'm guessing it was howling through the canyon.

I shifted things around though, and want to/plan to go up next Saturday. Weather looks like it'll be nice still.

Posted by: Crusty Feb 15 2016, 07:19 PM

Did a quick pan of Saturday's haul... Another good day! Tomorrow I'll blue bowl it.


 

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 15 2016, 07:27 PM

Whoohoo! Yeller in the pan! Nice man.
I'm packing my gear up for a day of digging, pronto. This weather has been unbelieveable.
My wife said she'd be sluicemaster if I'm digmaster. It's on!!!

Posted by: swizz Feb 16 2016, 08:05 AM

Looking great Mike, can't wait to see your totals! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Friday or Sat looking good for anyone? Ready for more diggin, still 3 months to kill before my claims are accessible. char060.gif Gotta stay in shovel shape. emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: Crusty Feb 16 2016, 08:22 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Feb 16 2016, 07:05 AM) *
Looking great Mike, can't wait to see your totals! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Friday or Sat looking good for anyone? Ready for more diggin, still 3 months to kill before my claims are accessible. char060.gif Gotta stay in shovel shape. emoticon-misc-004.gif


Friday might be good; headed to Mike's new spot on Sat/Sun.

Posted by: swizz Feb 16 2016, 09:48 AM

Alrighty then. Anyone else up for some fun in the sun on Friday? signs021.gif

Posted by: EMac Feb 16 2016, 10:47 AM

I have to work during the week, so I'm planning on setting the alarm for Saturday morning to get a good day in. I plan to go near the boat launch with the CC sign that it sounds like you're working near.

Posted by: swizz Feb 16 2016, 11:05 AM

We've been hitting the upper reaches of Jeffco, just before MM260. There's a major pull-off there with the big brown wooden Clear Creek Canyon open space sign and a HWY camera on a metal post. I'm not sure where the boat launch is. If it's that one up near the restaurant and I70... that's out of the Jeffco Open Space boundaries. Is there a boat launch lower in the canyon that you're referring to?

Posted by: EMac Feb 16 2016, 01:16 PM

That parking area by MM260 is where I see a lot of the rafters and kayaks put in, so I call it the boat launch. When the weather warms up, there's usually at least 1 rafting tour bus sitting there by the sign on weekends. I haven't worked that far up, usually sticking to the area just west of Mayhem Gulch (paved parking area) where the creek oscillates from flowing southeast to northeast then back to due east (MM 261 or so I think...there's an island in the stream there). Last time I drove US6, they had heavy equipment and jersey barriers blocking where I previously parked, and they were putting a bridges in. I just looked on Google maps, and the barriers are still in the image.


Posted by: swizz Feb 16 2016, 01:25 PM

All of the areas that have heavy equip, barricades, etc are closed to rec use until they are done with work unfortunately. Everyone is chomping at the bit for them to reopen because of all the dirt and boulders that they moved... and are still moving. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: EMac Feb 16 2016, 02:05 PM

Have you sampled downstream of that construction at all? I'm wondering what has been put back into the stream and re-concentrated. May have to check Saturday.




Posted by: swizz Feb 16 2016, 02:22 PM

I have not. I doubt very much material (if any) has moved downstream yet since the flows have been really low since they started. It'll take a good runoff or Georgetown Dam release to get things going.
They had a full size excavator in the water for a long time scooping riverbed onto the new path upstream from where we're working now. Made me drool every time I saw him scoop a big bucket from the middle of the creek and dump it on the path. Saw that every day when I was commuting the canyon this winter.

Posted by: Crusty Feb 16 2016, 06:20 PM

Spending my afternoon blue bowling. Here's a few pics

My wife is a saint, letting me blue bowl in the living room lol

My results from sluicing Mon-tue.

My 12&18 mesh from dredging FRI-Sat

A sneak peak of my 30 mesh spinning;/battery pack died, so I'm at a stoppage








 

Posted by: swizz Feb 17 2016, 08:07 AM

Quit teasing us. eating-popcorn-03.gif

Posted by: Crusty Feb 17 2016, 08:40 AM

Got a little more done this morning... I've got some really cool little "raw" (?) gold; very rough, one even still has a little bit of quartz still attached. Will get some macro pics of them. At the museum all day today, so hopefully I'll get it finished up this evening.

Posted by: swizz Feb 17 2016, 10:06 AM

Calling for 70mph gusts in the canyon tomorrow. Anyone headed there... hold onto your pans, buckets, and sluices! Friday and Sat still looking pretty good, I may do both days.

Posted by: joshualoun Feb 17 2016, 12:56 PM

QUOTE (swizz @ Feb 17 2016, 09:06 AM) *
Calling for 70mph gusts in the canyon tomorrow. Anyone headed there... hold onto your pans, buckets, and sluices! Friday and Sat still looking pretty good, I may do both days.

I want to go tomorrow but not if it is windy. So, I will be there Friday if work does not interfere. Ok, I will see ya all soon!

Posted by: swizz Feb 18 2016, 08:03 AM

"High wind warning" forecast holds in the canyon until Friday at about noon. I think we're good to go for tomorrow. I can live with some wind as long as it fading by noon. I pinpointed our location here: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-105.4274964214084&lat=39.73953707810776#.VsXOTdBcCUk

Posted by: EMac Feb 18 2016, 08:09 AM

The ride in this morning was sporty, so it should be fun out on the creek!

I'd love to go today and tomorrow, but have to wait until Saturday. 10-14mph winds with some 23mph gusts forecast for Saturday....not good for skydiving, but I see no concerns with digging. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Crusty Feb 18 2016, 08:11 AM

Looks good! We're up to 6 folks; not bad for a mid-Feb prospecting trip!!

Posted by: swizz Feb 18 2016, 08:37 AM

That is awesome! I might be joining you as well on Sat Eric. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Crusty Feb 18 2016, 07:42 PM

Finished blue bowling my 2 days cons from last week. Not bad!!

50 mesh

Final total




 

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 18 2016, 11:47 PM

I need to come out there and dig with you guys sometime. My wife says I should take a road trip out there and dig with you all for some golden chunky. Its been awhile since I've seen dirt and its GOT to be warmer than Gunnison, although it's like spring now suddenly.
Speaking of spring, we were in colo spgs yesterday to pick up some things and it seemed like every corner in town had a beggar with a sign on it. I couldn't believe how many bums around there now. There was always the random beggar with his dog but now it's big business I guess.
Wow, it's changed since I was there two years ago. I was shocked.
Are you guys digging sunday too?


Posted by: Crusty Feb 19 2016, 05:12 AM

QUOTE (johnnybravo300 @ Feb 18 2016, 10:47 PM) *
I need to come out there and dig with you guys sometime. My wife says I should take a road trip out there and dig with you all for some golden chunky. Its been awhile since I've seen dirt and its GOT to be warmer than Gunnison, although it's like spring now suddenly.
Speaking of spring, we were in colo spgs yesterday to pick up some things and it seemed like every corner in town had a beggar with a sign on it. I couldn't believe how many bums around there now. There was always the random beggar with his dog but now it's big business I guess.
Wow, it's changed since I was there two years ago. I was shocked.
Are you guys digging sunday too?


Come on down! I think Swizz and EMAC will be there Sat; not sure about Sun. I'll be out checking out MikeS's new Barite area.

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 19 2016, 12:29 PM

I'll wait till you guys get together next time, next weekend or whenever.
My wife wants to come if she can get away but I didn't think of going until yesterday. We have friends in Highlands ranch to stay with and visit in the evenings so she really wants to go with.
We have animals and chickens to take care of here and our wood stove has to be fed so I'll see if I can get my daughter to come up from town and stay here for a few days.

Posted by: swizz Feb 19 2016, 07:57 PM

We had a blast there today! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Headed there again tomorrow and I think EMac and Joshua too if anyone would like to join us, weather looks spectacular. happy088.gif
Everyone was showing great Gold again today! signs026.gif

Crusty, Dypheron, and Timber
https://flic.kr/p/Dm19Tihttps://flic.kr/p/Dm19Ti by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Joshua feeding his sluice
https://flic.kr/p/DRg4ufhttps://flic.kr/p/DRg4uf by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/DkEiyLhttps://flic.kr/p/DkEiyL by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

.....and, for the ladies wub.gif
https://flic.kr/p/DkDQsGhttps://flic.kr/p/DkDQsG by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Feb 20 2016, 06:29 PM

Hey, another fine day on CC! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif Was there today with EMac and his better half... along with the three kids. again, good Gold all around. happy088.gif
Another upper sluice pic of the Angus. Transient Gold, hangs there for a while and then travels to the drop riffles. Should be another good cleanup.
https://flic.kr/p/E9DBjUhttps://flic.kr/p/E9DBjU by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Dypheron Feb 20 2016, 08:31 PM

Had a great time as always, I'm fighting the temptation to crack open the boxes with all of my processing gear so I can see the final result. I still can't believe how well Clear Creek is producing at the moment, I'm pretty sure there was more in the 5 buckets I dug Friday than all other times I've been there combined. Great way to spend one of the last days I have in Colorado before heading to Texas.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Feb 22 2016, 09:49 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Feb 14 2016, 03:19 PM) *
Happy. biggrin.gif Gold fever is cured for the moment.
Your turn Crusty. Should be able to spell out the whole web address with all the dredging you did! laugh.gif
https://flic.kr/p/DbtkRXhttps://flic.kr/p/DbtkRX by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr


smiley-laughing021.gif You crack me up!! Would love to see that in Crusty's pan someday. eating-popcorn-03.gif

Fantastic finds and pic Chris!
thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Crusty Feb 22 2016, 09:53 AM

lol, awesome!

I did finally get a scale and I've gotten 2.5 grams this year... haven't cleaned up from the last trip yet.

Posted by: swizz Feb 22 2016, 11:38 AM

QUOTE (Crusty @ Feb 22 2016, 08:53 AM) *
I did finally get a scale and I've gotten 2.5 grams this year... haven't cleaned up from the last trip yet.

That's quite a bit for a little winter prospecting on CC, NICE! happy088.gif
My pic ("CP" in Gold) is about .25 gram. I may have time today to do a cleanup from the last trip there, will post a pic.

Posted by: swizz Feb 22 2016, 03:20 PM

Just about to start Blue Bowling from the last trip.
This is what I recovered that is larger than #30 mesh.
https://flic.kr/p/Dr9yojhttps://flic.kr/p/Dr9yoj by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Feb 22 2016, 04:03 PM

#30 - #50 mesh in the Bowl, working my way down....

https://flic.kr/p/Drd4XUhttps://flic.kr/p/Drd4XU by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Feb 22 2016, 04:42 PM

#50 - #100 mesh

https://flic.kr/p/DrAytBhttps://flic.kr/p/DrAytB by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Feb 22 2016, 05:56 PM

Jackpot on the minus #100 mesh. I'll put it all together and take a better pic after I dry it all. Happy! signs026.gif
https://flic.kr/p/Ep5LYThttps://flic.kr/p/Ep5LYT by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Crusty Feb 23 2016, 06:26 AM

Looking good!!

Posted by: swizz Feb 23 2016, 10:16 AM

Total of last trip from approx 13 buckets of rough material that I classed down to 1/2", and slowly hand-sluiced through Angus mini. Ready for more. happy088.gif
https://flic.kr/p/EnWqYAhttps://flic.kr/p/EnWqYA by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Crusty Feb 23 2016, 10:48 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Feb 23 2016, 09:16 AM) *
Total of last trip from approx 13 buckets of rough material that I classed down to 1/2", and slowly hand-sluiced through Angus mini. Ready for more. happy088.gif
https://flic.kr/p/EnWqYAhttps://flic.kr/p/EnWqYA by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr


Must be snowed in up there, since you've got nothing but time to make fancy gold designs! smiley-laughing021.gif

Awesome haul for 13 buckets and some intimate time with mini-angus!

