1
00:00:02,034 --> 00:00:04,482
This got
to be a quick fix, Juan.
2
00:00:04,586 --> 00:00:06,310
Nice-looking little plant.
3
00:00:06,413 --> 00:00:10,344
Ho! Hey!
Got a rock stuck in it.
4
00:00:10,448 --> 00:00:12,724
The nugget factor up
there is the real deal.
5
00:00:14,965 --> 00:00:17,379
Oh, shoot.
Now we got that
much more to do.
6
00:00:18,862 --> 00:00:20,896
It's kind of like
being in prison.
7
00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,310
- You're really ugly in person.
- Yeah, I know.
8
00:00:26,689 --> 00:00:28,172
Speculate all you want,
it don't matter
9
00:00:28,275 --> 00:00:30,103
until you actually
weigh it up.
10
00:00:31,758 --> 00:00:34,068
Hopefully, this isn't
the one that beats us, Fred.
11
00:00:50,482 --> 00:00:53,448
Thistle. I hate thistle lawn.
12
00:00:53,551 --> 00:00:56,137
Yeah. There's that thistle. Yeah.
13
00:00:56,241 --> 00:00:59,827
I hear that works good
as wiping paper if you don't
have any toilet paper.
14
00:00:59,931 --> 00:01:03,931
One of the best
along with poison ivy
and stinging nettles.
15
00:01:09,206 --> 00:01:12,137
Freddy and Juan
trek through Montana,
16
00:01:12,241 --> 00:01:17,241
50 miles northwest of Helena
in the thin mining district.
17
00:01:17,344 --> 00:01:21,034
They've been called for what
they believe will be
a quick fix
18
00:01:21,137 --> 00:01:24,172
en route
to their next rescue.
19
00:01:24,275 --> 00:01:26,206
Where did you
meet these guys again?
20
00:01:26,310 --> 00:01:29,413
I met Bryce and Heidi at one
of the tradeshows I went to
last year, Fred.
21
00:01:29,517 --> 00:01:33,448
Bryce was telling me he cashed
in his entire savings
on this mine site.
22
00:01:33,551 --> 00:01:34,724
They bought it
a few years back,
23
00:01:34,827 --> 00:01:36,172
and they've got
all their equipment.
24
00:01:36,275 --> 00:01:38,241
I wasn't 100% sure how much
time we'd have, Fred,
25
00:01:38,344 --> 00:01:41,310
but I told him if we were
in the area, we'd stop by.
26
00:01:41,413 --> 00:01:43,517
This has got to be
a quick fix, Juan.
27
00:01:43,620 --> 00:01:46,137
Yeah, exactly, Freddy.
I'm hoping at least.
28
00:01:46,241 --> 00:01:47,689
One thing for sure.
29
00:01:47,793 --> 00:01:51,172
They've produced a tremendous
amount of placer gold
out of Montana.
30
00:01:54,206 --> 00:01:57,931
Gold was discovered
in Montana in 1864
31
00:01:58,034 --> 00:02:00,517
on the site
of the future state capital.
32
00:02:01,793 --> 00:02:05,310
Over a 100 years, old-timers
in this area pulled out
33
00:02:05,413 --> 00:02:11,241
5000 ounces of gold
worth today, $9 million.
34
00:02:11,344 --> 00:02:13,758
But their primitive
mining methods mean
35
00:02:13,862 --> 00:02:17,241
a bounty of gold
should still be up for grabs.
36
00:02:22,103 --> 00:02:26,862
This is a gamble one family
staked their future life on.
37
00:02:26,965 --> 00:02:29,000
- Freddy, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
What's your name?
38
00:02:29,103 --> 00:02:30,103
- Ryker.
- Ryker.
39
00:02:30,206 --> 00:02:31,275
- Ryker.
- I'm Heidi.
40
00:02:31,379 --> 00:02:33,000
Nice to see you again, Heidi.
How you doing, sir?
41
00:02:33,103 --> 00:02:35,551
I'm Ted, a.k.a the Goat.
42
00:02:35,655 --> 00:02:39,482
I'm the goat
in the old dirty goat mine.
43
00:02:39,586 --> 00:02:42,206
I'm really glad you
guys made it up here.
44
00:02:42,310 --> 00:02:45,310
Machine operator
and welder, Bryce Waits.
45
00:02:45,413 --> 00:02:50,931
His wife Heidi, mom Lori
and dad Ted, nicknamed Goat,
46
00:02:51,034 --> 00:02:54,068
have been mining at this site
for three years.
47
00:02:54,172 --> 00:02:55,896
So when I met you guys
last year, you guys were
48
00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:57,482
talking about your
operation up here.
49
00:02:57,586 --> 00:03:00,206
Are you planning on this being
a full-time gig instead
of just a weekend?
50
00:03:00,310 --> 00:03:01,379
Absolutely.
51
00:03:01,482 --> 00:03:05,413
But, um, what do you
really think you need?
52
00:03:05,517 --> 00:03:08,655
We're still in the throwing
money phase for the most part.
53
00:03:08,758 --> 00:03:09,724
You know,
when you get started,
54
00:03:09,827 --> 00:03:11,620
you don't realize
all that stuff you need.
55
00:03:15,068 --> 00:03:19,137
My dad used to take me
gold panning, and way back
when I was a young tyke.
56
00:03:19,241 --> 00:03:21,586
Never really
lost the passion.
57
00:03:21,689 --> 00:03:25,310
Finally, I found
this placer property
and came and checked it out
58
00:03:25,413 --> 00:03:27,965
and did some panning
in the creek and showed gold
59
00:03:28,068 --> 00:03:30,724
and bit the bullet
and bought the property.
