Wednesday, April 28, 2021

GOLD DREDGING 7 POUNDS OF GOLD OUT OF COKER CREEK IN TENNESSEE

(Not my video, nor my good luck.  This is being presented for information and entertainment purposes.)



As a continuation of my gold panning interest in Coker Creek,  Tennessee, for the past few years, this series continues.  

See this post for the informal beginning.

Monday, April 26, 2021

Prospecting for Gold in Coker Creek, TN


Since I first heard about gold panning being allowed on Coker Creek in Southeast Tennessee a few years ago, I have had an urge to go and spend a day there digging and panning.  If sluicing is allowed, perhaps build, borrow, or purchase a small sluice box to complement my gold pans and other tools. (I currently do not know the status of the area, vis-a-vis creek regulations.)

Having only myself and lack-of-initiative to largely to blame for not visiting there prior to meeting my second wife in late-2016, it remained on the "back burner".   The distance to Coker Creek, TN - from my present locale - is approximately 130 miles vs. 64 miles for Helen, GA, and 49 miles for Dahlonega, GA (Helen and Dahlonega being the gold-panning venues I am most familiar with).  

My wife enjoys the experience of participating in many of my interests, however, due to her balance issues and walking handicaps, more advance planning is needed.  As we are engaged in developing our travel van, with more progress, we will have a place for her to sit and work on art projects while still having access to primitive bathroom "resources", and the all-important curtains for privacy.

Currently, it looks like sometime in August or September might be our "open window" for travel.  We will see if it works.   

Sunday, April 4, 2021

Current Plans, Projects, Interests, Intentions, Distractions, ...

[As we decided to not take our laptops with us on our "Shakedown Cruise" and we weren't 100% sure of our travel schedule, posts between March 28th and April 8th were scheduled to be posted ahead of time.]

Random thoughts, while awaiting news about any emergence from the pandemic, ...

Personal Projects

"The Walking Project" 

After a tentative start to an exercise routine and my doctor's approval, I plan to walk an average of 67 miles per month (matching my age).  If successful, that will be 804 miles for the year.  (BTW, Running is too hard on my feet and knees and more stressful on the heart.)

"The Van Go! Project"

As posted on March 17th, we opened a new chapter in our lives when we purchased this 1993 Ford Econoline F-150 van with only 24,125 miles on it.  As recounted elsewhere, it had a wheelchair lift that had to be removed before we could prepare the fold-down "sofa seat" to serve as a bed for our "Shakedown Cruise".  And we had to have it well-checked by local mechanics to make sure it was ready.

The "Van Go!" name was chosen because of my wife's interest and talents in art (and my minor art interests and talents, too).

Figure 1.

If this Shakedown Cruise goes well, a trip to my wife's native Michigan is planned for the summertime.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

"Yard Maintenance" 

For several years, we have been talking about having a butterfly/hummingbird-friendly spread of plants around our backyard fence and in our front yard, to go along with the nectar feeder just off our back patio (which had visitors last summer).  So this is the year to begin, the butterflies and hummingbirds have waited long enough!