Plenty of Junk

[boodydarn]

Yall can fuss if this isn't the right place for this post, i am 60, 300 pounds, been married for 40 years and a veteran, I can take it!
Thirty years ago when my kids were young, I taught them metal detecting and we found silver frequently back then. I recently started back (because we adopted 2 kids after 50) and for the past 3 months I have not found any silver yet but I have found plenty of clad coins but this is not what this story is about. I live in a university town which swells from 40 thousand most of the time to 130,000 on ball game weekends. This has been true to some extent since the inception of this “college” in 1888. I recently started detecting the university lots where tailgaters park by the thousands on ball game day and have for years. These lots have been recently plowed for reseeding so I have been giving it a whack. It has been a very, very sad experience. I now feel that every square foot of 45, 000 acres consist of buried crushed cans, tabs and beer bottle caps. I just had to tell you guys and gals that Metal Detecting (treasure hunting) has made me realize just how poorly we treat mother earth. We all hunt for relics and coins which helps to remind us of the struggles of our ancestors to build a great country during the revolutionary war and to maintain this young nation during the War of Northern Aggression (Civil war for some of you guys) Is it the legacy of the 20th and 21st century to be aluminum cans, can tabs and bottle caps? I think I have a new windmill to tilt at. Excuse me, at which to tilt….The late great Lewis Grizzard said never end a sentence with a preposition when fancy folks may be listening.
Jerry in Auburn Alabama.

 

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[Green1]

i know what your saying........wherever large crowds gather and drink, it's gonna get ugly....

 

[UncleVinnys]

(No fancy folks here!)

I hear ya, about the earth.
I HOPE it does a little good that some of us collect all the bottle caps, tabs, and
junk we come across.
Sad too even finding clad coins, how corroded and useless they
are. Makes ya kinda appreciate the real things in life.
Still, treasure hunting is fun. Not just the material rewards, but
getting out into nature, exercise, and finding those little things
that were part of people's lives. Something personal and
rewarding about it.

Uh - gotta go . . . there's a tailgate party a-brewing!

 

[Old_Okie]

Welcome to TNet.

I lived in Opelika for a few years in the 80's and still think LA (Lower Alabama) is one of the prettiest places on earth. Have been known to drive through the Auburn campus on occasion for a little co-ed watching. Sorry to hear that, like everywhere else, it is less than pristene.

Old_Okie

 

[Detectingfreak]

Welcome to Tnet!

 

[Baldingboy]

Jerry,
I couldn't agree more, my friend. I hunt and fish and even find soda can/beer can trash in remote spots. People are irresponsible with the care they give to the planet in which they live. I think perhaps, when we make good finds as detectorist, this is payment for cleaning up the trash in the world that god gave us. We just have to clean up a heck of a lot of pulltabs and can slaw to be paid a merc.

It seems, even though people littered centuries ago, they had less and were raised to take care of what they had. This translated to the world they lived in and the buildings they built. We should all strive to rekindle this attitude. Thanks for the post...great message!

Baldingboy

 

[Bridge End Farm]

Yeap it is sad that we find more trash than treasure. But we as a group do our best to "go green" by taking it away when we find it. I carry a 5 gallon bucket with me on the beach to help collect all the glass, cans, etc I discover digging and usually have to empty it several times.

Still some trash for yester year is a relic to us now. At least I know that those who hunt behind me will have much less to toss away.

 

[Thomas007]

Hey Jerry

You have taken on a lot having two children after 50. We are raising our grandson and he is soon to be on his own at 17 so I admire you and your wife for the tenaciousness for doing what you are doing.

Children tend to stay in the Now moment and don't remember to pack out the things they pack in. I cut my grass today and had to toss three softballs to the neighbors yard, gave back a cap gun and a 20 question electronic toy of some kind. I remember doing the same thing as a kid.

About the best you can do in a junked up area is crank the discriminator up and cherry pick the silver... or do as you did and dig it all... but it sure gets defeating quickly.

A friend's mother had lost her gold wedding band in her yard and i started looking for it but gave up as the dirt that was hauled in to backfill that area contained millions of small pieces of aluminum and it all looked like a gold ring. So I can imagine what you went through at the campus.

thanks for sharing your interesting story with us and God bless.

HH

Sanat