Relichunter, Bringing back the memories.
Dam shame about Follows,
Ann and I were the last ones to camp there.
We were near the gate when we watched the Sheriff put the CAMP CLOSED sign up.
I loved to hang out at Al and Janice's Store there.
Great Folks. Good times.
I found this on line.
aboutal
About Al and Janice
So you would like to be a gold miner and strike it rich, Huh?
Well it just so happened that we have our very own miner at LAX, Al Marconi is a lead rampo serviceman and troubleshooter for the mail team. Al tells me that he got hooked on gold mining after hanging around with miners while visiting Virginia City and Carson City back in 74, 1974 that is, he even has a tale about his time there it goes like this.
Al and a friend located a old gold mine and hung around trying to find a mother lode. There was a rain storm and after the rain had to stopped, they went back to the mine and noticed that caught in the trap on the hillside were small gold nuggets.This continued to happen when there was rain. They searched and searched and to this day have never located the source of those nuggets. Al got so caught in the search for gold, that he and his wife, Janice purchased the old mining store in 1989 at Follows Camp in Azusa Canyon, Janice runs the store and sells dreams, and Al is the mining consultant and lives it by prospecting and giving lessons.
He gives lessons to anyone who has 4 hours and $30.00. That is it, with that he supplies the equipment which includes, a pan, sluice box, classifier, bucket, shovel and of course the know how. During the week, he enjoys teaching California History and how to pan for gold to 4th grade students. Al and Janice spend their summer vacation gold mining in Nome Alaska, on a good day he will pan a 1/2 ounce of fineright on the beach. To educate you all in gold mining language a fine is a sand grain size flake, and a nugget is from a match head size to 1/2 oz. Al's largest find was a 1/2 oz nugget and was found in Nome Alaska.
When I asked him why he did it, Al said "got to do something, I have fresh air, good companionship, that elusive pay streak just beyond reach and the rush of finding something that has been hidden for millions of years. It beats the hell out of working."
I hope they are doing well.
Great info on Shoemaker Rd.
I Learn more every day .
In all the advancing we can do to improve this world, the sharing of knowledge and wisdom is the most important.
We stand on the shoulders of giants.
I am so glad I joined this Message board.
If I post anything that inspires anyone to do better mining then me, I did my part.
And If anyone inspires me to try something new, or better, I thank them now.
gonna do some sampling around that area and hope to find a few really big rocks. 