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 23 2016, 11:43 AM

Are you all meeting up this weekend or next by any chance? I'm coordinated to go and id like to check that area out. It's not a place I could frequent but new is always good for me.


Posted by: swizz Feb 23 2016, 11:43 AM

I have a slow week. blush.gif Need to drive down to Parker for a day's worth of work... but that's pretty much it.
Anyone hittin the creek this week?

Posted by: swizz Feb 23 2016, 11:44 AM

lol... we posted at exactly the same time. I'm in Johnny, pick yer day(s).

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 23 2016, 11:57 AM

I can be there Sat and Sunday all day. We would probably leave here friday morning and head back sunday after a good day of digging. I could make it there by Friday afternoon but I'm not sure how much time I'd have before dark. Saturday all day for sure though and Sunday.
I need to drop some ore samples off I found to get them looked at.
I panned more gold and chunkies out of a gravel sized piece than I get all day sometimes shoveling buckets of flood material. I was amazed!
You all been meeting at mm260 or 261 on hwy 6?
How far away is Highlands ranch from there approximately?

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 23 2016, 11:59 AM

Weird, double post.

Posted by: swizz Feb 23 2016, 12:03 PM

Near MM260. Not sure how far that is from Highlands Ranch, I'm coming from the other direction.
I can probably do both Sat & Sun. Anyone else wanna join us?

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 23 2016, 12:49 PM


Awesome! That sounds good.
I can find the parking area up there by mm260. Shouldn't be a prob.
Whooohoo yeah!

Posted by: EMac Feb 23 2016, 02:23 PM

Nice finds gents!

I'm going to try and get up on Saturday again if Teresa will let me :)

I don't have a blue bowl, so I still have some cons to pan out at home from last weekend. I'll get to those eventually and post some pics.

Posted by: swizz Feb 24 2016, 12:19 PM

I'm good for Saturday but not Sunday, hope to see you there Eric. I picked up one of those 42" DeWalt wrecking bars like you had last time. happy088.gif

Posted by: Crusty Feb 24 2016, 01:31 PM

Here's my take from last Friday. Another great day on the creek spent with club members!

12-18 mesh!






30



The whole shebang!


 

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 24 2016, 08:12 PM

I'm bringing two more people with me if that's cool. One is another fellow prospector from the denver area named Travis, and the other one has never seen raw gold before so I hope for him to see some. He's Curtis.
Hes more of a disc golfer in his free time and he doesnt have the bug but he said be wants to try the gold pan and check it all out. Hes green but he'll have a great time. He's the buddy I stay with out there. Maybe those guys will help me sink a deep hole on Saturday so Sunday I can get deep gold all day hehe.
Should be a good time!!

Posted by: swizz Feb 25 2016, 05:38 AM

That sounds great, looking forward to meeting you all! signs021.gif

Posted by: EMac Feb 25 2016, 10:26 AM

Sounds like it'll be a good showing. As of last night, I'm in for Saturday. I'll bring my wolf sluice along as well in case someone wants to use it. Still haven't panned out my cons from last week though; seeing y'all's takes so quickly has me wanting for a faster way to clean up.

Swizz - I think we should check out where you were mentioning right before we left last week. emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: EMac Feb 25 2016, 10:45 AM

In case you might find the data helpful: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?06719505

Posted by: swizz Feb 25 2016, 05:16 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Feb 25 2016, 09:26 AM) *
Swizz - I think we should check out where you were mentioning right before we left last week. emoticon-misc-004.gif

I'm down for that. happy088.gif

Posted by: OklaPony Feb 25 2016, 08:22 PM

You guys are killing me!

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 26 2016, 05:26 AM

We're packed up and heading out early in the morning for denver.
What time you guys meeting up on Saturday?

Posted by: swizz Feb 26 2016, 06:07 AM

I should be there by around 8 but I don't think the sun kisses that part of the canyon until about 9.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Feb 26 2016, 07:59 AM

Have fun guys and find lots of gold! signs026.gif

Posted by: EMac Feb 26 2016, 10:39 AM

I'm planning on getting there earlier than last time; it will probably be just me, so likely between 8 and 9.

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 26 2016, 04:25 PM

We drove up to check out the area so I'd know where to go. Mile marker 260 is at tunnel six? There's a bunch of construction going on right there.
Do you guys park before the light or after the left turn?
I saw a few parking spots before the traffic light and there's one after tunnel six.
We can be there at 8-9, whenever is fine.

Supposed to be almost 70!! Whooohoo.

Posted by: swizz Feb 26 2016, 07:03 PM

The large parking area is about 100ft downstream from the physical MM. It's paved and has a big wooden sign regarding the Open Space. See ya's in the morning!

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 26 2016, 07:24 PM

Right on. We should be there at 8:15-8:30ish.
We'll be in the white subaru outback circling around looking for you hehe.....see ya there!

Posted by: swizz Feb 28 2016, 07:05 AM

Another great day yesterday. Very nice to meet Johnny and friends. cheers.gif
EMac - bummer that your pump decided to dump, hope you can get that resolved soon. I have to work this afternoon but may have time to do a BB cleanup today. I think that Johnny & crew are back at it up there today. emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: swizz Feb 28 2016, 02:38 PM

Here's my take from yesterday, 7 buckets worth of diggin. All small stuff, nothing large.

https://flic.kr/p/DF9iJzhttps://flic.kr/p/DF9iJz by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Crusty Feb 28 2016, 09:00 PM

Nice job!

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Feb 28 2016, 10:25 PM

Thanks Swizz and Emac on hooking me up with a place to dig for a couple of days. I'll go back there again sometime when I'm in the area.
I saw alot of places that looked real promising across the creek but most of it was covered under an ice sheet a foot thick and I didn't bring waders to cross, no biggy.
I was surprised how much I got anyway!
Curtis and Travis had fun on saturday and we found some gold so that's what's up! Whooohoo!

Here's a pic of what I could pan out easily. I have my cons from the bazooka which show real good fine gold so it will go into my CONtainer.

Thanks fellas! It was a great time and worth checking out! I'm looking forward to next time already!




 

Posted by: swizz Feb 29 2016, 07:46 AM

Great meeting you guys and glad you found some of the good stuff, let's do it again! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Crusty Feb 29 2016, 01:06 PM

QUOTE (johnnybravo300 @ Feb 28 2016, 09:25 PM) *
Thanks Swizz and Emac on hooking me up with a place to dig for a couple of days. I'll go back there again sometime when I'm in the area.
I saw alot of places that looked real promising across the creek but most of it was covered under an ice sheet a foot thick and I didn't bring waders to cross, no biggy.
I was surprised how much I got anyway!
Curtis and Travis had fun on saturday and we found some gold so that's what's up! Whooohoo!

Here's a pic of what I could pan out easily. I have my cons from the bazooka which show real good fine gold so it will go into my CONtainer.

Thanks fellas! It was a great time and worth checking out! I'm looking forward to next time already!


Sorry I missed meeting y'all. Glad you found some gold!

Posted by: EMac Feb 29 2016, 07:34 PM

I haven't gotten through my panning yet from the first day out there this year, so I don't have any pics yet. I won't have time to get to the creek this weekend, but I should be able to pan some in the backyard.

I'm bummed about the pump; it has a 3-year warranty, so I contacted Attwood. The confluence of my busted pump, my envy of the massive hole the guys with the dredge made next to Chris, and the seemingly ubiquitous love of Angus Mackirk sluices, I've been looking at the options there. Flirting with diverting this thread, does anyone have comparative experience with an AM dredge/high banker (Chameleon, Pack Rat, Klondike or Yukon)? These are 2.5" rigs which are attractive to me for their portability.


Posted by: swizz Feb 29 2016, 08:59 PM

The Yukon DC and Klondike DC look awesome, and fairly priced. I'm toying with the idea of switching out my highbanker A-52 box with an Angus box. I'm definitely sold on drop-riffle systems.

Posted by: EMac Mar 1 2016, 09:15 AM

The winds have shifted....I might be able to get up there this weekend. :)

Posted by: Silky Mar 1 2016, 08:54 PM

QUOTE (swizz @ Feb 17 2016, 10:06 AM) *
Calling for 70mph gusts in the canyon tomorrow. Anyone headed there... hold onto your pans, buckets, and sluices! Friday and Sat still looking pretty good, I may do both days.


I know the weather has to be unseasonably warm up there because we're having 80's in February! Generally, IF we have any cold weather at all, it's in January and February but not this year! I can't wait to get there and check out in person all the great locations you guys post.

See you soon!

Silky

Posted by: swizz Mar 2 2016, 08:22 AM

QUOTE (EMac @ Mar 1 2016, 08:15 AM) *
The winds have shifted....I might be able to get up there this weekend. :)

It'll be in the 60s there this weekend, count me IN. So sick of this...... char060.gif

Posted by: NewRockHounder Mar 2 2016, 03:52 PM

When are ya's all going out again?

C&G


Posted by: swizz Mar 2 2016, 04:02 PM

Sat and/or Sunday I think... looks like just Eric and me so far. You two gonna come and roll boulders with us? thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Weather looks just great! Anyone else wanna join us? You don't have to be a club member or anything, just come on up and have some fun! signs026.gif

Posted by: NewRockHounder Mar 2 2016, 04:08 PM

Possibly, ya'll got some spare waders we can borrow fer the day? If not, hellooooo classifier my old friend. smiley-laughing021.gif

C&G

Posted by: swizz Mar 2 2016, 04:17 PM

No spare waders but I got by for a day when I didn't have mine. Just dig closer to shore, the water is relatively low. I'm assuming you guys have a sluice and all you need for Gold gettin other than that, right?

Posted by: NewRockHounder Mar 2 2016, 04:30 PM

You know what they say bout assuming? smiley-laughing021.gif We're not gold miners but would come fer something to do... Let Glenda meet you n EMac and/er anyone else that comes. We'll just help yous. More dirt the better...no? smiley-clapping.gif

C&G


Posted by: EMac Mar 3 2016, 12:38 PM

I don't have spare waders either, but have been considering picking up another set for the kiddos. I may end up following Chris' lead and go with the sluice. Attwood is honoring their warranty which is nice, but it won't be here tomorrow.

Posted by: MikeS Mar 3 2016, 03:00 PM

Dave an I might meet up with ya'll on Saturday. I need to get back into gold mode.

Posted by: CP Mar 5 2016, 10:29 AM

Have a great time out there today everyone, hope the weather holds out nicely and ya'll find some more awesome color! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: swizz Mar 6 2016, 08:09 AM

Fantastic weather, awesome folks, and nice Gold again! Couldn't have asked for a better day. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
I was planning on hitting it again today but Jeepy threw an emissions code on the way home so I'm going to fiddle with that instead. I'll post up a final cleanup from yesterday if I have time to Blue Bowl today. happy088.gif
Eric, I wanna know how ya did at that upper peninsula.
https://flic.kr/p/EnKG2Mhttps://flic.kr/p/EnKG2M by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: MikeS Mar 6 2016, 11:34 AM

Had a great day on the creek yesterday with swizz, Dave and Emac and company. Dusted off the gold gear and gave it a test run. I need to patch up a few spots on my waiters and need to get new gloves but other than that I feel set to go for this gold season. I ran about 4 buckets of material from a new hole that had a good showing of color. I had a few folks ask about the gold wheel I was spinning around. I gave them a flyer/card for the club and chatted with them about claims and prospecting. My camera does not take good pics of gold in the pan but here is the few pics I took yesterday.

