Colorado -- Arkansas River Prospecting Attempt -- 31 Dec 2016

Hey Gold Adventurers...

O.K. I got cabin fever yesterday.............surprise...........and just before noon I decided to drive up to Granite area to a good friend's claim and see IF...........and I mean IF I could get in there, actually do a little panning & sluicing on a big gravel bar that might not be frozen solid.

Arriving, I saw absolutely NO WAY to get back in there safely.......to the river...........too much ice & snow. Way more snow at this higher elevation than down by my house at 8,500 feet. The dang CDOT snow plows had pushed up 1 to 3 feet of hard packed/icy snow over the entrance to the two normally open dirt roads that provide river access.

Also, about 1 foot plus of snow past the big berms, which made it look all the more questionable. I wasn't about to try too hard, get back in there and get stuck in the middle of BFE nowhere...

SO, off I went downriver to look at another claim..............well............the dirt road going there was mostly dry/hard dirt, nice.........BUT, the Ark was basically way too low/slow, icy, frozen... Figures. No good way to even try to sluice. Nights lately have been down to 2 below zero to as warm as 31F, with days short and barely above freezing most days, if sunny out.






On my way home I saw BLM has recently put up more sign posts around the area..............I am sure to soon post even MORE rules, restrictions, prohibitions for all us public land owners to suffer under:



SO, I went home, had a bite of lunch and went over to Cottonwood Creek and fly fished in the ice/snow/shade for about 1.5 hrs. Had fun, slipped & fell twice on the snow/ice. Fishing was real slow, as the water was cold (in the shade all the time) and probably just about freezing...if that.

I ended up catching only 4 small Browns. Threw them all back...

So, come on Spring!

Randy C-17A

I give you an A for effort Randy.

The things prospectors will do for the shiny stuff.

I'll be in South Carolina in late May for Carson's Graduation from HS. Probably wet my pan and bring some cons back home.

Stay Warm Springs a coming.

Dickb

Dickb,

Thanks for looking, commenting...

What you don't see in these pics is how absolutely frozen solid the rocks are to the riverbed/bank, how hard as concrete the gravels are...

Hard to imagine just how concrete/rock hard frozen ground can be! I mean a pick will just bounce off it...

Come on Spring!

Randy  C-17A