fishbone

Great points. I have a number friends who, in recent times have never been gun owners and now feel the need to be such, in the midst of feeling safer in their homes and businesses. I have taught NRA and tactical shooting courses for 14 years, and they come to my classes. Yet .. Too many of them are unwilling to join the NRA. I've tried to explain the varied reasons by the "privilege" they have stepped into. The reasons to join and what it means. It is truly frustrating, even in the midst of persons who "want" this freedom. The kicker is i always offer a free year membership with any of the classes I offer , and alot shy away. i don't push the agenda ever, they feel it may change their liberal and /or semi-conservative political views amongst friends and colleagues and are afraid to offend. errrr. John

If you would like to see a primer of things that may come down the pipe in the current administration, as mentioned above. Check out calgunlaws.com Pelosi & Co. has their dirty mitts in the National agenda now after mucking' up ours in California the past years. John

Very nifty ! That may find Spanish coins ..... in China. I like it.

I have'nt posted in a while, ( had a electrical injury 6 months ago so I've been offline for a while ). Nonetheless. I have used them since they came out, and used them on California Beaches, and it works. Check out cleangold.com. They make a very cool product. Some may know of it, but most do not. I use them for clean ups, and end stage Dredge sluice, but mostly for Beach placers. Cheers, John

As all out there can hope a fortunate outcome from all of this. All of our children are precious, and our family will send out a prayer for your Grandson. john

There are a handful of well known characters between the Feather and Yuba who prospect full time. We have had 2 claims in the Feather Canyon since 1973 and 1982, One un-named (because I know he wouldnt want to be mentioned ) mines down the river from us and still lives in the his 1957 school bus. There is a well known gentleman by the name of McGuyver who has had a following of fans in the Yuba and Seneca regions. Does that sound familiar? He mostly is a hard rock miner though. A. Kappman is a well known full time miner up on the Klamath. he has been running a 8 inch dredge by himself for years up there. Cheers, John

Thanks matt', Im still using a GP3000 , with an amp, and a collection of coils . Im usually in the motherload region. we have a home in Twain Harte, and outside Quincy, in between the two is where I go . Some of my Detecting is on GCMA claims. Some on mine (2) (feather canyon) and around LaPorte.. the rest on USFS regions. Nonetheless, there seems to be a good following in the ML . Nonetheless. I could see a gathering perhaps. Pics are from 3 1/2 days in Mokelumne river area , way below Hwy 88. For a new area Im happy, i'll go back soon, and hit it harder. Next week Im going to spend a week in and around the Stan' river (above Columbia) area and high benches. If anyone is in the region give a 'hollar'.. Cheers, john

Nice gold there matt. I just got back from the ML too , and did well, gotta post pics tommorow. And yes, it was HOT, with a little altitude it made for a long couple afternoons. Cheers, john

Welp, got back yesterday from the Mokelumne. Did find four nice little nuggs. (thats a different post) And... was able to beat on those boots a little bit. I did like the 5.11's alot good ankle support, good grip and were very comfy over the trip. I am wondering how long they may last though. They are nice and light , but will the nylon hold up ? We'll see. As far as Im concerned, they will go with me again. On to the Keen's . Things I liked : Very comfy for my wide flat feet. Nice thick foot bed for rock hopping, funny looking toe section does give better protection for flipping rocks than the 5.11's. Things I would like to have in this boot.. Better ankle support. Of course they arent as high as the 5.11 HRT, but Keen does make a similiar boot with higher ankle support im told. Snake protection is very questionable even with gators. They were water proof opposed to the 5.11 HRT. The bottom line ... Im not a shoe expert. Im just trying to find a comfy, tough boot, with no metal in it, that repels top attacks from Rattle Snakes, last a decent amount of time, good ankle protection and feels good on my flat wide feet. Is that too much to ask for ? These will work for now, and Im happy with my purchases. I keep my eyes open for non-metallic boots now and then to see if anything new catches my eye. we'll see. Cheers, john

I just read this post, and usually dont follow this Board... Better late than never. Ive been a huge fan and have always followed the writings of Mr. Straight. Ive learned some things from him, ever oh so useful. Congrats. My start in this hobby is a direct relation to his writings. Cheers , john

Wow, I was just out there and visit that area often. It makes ya feel good though. In these days of Gold values , higrading and claim jumpers. Its about damn time. Our claims up above the Feather, get hit all the time, despite efforts. Usually garbage and mild pick and shovel activity. Some stolen PVC pipe, and lumber. One of my best firends is a DFG agent up there (Quincy) and, its been rampant. Some counties don't actively pursue Claim jumpers, or hi-graders. Grand-theft is a start. 140 years ago things would've beeen different. Good story. Cheers , john

Heading down into a deep canyon tommorow and for the next couple days . I plan to put alot of foot time in on some nasty terrain. I'm going to be putting some new boots I've been excited about, through their paces. Boots are just boots ? Not for me. Non-metallic Tennis shoes worked for some years, but one horribly sprained ankle and a nasty Snake bite in in 97' changed my mind. My favorite pair of Asolo hiking/backpacking boots are great, support , grip, ankle protection, and Snake value. But , they are laden with metal eyelets. No more said. Ive used Hi-tec, Converse, and Wolverine boots for detectiing. Lots of Nylon, No metal, but feel 'rolly' in the ankles , minimal snake protection on the footbridge even with gators, and the toes cant handle the constant kicking and shoving of stones, gravel and rocks before the toes breach. As far as comfort the Converse won in the past. But thats me. Not all feet are the same. But the terrain is. I am going to try two new pairs I thnk will both have their place in my gear bag. The Keen 'Targhee II ' and The 5.11 HRT desert boots. They are both completley non-metallic, and have vital attributes I look for in a good Nugget shooting boot. Although they are very different I plan to beat on both pairs and try to provide some insight for anyone that might be looking for a good detecting boot. Be back in a couple days. Cheers, john

Heading down into the Mokelumne tommorow for a couple days of detecting. This is a return trip after finding a couple hopeful spots we found earlier last month. Due to the heat and smoke at the time, I decided to let things mellow out and then hit it this month pending conditions. I'll be heading on foot about 25 miles out of Pioneer down towards the river to some older workings. probably try to camp in or around Mokelumne river Camp, or Azelea camp. Cheers, John

Well , no luck at Selling the other day if I didnt mention it. Ive always thought about hitting McClure, but need to do my homework, as where to start there. Time to look over the maps. The thought of running a highbank combo unit has crossed my mind many many times on the section of river, errrrr. Too bad. John

Yep, most of the gold that far down was pretty fine. I have found some nice quartz species, and about 1.2 oz of nuggets from .3 dwt to about 4 dwt. Over the years. These, I suspect were caught up in clay balls or packed cemented material back then. Not fantastic finds by any means. I did work for them and these finds are over a 8-9 year period. A good friend of mine found a very nice 9 oz specie with 1.14 oz gold strung in it in 2003. Its a close drive , but its beats up my knees and ankles . I stay away from the easier to detect areas and hike in until I dont see any modern trash. I do find plenty of trash but its older, and usually ferrous or lead. Cheers ,john