Remote Prospecting?

[Leonard]

That brought up a few memories not shared before. I flew into Nome on a small plane from Fairbanks. You can see that in the video. I got there before my buddy Dave. He flew in on Alaska Airlines from Seattle. That was at a different terminal. That left me with 150 pounds of luggage and equipment to move about 1/2 mile. Welcome to Alaska. After meeting up with Dave, we sat at the terminal for a couple of hours waiting for the person we were to meet that knew where we were going. It turned out he never showed up. Any where else that wouldn't have been a problem. Just call and find out what the problem was. That is if there weren't about 3,000 miles between us. We were on our own.. It turned out that the small tent I had bought at Fairbanks would be our salvation as a "hotel". I had bought the tent planning on staying 1 night "sleeping on the gold covered beaches of Nome"

After waiting a few hours we struck out on our own. Just like the prospectors of old. Well, kind of like them. We loaded all of our stuff in a cab, and asked "where can we camp". He took us down to the East Beech and our home for the next 9 days. We had no cooking supplies so we ended up walking into town for breakfast and supper. We could walk in in the morning and take a cab back at night. Our cell phones didn't work from camp so we did a lot of walking.

In the video I think the fancy big tent was Chucks camp. We meant him but I don't remember. After about a week later we went in for breakfast one morning and picked out a nice table with a good view of the surf. As we were sitting there watching the waves, the waitress came over and asked "do you mind if she opened the window." Then we realized that maybe it was time to find a shower. That's a different story. Maybe later.

Leonard

[Jim_Alaska]

That is definitely a classic Leonard. She sure had a nice way of saying you need a shower. Thanks for the short story, certainly a time to be remembered, or perhaps I should have said forgotten?

[Geowizard]

No complaints here;

I expected I would need food, water and shelter.

For all things electronic - two metal detectors, shaver, cel phone and GPS receiver, I obtained a 100 watt solar panel and a deep cycle marine 12v battery. I included all of the necessary adapters and a 12 volt to 120 volt inverter. I always bring "cordage".

The plan was to operate a high banker on East Beach. I bought a Proline two inch combo with 200 feet of lay flat at AMDS and had it flown up to Nome. I bought a treated (flame resistant) canvas wall tent in Anchorage and had it shipped to Nome. The solar panel was checked baggage from Tucson to Anchorage and Anchorage to Nome. The Battery was purchased in Nome. Inverter and adapters all went as checked baggage. Detectors travelled as checked baggage.

I needed 11 each 2x2x10 foot lumber for a tent frame. I took Louie's cab out to the hardware store and got the needed hardware. I also grabbed a battery powered drill with carriage bolts, nuts and washers to assemble the frame. I picked up a Coleman single burner stove to cook and use for heat if needed. Two 5 gallon buckets for nuggies and two shovels. Assorted pans, screens, etc. Gas and oil.

Food and water were on the list too. Bread, Spam and Mayo. A frying pan to fry the spam! Assorted beverages.

I picked up a sleeping bag and air mattress in Anchorage. It went as checked baggage.

I picked up an AT&T cel phone at Nome.

Lessons learned;

The Whites GMT was worthless on fine GOLD (no nuggies). The Whites TM-808 Treasure Master didn't find any buried treasure.

The tide moves in and out over 300 to 500 feet. The foot valve needs to be suspended from a floating platform with water pump onboard anchored at a distance off shore. The distance is based on a point beyond low tide. Water pumps placed on the beach will almost always get swamped with salt water.

The water borne SAND suspended with wave action requires that the foot valve (intake screen) be filtered.

Bering Sea weather is unpredictable. Violent storms can and often do INUNDATE beach mining operations. After a rude awakening, and narrowly escaping inundation (yes, I got wet), I sold off the camp, moved the mining equipment to safe storage.

My remote prospecting adventures were only beginning!

- Geowizard

[Joe S (AK)]

Leonard -

THE Best Kept Secret in Nome back then was the Senior Citizens' Center. GREAT, friendly folks and Superior public showers right in town near the AC Grocery Store -- and for only a reasonable, token amount. You (back then) could even get a little fresh drinking water if you asked politely.

Nome "Stuff"
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/sear ... tion=click

Did you ever get to Fast Freddie's? The best beer and a burger in town - for only $20 a head. It was on Main Street with it's back on the beach.

