Do you really think you are going to get rich finding Gold? Many of you will do very well and find a nugget or two that will make it worth your time and expense. If you have gold fever like I do, none of that matters, because you will pursue your quest for this elusive, shimmering metal. You will be driven to search, prospect, metal detect, pan, sluice, and if you can afford it, you actually will go beyond the prohibitive borders of California just to be able to dredge for gold in another state.
That’s just as well, considering California’s gold is not ubiquitous. In fact, the gold that can be found in California is located only in certain select areas. With some experience, and a bit of luck, it is possible to zero in on them. While much has been
Photo Credit: Doug B.
written about those who have found gold, not much is revealed about all that it took to find it. Less light is shed on the degree of commitment or the amount of back breaking work it takes just to discover a little bit of gold. Yet, we still expend the effort and expense to keep searching with persistence and a real desire to find this very precious metal.
Before you go getting your feelings hurt, think about what I have just revealed here as it relates to your level of interest. Ask yourself this simple question: Do I have the fever or am I just curious to know what this fuss is all about? As for me, I only have one answer to this. I have the fever and will spend whatever it takes to find that glittery yellow metal that sits in the bottom of my gold pan, no matter how minute the pieces.
It Takes a Level of Commitment
I have spent many years searching, facing failure more times than I care to think about. History is replete with tales of prospectors who have gone before us only to be left empty-handed, and like some of those same prospectors, I have also found gold in places where I never expected to find it. As the price of gold has been speculated on the market, today’s value makes it even more worth the time and struggle to seek it out; much the same way coins and jewelry discovered with a metal detector can provide you with a healthy return for your efforts.
It Takes a Level of Determination
It helps to consider that the money initially laid out for equipment is a one-time expenditure. Once you have your tools, you are mobile and ready to get down to work. Your adventures are reliant upon the strength of your desire and the expense of your sweat and determination. Compared to the years of hunting this affords, it is worth it, especially when realizing the rewards that will come from time to time, although you will want to spend wisely to get started.
It Takes a Level of Good Judgment
It is possible to borrow equipment in order to try it out before actually investing your money. Purchasing equipment that will not perform to your satisfaction will only end up resting in a dark corner somewhere, doing no good for you while also keeping you from otherwise enjoying the hunt with the rest of us. This caution becomes ever more helpful when understanding that the resale value of equipment is not very high. The purpose of the expense for equipment to serve your expeditious needs is just that: to serve you.
GPAA Meeting Nov 2011
It Takes Getting Involved
The best place to start immersing yourself in all things prospecting is to come to the monthly meetings and join in on the group expeditions. Talk to fellow prospectors. After all, that’s the whole point of joining a club. Possibly the best source of knowledgeable information is coming from those folks who go out and use these devices to retrieve all manner of valuable finds. Their invaluable experience will lend the truest sense of where to start and help you make your first purchase an investment in your own future financial speculating. There is nothing more empowering to your buying dollar than to walk onto the sales floor armed with knowledge. It doesn’t hurt to give the salespeople a run for “your” money either.
Meetings Are as Informative as They Are Rewarding
At the last meeting of the Temecula Valley Prospectors Club, we enjoyed a presentation by our club president, Ken Hannan, on the fundamentals of what a prospector’s survival pack should consist of. Mr. Hannan provided us with a comprehensive list of the essentials that should be included in the field survival kit. Our wagon master, Jack Barber, also set up a hands-on gold panning box , providing a valuable opportunity for new members not only to gain some training in the skills of panning, but they actually found gold in their pans.
Each month we demonstrate our finds of the month. Our November meeting had eight members participating. For their participation, members are rewarded for showing what they have found in gold and treasures.
More finds of the month.
Our gold finds winners:
Ray & Deb B. won a vial containing gold for their South Fork of the Tuolomne River find.
Jack H. won a bicentennial coin for his Gold Mountain find.
Richard E. brought his Coolgardia finds that were retrieved from within one to twelve inches deep.
Finds of the month.
Our treasure finds winners:
Deb & Ray B. won a vial containing gold for their local parks find.
Robert F. won a bicentennial coin for his San Diego County Parks find.
John H. brought in his Canyon Lake Park finds.
Ron M. brought in his Newport Beach and Anaheim finds.
Peter A. brought in his Murrieta finds.
As always, we like to thank all the members who shared their finds with the rest of our membership. We always like to remind the members to bring in their finds and enter for their chance to win prizes for their efforts.
Finally, while out in the field, we like to encourage members to keep their minds set on finding even the small amounts of gold, as this represents value that adds up over time as it accumulates from many trips. While prospecting for gold, it is most helpful, interesting and extremely useful to develop your sense as a rock hound, for there are boundless treasures to be found in the form of precious stones, such as garnets found in the black sands, topaz, and many other gemstones. Any prospector of keen mind is always on the look-out for gemstones when separating rocks in their pans.
We are fortunate to live in a state where there are gem shows on a regular basis, some of them nearby in cities like Pomona and Costa Mesa. Even in the nearby state of Arizona, you will find gemstone museums that house magnificent samples with stores that also sell fine specimens. Immersing yourself in the gemstone world will also make available to you the folks who are willing to grind and facet your gemstone finds and even mount them in a setting for a reasonable cost.
In closing, we always like to wish our members GOOD LUCK on your hunting
and bring home the Gold and Silver!
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