Gold prospecting is a great hobby and can become very addicting once you find your first nugget or flake or gold in a gold pan. In Arizona the best time of year to look for gold in my opinion is right now during the winter. First off it's not 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48 C) outside, it's usually a nice cooler temperature around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 C). Secondly and the nasty rattlesnakes and scorpions are usually hibernating.
I have a few of my favorite spots out in the desert. One I'm not a liberty to reveal, but another one is the base of the Gila Mountains outside of Yuma, Arizona. The dry washes there that are basically on bedrock can have some nice nuggets that you can find with your handy metal detector. A very long time ago an ancient river ran along there and deposited tons of nuggets right along the bedrock out there.
I have always found the best time to go is usually after a big thunderstorm floods the washes and unburies some new ground with nuggets just waiting to be found. Of course you can get lucky at any time, most of gold prospecting is a lot of patience and a whole lot of luck. It helps to know where to look though!
This nugget I found in one of the washes by the Gila Mountains. It's about 1.5 grams with some nice quartz crystals still in the nugget:
alchetron.com
The view of the Gila Mountains outside of Yuma, Arizona behind an irrigated field
As you can see Yuma, Arizona is filled with agricultural fields so you can see scenes like this around the outskirts of the city. The Colorado River runs right by the city as well so it's not entirely dry! You can see the Gila Mountains in the background and they're a great place to hunt for gold. This nice nugget came out of the ground at the base of those mountains.
Just a few tips for beginners, always prospect with someone who is familiar with the area and where you are likely to find gold. All you will do is waste your time if there's no gold in the ground. You might find a bunch of old cans though!
And since this is posted in the #freecompliments community I just wanted to remind everyone to be kind to each other. A simple act of kindness can really change someone's life!
That's it for my post for the day, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions please feel free to leave them below. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate everyone's support!
And my disclaimer:
Gold prospecting is a very fun hobby, but it can be expensive. It's very possible that if you invest too much into equipment it may take a long to to get a return on your investment, and some people never do. Also please remember that not all detectors are the same, always research carefully before buying them.
All photos are mine unless otherwise noted.
Re-blog lottery
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 39 people re-blog my post, thank you so much! The people who re-blogged were:
@ashleesart
@bitandi
@blitzzzz
@bntcamelo
@caleb-marvel
@daddydog
@ericburgoyne
@esbat
@flaxz.alive
@florakese
@ganjafarmer
@geneeverett
@henruc
@jenam
@jhonnygo
@jorgebgt
@kunschj
@ladymisa
@lovver
@maurojd
@miriammarga
@mirroredspork
@monsterbuster
@necho41
@olaf.gui
@oskarl21
@rebe.torres12
@rosauradels
@stekene
@trumpman
@vrezyy
@yova
Voluntary daily reminder list for those who request to be on it: @ganjafarmer
If you want to be added to the list as well just feel free to ask!
Thank you everyone! I have been working to improve my engagement and all of you have really helped out! If you have any recommendations or suggestions please feel free to let me know. I'm always looking to improve my posts.
Good luck to everyone!
And the Wheel of Names results:
Winner #1:
Winner #2:
Congratulations @henruc you will receive 3 HSBI units!
Congratulations @bntcamelo you will receive 2 HSBI units!
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win 3 HSBI units! New twist, one winner on the first spin wins 3 HSBI, and a second spin for a chance for 2 HSBI, so two possible winners or one really lucky one could win both spins! An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prize. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
https://hive.blog/hive-189312/@steembasicincome/hive-sbi
If you have more questions feel free to ask.