One of Rob’s lifelong dreams, panning for gold in the Rockies, has been fulfilled.
After finding out how relatively affordable such a thing can be, we bought mining rights to a small claim, sight unseen except for photos, in the Rocky Mountains.
This week, we’ve been out here in the mountains getting our first look at the property and trying our hands at panning for gold. I was afraid we might have been ripped off. I was ecstatic to find that we had not. All was exactly as described in the listing. It’s accessible and beautiful!
Heading for the Hills
On Tuesday we headed out from Breckenridge to see what was what.
Our “mine” isn’t the kind that has shafts or machinery, it’s a “placer mine” which means the owner of the claim can pan or use sluices up to a certain measurement to find gold dust, flakes, or nuggets. We don’t own the land – it’s BLM property. But we have the rights to go there anytime we want and look for gold. And on that particular acreage, those rights are exclusive.
Gold Fever?
So we’re not thinking we’re going to strike it rich with gold. This is just for fun, and we’ve been having loads of that. Rob’s son’s family flew in from Florida to join us for vacation. We panned all day yesterday.
Let me tell you, it’s not as easy to do as the videos make it look.
But the excitement that makes a heart beat quicker when you think you’ve spotted gold in your pan is awesome and I can see how it easily can be addictive.
Once I found what might or might not be gold, everyone went back to work, harder than ever.
Practice Makes Perfect
I’m not good enough yet at the panning to risk losing what little bit of gold I might have found, so I put it all (the fine black sand with the gold dust and flakes) in a little vial to bring home and work on in a more controlled environment.
Even if it turns out to be mica or fool’s gold, I had a blast and will look forward to working our claim whenever we can find the means to get up here. We’ll be camping the next time we come, so that will add a new dimension of adventure to the trip.
If you like to camp, try RoverPass to find campgrounds in the Breckenridge area.