2012 American Digger Sampler

Page 59

Young seal on beach.

Color, Alaska style: Panning dredge concentrates.

five hours and I don’t think I found ¼ ounce total. Water temperature is 53 degrees. My oldest dredge needs repairs tonight. The suction nozzle is worn out, so Don and Spence are putting on a new nozzle and repairing a hole in the pressure hose. We hope for better gold tomorrow.

heavy use of ocean dredging. Most of my spares that I sent up this year have been used. Water temperature is 54 degrees with good visibility.

8-22-10 Sunday We dredged yesterday and today. Don and I found little gold yesterday, and Spence found about 1½ ounces each day. I found about an ounce today. The weather is nice now and I hope we get a long good spell so Spence can make lots of money while he is here. Several repairs were needed. My Ranger has a broken exhaust system. We have it held together with wire now, and I will go to Nome tomorrow to try and get the parts ordered. Today, Don used my welding machine to repair holes in Spence’s and Ryan’s jets on their dredges. The welding machine has paid for itself several times this year. Keene’s parts are a little too light for the

8-26-10 Thursday My Ranger is fixed now. Morgan’s ATV shop got the parts in a rush and replaced all needed parts yesterday. They did a good job and I really appreciate them fixing it fast. I need the Ranger. Our Eskimo friend, Johnny, came by to visit yesterday. He is a commercial fisherman and crab season just ended for the summer. He will start fishing for halibut now and in the winter he will go after crabs again under the ice. They cut holes four feet thick through the ice to put the crab pots under. I have caught a cold and I’m taking lots of medication to try and be able to dredge some more this summer. Spence and Donald Thrash have gone to the Sinuk River to fish. Don Sublett went home yesterday, and Donald came back up for our last two weeks. Tonight a

Me with a nugget.

Keeping a watch over the musk ox herd. www.americandigger.com

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