Flash in the Pan Blog

As of Wednesday April 6th, we will be open Wednesday through Sunday! Please welcome our new district store manager,& Prospectors Plus member, Eileen Bynum.

I have the blue's! No, No, not really! Here in the Northwest and Eastern Washington, we are lucky to have many minerals to prospect, not just the gold, but also precious jade, petrified wood, opal and agates, the grand-daddy of which is the beautiful and illusive Ellensburg Blue agate.

Not too long ago, I was working in our Goldbar store, when an older gentleman sallied in through the door to take a gander at some of our new sluices. As he poked and prodded the new gear, I took the chance to strike up a conversation. A note to all you younger prospectors: take every opportunity you can to listen to older prospectors. While they might bend the truth a bit (what prospector doesn’t), they are often full of prospecting experience and often willing to share it with a with up and comers. This old timer was no exception.

I wanted to write something to describe what there is to do in Liberty for those who haven't yet been.

We are looking for a team to travel and set up at events and shows to represent Prospectors Plus products and recruit membership. Here is the essence of the job description. Exsisting PP members are urged to apply.

Please send all resumes to: michele@prospectorsplus.com

Are you missing Gold Rush Alaska? Going through GRA withdrawals? Can’t wait to warmly snuggle into a frenetic season 2 to witness the Hoffman crew try it all again, ineptly fumbling through the process of breaking new ground in the Yukon Territory and setting up yet another half-baked wash plant? Are you anxious to see if Mr. Hurt will finally get to bedrock in the mythical Porcupine creek glory hole? You betting both “competitors” are going to lose their shirts (again)? Well, I may have a way for you to get your fix.

The mining community is saddened by recent news of the passing of legendary Liberty Washington “Miner” Mike Stracke, 60 of Eatonville Washington. Mike passed on March 2, 2011 in Dolan Springs Arizona. Mike was well respected throughout the mining community known for his willingness to help others, freely sharing of his mining experiences and opinion. Mike’s life touched many in our club and will be missed - my own included.

Last week, new member Fish50 introduced himself on the club forums and asked for some advice.

Well, Season 1 of Gold Rush Alaska is over and I must admit, I for one am somewhat relieved that it’s done. I’m not sure if my heart could take another couple of weeks of shock, surprise and amazement that the crew ran out of fuel (again), the ridiculous drama of the dig site flooding (surprise) and having to be pumped constantly, of cringing as Jack operated his excavator a touch on the wrong side of unsafe and of course having to watch as crews dreams ebbing yet further away as the realization of how little gold they recovered dawns on them. In the end, the boys at Porcupine Creek netted a touch more than 14 ounces of gold (less than $20,000), a far cry from being about to recoup their acclaimed $275,000 investment. That’s an astronomically bad return on a marginal effort. They raced from the camp with the harsh winds of winter nipping steadily at their heels, chainsaws buzzing while accompanied by emotionally tense orchestral music. The season is over.

Gold is banging out at new record highs, Season One of Gold Rush Alaska has come to a close and a new season of gold shows is rapidly coming upon us. Wow, we had a full agenda for the night. Check out Ore Dump Episode 12.

It seems I have some explaining to do…and apologies to make.

Boy is it easy to make fun of the gang at Gold Rush Alaska, so much so that we have had more than 3200 views of our own Reality Behind Reality video in just a month. Seriously it's like shooting fish in a barrel at times.