Dave



swizz feeding the sluice





Timber





Emac and family working upstream


Posted by: swizz Mar 6 2016, 03:01 PM

Great pics Mike!
I'm about to start Blue Bowling. This is what I plucked out that is larger than #30 mesh. I only ran a total of 7 buckets of 1/2" class so this is looking real good. Nothing quite "picker" size, but almost. Will update with total when I'm done.
https://flic.kr/p/Ev4utjhttps://flic.kr/p/Ev4utj by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Mar 6 2016, 06:14 PM

https://flic.kr/p/EVhtVShttps://flic.kr/p/EVhtVS by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: EMac Mar 8 2016, 11:50 AM

Good showing for sure! My finds from the last 3 outings are mostly still sitting in the cons....I need a damn blue bowl apparently. I think I'll combine the cons from the road side of the creek from 2 outings, and process the cons from upstream separately to get see if there's a delta. Hopefully I find more since that's the simpler test condition; if I find less value, it could be the dirt or the switch to using a sluice. I'm confident I'm catching floating gold with the cube, but not so much with my sluice.

I won't be able to get up there this weekend, so that gives time for my pump to show up. I still have my eye on the Angus Klondike dredge combo though...as well as a blue bowl. Has me thinking about Mike's LLC, and whether one could help defray the costs of my toys.

Posted by: swizz Mar 9 2016, 05:29 AM

Wow, if you're sitting on three sets of cons from there and get a BB.... that thing is gonna light up like the 4th of July when you run it!
Make sure you watch that BB vid I linked in my http://www.coloradoprospector.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2869 (page 2, post #18). Invaluable information in that vid which helps the process tremendously. happy088.gif
Weather looks great again..... I'm going to try and get back there Fri, Sat, or Sun if anyone's interested in joining Timber and me for some quality time. signs026.gif

Posted by: EMac Mar 9 2016, 10:16 AM

The Au gods may shine once more upon me. I'm supposed to help a buddy move on Saturday, but just heard he's expecting to be done by Friday night. If that's the case, I anticipate heading to the creek again myself. I'll have to find some time some evening this week to check the cons from upstream.

I'm going to get a BB for this weekend, and already pulled up your thread in a background tab to review.

Posted by: EMac Mar 9 2016, 05:13 PM

They damn near WANT me to go...Attwood came through with my replacement pump just now; attach some leads and I'm in business.

Posted by: swizz Mar 9 2016, 07:24 PM

Cool mang! I'm stuck working Friday but I'll plan Saturday for sure. I want to go to that upstream dig with you and check it out. happy088.gif

Posted by: James and Cyndi Mar 9 2016, 08:50 PM

We are gunna try and make it Saturday. If not both of us maybe just me. Hope to see you guys!

James

Posted by: KennyRay Mar 10 2016, 10:30 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Mar 9 2016, 04:29 AM) *
Wow, if you're sitting on three sets of cons from there and get a BB.... that thing is gonna light up like the 4th of July when you run it!
Make sure you watch that BB vid I linked in my http://www.coloradoprospector.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2869 (page 2, post #18). Invaluable information in that vid which helps the process tremendously. happy088.gif
Weather looks great again..... I'm going to try and get back there Fri, Sat, or Sun if anyone's interested in joining Timber and me for some quality time. signs026.gif



Hey Swizz, my bud and I may head that way Fri morning if it works out. Just itching to get out and haven't found anywhere north yet so I really want to come try clear creek and would be great to meet ya if we find our way around. Planning on getting the dust off tools and my homemade sluice. Anyway, we'll see how it pas out I guess.


Posted by: EMac Mar 10 2016, 11:25 AM

Amazon says my Blue Bowl will be here tomorrow, so I should have a chance to check those cons from upstream. Tomorrow will tell whether or not I can go Saturday. We still have a tax appt in the morning Sat, so I expect to arrive around noon if I can go.

Sounds like another good showing for folks, so I'm hoping my buddy's move goes fast!

Posted by: swizz Mar 11 2016, 07:38 AM

Kenny, I can't make Friday unfortunately but will be there Sat. Hope you find some good color!!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Eric, I hope ya make it, supposed to be in the 60s. Also, for the BB.... did you get #30, #50, and #100 class screens? You'll need those for sure. I was looking at classifier screens on Amazon and ran across http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008B0SUVM/ref=s9_simh_gw_g79_i1_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0K51VX8EJAGRFBKB681M&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop which are about 1/2 the price of the Keene classifiers that I have. I was wondering about their quality, they look good in the pics. That's the #2 mesh but they have them in all classes. They don't look as deep as the Keene but way better value if they're well built.

Posted by: EMac Mar 11 2016, 09:37 AM

I picked up a stack of http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EWOL8I?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 classifiers in 2014 and they've worked great (they were $10 cheaper then too). Mesh sizes: 1/100", 1/70", 1/50", 1/30", 1/20", 1/12", 1/8", 1/4", 1/2" Adds up to less than $10 per classier.

My problem now is getting the right mesh labels on them after using/mixing them up.

Posted by: swizz Mar 11 2016, 10:04 AM

Very good to know! Wish I hadn't just replaced my 1/2" with another Keene.
Regarding the marking of each screen, I had that same problem. You can use a woodburner or soldering iron.... scroll down to the 4th image in the first post, http://www.coloradoprospector.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2869

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Mar 11 2016, 09:42 PM

Is clear creek usually pretty high at the beginning of May? I thought I heard the flow was controlled by a dam upstream. Id like to bring my tools and hit it again on saturday, the weekend of the 8th if I won't get washed away!
It seems like the melt off would be done by then?
I love the clear creek chunky gold!!

Posted by: Crusty Mar 12 2016, 10:12 AM

Glad y'all are out getting the gold. Didn't get much of anything in AZ. Would rather be standing nuts deep in freezing water with y'all!

Posted by: EMac Mar 12 2016, 11:03 AM

For water level you can Google 'USGS clear creek golden' and you can check the USGS water gages

My buddy needs my help today, so I likely won't make it up. It will be late for sure if I do.

Posted by: swizz Mar 13 2016, 08:37 AM

Sorry we missed ya yesterday Eric, it was great weather again. James and I worked upstream from your last dig and it was looking good over there! Pleasure to meet relicsncoins and his friend. I was going to go back today but didn't. I'll try to do a BB cleanup today and post my recovery from 7 buckets of 1/2" class that were fed through the Angus.

https://flic.kr/p/F6vQ6Fhttps://flic.kr/p/F6vQ6F by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/FcBaTWhttps://flic.kr/p/FcBaTW by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Mar 13 2016, 01:03 PM

About to run the Blue Bowl.... this is what I panned out that is larger than #30 mesh.
https://flic.kr/p/FfxqGHhttps://flic.kr/p/FfxqGH by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Mar 13 2016, 06:21 PM

https://flic.kr/p/F7MrWnhttps://flic.kr/p/F7MrWn by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: EMac Mar 14 2016, 08:33 AM

Looking good! I want to get back up there bad. Looks like next Saturday will be a bit chilly, but I may find myself up there anyway. There's definitely a learning curve to this blue bowl. I need some time to actually work with it instead of a few minutes here and there.

Posted by: swizz Mar 14 2016, 08:38 AM

It takes me the better part of of 3-4hrs to process, which includes setup and tear down. I watched golf yesterday while I was babysitting the Blue Bowl. I usually commit an afternoon to it. The minus #100 mesh takes the longest for sure. Run your largest class first and work your way down. Turkey baster and small neo magnet are necessities. Patience is rewarded.

Posted by: CL6 Mar 14 2016, 03:34 PM

Who is going to clear Creek this weekend

Posted by: EMac Mar 14 2016, 04:51 PM

I'd like to Saturday, but can't guarantee it.

Posted by: swizz Mar 14 2016, 04:59 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Mar 14 2016, 04:51 PM) *
I'd like to Saturday, but can't guarantee it.

Same here.

Posted by: CL6 Mar 14 2016, 07:05 PM

I usually go Sunday but let me know

Posted by: swizz Mar 14 2016, 07:44 PM

Will do!

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 15 2016, 03:35 PM

Thinking about hitting Clear Creek tomorrow, 3/16 if anyone is interested.

Posted by: CL6 Mar 16 2016, 08:34 PM

Man I can't

Posted by: swizz Mar 16 2016, 08:57 PM

You can't make it this weekend?

Posted by: CL6 Mar 17 2016, 07:31 AM

Only sundayfor myself

Posted by: swizz Mar 17 2016, 07:36 AM

Not sure what CC got, but we just received 23 inches of snow in 24hrs up here. char060.gif Still snowing.
I'm looking forward to at least a day on the creek this weekend.

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 17 2016, 08:24 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Mar 17 2016, 08:36 AM) *
Not sure what CC got, but we just received 23 inches of snow in 24hrs up here. char060.gif Still snowing.
I'm looking forward to at least a day on the creek this weekend.



I ran 9 buckets yesterday. A little breezy in the afternoon, but not bad. No snow in the canyon, probably will change today. Saw some nice gold in the top of the sluice.

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 17 2016, 10:46 AM

Some Clear creek observation from yesterday.

1. I sample panned at various depths, and there seems to be just as much if not more gold in the first 6 or 8 inches under the cobbles than at greater depths. I'm guessing this is gold that was deposited in the floods over the last couple of years.

2. There is a layer of dark material at about 8 inches down, pretty much where ever I dug. The layer is a couple of inches thick and has a rusty black look to the gravels and sands. Not sure if this is the flood layer, and everything above it is recent deposits.

3. There is what appears to be yellow striping paint for roads in most of the holes I dug, and it really makes you look twice when digging, A couple of times, I thought i had a nice picker. :(

4. In a couple of places, I hit a thin layer of clay about a foot down.

5. Some dredgers left a 6 food deep pit right at the water's edge. If a fisherman accidentally steps in one of those, and complains to the county, it could spell trouble for prospecting.

6. Based on my sample pans, I am going to run an experiment next time I go. I'm Not going to dig deep, I'm simply going to turn over bowling ball to beach ball sized cobbles, shovel out the easy gravels down to about 6 inches and move to the next cobble and see what kind of of a cleanup I have.

Posted by: swizz Mar 17 2016, 12:36 PM

I think your observations are fairly accurate when compared to most that have prospected there. happy088.gif
The depth of the pay layers that you are encountering can vary. If you are on an inside bend of the river where a gravel/cobble bar has formed, such as you were working last week, it usually has that upper layer of fine pay a foot or less under. There are layers below that as well but sometimes a lot of junk in between. Generally speaking, it's a good plan to chase the layer horizontally. If you're feeling more ambitious then you can never go wrong going deep in that creek, the larger colors always sift their way down. A lot more work though and can be a crap shoot.
That large dredge hole is from the two guys (Steve and Tony) who work it every Saturday. Weekend before last they got a couple grams from it. They aren't affiliated with CP forums or club, just two guys from the front range. I've talked to them every weekend and they're super nice.... they know what they're doing for sure. They also know the Jeffco regs there and I'm not sure what their plan is for any reclamation, that's their business. If they do nothing I can guarantee you that the hole will refill with gravels within one day of runoff when they crank up the dam release. happy088.gif
.... and we all get fooled by the HWY paint! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: swizz Mar 17 2016, 07:05 PM

Judging by the current weather forecast for that vicinity, I'm leaning toward Sunday now... which is predicted to be about 15 degrees warmer than Sat.

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 17 2016, 08:59 PM

Here is the cleanup from yesterday at Clear Creek. Had one of those days where I didn't like the flow of the sluice a couple different times and ended up moving it twice. It was noon before I had my first bucket run. Stepped in a hole and filled up my boot with ice water. I did run 8 or 9 buckets and this is the result. Based on the color I saw in the top of the sluice, I thought I would have had about twice that. A lot of really fine gold, but not much size. Last weekend, I had some decent sized pieces, but not as much fine. Making notes of where and how deep I dug to better maximize my time on the creek.


