DizzyDigger
Gold Member
- Dec 9, 2012
- 6,381
- 12,951
- Detector(s) used
- Nokta FoRs Gold, a Gold Cube, 2 Keene Sluices and Lord only knows how many pans....not to mention a load of other gear my wife still doesn't know about!
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
The November trip was great, and although I had a hard time
adapting to the environment and work load the first week,
the enjoyment of the second week more than made up for it.
A few days of the trip were chronicled in another thread, but at
the time I couldn't download any of the pics due to leaving the
interface cable at home. Now that I've got them all processed
I though some might enjoy seeing some highlights of the trip.
Had the pleasure of staying with a long-time friend and his
wife at their home in the Hesperia area, and while walking
around the front yard one morning (trying to wake up) I came
across this interesting cactus planted in their front yard. These
seem to be some type of flower, but I've no idea what strain
of cactus this is from:
After spending a couple days working Ken's claim (no pics
from there), Ken and I packed up our gear and headed out to
a club claim in the Coolgardie area. Got out there, set our gear
up and started a new hole. After we'd trommeled up enough dirt
for 3 runs (about 45 gal. of material), the rain showed up, so
we covered up as much as possible and retreated to camp.
All night and into the next morning the rain/wind/sleet was
relentless, so we loaded up the still-dry dirt from under the tarp
and took it back to Ken's to run at a later time.
Continued to drizzle til Sunday when the Sun finally returned, so
we took advantage of the chance and set the Royal up in Ken's backyard.
Here's a couple pics of the small Royal drywasher in action...
(fyi, that's Ken...I haven't been that skinny since I was 5)
Didn't get a lot of gold from that run, but we did get a few pieces. Here
they are on the Miller Table:
Next morning we packed it all up in the trucks again, and headed back to
the camp at Coolgardie. We took 2 vehicles for safety, and also so Ken
didn't have to listen to my snoring all night..
On the way down we stopped at Gold Tramps place down by 29 Palms.
Met Herb and his sons, and Herb was kind enough to enlighten Ken and
I on hardrock mining. Unfortunately we had to get going far too soon
in order to make Coolgardie before dark, but on my next trip down I'm
definitely looking forward to spending a day or 2 with Herb and his son
doing some nugget shooting and poking around their area.
Thanks for having us down Herb, and you betchya I'll be back there
next trip!
Here's the camping area at Coolgardie. Pic taken from our dig site:
"The Hole"
"The Pay Layer" (learned this too late..
)
Both drywashers in action (the small Royal and the Bowleg)
Couldn't pass up the sunset...stunning colors! (a benefit of smog?) Since neither
of us were in a mood to cook, we roasted hot dogs over the campfire..
We headed back to Ken's place on Wed. morning as he had to prepare
for Thanksgiving with his family. Wed. night we did take some time and
do a final clean-up of all the gold Ken and I had dug together since I
arrived:
We had agreed to a 50/50 split, so out of the total of .8g I took home
.4g.
Since Ken and his wife were off visiting family, on Thanksgiving morning I
loaded up my Toyota and headed back to the Coolgardie area on my own
(and with plenty of turkey in the cooler!). Several other club members would
be arriving there on Friday morning, and a night camping in the desert is better
than any night indoors!
Even though it was Thanksgiving and I was alone, that evening was the most
enjoyable and memorable part of the trip........
(to be continued)
adapting to the environment and work load the first week,
the enjoyment of the second week more than made up for it.
A few days of the trip were chronicled in another thread, but at
the time I couldn't download any of the pics due to leaving the
interface cable at home. Now that I've got them all processed
I though some might enjoy seeing some highlights of the trip.
Had the pleasure of staying with a long-time friend and his
wife at their home in the Hesperia area, and while walking
around the front yard one morning (trying to wake up) I came
across this interesting cactus planted in their front yard. These
seem to be some type of flower, but I've no idea what strain
of cactus this is from:
After spending a couple days working Ken's claim (no pics
from there), Ken and I packed up our gear and headed out to
a club claim in the Coolgardie area. Got out there, set our gear
up and started a new hole. After we'd trommeled up enough dirt
for 3 runs (about 45 gal. of material), the rain showed up, so
we covered up as much as possible and retreated to camp.
All night and into the next morning the rain/wind/sleet was
relentless, so we loaded up the still-dry dirt from under the tarp
and took it back to Ken's to run at a later time.
Continued to drizzle til Sunday when the Sun finally returned, so
we took advantage of the chance and set the Royal up in Ken's backyard.
Here's a couple pics of the small Royal drywasher in action...
(fyi, that's Ken...I haven't been that skinny since I was 5)
Didn't get a lot of gold from that run, but we did get a few pieces. Here
they are on the Miller Table:
Next morning we packed it all up in the trucks again, and headed back to
the camp at Coolgardie. We took 2 vehicles for safety, and also so Ken
didn't have to listen to my snoring all night..
On the way down we stopped at Gold Tramps place down by 29 Palms.
Met Herb and his sons, and Herb was kind enough to enlighten Ken and
I on hardrock mining. Unfortunately we had to get going far too soon
in order to make Coolgardie before dark, but on my next trip down I'm
definitely looking forward to spending a day or 2 with Herb and his son
doing some nugget shooting and poking around their area.
Thanks for having us down Herb, and you betchya I'll be back there
next trip!
Here's the camping area at Coolgardie. Pic taken from our dig site:
"The Hole"
"The Pay Layer" (learned this too late..
Both drywashers in action (the small Royal and the Bowleg)
Couldn't pass up the sunset...stunning colors! (a benefit of smog?) Since neither
of us were in a mood to cook, we roasted hot dogs over the campfire..
We headed back to Ken's place on Wed. morning as he had to prepare
for Thanksgiving with his family. Wed. night we did take some time and
do a final clean-up of all the gold Ken and I had dug together since I
arrived:
We had agreed to a 50/50 split, so out of the total of .8g I took home
.4g.
Since Ken and his wife were off visiting family, on Thanksgiving morning I
loaded up my Toyota and headed back to the Coolgardie area on my own
(and with plenty of turkey in the cooler!). Several other club members would
be arriving there on Friday morning, and a night camping in the desert is better
than any night indoors!
Even though it was Thanksgiving and I was alone, that evening was the most
enjoyable and memorable part of the trip........
(to be continued)
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