Gorgeous weather, but...

Boise Ron · Gorgeous weather, but...

I went out with my detectors on Friday for the first time since last fall. I went to the north end of the Eugenes, near the Golden Eagle mine. The weather was great! The temp was in the high 60's, with just a little breeze later in the day. The snow has melted (for now) except for higher up on the mountains, and the roads were even dry for the most part. I didn't see a soul all day, which is usually the case out there.
I saw guys working on a weekend once last year on what I think is the Gold Strike claim. They were (and stll are) methodically digging a deep hole with a bulldozer, spreading the dirt around in a thin layer, apparently using detectors to find the gold, and then backfilling the hole. They gave me stony stares as I drove by them. As I said, they were not there last Friday, but the road (and I use the term loosely) that goes east from just below the Golden Eagle had a fresh bulldozer cut across it. They had piled the dirt on either side of the cut, but, to their credit, had left it clear enough so I could get across in 4WD mode. Just east of the cut was a rope on the ground that had obviously been strung across the road, with a "No Trespassing - Private Property" sign attached to it. That was, I believe, right on the section boundary, and the next section IS private property, but I suspect it had been put up by the Gold Strike guys, which, of course, they have no right to do. They had also left what looked like a brand new pick, and shovel, in the dirt they had scraped. Not something I would do. I didn't touch them, but I'd be surprised if they will be there for long.
I didn't prospect on their claim, or any other. I also didn't find anything except a .45 slug and a tiny boot tack, but I enjoyed the solitude and the great weather. Prospecting is like fishing - if you chicken catch

something, great. If you don't, still great!
BTW, I didn't put that guy chasing the chicken in there. Apparently, it is triggered when you put in a certain word, which starts with "ca" and ends with "tch". Laughing

wes

I drove through that area last year, just sight seeing, and like you said not a sole out there. Just the wind blowing.