Well, I live on the Peninsula in the SF Bay Area and am new to metal detecting. I have only gone out once so far, I just got my Bounty Hunter Quick Silver this past Christmas. I found a reason to buy a Garrett Pin pointer (I needed to find some buried wires) and a few other things. My other hobby is photography which I began in 1973 as a 5th grader. I found a local metal detector club near me and I am looking forward to contacting them as will. I found a penny in the back yard today . . . you would have thought I found a silver dollar I was so excited.