- Panned for it (2X)
- Read books about it
- Heard how it has changed California
- Seen how it comes from rock, rivers and streams
We headed to the heart of the Mother Lode, where Jamestown Gold Panning has a private claim on Woods Creek, about 15 minutes from Columbia. jamestowngoldpanning.com
A bit off the beaten path, we were happy to find the lone sign pointing us right down to the creek, where we met up with John Gurney, aka "Miner John".
We were outfitted in the requisite mud boots and given helpful tools like shovels and pans before following John's partner Lisa down the creek to our digging site.
We set to work right away. We were prepared for an exhausting day. You don't get rich without some work, we knew that.
We might have to dig for two straight hours.
Dig until our backs ached and our necks stung from the constant bending, to peer into the muck for a tiny flicker of fortune.
We were willing to make some sacrifices. 
Be a little sore tomorrow (if absolutely necessary).
Whatever it took.
For those of you who might not have had the pleasure of digging (notice I didn't say "panning", which is all-together different). This is how it works:
You dig either into the creek bed or along side of it, because when the creek overflows, deposits of gold may be made along the banks (key word: "may"). You fill a bucket with the mud, rocks, sand and everything else that hitchhikes in there on the shovel (twigs, roots, etc).
When the bucket is about 1/2 full, you put the muck - a handful at a time - it into a device called a "sluice" (rhymes with juice). Of course, as you do this, you're eagle-eyed to the muck, hoping to see that sparkle of retirement catch your eye, then thinking when it doesn't that it must've been hidden in mud and will appear when you dump the sluice. Forever the fool optimist.
The sluice uses the flow of the creek water to filter the lighter weight dirt, sand, etc off of the heavier sediment (including gold), which falls through slots in the sluice.
After you've emptied your bucket (easy part) you fill it again (hard part) and do it over and over and over and over until you:
a) decide you've worked hard enough and surely must have amassed a golden fortune by now or
b) decide to go back into the office on Monday.
In this 1:20 video, you can get an idea of how the day went...I'm emptying what feels like my billionth bucket into the sluice while discussing with Trevor how we're going to spend our fortune.
I would quit my job; he would buy more video games. Obviously my plans (work less) differ slightly from his (play more).
At then end of the day (which was more like 4 hours), we collected enough gold to barely see in a glass vial we could barely hold. Probably worth about a buck (barely).
But the experience? (you guessed it) priceless!
As much work as the job of panning for gold full time would really be, you gotta admit the "office" would definitely be a perk.
No traffic noise, no computers, no paperwork. No passengers. As our road trip comes to an end and we head back to Orange County, for me, "The Blogger" it's back to the computer, having to satisfy my traveling itch with photos and videos for now.
Soon though, we'll be back on the road or in the air, camera and keyboard in hand, since this is truly one amazing planet.
I hope you enjoyed our Gold Rush road trip -
and maybe even learned a bit along the way.
Thanks for reading!