Posted by: EMac Mar 18 2016, 07:24 AM

The friggin highway paint!! Still gets me from time to time...

I agree with Swizz on your observations. I'm looking at the snow in the backyard and debating on tomorrow. Sunday doesn't work for me unfortunately. I'm still working through previous CC cons (2 previous trips, and the 30+ is from the last outing), but I think I've sorted out Blue Bowl operations.

Posted by: EMac Mar 18 2016, 10:30 PM

Says 29 in Black Hawk and 38 in Golden....splitting the difference, it'll be cold. Lane and I are heading up tomorrow anyway. emoticon-object-024.gif thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: swizz Mar 19 2016, 12:17 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Mar 18 2016, 10:30 PM) *
Lane and I are heading up tomorrow anyway. emoticon-object-024.gif thumbsupsmileyanim.gif


Hope you guys do great! Let me know how the river crossing is, I plan to hit it on Sunday.

Posted by: CL6 Mar 19 2016, 02:14 PM

Hey Swizz if you go tomorrow could I go with you?

Posted by: swizz Mar 19 2016, 05:59 PM

Sure! I'm planning to be there by around 8.... look for white Jeep, and me with white wolfy dog. I'll be upstream from the parking lot. Do you have chest waders?

Posted by: CL6 Mar 19 2016, 06:26 PM

Yes and where do you guys meet at and thank you

Posted by: swizz Mar 19 2016, 07:29 PM

The parking lot that is at MM260. We don't meet anywhere in particular, just look for me in the parking lot or upstream from the parking lot with the pooch. I'd like to go back to the other side of the river again tomorrow if the water level allows... that's why I was asking about your waders.

Posted by: CL6 Mar 19 2016, 08:28 PM

Cool thanks again

Posted by: CL6 Mar 19 2016, 08:42 PM

I have a silver Dodge

Posted by: swizz Mar 20 2016, 07:58 PM

Great day of prospecting with you today CL6! emoticon-misc-004.gif Sorry Timber ate your shovel! I just ordered you the exact same Ames model from Amazon Prime. Next time we meet up I'll trade you for the munched one.
Super cold when we got there this morning but warmed up really nice by noon. We stayed on the near side of the river and tag-teamed a good hole. We were both showing nice colors for sure. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
This is a pic of the upper section of my Angus after the first bucket, frickin Gold everywhere. That warmed me up! happy088.gif
https://flic.kr/p/Eznzynhttps://flic.kr/p/Eznzyn by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 20 2016, 08:06 PM

Nice Chris, wish I could've been there. How was the water level?


Posted by: CL6 Mar 20 2016, 08:20 PM

Swizz it's all good about the shovel I had so much fun and thank you for teaching me a few things yes it was cold and that color in my sluice warmed me right up had a blast can't wait to do that again

Posted by: swizz Mar 20 2016, 09:12 PM

QUOTE (relicsncoins @ Mar 20 2016, 08:06 PM) *
Nice Chris, wish I could've been there. How was the water level?

Water level was pretty much the same with slight fluctuations throughout the day.

Posted by: Mrs.CP Mar 21 2016, 08:14 AM

Sounds like another fun day! Great way to spend the first day of spring. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif I can't believe Timber ate his shovel!! smiley-shocked003.gif Terra was trying to bury Colin while we were digging for Fulgurites yesterday, no shovel eating though. laugh.gif



Posted by: CL6 Mar 21 2016, 08:03 PM

It's all good about the shovel it still worked

Posted by: EMac Mar 22 2016, 11:48 AM

Sorry I didn't get back to you on the water level Chris; you probably saw it was fine to get across. We were up there from about 9:30 until about 1PM, and it was -7.5C when we arrived; I've never seen ice crystals forming in moving water before, so that was pretty novel. Couldn't resist knocking them lose all day. Icicles on the gold cube:





Lane looking enthusiastic about the cold water before setting up.



I've had extremely limited time to play with the blue bowl, but I'm getting it. Was a little frustrated the other day with -50/+100 where I tried to sneak in some +30 panning while letting it run. Turned around to find the water at the bowl edge and most of the material washed down the middle. Figure I'll get that stuff later when I gold cube the previously worked cons a 2nd time. Lesson learned from baseball comes back: keep your eye on the...ahem...bowl.




Posted by: swizz Mar 22 2016, 11:53 AM

Definitely do not turn your back on the Bowl! Also.... you have way too much material in there. I made that mistake early in the game and have a similar pic in my BB thread with an overfilled Bowl. Feed it 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, much easier to process.... drizzle it in just upstream of the inlet to the Bowl happy088.gif
Use the turkey baster frequently.

Posted by: EMac Mar 22 2016, 01:36 PM

When I'm not turning my back on it, I frequently baste the cone. I read earlier about doing a teaspoon at a time (I think between you and Brandon), but I'm doing a little self-experimenting. I started off with the a teaspoon, but I can almost pan that fast, so I'm looking for increased efficiency. My thought process, when I'm not trying to do too much at once, is to blue bowl the entire classification level. Then at some point when I have a good bucket of processed cons, I re-run all those through my gold cube and re-bowl them to try and catch whatever was previously missed.

My approach (aside from the incident where I thought the flow was steady), is to keep the water lower than the indicated levels as long as I see lighter material rising on the cone. If there's any sort of build up or an area acting as a ramp, then I use the baster. As the material thins out, I slowly bring the water level higher. Seems to work well with larger classifications

I want to reclassify the blue bowl tailings, and pan to see how much I missed using this method. That could very well sway my opinion back to where y'all are at.

I'm not saying this is the right way....sometimes I like to make all the mistakes myself. greensmilies-025.gif The joy of learning new things greensmilies-012.gif Part of me wants to run a http://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/design-of-experiments-doe/design-experiments-%E2%90%93-primer/ to better understand the inputs and overall contribution, but that would be a fair amount of work. If others have interest, perhaps we could put something together. We'll need a stats person...I'm decent, but prefer to let an expert review the test setup and eventual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_of_variance.

Posted by: CL6 Mar 22 2016, 06:11 PM

Swizz is right you have to babysit that bowl

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 27 2016, 10:45 AM

Happy Easter everyone. Did anyone hit clear creek yesterday? Just wondering what the level was like.

Posted by: swizz Mar 27 2016, 11:40 AM

Happy Easter Bunny! I haven't been back. Starting a new work project tomorrow that will likely take all week. Maybe by next weekend I'll be able to take a day?

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 27 2016, 06:47 PM

QUOTE (swizz @ Mar 27 2016, 12:40 PM) *
Happy Easter Bunny! I haven't been back. Starting a new work project tomorrow that will likely take all week. Maybe by next weekend I'll be able to take a day?


Planning on next Saturday. Maybe I'll see you there.

Posted by: EMac Mar 28 2016, 01:04 PM

This Saturday for me as well hopefully.

Posted by: CL6 Mar 28 2016, 05:54 PM

Saturday or Sunday I'm not sure yet

Posted by: swizz Mar 28 2016, 05:58 PM

I hope that I can do one of those two days, amidst a good sized biz project right now.
Chris, I have your new Ames shovel... hopefully we can meet up and I'll trade ya for the chewy one. I already ordered a ReGrip for that one and will put it to use at the ol mine. happy088.gif

Posted by: CL6 Mar 28 2016, 06:36 PM

Sweet thanks I'll let you know what day

Posted by: CL6 Mar 31 2016, 09:57 AM

I'm going Sunday

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 31 2016, 01:18 PM

Still planning on Saturday. I wonder how much snow is in the canyon after these last couple of storms. On another note I was researching claims in that area to see how far toward the 119 junction you could go and still be legal. From what I found, there is 40 acre claim owned by a guy in AZ and a guy in NC, that is just past tunnel 3 and extends from clear creek up into the hills to the North. I called one of the owners on the phone, to get a more detailed location, to make sure I am not on their claim. He confirmed that he did have a claim there, but the guy was almost 90 years old, and was difficult to understand on the phone.

Here is a link to approximate location of this claim.

http://thediggings.com/mines/cmc200145

Posted by: swizz Mar 31 2016, 01:45 PM

"thediggings" is an excellent tool for minor/basic research but not 100% accurate (no fault of the site, just not possible), especially pertaining to 'active status' or potential recently filed claims... because these things are very fluid. Estimated boundaries (which diggings took the liberty of displaying) aren't even close, at least how they were rendered on that site and displayed for my claims, WAAAAY off. I'm sure they have a disclaimer to that effect by now, I would hope so.
Kinda reminds me of the old BLM "geocommunicator" which attempted the same thing in a less user-friendly interface than diggins. Diggings is prettier and easier to navigate than geocom was, it also has some very useful links. Great 'starting point' for research but that's it, other resources must be used.

Here is what we all do as legitimate prospectors, what the law expects us to do, and they way it's been done since the 1800s:
The (only) way to acquire exact boundary information is to.... go to the County Clerk/Recorder.... or...... Lakewood BLM Headquarters Public Records room. This is easy. Your taxes pay for this public room, it's services, and it's employees, you own it, use it! emoticon-object-018.gif Think of it as your library, a very very valuable library. smiley-cool14.gif

For the claim you linked:
Present either office with the CMC number and they will pull his claim files for you to review and copy. Requires a visit. They will not do this over the phone nor internet (some County offices provide this via internet but charge a nominal fee, a list of Colorado Counties and fees is posted in the CP Protected Forum for CP Club Members' quick reference). The County and BLM Public Rooms have public tables and chairs there so you can sit and have some time with the files, and decide which pages you want copies of. These claim files must (by law) include a map (typically hand-drawn) accompanied with an accurate written description (again, by law) of where each claim boundary marker was originally placed. Regardless of whether or not the physical markers are still there or in tact.... the claim and original boundary marker locations remain 100% legal as stated and mapped in the permanent Public Records filing for as long as the claim is legally maintained. So... hand the file back to the BLM or County employee stating which pages you want copies of (map, etc), then pay a couple of bucks for them to run a few copies. Say toodaloo, git goin, and keep the copies in your home files for reference. chaplin.gif
I never bother contacting claim owners, the information is ALL a matter of public record and sitting there for us to review and copy, really no need to bug the 90 yr old man. I have been contacted by John Q. Public before regarding MY claim boundaries and I always direct them to Public Records for an accurate map of my boundaries. What... do they expect ME to fax them a copy or something? smiley-laughing021.gif
Anyway... you should go and pull his records, copy them (at whichever Public office you prefer to use). I personally love the BLM HQ Public Room in Lakewood. Viewing the files is free and only a small fee for them to copy whatever you want, and they are friendly there!! This would be an excellent exercise for you in terms of land status research!
Master the land status research and the whole state is your oyster. You will always feel confident and comfortable where you are prospecting. It's not difficult, somewhat empowering, and actually... dare I say it.... fun! happy088.gif
I would totally go with you if I were down there. I have a few that I need to pull files for.

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 31 2016, 03:56 PM

I used more than just the diggings website, It's just what I linked to. I understand land status research, and understand the BLM office is the place to go for the most accurate information, but I've found this out when I was heavy into metal detecting, sometimes a simple phone call will save a lot of time. The claim owner did tell me where the claim was, I just couldn't hear/understand him all that well on the phone. At any rate, I am planning on going to the BLM office, but I'm waiting until I finish up with some research on other areas so I don't have to make multiple trips.

