Colorado Prospecting. South Platte, Clear Creek and Denver.

[HardHatMatt]

I'm planning a quick dig tomorrow before work. I havn't been out in a few days because I'm in the middle of buying a house and real estate in Colorado is crazy tough right now.

On a side note I was in the shower this morning thinking to myself hmm "you know what I used to love as a kid" These things...
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Not practical AT ALL but I definitely be the would be the coolest kid on the block just swiveling in my chair scoopin dirt right in the bazooka.

I have thought of this as well...found an outfit in Minnesota that makes a pretty solid unit that could be modified. Of course, if you can mod it you can probably just build the whole thing. I figure you'd have to spring-load the bucket in some way to get enough purchase in a stream bed...but a rock rake, etc might clear enough to give it a chance.

 

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[HardHatMatt]

Ditto. We just closed on a house today about 15 minutes closer to metro Denver. Of course, now we have to move; we have to be out of our current place before the 13th of June. That means not much digging time until after we get all moved.

Congrats! We just moved as well...now up north near 144th & Sheridan Parkway in Broomfield. Seems there is a good group of younger guys (yes, Kevin, you're included in that designation!) in the Denver Metro area who have taken a shine to prospecting. Hope we can all get together sometime soon and figure out how we are going to conquer the world and all the ways we can do it MUCH better than these kooky old timers! ;-) We got 'er all figured out!

 

[KevinInColorado]

I'd love to meet up...although at 52 I'm not sure which camp I belong in LOL!

 

[shofs]

Got out this morning and found that my dam had been removed by somebody and all the large rocks removed from the area ? which was kind of weird. Since I only had about an hour and didn't have time to make a new one I decided to move downstream and finish a half built dam a few feet up from straw bend that Kevin had been working on. Not as much gold in this spot, which was kind of expected due to its location on the waters curve. I might stop digging this bend. I have plans for a new spot close by.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Dave, he's digging next to one of my honey holes a bit upstream of "you know where"!!

Yes, I know where; just been too busy to get up there and play in the water. I will have to set a day to meet shofs there.

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Congrats! We just moved as well...now up north near 144th & Sheridan Parkway in Broomfield. Seems there is a good group of younger guys (yes, Kevin, you're included in that designation!) in the Denver Metro area who have taken a shine to prospecting. Hope we can all get together sometime soon and figure out how we are going to conquer the world and all the ways we can do it MUCH better than these kooky old timers! ;-) We got 'er all figured out!

Glad to see all the younger miners! Not that I fit into that group, but I enjoy working on the creek with them.

Congrats to you, too, on the new house.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Got out this morning and found that my dam had been removed by somebody and all the large rocks removed from the area ? which was kind of weird. Since I only had about an hour and didn't have time to make a new one I decided to move downstream and finish a half built dam a few feet up from straw bend that Kevin had been working on. Not as much gold in this spot, which was kind of expected due to its location on the waters curve. I might stop digging this bend. I have plans for a new spot close by.
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Weird but last fall someone built a bridge across the creek, a simple one. Then one day this early spring it was just gone. We aren't the only visitors

 

[mytimetoshine]

Lol....and to think there is someone out there that thinks they helped save the earth by knocking over you rock pile l.. haha

 

[shofs]

Weird but last fall someone built a bridge across the creek, a simple one. Then one day this early spring it was just gone. We aren't the only visitors

It is a public space after all! That does ease my mind that you mention that Kevin. Someone is building some sort of wooden bridge/dam with my dam rocks and filled in my hole. But what's weird is they removed all the large rocks in the creek throughout the whole stretch and threw them on the shore. Including the ones from your past years digging all the way down stream. I thought it might be someone upset with my digging. Now the creek is just fast flowing pebbles with a big pool of water behind this unknown persons beaver dam. Sitting water = mosquitoes. Kevin I'm legally allowed to dig my hole out again right? I'll leave the person's bridge/dam alone since they worked so hard on it but my little honey hole is right up behind it! I don't want any confrontation with this stranger. My card to play is I am picking up trash and getting lead and glass out of the water. Plan B is to go further down from your first dig and try that area out. With your experience, what would you do Kevin?

