Attention All Metal Detectors!

On Saturday, April 2, 2011 at the Oro Grande Mining Jamboree, Temecula Valley Prospectors will be hosting two (2) metal detecting hunts. The first one will be at 9:00 am and the 2nd one will be at 4:00 pm.

The winner of each hunt will be awarded a brand new sluice box, so you definitely want to get in on these.

The entry fee is $10 for one hunt (your choice, 9 am or 4 pm) or $20 for both hunts.

John from Legends Prospecting Supplies is coordinating the event, so it should be a great time for all. He will be able to go over the rules of the hunt and answer any questions you may have once you get to Oro Grande.

Just make sure you bring your normal gear (i.e. detector, digging tool, collection pouch, etc.) so you are ready for the hunt. Also, the ground where the events will be is pretty sandy, so you’ll probably want your beach scoop too.

Get out there and have some fun!

It is time to come show off your treasure hunting skills, or if you are like me it is time to hunt through the closet, dust off your metal detector and replace the batteries.  We are having our annual metal detector hunt at Siera park in Canyon Lake. We will be having two detector beach style hunts and a potluck lunch. There will be prizes handed out for special targets and also a prize for the best potluck dish.

We will start at 9am. We will have the hunts followed by lunch and probably end sometime around noon. TVP will supply the hamburgers and hot dogs. Please bring a potluck dish or something to share.

You will need to be on the list to be allowed in the Canyon Lake gate. If you signed up at the meeting you are all set. If not, Please give Mark Weaver a call at 951-244-6138. Everyone in the car does not need to be on the list just the driver. Don’t forget your ID or they will not let you in past the gate. At the gate don”t forget to ask the guards for a map to get to Siera Park.

Last year we had a lot of fun so don’t miss this.

See you there

Jay led us up the mountain to Big Bear for our August 2009 outing.

What a great place to go when the weather is still hot. Plus, “everyone” likes the mountains and there is actually gold to be found.

Holcomb Valley is the site of Southern California’s largest gold rush in 1860. It is now home to the Holcomb Valley Scout Ranch.

The Gold Mountain and Holcomb Gold claims are part of the GPAA Claims Guide and are a great place to visit and prospect. Drywashing and Metal Detecting are the recommended means of finding the yellow metal and you have to remember to take lots of water for drinking and panning.

Most of us met Jay at the Big Bear Kmart around 8:00am and hung around until 8:30am to make sure we didn’t miss anyone. I think we had around 20 TVPer’s.

The road up to the claims is rough in places, but most vehicles can make it. It’s just better if you have a truck or SUV.

What a beautiful place to spend the day. We checked the temperature most of the day and it held at 72 deg with a nice breeze. You couldn’t ask for better weather.

After checking, most prospectors using a drywasher were finding some fine gold. They had to work very hard and move a lot of material to get it, but they were getting it. (See pictures)

Prospectors metal detecting picked up the usual, a few coins, ammo brass, nails, cans, etc.

Yes, it was another great day, whether you found gold or just enjoyed a beautiful day in the mountains.

Thank you again Jay, for your leadership and help.

Tom

The August 15th outing will be at the GPAA’s  Holcombe Gold and Gold mountain claims in the Big bear area. Many TVP’ers have been there.

We will meet at the K-Mart on the east end of the lake at 8 AM and depart for the diggins as a group at 8:15 or so. The adress is 42126 Big Bear Blvd., Big Bear lake CA 92315.

It is a dry washing and metal detecting spot. Bring water for panning and for drinking as the area is desolate and none is immediately available. Make sure to bring anything you might need like food, tools, and first aid. It is the great outdoors and there is not a lot of stuff out there. We will be meeting at the K-mart so you can get some last minute items there.

For more info,  you can call Jay at (909) 821-0979 for outing info or directions, or refrence the GPAA guidebook for directions to the claims.

Treasure Fest with Route 66 Gold Miners Club

It was 112 deg in Hemet on Friday (the desert was hotter) so what could a Prospector do to keep cool and have some fun? Well the answer is, go to Bolsa Chica State Beach for one of the Route 66 Gold Miners Treasure Fests.

The event schedule was, sign up at 9:00am, the first hunt (warm up hunt) at 10:00am lasting about 45 minutes and the main hunt (with all the great prizes) at 11:00am. When I arrived at the beach at 8:00am (always try to be early to help set up) it was 65 deg and although the sun was out and felt hot there was a breeze blowing off the ocean and it never got above 80 deg the whole day.