Posted by: swizz Mar 31 2016, 04:30 PM

Good plan. I always make the trip worthwhile by having several at once. research.gif

Posted by: swizz Mar 31 2016, 04:39 PM

QUOTE (CL6 @ Mar 31 2016, 09:57 AM) *
I'm going Sunday

I'm shooting for Sunday! emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: CL6 Mar 31 2016, 07:42 PM

Sweet do you want to meet at the same spot

Posted by: swizz Mar 31 2016, 07:46 PM

Yeah, I like it up there. Maybe try something on the other side of the river this time. We played-out that last spot I think.
I'm still up in the air on schedule. If my work materials shipment arrives tomorrow, I may need to work through the weekend... if not I'm there! I'll know by tomorrow.

Posted by: relicsncoins Mar 31 2016, 08:33 PM

QUOTE (swizz @ Mar 31 2016, 08:46 PM) *
Yeah, I like it up there. Maybe try something on the other side of the river this time. We played-out that last spot I think.
I'm still up in the air on schedule. If my work materials shipment arrives tomorrow, I may need to work through the weekend... if not I'm there! I'll know by tomorrow.



Have fun, still Saturday for me. Have a men's soccer game on Sunday.

Posted by: EMac Apr 1 2016, 10:12 AM

Oh? A fellow footballer as well? May have to bring a ball with on Saturday and see if I can juggle in waders :) It's been about a year since I played with a team...did a little coaching, and go kick and juggle at the park not too infrequently.

I'm planning on heading up tomorrow; likely the same area we've been meeting at.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 1 2016, 01:23 PM

Miss y'all! Taking my 15 yo nephew to a creek 90 miles from Seattle to do some digging this weekend.

Posted by: swizz Apr 1 2016, 07:02 PM

Washington has some good Gold, I hope you guys score! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
I'm working tomorrow but taking Sunday off. See you at the crick CL6. I'll probably get there at around 8am I think.
I drove the canyon today and it looked great. Water level still low. Same rusty discoloration in the water when I went by in the afternoon. It's coming from the Central City fork, so probably some mining op or road work happening up there.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 1 2016, 11:52 PM

QUOTE (swizz @ Apr 1 2016, 07:02 PM) *
Washington has some good Gold, I hope you guys score! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif


Hope so! Crazy up here, you can't dig inside the "wetted perimeter" of the creek (as in, not where the water is flowing),/only in the gravel/sand outside the creek butnyou can run your sluice in the creek. And most places you can only dredge 1 aug - 30 sep

Posted by: CL6 Apr 2 2016, 06:54 AM

Awesome Swizz I'll see you at 8

Posted by: swizz Apr 4 2016, 07:14 AM

Fun day and great weather yesterday on the creek with CL6. emoticon-misc-004.gif We went a ways downstream (same parking lot), Gold was looking good. happy088.gif

https://flic.kr/p/FPQxNShttps://flic.kr/p/FPQxNS by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

This means I sluiced 6 buckets of 1/2" class.
https://flic.kr/p/FS9K86https://flic.kr/p/FS9K86 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 4 2016, 11:14 AM

Great day on Saturday. Met Emac and his boy, weather was fantastic. I also tried down stream, the gold looked good, but quickly petered out. Moved back above the fish structure and seem to have more consistent gold. I ran 8 classified buckets through two different mackirk sluices to compare recovery rates. I also used the new miller table, and I will give my thoughts on it in the equipment section.

Here is the -100 gold cleaned up with the miller table.


Posted by: CL6 Apr 4 2016, 05:17 PM

Thanks Swizz sorry I had to cut out early and helping me set up

Posted by: swizz Apr 4 2016, 05:29 PM

My pleasure, catch ya next time! cheers.gif

Posted by: EMac Apr 5 2016, 01:10 PM

It was great meeting RelicsNCoins on Saturday. Lane and I did a little digging, but like normal, no idea what all we found yet since it's all still in the cons. Did take a couple pics though on the creek.

Relicsncoins:



Lane manning the cube:


Posted by: swizz Apr 5 2016, 04:56 PM

Good to see you got the Cube back up and running. happy088.gif

Posted by: EMac Apr 6 2016, 10:36 AM

Yes sir! Attwood was great honoring the warranty, and I'm back in business. I still have my eye on an Angus highbanker/dredge combo though....

Posted by: swizz Apr 6 2016, 02:35 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Apr 6 2016, 10:36 AM) *
I still have my eye on an Angus highbanker/dredge combo though....


mmmmm.... that would make me jealous. Those DC units look good.

Anyone hitting up CC this weekend? Timber and I are planning at least a day. Gotta fill that CC vial. signs026.gif

Posted by: swizz Apr 6 2016, 02:55 PM

... I'll be bringing my measuring wheel in case anyone is curious to verify the 100ft rule for man-made fishing structures.

https://flic.kr/p/F7FmmEhttps://flic.kr/p/F7FmmE by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 6 2016, 05:00 PM



Considering Saturday right now.

Posted by: yakyakgoose Apr 7 2016, 09:25 AM

Im new but is there anyway I could come help out? No idea what Im doing but Ive moved my fair share of rocks and dirt being a redneck and all.

Posted by: sunspirit Apr 7 2016, 12:19 PM

Hi all! I'm back. Looks like you have been tearing it up on CC this winter. Let me know when you are heading up again and maybe I can come up and get in the way!
I'm hoping to spend much more time in the hills this season. Now, if I can just remember how this shovel works... and where did I put that damn classifier?

Posted by: swizz Apr 7 2016, 02:03 PM

yak..... for sure! Join us anytime! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Mr Ruby! So glad to hear from you again! I was planning on hitting the creek on Sat or Sunday but there is tentative job interference looming for me now. I'll know by sometime tomorrow whether or not I can dip my shovel.
I won a terrific petrified wood pendant from the CP referral contest.... which you had done the setting. It is astonishing. It will be a present for my Mother's 93rd birthday, and she is gonna love it! Also, your maker's mark is very cool. smiley-cool14.gif You sir, are very talented.
Hope to see you again soon, and say hi to Char!. cheers.gif

Posted by: EMac Apr 7 2016, 02:14 PM

Looks like I may be up there Saturday as well.

Yak - come on out...it's JeffCo open space and not a claim, so there aren't any prohibitions for anyone who wants to show up. If you've got waders and good gloves for cold water, they're definitely helpful. If you can bring a gold pan (check in Golden if you're not sure where), shovel and a couple buckets, you'll be in business. If I can get up there, I'll bring an extra sluice; usually someone has a spare. Same with a classification screen to remove the larger stones. I take 2, and only use them when sampling.

At home to clean up the gold, you'll need a snuffer bottle and vial of some sort to put your values in.

My recommendation is to show up, get a panning lesson or 2 (lots of techniques and variations therein....gotta find which work best for you), capture some concentrates and practice panning concentrates at home.

Posted by: yakyakgoose Apr 7 2016, 03:09 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Apr 7 2016, 03:14 PM) *
Looks like I may be up there Saturday as well.

Yak - come on out...it's JeffCo open space and not a claim, so there aren't any prohibitions for anyone who wants to show up. If you've got waders and good gloves for cold water, they're definitely helpful. If you can bring a gold pan (check in Golden if you're not sure where), shovel and a couple buckets, you'll be in business. If I can get up there, I'll bring an extra sluice; usually someone has a spare. Same with a classification screen to remove the larger stones. I take 2, and only use them when sampling.

At home to clean up the gold, you'll need a snuffer bottle and vial of some sort to put your values in.

My recommendation is to show up, get a panning lesson or 2 (lots of techniques and variations therein....gotta find which work best for you), capture some concentrates and practice panning concentrates at home.


Great! What kind of gloves do you use for cold water? I have a shovel, buckets, gold pan (No idea how to use) and some Bogs. You guys can keep my gold, I dont mind paying for an education:) Ill take you up on the concentrate practice material though.

Where on the creek, Im pretty familiar with that road from when I lived in Golden.

Posted by: sunspirit Apr 7 2016, 03:11 PM

Hey Chris! Glad you like the pendant! I hope your mother likes it too. My work is guaranteed, so if there are any problems, let me know.

I am keeping an eye on the weather there in JeffCO - not too enthusiastic about working in the rain. Not sure which day I'll go, but if I see your jeep, I'll stop and throw a rock.
There is always next weekend. I would like to get a couple of days in before runoff though... we'll see. Hey Yak! Looking forward to meeting you on the river.

Posted by: swizz Apr 7 2016, 07:52 PM

Dang it.... it'll have to be next weekend for me, friends. This work contract just got approved and I'm on it through this weekend. kick_can.gif
I'm happy about the contract but was looking forward to this weekend.

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 8 2016, 08:32 PM

Need to finish some work around the house, so I am out tomorrow also. My birthday is on Tuesday, have the day off and will be in the creek if anyone want's to do some weekday sluicing.

Posted by: EMac Apr 9 2016, 07:27 AM

I'm spending the day with my beautiful bride someplace other than the creek.

Yak - might not be the best day to go and get a lesson

Posted by: swizz Apr 12 2016, 01:51 PM

CC Canyon closed due to a rockslide today.... glad I'm not there for that! whew.gif
Happy Birthday relics, I hope you aren't there today.

Posted by: EMac Apr 12 2016, 02:35 PM

With the weather coming, this weekend doesn't look good, so they'll have time to get those loose rocks out of the way. Of course if the weather turns towards the better, I plan to be up there.

DOT says it was at MM 267.5, so just down the creek from where we usually go (found from google since I'm not on FB): https://www.facebook.com/coloradodot/posts/990016104386629


Posted by: Crusty Apr 13 2016, 06:59 AM

Howdy folks! I'm back in town... but as Emac said, forecast for this weekend sucks. I might be able to make it up Mon or Tue if anyone wants to hook up. Jonesing for some good Co GOLD!

Posted by: swizz Apr 13 2016, 07:31 AM

Welcome back Crusty! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
My work season is back in full swing right now... been working nights even. Not looking good for me to hit the creek for a bit unfortunately. sad.gif

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 13 2016, 08:21 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Apr 12 2016, 02:51 PM) *
CC Canyon closed due to a rockslide today.... glad I'm not there for that! whew.gif
Happy Birthday relics, I hope you aren't there today.



Was there all day yesterday. The slide happened after I got there, and was cleaned up before I left. Had no idea it even happened until I saw it on the news. I was wondering why there was no traffic.

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 13 2016, 10:55 AM

My daughter came with me yesterday and she ran about 5 buckets through a sluice I setup for her. I ran 7 buckets through my sluice and saw really good gold in the top of the sluice all day as well as the largest piece of gold I have yet to see in Clear Creek.

Posted by: EMac Apr 13 2016, 11:04 AM

Nice! Where were you at there? Same MM as before?

Posted by: Crusty Apr 13 2016, 11:09 AM

Swizz, now that you worked the upper area and the old spot we were working a couple weeks apart, which are you thinking is a better spot? I know the upstream location will be a no go once the water gets higher, so I guess the lower will be where we end up anyway

Posted by: swizz Apr 13 2016, 11:18 AM

I went downstream about 50ft further than we did last year on the other side (I think we were too close to fishing struc last year). The Gold was about the same from what I was seeing in my upper box section. I haven't done a cleanup yet but I'd say relatively similar results.
Hopefully my claims will be accessible by the time CC goes out of control, that would be good timing for me.

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 13 2016, 11:20 AM

QUOTE (EMac @ Apr 13 2016, 12:04 PM) *
Nice! Where were you at there? Same MM as before?



Yep, stayed on the road side of the creek since my daughter was wearing rubber boots. She worked the cobbles just outside the water's edge, and I worked a couple of large rocks in the middle of the creek.

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 13 2016, 02:48 PM

Had a great time yesterday, weather was great, had one brief 20 minute shower. It was nice enough all day, that my daughter wore shorts and a t-shirt. She decided to skip a college class and hang with her old man shoveling rocks in the creek.




