Got a bad case of cabin fever today.......and since it started out real sunny, I expected it to warm & eventually get above freezing. So, my plan was to wait until about noonish time, hit the river and do some sample panning on the GPAA claims block upstream of Buena Vista.
I'd panned, creviced & sluiced it several times in years past, but always when the river water level was way high & fast. That never allowed me to get deep into the river bed and look for sand/gravel bars, get in behind big boulders, etc.
Well, I went to the GPAA claims and found it even more frozen over than I expected... Many areas were 100% frozen on top, the river flowing below and very little sand/gravel areas to dig & pan out.
Most of the easy to get to areas around the old railroad bridge by the campground were either big frozen cobble fields, boulders or simply under ice.
Guess I waited a little too long, given the weeks of subfreezing temps and some as low as -10 degrees at my house. Come on Spring!!!
Regardless, I did break the ice enough to pan & sampled about 5 pans worth in different material areas -- flow sand, small gravels, medium gravels & behind a few rocks. The flow sand pan had amost no black sand & zilch color. About what I figured... All the rest had at least a few specks, and like always, the more black sand the more flood gold.
Didn't get skunked:
Funny, the clouds blocked the sun & the wind sure made it feel much colder than it was. Panning without insulated PVC coated gloves sure made that water feel colder than it was too...
Ha. My snuffer bottle kept freezing up and the ice kept forming in my pan, so I'd have to melt it under water for the next load of material, and when I swirled it all there was ice cubes rattling around in the pan. Just too funny.
Made one short video, on my YouTube Channel now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti8oZoAO ... e=youtu.be
After about 30 to 35 minutes I had my sampling done, and my hands were kinda cold, so time to head on home as the snow flurries started. Supposed to get another 1 to 3 inches tonight into tomorrow. YEAH!!! An even whiter Christmas!
Hope you get out, prospect about, find some gold even if it's wintertime...
God bless & Merry Christmas to all!
Randy "C-17A"
www.goldadventures.biz