Hey Mike, I started when I was 7 years old when I went to Notts Berry Farm to pan for gold in a trough, got some color that was put in a vile "still got it " and was hooked on gold prospecting ever since. I got married the same year you got divorced and after 1 week of being married a friend approached me to go to Australia,( I have a very understanding Wife) I was down there for a month, but whites metal detectors at the time didn't work in the soil there so I never found any gold. Been 1000 ft down in a shaft went dredging sluicing cracking rocks and now at 64 only pan and detect for gold " What a life".