Hi everyone

Alec and I usually spend our time camping and prospecting close to the old town of Octave, AZ. It is no longer there but there are a few reminders of it's existence to be found. We are members of the Weaver Mining District and take full advantage of everything the club has to offer. Please see the link on the top of our home page and it will bring you straight to their website. We have a picture of the office here on the right. Julie will be more than happy to help out. They have a $15.00 special that gives you a three day pass that allows you to prospect on any Weaver claims. They have pans and picks and larger equipment for sale....some used as well.

We prefer this area for many reasons. As soon as I turn right on County Rd. 109, I feel as though I am leaving civilization for a little while. I take off my seat belt and no longer worry about what's behind me. Rarely see any law enforcement and in my three seasons of prospecting here have never run across BLM officers. I know they make their rounds pretty regularly cause we talk to a good many full time prospectors who testify to it but I hadn't run across them yet.

The scenery is awe inspiring and it's a thrill to sit in front of our camper with a big glass of whiskey and watch the sun set over the desert. When the wind isn't blowing there is a quiet that is so deep it seems surreal. On a clear night, the stars are the brightest I have ever seen them. It's great to wake up in the middle of the night and see them all so clearly.

There is gold here and still some full scale mining operations going on. The Weaver claims all have gold. You can still get a nugget or hit a nice pocket and pull a nice couple of pickers out. Some claims are known for fine gold and some for chunky gold, I run across folks all the time and everyone has their own preferred methods that are "the best".

Alec and I drywash a good bit but it always jerks my chain walking away from a tailings pile that had been run through a drywasher twice and still has a load of clay balls in it that could have some gold tied up inside.

Our preferred method is recirculating. Drywashing is portable, fast to set up, and allows you to run material at the dig site. Recirculating makes things difficult because you have to haul a large quantity of water into the desert. There are tubs and pumps and hoses and we usually have to set up at camp so we have to haul our pay dirt from the dig site to the campsite. The advantages are leaving a tailings pile with bone dry rocks and knowing you got every little bit and running material at the campsite is very comfortable.

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Bob's Gold Stryker Page