Gold can be found,if you look for it.

 

  There is still plenty of gold to be found,all you have to do is get out and look 

for it.Big nugget days are more or less gone for good,tiny specks,and flakes

are what you'll find,hard on the back,knees,and feet.

 I started back in the late 60's,and still seek out the yellow stuff,for exercise,as 

it gets me out of the house with Gayle,something we both like to do.

Did I mention most of the gold is tiny,your eyes will strained looking for 

it.Those youtube shows are fun,but do not show the many times they

do not find any yellow stuff.The TV shows about the Yukon,and Alaska are

just not accurate.If you have millions to invest into mining,then yes,they

are correct,but for everyday prospectors like us,it is a hobby,that's it.

Here in the Northwest,there are thousands of places to look for gold,old

maps,if you can find them,show where lobe mining was done.Lobe,is

hard rock mining,it isn't cheap,and takes a lot more knowledge then

placer mining.Lobe requires(or use to)a ten by ten foot hole,exposing

the vain of mineral you want to mine.It can be extremely dangerous,so

only miners with strong mining back ground should endeavor to try

it.If you have friends who have that kind of mining background,and will

join you,or advise you,then it could work out.

If you are placer mining,the best place for a claim is below and old,or

active lobe claim,not on that claims land,but below the point it stops.

  We mine on unclaimed areas on rivers,creeks,and streams,we do not find

much gold,but we do find some every time we go out.If you have never tried

looking for gold,take your salt shaker,get one grain of salt,imagine it is

gold.Do you feel rich?Not.However,that is the size of fine gold,it takes

thousands of them even make a scale show there is something on it.You

will never get rich,unless you are out there for the fun of it,and the richness

is in the experience of being in the great out doors.I usually have a sore

back after ten minutes,but tough it out for a while,then hobble off to

out truck.If,a big IF,you do find a nice pocket of gold,keep it to yourself,

even if you have that area as a claim.Once you tell someone outside

your group,the word spreads and you will have to spend time running

people out your claim,and not get the mining done you wanted to.

  Times are hard,and when times get really hard,people start looking for

ways to make a little extra cash,your claim they heard about will be visited

by those folks.Loose lips = lost gold.

  Gem stones,yes,there are gem stones in Oregon,they are beautiful,and can

bring in a bit of cash.Where do you find them?Do some research,do not

rely on word of mouth.Loose lips = lost gem stones.

  Winter is just around the bend,local rivers are up from the last rain,for many,

that means the end of outdoor activity,except fishing and hunting.We drive

up into the coast range looking for mineral out cropping s,within a short

distance from the road.Having limited mobility being senior citizens,we

stay fairly close to the truck.When I was young,over the mountains and

hills I'd go,exhaustion wasn't a factor then,now it lurks nearby most of

the time.

 Learn to name all the rivers,all the towns,cities,brush,trees,animals,flowers,

it makes the state more comfortable,no matter how long you have lived here.

 My family had a homestead outside of Dallas,before that,there was a 

homestead on the Salmon River in the 1850's,that one didn't workout,so

they walked to the Dallas area,and started the one that lasted.Gold was

every where,bigger,lots of nuggets,not like now,but,it was and still is fun.

Pickup your trash,do not harass the wild life,be polite to others,and you will

have stories to tell you grand kids,back when there was gold be to be found.