 

[shofs]

Yes, I know where; just been too busy to get up there and play in the water. I will have to set a day to meet shofs there.

Definitely! I think You, Kevin and I are the only 3 prospectors in Denver that publicly have knowledge of these rich waters. Send me a PM anytime you want to meet!

 

[KevinInColorado]

I went down to straw bench today since I was in the area. I spent about a half hour running material off the bench just upstream from where the straw used to be. Decent gold of course

I was disappointed to see all the rocks tossed out of the creek, not cool.

I finished my visit by removing all the non-natural material from the creek: trash AND the child safety gate & lumber pieces the other person used to build their "dam". Boom. They have every right to use the park but not to leave their trash behind.

 

[shofs]

I went down to straw bench today since I was in the area. I spent about a half hour running material off the bench just upstream from where the straw used to be. Decent gold of course

I was disappointed to see all the rocks tossed out of the creek, not cool.

I finished my visit by removing all the non-natural material from the creek: trash AND the child safety gate & lumber pieces the other person used to build their "dam". Boom. They have every right to use the park but not to leave their trash behind.

You are my hero!! When I was last there the dam builder left for me to pick up beer cans, plastic shooter bottles, a ton of paper, candy wrappers, sandwich baggies, and a grocery bag. I also saw the baby gates I'm so happy you stopped by it was getting kind of out of hand.
Did you see that they also dug up the grass on the shore to fill in this hole I was digging? If they waited a day and a half it would have filled itself in, they didn't have to deface the shore. They left their shovel too. (This pic is before the strangers dam and that's my shovel bottom left)

 

[Duckwalk]

Probably stoned out of their minds. Who leaves a shovel??

 

[shofs]

Switching to a positive note...@ Kevin, were you running dry gravel from the bench or digging in the water just up from the straw? From what I found so far the gold line seems to be a straight shot from the hole in the pic above across all the dry gravel on the bench.

****EDIT**** Never mind! Read your thread and answered my question!

 

[shofs]

Probably stoned out of their minds. Who leaves a shovel??

My guess is someone with the mentalitality that the creek is "theirs". Which is why I'm nervous about any confrontations.

 

[brianc053]

...safety in numbers. And it's more fun to prospect with others anyway!

- Brian

 

[KevinInColorado]

Probably stoned out of their minds. Who leaves a shovel??

Not me...I took the shovel too!

 

[shofs]

I went out to the creek today and went downstream a ways to a very seculicated area. As a hint I showed Kevin this spot and was told "this place would be nice when it's hot outside in the summer". I made a dam and ran about 12 gallons of gravel. Compared to my last dig this dirt seemed much better. It is tightly packed and is more "rocks" than "sand". The cleanout was good, not honey, but certainly worth digging. This section of the creek is consistent for about 100' or more so it's nice to know I'll have access to consistent gold year round. I got about 1-2 pieces of -30 and a nice amount of smaller gold. Weight is about .11g!

 

[KevinInColorado]

I think. Know just where you were

 

[GoldpannerDave]

Definitely! I think You, Kevin and I are the only 3 prospectors in Denver that publicly have knowledge of these rich waters. Send me a PM anytime you want to meet!

I will send you a PM when I get a breather from moving. We are finishing preliminary stuff now, packers come later this week. We must clear out here (cleaning, spackling walls, etc., etc.) by the 13th. After everything is done, and the new "honey-do's" generated by the move, I will be ready to hit the creek and get some gold!!

Meanwhile, my wife is nagging me about moving all my gold stuff. She said she counted 13 sluices (I think she counted the 4 trays to the Gold Cube as 4). She cannot understand why I have so many. Well, there are two BGTs, one Keene A52 that is now used with Gold Hog mats and a recirculating pump, a dredge sluice, my Le Trap, a Wolf Trap, a small Angus MacKirk backpack sluice and two old homemade sluices that I really should get rid of. But the rest??

And she cannot understand why I have so many pans!!! Green ones, black ones, blue ones, a metal one, a small green one and a small blue one and yet another small black one. Sigh! Moving is causing a lot of marital problems.