Posted by: Crusty Apr 13 2016, 02:59 PM

QUOTE (relicsncoins @ Apr 13 2016, 02:48 PM) *
Had a great time yesterday, weather was great, had one brief 20 minute shower. It was nice enough all day, that my daughter wore shorts and a t-shirt. She decided to skip a college class and hang with her old man shoveling rocks in the creek.


gotta love daddy/daughter time!! purple_heart.gif

Posted by: yakyakgoose Apr 14 2016, 10:51 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Apr 13 2016, 12:18 PM) *
I went downstream about 50ft further than we did last year on the other side (I think we were too close to fishing struc last year). The Gold was about the same from what I was seeing in my upper box section. I haven't done a cleanup yet but I'd say relatively similar results.
Hopefully my claims will be accessible by the time CC goes out of control, that would be good timing for me.


What do you mean out of control? Are you meaning that idiotic bike path they are putting in?

Sorry, my opinionated side came out..haha

Posted by: EMac Apr 14 2016, 11:00 AM

I suspect he's referring to the water level and flow: http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv/?cb_00065=on&cb_00060=on&format=gif_default&site_no=06719505&period=&begin_date=2015-04-07&end_date=2016-04-14

The water will rise another foot or so, and the flow rate will spike around 2000ft^3/sec before coming back down over the next 5 months.

Could be the bike path though; they need to get their heavy equipment off the spot I was working last year is what I truly know. tongue.gif

Posted by: swizz Apr 14 2016, 02:30 PM

I was referring to runoff. The bike path doesn't bother me... I'm only there in the winter. tongue.gif

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 14 2016, 10:55 PM

Here is the +50 gold cleaned up from my birthday sluicing adventure on Tuesday. Pretty nice piece off to the right. The chunky piece in the middle is gold with some other host rock. I dug a pretty deep hole and it paid off with larger gold, probably won't be as much fine gold I'm guessing. Will clean the -50 and -100 gold tomorrow.


Posted by: swizz Apr 15 2016, 06:32 AM

WOOHOO, nice birthday Gold!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: Mrs.CP Apr 15 2016, 06:59 AM

Happy belated birthday, nice looking gold. Looks like it was a priceless day out with your daughter!! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Good to have you back safe and sound Crusty!

smile.gif



Posted by: Crusty Apr 15 2016, 07:30 AM

Nice day's haul! Happy belated birthday!!

And thanks Mrs CP; good to be back! Now if only the weather wasn't crappy this weekend so I could get out. Maybe Mon or Tue will look better. I've got my Museum volunteer gig Wed and Thur-Sat Mrs Crusty and I are making our third trip as Guardians on an Honor Flight taking WWII/Korea vets to DC to see the memorials.

Posted by: swizz Apr 15 2016, 07:45 AM

QUOTE (Crusty @ Apr 15 2016, 07:30 AM) *
Mrs Crusty and I are making our third trip as Guardians on an Honor Flight taking WWII/Korea vets to DC to see the memorials.

That is outstanding. My Dad is a WWII Navy vet (USS Pensacola) and in his 90s. A few years ago he had the privilege of taking an Honor Flight and really, really enjoyed it! Said he was treated like a king... and that's what these guys deserve. emoticon-object-018.gif
Huge kudos and thank you to you and wife for contributing to this, it means a lot.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 15 2016, 07:47 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Apr 15 2016, 07:45 AM) *
That is outstanding. My Dad is a WWII Navy vet (USS Pensacola) and in his 90s. A few years ago he had the privilege of taking an Honor Flight and really, really enjoyed it! Said he was treated like a king... and that's what these guys deserve. emoticon-object-018.gif
Huge kudos and thank you to you and wife for contributing to this, it means a lot.


It is an amazing experience and so great to spend time with these guys and gals to hear their stories. Glad your dad got to go on one!

Posted by: swizz Apr 17 2016, 06:47 AM

Well.... socked-in with snow and a day off. char060.gif Might have time to process.
This is my concentrate from the last two trips (some Gold in foreground that didn't shake down with the pile).
https://flic.kr/p/FVRaQdhttps://flic.kr/p/FVRaQd by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Crusty Apr 17 2016, 08:20 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Apr 17 2016, 06:47 AM) *
Well.... socked-in with snow and a day off. char060.gif Might have time to process.
This is my concentrate from the last two trips (some Gold in foreground that didn't shake down with the pile).


great way to spend a snow day... happy blue bowling!

Posted by: swizz Apr 17 2016, 12:01 PM

About to start bowling... this is what I picked out of the +30 mesh. Not bad. The concentrate is from 12 buckets of 1/2" sluiced. Will follow up with the rest.
https://flic.kr/p/FrdxhMhttps://flic.kr/p/FrdxhM by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: swizz Apr 17 2016, 05:05 PM

Final tally from last 12 buckets of 1/2" class, hand sluiced. Nothing big, but good yield for only 12 buckets I think. (also...1943 silver wheat penny from my stash)
https://flic.kr/p/Gg8ydKhttps://flic.kr/p/Gg8ydK by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: Crusty Apr 17 2016, 05:32 PM

Great for 12 buckets! Looks like more than I get from a days dredging, which is way more than 12 buckets!

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 17 2016, 05:36 PM

Nice haul there. Now it's time to go get some more concentrates.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 24 2016, 05:23 PM

Would like to get out earlier this week, but it looks like I won't be able to make it until Friday. Anyone else available? Will be bringing a friend/prospective club member.

Well shit... just checked the weather; high of 38 with rain/snow... guess I'll wait and see what develops over the week. Looks like rain/snow and low temps all week kick_can.gif

Posted by: swizz Apr 25 2016, 06:25 AM

I'm slammed with work for at least the next couple of weeks.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 25 2016, 06:27 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Apr 25 2016, 06:25 AM) *
I'm slammed with work for at least the next couple of weeks.


Bummer for prospecting, good for eating lol

got the new dredge nozzle; look forward to seeing how much of a difference having the 1.5" suction works!

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 25 2016, 08:13 AM

Went down there on Saturday, met Emac. Had a great time. The water is starting to come up.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 25 2016, 08:34 AM

QUOTE (relicsncoins @ Apr 25 2016, 08:13 AM) *
Went down there on Saturday, met Emac. Had a great time. The water is starting to come up.


Only a 50% chance tomorrow... high of 40-50; think I'll head that way.

Which side of the creek did y'all work?

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 25 2016, 03:18 PM

QUOTE (Crusty @ Apr 25 2016, 09:34 AM) *
Only a 50% chance tomorrow... high of 40-50; think I'll head that way.

Which side of the creek did y'all work?



Couple different places. We first hiked to the large bend at tunnel 3. Spent about half the day there , and then went to the normal spot other side of the creek from the road.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 26 2016, 06:29 AM

QUOTE (Crusty @ Apr 25 2016, 08:34 AM) *
Only a 50% chance tomorrow... high of 40-50; think I'll head that way.

Which side of the creek did y'all work?


My back is tweaking today, so I didn't make it to CC.

I did set up my stuff here yesterday to run 5 buckets of material from Swizz's claim I got last Oct, so I'll blue bowl it today instead


 

Posted by: EMac Apr 27 2016, 10:29 AM

Weather is looking a little rough at this point for the weekend. Looks like land research and/or blue bowling in my living room is my Saturday mining activity this week. Anyone going out this weekend?

Posted by: Crusty Apr 27 2016, 05:28 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Apr 27 2016, 10:29 AM) *
Weather is looking a little rough at this point for the weekend. Looks like land research and/or blue bowling in my living room is my Saturday mining activity this week. Anyone going out this weekend?


Unless things change, looks like a crappy weather weekend, so I probably won't be out.

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 28 2016, 11:02 AM

On the website http://www.cotrip.org/ there are links to CDOT cameras. There is one in the pullout that looks east and you can see the creek. It's a good check to see current weather conditions and how
high the creek is flowing.

Posted by: Crusty Apr 28 2016, 05:36 PM

QUOTE (relicsncoins @ Apr 28 2016, 11:02 AM) *
On the website http://www.cotrip.org/ there are links to CDOT cameras. There is one in the pullout that looks east and you can see the creek. It's a good check to see current weather conditions and how
high the creek is flowing.


Yup! Here's the view of the parking area and creek.


Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 28 2016, 06:19 PM

You gotta love it when panning down your bigger mesh size and the yellow starts to peek through. Just starting on the concentrates from last weekend.


Posted by: Crusty Apr 28 2016, 08:15 PM

looking good!

Posted by: relicsncoins Apr 28 2016, 09:31 PM

Running a teaspoon of +50 concentrate on the miller table. Lots of nice color in it.



Posted by: Crusty Apr 29 2016, 05:37 AM

Weather looks like crap through late next week... and I'm gonna be out of town Wed-Mon or Tue :(

https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Black+Hawk+CO+80422:4:US

I imagine this latest few days of snow will definitely bring the creek up.

Posted by: relicsncoins May 3 2016, 05:03 PM

Had a few hours yesterday before work and ran 6 half inch classified buckets. Panned about 1/3 of the +50 concentrates. Looks promising for 6 buckets.


Posted by: EMac May 5 2016, 03:19 PM

My AM dredge has shipped from Canada, eh! The pump from HF and hoses/camlocks from Central state are sitting in my garage; I'm hoping to test it out on CC soon. I'd like to go do some digging this weekend, but it's not looking good. I'm glad J is able to work what we dug up....I've got unworked cons still from the last three outings. Those pics are very encouraging!

The search for a new vehicle is in full swing now. I checked out a badass Jeep Unlimited X model this week, but I want more storage room that's not on top. I've got my eyes set on a Tacoma or other suitable light pickup with good clearance. If you have any good leads, feel free to send them my way. I'm ditching the beemer, so this needs to be a daily driver.

Posted by: relicsncoins May 5 2016, 05:13 PM

I might try and get down there on Saturday and dodge the T storms.

Posted by: relicsncoins May 12 2016, 03:04 PM

Here is the gold from 6 buckets I ran about 10 days ago. Not too shabby for 6 buckets.


Posted by: Mrs.CP May 12 2016, 03:42 PM

Very nice for 6 buckets....Not too shabby at all! smiley-clapping.gif

Posted by: swizz May 12 2016, 04:27 PM

Really nice, I like the Mercury dime too! happy088.gif

Posted by: relicsncoins May 12 2016, 04:33 PM

QUOTE (swizz @ May 12 2016, 05:27 PM) *
Really nice, I like the Mercury dime too! happy088.gif



Thanks, found with my metal detector.

Posted by: relicsncoins May 16 2016, 10:14 PM

Hit the creek on Saturday with Emac. He was testing out his new dredge. The crick has come up considerably, and I was no longer able to get to the other side. On my first bucket through my sluice, I saw the largest piece of gold yet, it was big enough I plucked it out with two fingers and stuck it in my Pan. I showed Eric, and he also said it was the biggest piece of gold he has seen come out of that creek. Sadly, about an hour after I showed it to him, a gust of wind sent my pan with gold tumbling down the rocks, and I never did find it. :(

Posted by: EMac May 17 2016, 07:09 AM

I can confirm that was the biggest piece of gold I've seen there. It was hammered flat, and I mistook it for a leaf in the pan until I saw it wasn't moving. I feel so bad for you!

Posted by: James and Cyndi May 17 2016, 09:35 AM

QUOTE (relicsncoins @ May 16 2016, 11:14 PM) *
Hit the creek on Saturday with Emac. He was testing out his new dredge. The crick has come up considerably, and I was no longer able to get to the other side. On my first bucket through my sluice, I saw the largest piece of gold yet, it was big enough I plucked it out with two fingers and stuck it in my Pan. I showed Eric, and he also said it was the biggest piece of gold he has seen come out of that creek. Sadly, about an hour after I showed it to him, a gust of wind sent my pan with gold tumbling down the rocks, and I never did find it. :(


RAT FARTS!

