I got about an hour outside pulling weeds in my backyard. I've spent about $200 on weed killer in the past year. The previous tenant put down weed cloth and rock. But all of our efforts are in vain. In one hour, I filled my tall trash can with weeds. Then the thermometer hit 95°F (35°C), and I said enough is enough.
Like the lyrics from the song, Godzilla (Blue Öyster Cult):
"History shows again and again how Nature points out the folly of Man."
My plans for the coming week are shaping up... I think. I have electrolysis on the 3rd, then an MRI on the 4th. I'll pack up the Jeep beforehand so I can leave early in the morning on the 5th to head for the mountains.
The dig site is about a 3.5-hour drive, so if I leave early enough, I can set up camp by lunchtime. That will give me the rest of the day to scout the area for the best places to dig.
I had found a spot last time with my metal detector, and the 2-gallon sample I brought home yielded just under 1 gram of gold. That spot is definitely on my radar for further excavation. It is also near some trees, so it may have some shade. In doing my research, I located another spot on the map that looks very promising for a couple of reasons: a) I know that nobody has been digging there, and b) the rocks are till left behind by glacial melt. I'll need to get a good look at the rocks to decide if I want to clear the overburden and get down to virgin ground, or if the rocks are too big to move without a lot of work.
The goal is to dig, screen, and fill five or six 5-gallon buckets of paydirt to bring home. The creek there is just a trickle, so not enough water to move dirt through a sluicebox correctly, and it is usually lined with other prospectors trying to use sluiceboxes in very little water. I've been doing this long enough to know what works and what doesn't.
Once I have my buckets filled, I'll break camp and come home. I expect it could take me three days if I take my time and work smarter, not harder. After that, I have plenty of options to process the dirt. There are many places along the Arkansas River, which runs through town, where I can set up a sluice box and run the dirt. I don't think the Riverwalk restaurants would approve, and I would prefer to be out of town and out of sight when I do it. But there are plenty of places that don't require a 3+ hour drive to get to. I can also set up a recirculating system in my bathtub to run my Gold Cube. Cleanup is a pain, but I have a second bathroom with a shower, so I won't need to rush to get all the mud-filled tubs out of the way.
If the plan holds, I'll be AFK from the 4th to the 8th, with a VA appointment on the 9th. If I can fill the buckets in one day, I'll spend the night, then break camp and come home. Hopefully, there won't be many people at the dig site, and the campsites won't be filled.
Fingers crossed and pics to follow later.
