Late Fall Drywashing

January 2022 by Chris Ralph

Part of the good thing about this spot is that it is not that far from my home in the famous Virginia City mining district. Not everyone knows this, but the first discoveries around that area were gold placers.

Companion Gold

June 2015
Easing around the bedrock ledges and rock hopping, Terry and I came out into the open and were looking at a nice run of bedrock.

Dredging Backwards?

October 2012
Before I tell you what dredging backwards is, I’ll tell you why my team and I decided to give this very unconventional dredging method a try.

A Few Pointers About Cracks and Crevices

October 2013
Because these crevices catch and hold gold so well, it's worthwhile to learn how they form, which ones are good for catching gold and which ones are not.

Introduction to Meteorites

February 2015

The distribution of meteorites across the planet was, at one time, thought to be random and unpredictable.

Quartzsite Gives Up Some Big Gold

June 2017

There is always an overwhelming feeling when finding gold of any size, but one like this doesn’t come along very often.

Back to Green Valley--With A Sluice

December 2019

As I planned for my trips, I concentrated on how to lighten my pack yet still carry enough gear to make the trip productive and enjoyable.

Dry Washer, Wet System or Metal Detector?

April 2016
I love to dry wash old nugget patches found by detector operators, and I have found my fair share of gold dry washing those areas. I have also found a few nuggets using a detector on the bedrock exposed by dry washing the patches.

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