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When Mike and I walked our adjacent wash we were thinking that gold would be washed down this way from the Weaver Mountains upstream.
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The ripples in the culvert act like a sluice box, catching the heaviest materials.
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While I was in Texas Mike gathered sand from the culvert and brought it home.
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Panning can be done at one’s leisure.
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Last night Mike set up a tub of water so we could pan for gold in the kitchen.
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He patiently taught me the way to swirl the water in the gold pan so the heaviest material washes out.
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Slowly the small rocks and sand washed away and it sure did sparkle, mostly with the light weight mica floating to the top and washing away.
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If there’s gold, it’s found in the black sand.
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OMG, we’re Rich!
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Not really. Mike panned these tiny flakes of gold in Stanton years ago. He seeded the pan of soil I washed and I was worried it would wash away. But gold is very heavy and sunk to the bottom. Wow, now I’m ready to go gold mining. But first, and while waiting for warmer weather, there’s the local dirt to pan right here in the kitchen.
Too much fun! There is something exciting about treasure hunts such as this. It is the main reason I enjoy morel hunting. Its little treasures! Now you know how to do it, better go out and find some gold! =)
Interesting! It seems like it would be fun to collect dirt and pan it later at home. The gold flakes are pretty! 🙂
Gaelyn: Loved the story and I wished you had just left us wondering. Really nice find.
You had me going there for a second. Great idea though.
Real panned gold! (Or re-panned, in this case, but what the heck.) Now that you know how it's done, you can go out and make your fortune – or at least find a few flakes here and there…
That is so much fun!!!! What a great story. My ex-late father-in-law was an RCMP officer in the Yukon in days gone by. quite the stories from those days…
What a fun story! I think I like this guy.
Oh, oh, now you've got the bug!
Sounds like fun. Good Luck!
Wow, the colvert as a sluice box is an absolutely brilliant idea. It's great thinking outside the box or in a colvert for a change.
Well when you become rich, please remember me. LOL!! What an interesting pastime Gaelyn. We still have people who pan for gold here but you do not really hear of any find much, maybe just enough to buy bread for the week.
Gaelyn, I think you've started a Gold Rush with this post. Your wash will be over-run with Panners!
Oh what fun. We panned for gold up outa Index but didn't find any gold. but we did get some small Garnets. MB
I would like to pan for gold at some stage. They do it up in the town of Pilgrim's Rest in the Lowveld so it probably won't happen soon. But I just want to be able to say I tried it once.
Hey, I'll be right behind you. What fun!
In the second photo, Mike looks like he's caught in a vortex!
hee hee..your rich!
so sweet of Mike to seed the sand for you!
Hahaha! Now you are hooked. Panning for gold must require infinite patience but what a thrill if you find some!
WHat fun and how cute of him to seed your pan, I am itching to go to Arkansas and dig for diamonds similarly!
How fun is that? I remember the technique; we used to pan for gold around the small town where I grew up in sw MT. We kids would bend over the creek and swish away. Thanks for the neat post.
Wow..I thought I heard GOLD in them thar hills…LOL…