South Dakota Trip

The wife and I finally managed to get away from work long enough to make a trip to South Dakota for some digging time.  We had originally planned on going later in the week, but the weatherman was calling for a lot of rain, so we took off earlier than expected. Glad we did, I think he was right this time.  
  I like to go up there earlier in the year so as to catch some of the runoff, but it was not in the cards this year.  Due to a drier winter, the small creeks were not running.  So, I worked a bench deposit 30 to 40 feet off the streambed.  I really don't like recirculating on site, but had fun none the less.

Don't step back too far!!


This was also the first time I was able to work with my AT Gold detector.  No gold, but I was able to get the proper ground balance to hush up the hot rocks yet I was able to find some of the smallest bird shot at quite a depth.  Truly impressed with it.  
  I recirculated a few buckets of material at the camp, but the clay put up quite a fight and was clogging the vortex mat quite often.  Getting water wasn't much fun and I found myself running for water about as often as I was classifying buckets.  So, I loaded what buckets I had and headed home where I could recirculate in a more controlled setting.

Strange set up I know, but, 98 percent stays in the matting.  The A52 is just a catch all in case there might be something larger in there.



 Fun trip in all.  Manage to explore different areas that I had been curious about.  Worked with the detector.  It's nice to have running water, but it made me take time to do other things.  If you are like me.  Once I'm in gold country. It's heads down and you just run hard trying to make the best of your time.  

The take..........Thank you South Dakota.

I like your auto feeder setup! All in all it sounds like you had a good time anyway!

Thanks for a great trip report, that is some beautiful looking country and that Chunky Yellar South Dakota Gold ain't bad either. Think I would be finding more excuses to get away from work and into the field. Was this on Public Lands or a private claim, very nice..........

Ron

This is on a club claim in NF.

Plainsprospector...

THANKS for taking the time to post a Trip Report with pics here on the Forum! Really......we desperately need others (besides me all the time) sharing the Gold Fever fun.

Nice to hear you got some detector time, even if you didn't get any nuggets on your outing. Hey, I know that feeling.........swing, swing and swing and locate everything BUT a nice, big nugget.

Interesting how you worked around the lack of easy/available water. If there's a will, there IS a way!

VERY nice gold. They old timers never got it all, that's for sure. Hope you get back soon, get some more...

Randy C-17A

Thanks Randy. Planning on being at Cache Creek in about a week. I hope the gift that keeps giving hasn't given out. From your trip reports, it looked like the berm everyone was working up the dry gulch was about gone. I have a brother in law vacationing in the Leadville area and he sounds excited to try out some prospecting. Just hope I can find him some decent gold. Hope to see you around.

Plainsprospector,

Come on up!  I was there at Cache Creek again today.............I took up about 18 people (my biggest group to date) and one little girl from the local Salida Rock, Gem & Mineral Club.  We hit Cache Creek below the cemetery and we had a great day.

I tried to tailor my instruction and such to everyone's interest & skill & physical ability level.  

Overall, a great day.  Nobody got hurt, most panned over & over for gold.  I got a few up in the gulch to help me dig/screen glacial material and they sluiced it in 2 Le Trap sluices I brought.

The gulch shows a lot of working, BUT............there's still nice gold to be had IF you're willing to work for it.

I am booked for a lot of days in June, but when you get into the local area.............plz call me and I'll see IF I can meet you all for some Cache Creek "hard fun" and get a little more fine Colorado gold...

Hey, on your picture...........that looks to be like a 1968 to 1970 bike.  A 350 Honda with big drum brakes & chrome rims and metal spokes?  Love the helmet too!  What's the back story there??    

Randy  C-17A  

P.S. When was all said & done...........as most left over the course of the day...........when I panned out our sluice cons we did get a nice little bit of gold....a couple pickers too. I gave it to the little girl in a vial. No way to "split" the gold and she was the only child that came, played, panned, had fun all day. Everyone seemed O.K. with my gift of our "hard fun" to her....

Will do Randy. The pic was probably taken in 71 or 72. Dad's bike with mom on back with me in the middle. I just remember that once you turned your head to one side or the other. That was it. Mom had a death grip and I would be stuck with the view to that side.

Hey Russ,

Here's that book I was talking about: https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Forty-Niner-Chauncey-Canfield-ebook/dp/B01AOB6ZQM/ref=pd_lutyp_simh_1_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51EVvruey2L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_OU01_SR107%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=PVT4EDYXET7JM2KEY33F

I bought a used paperback for cheap, loved reading it...

Cheers,

Randy Witham C-17A

Thanks Randy. Sorry I couldn't stick around this morning. Matt had the berm on lock down and I had to go meet John.

Man that's a great trip and nice looking gold. Love you system...

Russ,

Well................those 2 guys & their 2 kids working below us in the gray clays, using our water flow, decided to move up, sort of claim our red/orange berm and water & spot in the shade...

I guided a gent from C. Springs today below the cemetery for a 1/2 day adventure and O came up to the red berm and no surprise they were still there and a nice guy named Tim too was there...

I wanted to dig deep, below that gray flow sand and look for color. Well, no gold 2 feet deep. Nothing but gray & quartz flow sand.

Oh well. maybe Randy's Red Berm is now all but officially worked out...

Such is life. Now to find another good spot.

Randy C-17A

Well a person just never knows until he finds out for himself whats up! and Happy Fathers Day to you and all!

Russ,

Thanks & Happy Father's Day 2016 to you and all!

Randy C-17A

Russ,
You had the berm on lockdown just as much as me. I wasn't hogging any of it from you. I told you I didn't care if you dug right where I was digging. I was just moving more material than you. I didn't do anything to slow you down. You could have stayed all day. "WE" had the berm on lockdown that day.
Heavy pans,
Matt

Matt & Randy,

No....no Matt. Not what I meant. I had gone down there that morning because Randy had asked me to hold the spot that morning because I was camping just up the road and he was wanting to bring a family down there later in the morning. I'm glad you were there to save the spot for Randy. That way I didn't worry about going to meet John in Leadville. Thank you to both of you for sharing. Best wishes to all of you this father's day!!!

I think somebody got the wrong Russ..................maybe me???

Russ,

Ha. Not you.......well, not THIS time.

Actually, "plainsprospector" is another "Russ" and lives here in Kolorado, out on the Eastern plains.....think like Kansas.

Russ came up to Cache Creek the other day, we all dug in Randy's Red Berm and talked and had fun and found some gold.....

So, I don't know..................are we to "Russ # 1" and "Russ # 2"? Naw......not yet.

Randy C-17A

Sir:

How come we are talking about Cache Creek on a South Dakota Trip Post, just wanted to get my 2 cents in and stir the pot a little....HA

Ron