GDM/PV Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Was out a few days ago in a nice wash with lots of exposed schist bedrock. As a result of all the rains farther up stream there was a nice flow of water trickling thru it. As I hopped from one dry-exposed-spot to another wilst in the middle of the stream my keen-observant-eye bagan picking up the hints of what turned out to be that elusive metalic ore we all seek. I was actually standing upright and could see little slight-differences in color between and within the cracks and crevices of the bedrock. Then when I stooped-down to get a better look they became even more clear. Visions of how it must-have-been for the "old" prospectors almost 150 years-ago streamed-thru my mind. It was like I was actually given the opportunity to experience what they experienced,....to actually visually "see" gold just lying undisturbed in the cracks beneath a clear running creak. To be able to walk a running stream today and visually-pick-out gold I find highly unusual, especially in Arizona.I had actually just "bipped-down" into this wash for curiosity, and had not brought any of my usual prospecting gear with me or in my pickup. So I had no detector, no crevice-tools, no snuffer bottle,.....not even a vile to put anything in ! ! When I observed my first sighting, the little picker was just lying right on top of a flat-rough-boulder, right in the open. I picked it up with my thumb and forefinger with amazement and awe,..then wondered....."where in the hell am I going to put it ?" The only "Poke" that I had was my right-front-pocket,...........so down it went. Some of the gold that I was finding was above the water line on the bedrock, although it was wedged between the cracks of the schist,....luckily I could pull the broken schist apart to get the gold out. The other gold was just tucked up under little riffle-overhangs. I just moved the small rocks and sand out of the way, waited for the water to clear, fanned the mud sedement out of the way to expose the gold, and pinched the gold up and out with my fingers. Needless-to-day I had an interesting time trying to get all this small gold out of my right front pocket when I got home,.......but I did perservere.Thought I'd add this photo of an antelope that I caught dozing on the way out. It was so close to me that I could have thrown a rock and hit him. It is sad to see that new developments and subdivisions are driving them out of their natural grazing areas of days past.The largest nugget at the bottom of the coin was not found with the others, nor in this creak, but was found not too far from it,.......my 3000 "eyed-it"..........Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COLORADO BOB Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Holy Cow Gary,Great find. Now thats the way to gather gold, talk about going light.Can't wait to see a photo after you hit it with the detector.Anyone want to buy a 3500? Bob T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Scott Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Nice GoldIt is sad to see that new developments and subdivisions are driving them out of their natural grazing areas of days past.When is the last time you saw them right in town like just a few years ago.Those days are gone for good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted September 9, 2006 Admin Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Hello Gary, Great story and sounds like you might have found a nice wash. Keep the place under your hat and work it when the water dries up. I would take your detector and the Joey Mono down the wash and work it real slow in the "Sensitive" mode. You might be surprised how many small nuggets, maybe big ones that are laying in that wash. Did you detect the small nuggets around the coin in that wash (besides the bigger one)? Congrats on the new finds. Keep up the great nuggethunting! Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDM/PV Posted September 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Howdy Rob,...and all;The (2) nuggets just above and to-the-right-of the largest one on the outside of the coin I actually detected in a separate wash ( both where wedged within exposed schist bedrock as well),..the largest one below the coin was in a different wash than the other (2). All of the small stuff on the coin, as well as the (3) larger ones on the outside upper-left of the coin I picked up with my fingers from the exposed bedrock cracks. The largest of those (3) is the one that was just lying there on the semi-flat-rock, "ready-for-the-pick'n".........Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eodseal2000 Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Nice find Gary! Please keep us posted on what you find, there must be more where those came from! Thanks for the post. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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