Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

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Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby C-17A » Thu Jul 30, 2015 8:59 am

Hey there Gold Dredgers...

Well, I had the rare treat to have my 80 year old Mom and twin sister Judy visit me here in Buena Vista, Colorado, from hot, dry Kalifornia. As part of the local sightseeing and shopping and driving around, I decided to take them up to Cache Creek for the morning to pan and sluice for some Kolorado gold...

We left the house about 8 AM, got to Granite and then up to Cache Creek about 8:20AM. I explained some of the local gold mining history, lore, showed them some old 1800s black & white pictures of the mining operations there at Cache Creek in the later 1800s. We stopped by the old Granite Cemetery to see it, look over the valley, observe all the evidence of the past hydraulic operations............cobble piles, cliff faces, ditches, fluming, etc. We then drove up to the placering area parking lot, got our equipment and headed out to a spot I've worked lately...

Arriving my spot about 9AM I could see the water flow in the little feeder creek I use for panning and sluicing was down a lot since last week...........but, by putting my Le Trap sluice further up, at more of an angle, we had JUST enough water flow to make it work well.

We sample panned a few pans, saw some color, then started diggin' buckets of material and sluicing it. Mom started sluicing first, then Judy traded off and we rotated back and forth between panning, sluicing and diggin' buckets...

Here's my mother Wyanell sluicing for gold:

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My twin sister Judy washing dirt:

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Nice to see, after the very first pail of dirt we could actually see a few nice flakes showing up in the top 2 riffles! Wow. Gold showing that fast... :P

Our sluice setup and dirt dig spot:

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The mosquitoes weren't too bad at first, but about 10:30 AM it was warmed up some and they came out in force... Ugh...

Here's Judy diggin' dirt and runnin' another sample pan, to keep us in the best color:

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My mother collected some interesting rocks in-between sluicing ops and rest breaks and Judy took to panning samples like a pro. I forgot my big pan, so we used my smaller 10 1/2 inch Garrett pan for sampling ops.

Sluicing ops in full swing. Nice to be in the shade, out of the intense sun:

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As the day went on we could see more and more specks & flakes of gold building up in the top 4 riffles, especially if we let the sluice clear for a few minutes. Now, THAT's motivating! :wink:

A rare picture of yours truly, in my element:

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About 12:30PM we decided we'd all had enough "hard fun" and ran our last 2 pails, did a cleanup...

Here's a few pics of the gold showing in the upper riffles, after letting the Le Trap clear a few minutes:

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Here's our chunky, Cache Creek gold I panned out of our cons:

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After cleaning and drying at home we ended up with .81 grams. Not bad for 4 hours and about 25 2 1/2 gal pails of material. :wink:

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So, back home for some hot showers to get the bug spray & dirt off......lunch......and a GREAT family memory for us out gold prospecting in the Colorado "High" country.

Hope you too get out soon, get some "wild" gold for yourself.....as Summer is slipping into Fall. Time is flying by...

God bless,

Randy Witham "C-17A" :) http://www.goldadventures.biz
Last edited by C-17A on Sun Aug 09, 2015 6:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby russau » Thu Jul 30, 2015 4:59 pm

Good gold and good times mix very well!
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby Hoser John » Fri Jul 31, 2015 5:52 am

:D A family that digs together stays together-great pics. Makes me miss my folks all the more and those family good times. GREAT gold for sure-kudos and thanx-John
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby contrygal » Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:45 pm

Hello Randy,
Enjoyed looking at the photos of you and sister and mother.
My husband and I are still planning our trip right after labor day. I wrote you about a month ago ( our 50th anniversary trip)
Going to the GPAA claims in Buena Vista,Co.
We would like to ask you a few questions.!
Can't we take our small dog in there with us.? We may not be in Buena Vista for more than 3 days; not sure. . Can we sluice there or have to take in water?
After we find the power lines and park in the parking area, how far do you think is the walk to any prospecting area.??
Have you ever been to the Dollenmeier # 7 claim in Fairplay.?
Thanks for any info you could share.
Jo Ann & Don (from Tollhouse,Ca.)
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby russau » Wed Aug 05, 2015 12:35 pm

Countrygal DONT bring a ATV because you wont be able to even park it on the side of a rode without a Colorado BLM sticker on it AND you cant drive it on any type of rode /trail anyway! there are signs all over the place saying NO ATVs.
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby contrygal » Wed Aug 05, 2015 6:40 pm

Thank you for that. will be walking in, probably slowly . :)
Would you know if we could take a bucket of concentrates out.??
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby russau » Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:17 am

Yes if not gotten from anyones claim and keep written permission on you , they checkwork now and then! have fun with Randy!
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby contrygal » Sat Aug 08, 2015 8:31 pm

Does anyone know if there is any water for sluicing in Cache creek..??
Can we metal detect there.??
Thank you...
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby C-17A » Sun Aug 09, 2015 6:27 am

Contrygal,

I'll see if I can add to Russ's comments/advice...

Yes, Cache Creek is dropping fast as to water level. The feeder creek by the placering area parking lot is now almost a trickle, so no panning or sluicing there until probably next Spring. The upper creek still has enough flow, IF you walk about 1/4 mile from the placering area parking lot out into the valley to the creek proper. The creek down the valley, below the Granite Cemetery still has good flow for panning & sluicing.

Yes, you can metal detect, but it's a waste of time in my opinion. I have walked that property 4 days detecting...............endless hot rocks, chunks of magnetite, old nails, wire, iron trash, bullets, shell casings, etc. Never any gold. :oops:

Yes, you can take cons and material out... BLM is hardly ever there, except on a few select days of the week, to look things over. No GPOC camp hosts this year either. Things are going great w/o them too.

Like Russ said, the ATVs need to be Colorado Parks & Wildlife registered at $25.50 each per year, and sadly, the Chaffee County Commissioners don't allow ATVs on most all dirt county roads in the area. Only a select few. So, they're very limited.

Yes, you can take your dog. Lots of folks take their pets. Probably needs to be on a leash most the time, as others have their dogs with them and I've seen some dog fights and altercations that erupt out of nowhere. Probably O.K. to have off a leash right by you, if you're in a separate/remote spot w/o a lot or any passers by...

No, you won't need to take in water............not yet. Plenty Cache Creek water to use still.

Nope, never been to the Dollenmeier # 7 claim in Fairplay. Wonder if they have any water to work material? You can buy a $5 permit fro Town Hall and pan and sluice in Fairplay below "the beach" to the Hwy 285 bridge. Never worked it. Stopped by once. Looks REAL rocky, since the old dredge worked that river bed in years past.

HTH,

Randy "C-17A" :)
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Re: Randy at Cache Creek, CO, with Mom & Sister -- 29 July 15

Postby contrygal » Sun Aug 09, 2015 2:59 pm

Thank you...
Randy and Russ for the quick response to our questions. (I am getting anxious for the trip.!!)
We do not have ATV's, but would like to ask one more question, then may not bother you guys again.!!! :lol:
The place you said past the cemetery , where the better water is, which way from the cemetery is this.? :?
( maybe not real far...we will be taking it slow.)
Thanks again, and God bless :P
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