Santa Maria Prospecting?

[Mojaveman]

So, I'm headed up there this weekend from way down south in orange county. I did a tiny bit of research but couldn't really come up with to many promising spots. I'll have about 8 hours to screw around and I'm wondering if Highway 166 through the mountains contains any spots to run a detector or even dig some material.

I probably could have done more research, but I figured this might be a good question for you fine folks at treasure net, plus I can use it to introduce myself. I spend way more time on these forums then I should, and figured maybe it's time to participate

Born and raised in a small mining town in the desert, Desert is home, mountains are my vacation home...and Orange County is where I live to actually make money. I started treasure hunting fossils and old bottles before I could drive. Graduated to coins, gems, and gold many moons ago. I'm the 3rd generation of treasure hunting nut job family I'm Mojaveman and I am pleased to meet you!

 

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[goldenIrishman]

Welcome to the forum Mohaveman! Nice to see that you decided to stop lurking and join in! I'm sure you'll be a great addition to the desert crew!

 

[Mojaveman]

Thanks Golden. I've got plenty to share so hopefully, people will find me useful around here

 

[goldenIrishman]

What part of the desert did ya grow up in? I was raised in the middle of San Diego County and spent a lot of time around Banner, Borrego and Julian growing up. Also ran around Mesa Grande with all the Tourmaline mines.

I started off mining the Ballina Placers that run from Mt Vulcan to the coast. They just happened to run through the south end of my town and usually gave up some nice sized flakes. No nuggets as they had been hammered flat over the years. You can see the lay of the placers in many spots because of the difference in vegetation as they go over many of the hills in the area. Getting access to much of that area is no longer as easy as it used to be thanks to all the development in that area.

 

[Mojaveman]

I grew up in a small town called Helendale, kind of in between Barstow and Victorville. I did a lot of mine exploration as a kid, but it never occurred to me to actually look for gold. I was happy picking through old trash dumps and looking for bottles. I had a 1947 Willys jeep that was my travel partner. Loved that thing!

I own 40 acres with mineral rights up in that area as well, I've never dug a single hole up there . But based on BLM reporting it looks like the area has quite a few placer and lode claims. I started building a small cabin there a couple of years ago. But work down here in Orange County takes up the majority of my time, even weekends. It's a bummer!

Rediscovering the desert is a blast!

 

[russau]

Sometimes it is cheaper and faster to let others built it for you while you earn the $$$ to pay for it! I learned the hard way also!

 

[Hoser John]

"I have never dug a single hole" To place a claim a DISCOVERY must be made and holes must be dug,materials run and a mineral must be discovered. All else is illegal and NOT a valid claim. John