Posted by: EMac May 17 2016, 11:18 AM

Water is definitely up; it's higher now than it was on Saturday. With the rain and warmth, I suspect it'll be even higher:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwisweb/graph?agency_cd=USGS&site_no=06719505&parm_cd=00065&period=7
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwisweb/graph?agency_cd=USGS&site_no=06719505&parm_cd=00060&period=7

Posted by: EMac May 23 2016, 11:06 AM

I put this in the member's area already, but wanted to share with the open community too. I'm pretty pleased with the new dredge! The last two weekends, I've seen the 2 biggest pickers yet from Clear Creek. Relics' find appeared to be about twice as big as this one I found on Saturday:







Posted by: swizz May 23 2016, 09:02 PM

Yahooo! That's a crunchy picker. happy088.gif

Posted by: CP May 24 2016, 01:56 PM

Sweet one! Bet you were doing one of the happy dances on the creek too! extra_happy.gif dancing_smiley.gif Nice little picker! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: EMac May 24 2016, 02:34 PM

Crusty took one shortly after I found it and I have a shit eating grin on my face. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

I'm hesitant to post it because I'm usually topless if the sun is out.

Posted by: CL6 May 27 2016, 11:55 AM

I'm going tomorrow at cc

Posted by: EMac May 31 2016, 10:31 AM

Friday was freezing, so I didn't last long, but Saturday was a good day. Saw some decent color with CL6 and Josh out there, and need to make plans to go listen to our very own bassist perform live! Broke a weld which shortened the day, but went back Monday for the whole day.



Broken weld with detached cannon:


I ended up combining all my previous cons from GC highbanking and dredging and running them through the gold cube. I still haven't started blue bowling those yet though since I'm still working previously classified cons sitting in screens. A good problem to have I think.

Before Gold Cube:


After cubing:


As for tailings checks, I did not see any coming off the front of the Angus, but I only did some sampling. I did however see some some coming off the back side. Sadly this was how I able to show a curious fisherman what CC gold looks like. I will be using bins to catch what doesn't fall through the punch plate, and re-feed those through. I'm thinking of options instead of the punch plate...it's fairly easy to remove.

Posted by: Crusty Jun 2 2016, 09:18 AM

QUOTE (EMac @ May 31 2016, 10:31 AM) *
Broken weld with detached cannon:


Have you checked with them to see if they'd cover it under warranty?

Posted by: EMac Jun 2 2016, 10:03 AM

I think I mentioned I wasn't real impressed with some of the workmanship on the hardware, and this is one of those items. There are a couple things that bother me such as the holes in hopper support bars, but nothing I haven't overlooked. The broken weld was seriously annoying because it was a crappy, cold weld.

I thought about a warranty claim, but that would be another month of sending this thing back and forth to Canada and I'm not convinced the new weld would be better. To save myself shipping frustration and loss of my dredge, I opted to throw $50 at a muffler shop to get it back in service right away. I was using it all day Monday with no issues after a re-weld.

I expect to be out there sucking again Saturday for sure, and possibly tomorrow afternoon.

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Jun 5 2016, 07:40 AM

Hey fellas. I'm glad to see your still slaying it out there. I've been working my summer away waiting on the snow to melt at Taylor park and it's coming fast now. Emac has a dredge now? Daaaaammmb.
Firewood is my priority right now so I went tree prospecting and found the mother lode in the forest behind me. A large grouping of standing dead, probably a few years worth, so it will be easier work this year. I cut a two track trail through to it last night so I can get the old truck through and maybe get to keep my mirrors. It will save me time processing from the same place with this pocket of trees. I can cut and block there so I wont have wood tailings all in my yard. I picked up a new stihl 362 pro last summer and there is no classification needed with this tool. It eats through it all with no problems and it processes the cons at the same time!

I really can't wait to get back out for some goooolld!! Whooohoo!

Posted by: fenixsmom Jun 5 2016, 09:11 AM

Met up with EMac yesterday. The water was running a bit too fast and high for me to really do anything. So we chatted. It was really fun seeing that machine work. It is definitely on my list of things to buy! I only grabbed one pic.
Maybe with a bribery of Coke and some muffins, he may let me try that bad boy out. :D
A side note, always remember your sunscreen, I am cooked to a crisp!


 

Posted by: Crusty Jun 5 2016, 12:46 PM

QUOTE (fenixsmom @ Jun 5 2016, 09:11 AM) *
Met up with EMac yesterday. The water was running a bit too fast and high for me to really do anything. So we chatted. It was really fun seeing that machine work. It is definitely on my list of things to buy! I only grabbed one pic.
Maybe with a bribery of Coke and some muffins, he may let me try that bad boy out. :D
A side note, always remember your sunscreen, I am cooked to a crisp!


Damn, if I'd have known you were gonna come out of hiding, I'd have scratched going riding and come to CC!

Posted by: fenixsmom Jun 5 2016, 02:24 PM

Lol well, I'm back from my 6 mos. siesta and the season is still very young! The river is still blown out. Get your riding in now buddy, it's going to be a GREAT summer!

Posted by: EMac Jun 6 2016, 10:11 AM

That water was really high, and moving swiftly. Even along the bank, if I squatted in the water, I was getting buffeted pretty heavily. Setting up was a challenge, and I had to adjust it a few times throughout the day. I couldn't figure out how to get a bin under the hopper tailings without having it wash away. I was seeing really small flour gold in my checks, but I'm wondering what I missed off the backside.

Definitely looking at a wetsuit after sloshing around in waders all day. Partly due to small holes, but mostly because I stupidly launched myself at a bucket that was starting to wash away. Brain didn't insert itself fast enough to prevent the reaction, and I found myself with a bucket in hand in deep, swift water with my waders filling. Fortunately I was able to extricate myself from the bad situation.

A wetsuit will have to wait a little since my debit card was skimmed again; I gotta figure out where/how they're getting my card. Over $1500 in charges this time from Thornton to Syracuse; fortunately I have USAA, and it's just an inconvenience. I'd like to try a suit this weekend, so hopefully they get the card out quickly.

It was awesome seeing you out there again Jess! You're welcome to some nozzle time, and you can keep whatever you suck up. I have cons at home you're welcome to play with as well if you want. Looks like it'll be pretty hot this coming weekend, so unless something comes up, I'll be out there again. If the water is high again, I may consider an easier spot downstream.


Posted by: EMac Jun 8 2016, 02:06 PM

Get up for some high water! Creek is at over 6.5' and looks to have more to go before topping out.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwisweb/graph?agency_cd=USGS&site_no=06719505&parm_cd=00065&period=68#.V1h6PHd_XBU.link

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwisweb/graph?agency_cd=USGS&site_no=06719505&parm_cd=00060&period=68#.V1h6PJLMgxs.link

Posted by: swizz Jun 8 2016, 03:22 PM

That's a brutal flow. Crusty and I will be up at the claims on Friday... come on up there with the Angus if you feel inclined!

Posted by: EMac Jun 8 2016, 08:04 PM

That's damn tempting. Will you be there Saturday as well?

Posted by: swizz Jun 8 2016, 08:38 PM

I won't but Crusty might be... you're always welcome to stay there either way. happy070.gif

Posted by: Crusty Jun 9 2016, 06:14 AM

QUOTE (swizz @ Jun 8 2016, 08:38 PM) *
I won't but Crusty might be... you're always welcome to stay there either way. happy070.gif


I'm just riding up to help Swizz get the claim opened up for the year and get the new stove set up, so I'll be headed home Friday too.

Posted by: swizz Jun 9 2016, 07:47 AM

Bring some prospecting stuff, we'll have time to do a little sampling. Maybe bring your chainsaw too, I'll have mine but always good to have a second in case we had any major blow-downs.

Posted by: EMac Jun 10 2016, 11:35 AM

CC spiked over 7' and 1700 cubic ft per second this morning. JeffCo sheriff is restricting water activities, but didn't see anything about fishing or prospecting (which isn't swimming), so game on tomorrow. I'm not sure where I'll be exactly, but figure I'll start lower around ~270.25 after tunnel 1, and sample until I find suitable color to setup. I may very well find myself going back to near 260, but I suspect it'll be hard to get around with the water that high.

If I have time this afternoon, I'll probably head up and scout around.

Posted by: Crusty Jun 10 2016, 09:52 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Jun 10 2016, 11:35 AM) *
CC spiked over 7' and 1700 cubic ft per second this morning. JeffCo sheriff is restricting water activities, but didn't see anything about fishing or prospecting (which isn't swimming), so game on tomorrow. I'm not sure where I'll be exactly, but figure I'll start lower around ~270.25 after tunnel 1, and sample until I find suitable color to setup. I may very well find myself going back to near 260, but I suspect it'll be hard to get around with the water that high.

If I have time this afternoon, I'll probably head up and scout around.


Looking at it driving home from Swizz's, it definitely looked WAY up; looked really rough!


Posted by: EMac Jun 11 2016, 09:20 AM

I'm getting a late start (apparently we need sleep, and the body demanded it this morning), and will head up there shortly. Some sampling yesterday has me heading to MM 263 if anyone is thinking about it. Backup plan is to give it a go on Bill's claim just downstream from there (Bill in Golden detectors lets anyone go...he just wants you to sign the liability release).

Posted by: EMac Jun 12 2016, 08:18 AM

It was a good day yesterday. I found a nice spot at MM263 where the water was quiet enough to work in comfortably. The area by the boulder in the parking area creates a chute and an eddy where excess water has to circle around to try the chute again. I sampled that eddy, and another area just after the chute where some larger rocks shoot water to the side creating another slower zone through chunky cobble. Both were showing decent color, so I opted for the area after the chute. Academically, I figure the first eddy would likely have better color overall, but setting up the motor would have been harder, and the area didn't smell good. It's definitely a nice area for kids to go party since you can hide in the boulders; I picked up a shopping bag's worth of trash from the area trying to keep it nice. I'm going to start taking bigger trash bags.

I suspect we could get a sluice setup in the area I was working with some moving of rocks around. The downside is the water is still moving swiftly, and has a pulse. Aside from the color, and short trip to the truck, I liked the safety of the area such that if I slipped and fell, I'd be caught in the baffles before hitting the rushing current. I tried a wetsuit out for the first time as well, and I like it better than waders. I will need to figure out something better for my feet when it's colder though.

I did some mild checking, and there's definitely gold; I'm not sure how much though. I'm debating keeping these cons separate from MM260, but I'll probably end up combining them. I ain't exactly mapping a pay streak here, and this is far from controlled sampling.

Not much dry real estate to work on at MM260:



Bushes and trees are under water:



Eddy before the chute at MM263:



After the chute where I worked:



BBQ afterwards at a buddy's, and there was a cool lightning storm across the way:




Posted by: Crusty Jun 12 2016, 08:11 PM

WOw, water is definitely high! Glad you managed to get out!

