California Gold Mining

Does everyone remember your classroom history lesson about mining for gold in California?  Well it's still going on to this day.  Try as you might however, you won't find any gold in our sluice box.  That doesn't keep people from digging in the sand to find that million dollar nugget.

Yesterday four adults spent about an hour sifting through all the sand in the box, hoping to find a nice chunk of gold.  Trouble is, it's the same sand we've run through the box for seven years.  There's not a nugget to be found.  Maybe a tiny piece of crystal or pyrite, but no gold.

We call it GEM mining.  The "gems" are placed in a bag, followed by several sand-filled trowel scoops and placed in the Pay Dirt box.  For $5 you get a bag-o-dirt and dump it in a small screened box.  You then wash away the sand to find cool things like arrow heads or maybe a small piece of turquoise.  In the interest of disclosure, they are not real either.

What IS real is the looks on the kids faces when they find that arrow head or the magnetic rocks.

This is what you come across as you first enter.  I bet a million pictures have been taken here over the years.

It was easy peasy as I brought in around 300 kids yesterday, until I ran head on into the disabled adult twice my size who insisted on a purple wristband.  He wasn't taking no for an answer.  I had to hide my cache, reserved only for the chaperones.  He got so aggressive, I finally disappeared into the office.  In the end, they gave him a band to keep him from having a meltdown and hurting someone.  

This is the big picture spot for the school kids.  Every teacher takes every student's picture here on their way out.  You can imagine the lineup.  When they are done, they each receive a free pumpkin just around the corner.  I've never seen so many excited kids!!!  That's truly the fun part!

I think it's day 25 now, but honestly, I'm not sure.  They are all a blur at this point.  I'm down 17 pounds and loving every minute of it.  I can actually get back in to some of those pants that have been in my closet for five years.  I knew there was a reason I was keeping them!!!

Miles walked after day 25 (or so):    176.54