It was great to see so many Temecula Valley Prospectors show up and out of the 30 people that signed up for the hunt at least half were TVP’ers. The Route 66 Gold Miners signed everyone up and put out the clad coins (and a lot of them) for the warm up hunt and everyone began detecting. Wow, is all I can say, what fun.

Next everyone came in and had desert snacks while they put out the silver coins, old coins, special prize articles and about 9 pounds of foreign coins. There was no shortage of targets. When the main hunt began I went across the target area one time and had a hand full of coins. After the hunt I noticed that everyone seemed to have an abundance of coins and of course trash.

Then the special prizes were awarded. If you found a key (several were put out), you had a chance to open the treasure chest which contained a Home Depot gift certificate and some mardi gra beads and fake gold coins (a real treasure chest). The rest of the prizes, the gold nugget, a package of jarred peaches, a jumbo pack of AA batteries, and the orange buckets that lined the search field were all awarded using labeled target articles.

I had a ball, kept cool (well somewhat), got a lot of great exercise and lots of coins.

What a day. I can hardly wait for the next hunt.

Thank you Route 66 Gold Miners for a great Treasure Fest and outing. I hope you will invite us again.

Tom

Every time Cathy and I go up the hill to Lake Hemet (to go fishing mostly) we marvel at the beauty of the mountains, the pine trees, the meadows and the wild flowers.  No matter how hot it is in Hemet it seems there is always a cool breeze blowing off the lake.  Garner Valley is so pretty and so close that we go up at least once a month even if it’s just to get away for a little while.

We were kind of disappointed when we were told we would not be able to metal detect at Hurkey Creek Park, but we thought we would make the best of the area and it was such a beautiful day, what more could you ask for.

Jay and many others were at the meeting place (the Lake Hemet store) as we arrived, and after we all stood around talking for awhile the rest of our group (about 20 in total) arrived and we headed a little ways down the road to a parking area where we were under the pines in the shade and Jay could orient us to the area and what and where we could metal detect, hike and sight see.

Soon everyone got busy, getting their detectors out and covering the area.

Some left the immediate area for the other side of the hill and another parking area (always good detecting).

Jay took a group on a tour of a local mine which was off the Ramona trail head just down the road a ways.  The mine was about a mile back in the woods and I didn’t think I could handle it so Cathy and I stayed where we were and enjoyed the mountain air.

I think everyone found lots of bullets, shell casing, and junk of some kind.

A few found coins and a couple of us found coins that looked like they had been targets for a 22.  One was a wheat penny and the other was a silver dime.  See pictures

Although Cathy and I left in the afternoon some TVP prospectors planned to stay in a Forest Service camp ground.

We had a great time, and would advise everyone to go up and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.

Thank you Jay for a wonderful day/weekend.

Tom

The San Jacinto Mountains and the Garner Valley have been one of my favorite outdoor stomping grounds for a long time. I visited the YMCA’s Camp Lackey and the Pathfinder Ranch as a school boy and have since fallen in love with the area. Many have. Indians for years have used the area as a high altitude refuge from the hot summer whether common in the valleys and desserts that surround this mountain range. Ditto the ranchers who still summer their cattle in the Garner Valley. I have camped and hunted Thomas Mountain as well as explored the area for the gemstones that have been found in the past. As far as Gold is concerned; I have not found any in the area. Admittedly I have not searched all that much, but have never left wanting any time I have visited. Well maybe wanting a Cheeseburger or a Pizza.

The best way to get to our rally point is via the town of Hemet. Don’t get Hemet and “The Lake Hemet Store” confused they are nowhere near each other. Lake Hemet is accessed via HWY 74, witch is Florida Ave. in Hemet. From HWY 215 / 74 junction head east through the town of Hemet, eventually Florida leads up the windy road to the small town of Mountain Center continue on 74 into Garner Valley. The Lake Hemet Store is on the right once the road flattens on the floor of Garner Valley. It is the only place of its size on the north-west end of the valley. We will meet at 8 AM and leave shortly after to the Hurkey Creek Park nearby on Apple Canyon Road. The address is 56375 Hwy 74, Mountain Center CA 92561. Phone is 951-659-2050. Call for camping details.

The outing will be primarily a Metal Detector oriented trip. However bring some panning stuff, water and a sack for rock and mineral samples. There are areas to camp for free in the valley and very nice campgrounds at Hurkey Creek and Lake Hemet for 20 bucks or so. Campfires are allowed in sites with fire rings. The wether should be warm though. It is high altitude so bring sunscreen and sun glasses. It should be fun call me with questions at (909) 821-0979.

THX Jay