Posted by: Denise Jun 12 2016, 08:16 PM

Looked like fun and a great way to cool off! Love the lightning pics Eric!! Glad you had a good day out. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: CL6 Jun 13 2016, 10:04 AM

Next month I'm going to telluride Silverton area anybody worked that area before

Posted by: Steve B Jun 18 2016, 02:56 PM

QUOTE (EMac @ Jun 12 2016, 09:18 AM) *
It was a good day yesterday. I found a nice spot at MM263 where the water was quiet enough to work in comfortably. The area by the boulder in the parking area creates a chute and an eddy where excess water has to circle around to try the chute again. I sampled that eddy, and another area just after the chute where some larger rocks shoot water to the side creating another slower zone through chunky cobble. Both were showing decent color, so I opted for the area after the chute. Academically, I figure the first eddy would likely have better color overall, but setting up the motor would have been harder, and the area didn't smell good. It's definitely a nice area for kids to go party since you can hide in the boulders; I picked up a shopping bag's worth of trash from the area trying to keep it nice. I'm going to start taking bigger trash bags. I suspect we could get a sluice setup in the area I was working with some moving of rocks around. The downside is the water is still moving swiftly, and has a pulse. Aside from the color, and short trip to the truck, I liked the safety of the area such that if I slipped and fell, I'd be caught in the baffles before hitting the rushing current. I tried a wetsuit out for the first time as well, and I like it better than waders. I will need to figure out something better for my feet when it's colder though. I did some mild checking, and there's definitely gold; I'm not sure how much though. I'm debating keeping these cons separate from MM260, but I'll probably end up combining them. I ain't exactly mapping a pay streak here, and this is far from controlled sampling. Not much dry real estate to work on at MM260:
Bushes and trees are under water:
Eddy before the chute at MM263:
After the chute where I worked:
BBQ afterwards at a buddy's, and there was a cool lightning storm across the way:






My son and I went out to MM263 about a week back and were working the boulder as well. It looked promising but we are novices to the whole prospecting thing. In reality this was the first time setting up the sluice and I believe we did it wrong after additional research when we returned. As I usually work on the weekends I only get a chance to get out during the first few days of the week. If anyone is interested in educating - I'm open to the instruction. I also tried Alma (#12) this past Wednesday but couldn't ID the survey pin/marker. According to my hand held GPS I was close. Took the metal detector out and found the various assortment of nails, 22 cal lead, bottle caps and a kazoo!


Posted by: EMac Jun 19 2016, 09:07 PM

QUOTE (Steve B @ Jun 18 2016, 03:56 PM) *
My son and I went out to MM263 about a week back and were working the boulder as well. It looked promising but we are novices to the whole prospecting thing. In reality this was the first time setting up the sluice and I believe we did it wrong after additional research when we returned. As I usually work on the weekends I only get a chance to get out during the first few days of the week. If anyone is interested in educating - I'm open to the instruction. I also tried Alma (#12) this past Wednesday but couldn't ID the survey pin/marker. According to my hand held GPS I was close. Took the metal detector out and found the various assortment of nails, 22 cal lead, bottle caps and a kazoo!

The kazoo sounds promising...haha.

I work during the week, but I need to burn vacation. If the weather looks decent for this Friday, that's a definite possibility to go. I can offer up what I know if you're off that day. "First few days of the week" doesn't sound promising though. There's definitely gold out there. I didn't get any pics of my checking, but saw color after short dredge runs.

What kind of sluice are you using? Make/model? Home built?

I'll let you know as the week progresses if Friday is gonna happen.

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Jun 25 2016, 09:58 AM

I'll be down south of the Silverton area sometime this summer but not sure when yet, hot on the trail of the lost Baker brothers lode. Still waiting on water levels to drop which they finally are now, so the snow melt is getting close to gone.
I spent this last winter doing research on the lime creek drainages along 550 and also taylor park/Union park near tincup. I'm making my first trip up tomorrow to see what I can see and hopefully have will have a successful day sampling.
There was a gold bearing quartz vein somewhere on cross mountain found and lost again in 1890, that was reported as ten feet thick and the ore assayed at $440 per ton. If I get lucky this summer maybe I will retire!
The lost vein isn't my goal at this time but I will keep my eyes open.
The telluride area also has some gold but most areas are private or claimed.
If I had the time and money to spend I would work the West needles South of Silverton. Vast and very rough terrain made it almost impossible for the old timers to access it and it was mostly passed up. Very good potential if you can get in there.

Posted by: Crusty Jun 25 2016, 05:40 PM

Sounds like some promising leads! Happy hunting!

Posted by: swizz Jul 22 2016, 05:21 PM

I have a lil time to dig tomorrow and don't want to drive very far. I'll be at 263 sluicing for the day if anyone is in the neighborhood. Been a long time since I've been able to have any fun due to heavy work volume so this is long overdue.
Can't wait to dig again! If anyone is up that way, hope to see you. emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: Denise Jul 23 2016, 06:50 AM

Have fun Chris, enjoy your time out digging and find lots of gold! cheers.gif

Posted by: swizz Jul 24 2016, 07:29 AM

Thanks Denise, it was fun... until the biting flies woke up. Unfortunately there was a black fly hatch and they were getting the best of Timber so I cut the day a little short.
They were swarming and biting her ears to a point that she was whining and yelping... not like her, she's very tough. bug_smiley.gif
Still a very fun morning and I was seeing color in the sluice, just nice to get out in a river again. happy088.gif

Posted by: Denise Jul 24 2016, 07:39 AM

sad.gif Poor girl, I would have left also! Really glad to hear you were able to get out and dig some though. I was hauling dirt here in the wheel barrel but temp got too high to be working like that in the sun. whew.gif

Posted by: Crusty Jul 24 2016, 08:20 AM

Glad you got to escape from work and get out and get some diggin' therapy for a bit... until the flies ruined it

Posted by: EMac Jul 25 2016, 10:18 AM

That's awesome you got out, but sorry about the flies. I swear they like deet. Picaridin was slightly effective, but I still got bit a lot.

Posted by: relicsncoins Aug 5 2016, 04:36 PM

Going to hit Clear Creek on Tuesday 8/9 if anyone wants to join me.

Posted by: Crusty Aug 6 2016, 08:14 AM

QUOTE (relicsncoins @ Aug 5 2016, 04:36 PM) *
Going to hit Clear Creek on Tuesday 8/9 if anyone wants to join me.


If I wasn't planning a 4 day trip starting Wed, I'd join you. Good luck!

Posted by: EMac Aug 8 2016, 06:13 PM

I'm in a similar boat. I have to work tomorrow, and am headed up to Shavano Wed evening to join Crusty, Mike and Dave.

Posted by: relicsncoins Aug 10 2016, 10:43 AM

Great day on the creek with my daughter. Water temp was really comfortable. Had my wading boots on with my dive booties inside and waded all day long in shorts. Dug about a 3 foot deep hole and
hit a layer of this thick gray clay. I tried running some of that clay, but it was really difficult to classify it. I only ran about 5 buckets, so I'm not expecting much.

Posted by: Crusty Aug 10 2016, 11:08 AM

Glad you got out!

Posted by: EMac Aug 10 2016, 12:51 PM

Sounds like a great day on the creek!

Posted by: CL6 Aug 12 2016, 07:59 AM

QUOTE (relicsncoins @ Aug 10 2016, 11:43 AM) *
Great day on the creek with my daughter. Water temp was really comfortable. Had my wading boots on with my dive booties inside and waded all day long in shorts. Dug about a 3 foot deep hole and
hit a layer of this thick gray clay. I tried running some of that clay, but it was really difficult to classify it. I only ran about 5 buckets, so I'm not expecting much.


Posted by: swizz Aug 21 2016, 01:30 PM

Great day on the creek yesterday with Emac, CL6, and neighbor Alec. Weather was perfect and so was the stream flow! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
https://flic.kr/p/KVNSn9https://flic.kr/p/KVNSn9 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Ran the BB this morning and what a great result for only 6 buckets. Nothing large but dang good showing of fines.
https://flic.kr/p/KrQgfJhttps://flic.kr/p/KrQgfJ by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: relicsncoins Aug 24 2016, 08:28 PM

Hit Clear creek on Monday, just did a quick pan of the +50 gold. I ran 8 buckets of 1/2 inch classified material.


Posted by: Denise Aug 25 2016, 07:39 AM

Looks like the weather was perfect for gold prospecting! Nice gold guys!! greensmilies-012.gif

Posted by: EMac Aug 25 2016, 10:32 AM

I'm glad someone found something. It was a frustrating day for me. First I saw the pump was leaking from the discharge port around the cam lock threads. I look over and my motor is sitting in a black tub overflowing with water. I'm not sure how it was still running frankly.

CL6 and I wrestled with it for a bit, and that dude's strong, but unfortunately we couldn't get it to move far. Shortly after Jen showed up, and CL6 had to leave for a Bronco's game. Since I had to haul all that crap back up, I wasn't real excited about all the digging around there, and my favorite location had opened back up, I decided to move spots. Told Swizz and Alec we would try down the way a bit, hauled the dredge back up, then tried the new spot.

Getting enough water flow in the shallow area to run a sluice wasn't working, so I went to get my stand. Found out then that I was missing a stand piece, so couldn't setup the gold cube or sluice either. At that point, we decided to hang things up and head home.

All I got was a small clean out from like 30 minutes of running the dredge. I'll probably end up throwing that in with some other cons since it's not worth it to do alone from the check I did creekside.

Last night, my buddy and I worked on the pump some more and got the cam lock off after some serious wrenching. That thing is destroyed, and the pump threads need some TLC. I'm checking with a metal shop to see if they have any magic they can do, but might need to see where Crusty got his replacement parts.



Have I mentioned I like to learn lessons the hard way?

Posted by: CL6 Aug 25 2016, 07:34 PM

I had so much fun with emac and Swizz it was a blast and when in question use thread tape

Posted by: swizz Aug 26 2016, 08:36 AM

Shoot, that is a bummer about the pump. From the looks of your pic I see thread damage. This means that your coupler is either the wrong thread or was cross-threaded when last used. There are tools that will bring those threads back to life, like this: http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/product/threadmate-thread-repair-tool-69165.aspx?&tall=N&src=T13WFSHP1&admkt=&mkwid=sM8HcuvVY_dc&pcrid=119820135841&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=Cj0KEQjw0f-9BRCF9-D60_n4rKcBEiQAnXW4-x9Myz1s-1lpH6GQjXxjkC8bTf3N_zwavT3vyMN4lrAaAhM38P8HAQ
I also agree with CL6 that you'll want to use some teflon tape. Maybe (since those threads are damaged) you should attach a permanent coupler to that after the threads are cleaned, etc.... and fit your hose to a "new" permanent coupler on the pump. Just some food for thought.
Nice Gold you got there relics! thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Posted by: relicsncoins Aug 26 2016, 11:16 AM

Thanks Swizz, you as well.

Posted by: swizz Sep 3 2016, 02:19 PM

I believe I will be at CC tomorrow for the day with my neighbor Alec if anyone is going to be there. I'll be around 260 again unless anyone has a better idea. emoticon-misc-004.gif

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Sep 3 2016, 08:27 PM

Niiiice. There's still good gold in that creek, yep.

Posted by: swizz Sep 5 2016, 03:34 PM

There certainly is. happy088.gif
Had an outstanding day yesterday with neighbor Alec and ran into CL6 while we were there. Not sure how he did, but Alec and I tag-teamed a new hole and did really well. Weather was perfect and the water was warm. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Timber supervising Alec
https://flic.kr/p/KYc7uqhttps://flic.kr/p/KYc7uq by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/KYc3Bfhttps://flic.kr/p/KYc3Bf by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

This means we moved 16 buckets of 1/2" class.
https://flic.kr/p/LSkAmbhttps://flic.kr/p/LSkAmb by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

... and it paid off, eight pieces over #30 and the rest Blue Bowl fodder.
https://flic.kr/p/LtMKxNhttps://flic.kr/p/LtMKxN by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/LSkFXbhttps://flic.kr/p/LSkFXb by https://www.flickr.com/photos/121086004@N07/, on Flickr

Posted by: CP Sep 5 2016, 03:49 PM

smiley-shocked003.gif Super nice clean up for the day!! dancing_smiley.gif smiley-clapping.gif Nice work guys! signs021.gif

Posted by: Crusty Sep 6 2016, 05:55 AM

Nice haul my friend!

I'll be out of state for the rest of the month; save some gold for me in Oct! ;)

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