I was at about mile 7 on West Beach. We used a "Stinger" (axle, wheels and a 20' x 2" pipe, going into a 2" dredge hose and then to the beach located pump. The intake of the Stinger had a large screen covering it to stop sea weed from being sucked in. It was rolled into the surf to just beyond the breakers to stop any problems with ingesting sand. You learned early on to orient everything directly into the wind coming in from the sea - or it would flip and roll the stinger. All the stinger parts were found treasures and returned to where the sea had originally piled them.

Against all odds I did find an almost 1/4 oz picker in the very first Beach Box clean-up. THAT spoiled me for sure.

- Joe -

[Jim_Alaska]

Joe, from what I have heard, that nugget is exceptionally rare for beach gold in Nome.

Chuck, you certainly seemed to be prepared or able to get prepared for mining in Nome. It does sound like you spent a lot of money between the time you left Tucson until you returned to Tucson. So, that genders a question; did your mining venture in Nome pay for itself? Inquiring minds want to know....or....I am just nosy.

[Geowizard]

Jim,
I had a budget. I sold the camp at cost for GOLD. I flew out the Proline combo and accessories. It has been a real asset.

I was out about $1500 for the cost of freight and airfare round-trip to Nome. The value of the opportunity to do something few prospectors get a chance to do was well worth the cost. I met a few very interesting people like Peluk, Jessie James, and the president of the BSNC, a bunch of GPAA prospectors and others. It set me on the course I have been on the past ten years.

A quiet, whispering voice has been calling me back!

The voice is saying... "You left something behind. It's up there... in the mountains."

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

East Beach Business Model;

The model is - There is NO model.

If anyone has a fantasy that they are "special" and will set up a "mining campaign" on East Beach, I have some "beach property" for sale in Arizona!

Personally, I had no expectation of going to Nome and being smarter and more precocious than everyone else coming out with more than I went in with.

It's impossible to build a business model around unknown variables. In the case of East Beach, we aren't hearing "success stories" about recreational mining on the beach.

That brings me to the issue of "cost of exploration";

Exploration for GOLD has different levels of cost depending on the model. I watch companies like Millrock Alaska and I see a representative exploration model. It's a "business model". For a beginning prospector, cost is absorbed by the sole investor and/or his (or her) spouse and family. Taking it to the next step is where I found a potential revenue stream. That involves making a discovery, locating mining claims and waiting for a potential junior exploration company to come along and lease or exercise an option to buy the mining claims. That's what Millrock and other project generators do.

Finally, the objective for a majority of prospectors is to develop your own "for profit mining operation". It can be done!

Stick around!

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Flipping a mining property;

A mining property represents "real estate".

Property owners understand that their property has value and that value can increase through value added development. Mining property has the same advantage. It takes time and there is cost involved.

Value is added to a mining property when work is done to collect rock or soil samples and get them assayed. The more samples and the more relevant the samples, the better the understanding of the potential value of the mining property. Doing research on past mining and mine production in cases where the property has a history of mining adds value.

Marketing a mining property;

Marketing can be done through a personal website, mine sales websites and related websites that offer that service. Marketing can be done as a sale or lease with option to buy and/or royalty based venture or joint venture.

Recent moves to restrict permitting change the dynamics of "where" to go for purposes of forward planning. The State of Alaska and the State owned lands within the State of Alaska remain unaffected.

Don't go away!

- Geowizard

[easy goer]

Nome Eisley

Within a day of landing in Nome I was reminded of Mos Eisley, the famous bar scene from the first Star Wars movie. Soul sucking 10 longest days of my life. Arriving after traveling for 24 hours straight probably didn't help the overall experience.
Can't put my finger on any one thing that made it so miserable, I've been places that were dirtier, where the weather was more inhospitable and the conditions were more severe. But boy did it suck.

All that being said I feel it owes me something, or really I owe it something. A good ass whipping! For some sick reason the enormity of an operation taking place anywhere near there intrigues me. I can't imagine anywhere else in the US that is more difficult to get to, or more expensive or a bigger pain in the butt.
So why not say screw it and move on? Excellent question. Stubborn. Obstinate. STUPID. Not sure.

To steal one from Chuck. More to follow!!

Easygoer

[Jim_Alaska]

Would I be correct in thinking you didn't like it there easy goer?