60
00:03:30,827 --> 00:03:33,689
Bryce and I met
through mutual friend actually
at a brew fest,
61
00:03:33,793 --> 00:03:36,172
so I knew it had to be good.
62
00:03:36,275 --> 00:03:39,034
Both in their
mid-30s, Bryce and Heidi
63
00:03:39,137 --> 00:03:43,068
aim to leave
their jobs
in suburban home.
64
00:03:43,172 --> 00:03:45,103
And he came to me
and said, "Do you want to buy
a gold mine?"
65
00:03:45,206 --> 00:03:49,068
I said, "Okay."
Like, how could
I say no to that?
66
00:03:49,172 --> 00:03:51,310
Even with new equipment,
67
00:03:51,413 --> 00:03:56,827
the Waits' mine
is running at a loss,
jeopardizing their big dream.
68
00:03:56,931 --> 00:03:58,896
This property for us
is really our salvation.
69
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,000
We have everything
that we could need here.
70
00:04:02,103 --> 00:04:06,034
Our goal is to have a cabin
and I want my kids to be kids
as long as possible.
71
00:04:06,137 --> 00:04:07,482
And this place
allows for that.
72
00:04:07,586 --> 00:04:09,655
For them to be in the dirt,
you know,
playing in the water,
73
00:04:09,758 --> 00:04:12,310
doing what kids
should be doing.
74
00:04:12,413 --> 00:04:14,793
It's really our dream
of trying to better ourselves
75
00:04:14,896 --> 00:04:17,172
to make a good life
for our kids, for us,
76
00:04:17,275 --> 00:04:19,068
for our family,
to all be together
77
00:04:19,172 --> 00:04:21,379
and to be good
stewards of the land.
78
00:04:21,482 --> 00:04:24,965
I want my kids to see
that hard work can get you
anything that you want.
79
00:04:25,068 --> 00:04:26,931
This is the American dream.
80
00:04:27,034 --> 00:04:31,137
If you want a good life,
you have to get it yourself,
build it yourself.
81
00:04:31,241 --> 00:04:35,137
But we've invested
upwards of $250,000.
82
00:04:35,241 --> 00:04:38,379
It really has to pay back now.
83
00:04:38,482 --> 00:04:41,310
We really need
to hit at least 50 ounces
this season.
84
00:04:41,413 --> 00:04:45,482
So far, we have not hit ten.
85
00:04:45,586 --> 00:04:48,379
A lot of people doubted us
when we're like,
"We're buying a gold mine."
86
00:04:48,482 --> 00:04:49,655
"Oh, I can't believe it."
87
00:04:49,758 --> 00:04:51,586
And, you know, we'd love
to prove them all wrong
and say,
88
00:04:51,689 --> 00:04:54,275
"Well, we made a business,
you know, we made a life
out of this."
89
00:04:54,379 --> 00:04:55,896
What's your gold
look like here?
90
00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,862
- Is it fine gold
or coarse gold or...
- Coarse, gold.
91
00:04:58,965 --> 00:05:00,517
All coarse or you got
fines mixed in?
92
00:05:00,620 --> 00:05:04,724
- Well, there is fines,
but not a lot of it.
- Oh, that's pretty stuff.
93
00:05:04,827 --> 00:05:06,034
That's all
we've collected.
94
00:05:06,137 --> 00:05:07,758
- That's all
you've got so far?
- Yeah.
95
00:05:07,862 --> 00:05:12,068
- There's like
ten ounces there.
- It's beautiful gold.
96
00:05:12,172 --> 00:05:17,344
The Waits have
mined just 3.5 ounces
each year so far,
97
00:05:17,448 --> 00:05:21,344
but need over ten times that
to go full-time.
98
00:05:21,448 --> 00:05:25,862
I know the old timers
mined out a small section
of the property
99
00:05:25,965 --> 00:05:28,931
and they pulled out
$2 million worth of gold.
100
00:05:29,034 --> 00:05:32,517
So the gold here should be
pretty good in spots,
101
00:05:32,620 --> 00:05:35,448
but we've had
pretty dismal runs.
102
00:05:35,551 --> 00:05:39,310
It gets pretty gnarly up here sometimes,
trying to get good gold.
103
00:05:39,413 --> 00:05:42,517
Well, there's only
one way to find out
if we can help you or not.
104
00:05:42,620 --> 00:05:44,448
- Let's watch you run.
- Sure. Absolutely.
105
00:05:44,551 --> 00:05:46,068
- Yeah.
- Let's do it.
106
00:05:48,241 --> 00:05:54,000
Heidi and Bryce's
wash plant is an all-in-one
hopper, feeder and trommel
107
00:05:54,103 --> 00:05:56,827
bought online for $40,000
108
00:05:56,931 --> 00:06:00,862
and modified using
Bryce's welding skills.
109
00:06:00,965 --> 00:06:03,034
- It's a nice-looking
little plant.
- Yeah, it is.
110
00:06:03,137 --> 00:06:04,965
Show us around a little bit.
111
00:06:05,068 --> 00:06:07,413
We bought the wash plant
and drove down
to Arizona to get it,
112
00:06:07,517 --> 00:06:10,344
but it had never been ran,
so it was in good shape,
113
00:06:10,448 --> 00:06:12,448
but we had no idea
how it would run,
114
00:06:12,551 --> 00:06:14,206
so Bryce had to do
quite a bit of repairs
115
00:06:14,310 --> 00:06:16,724
and maintenance on it just
to get it to be functional.
116
00:06:16,827 --> 00:06:19,448
My son
is a pretty good fabricator,
117
00:06:19,551 --> 00:06:24,310
so I'm hoping the plant
is considered decent.
118
00:06:24,413 --> 00:06:27,413
So yeah,
this is the sluices
with the new hydraulic riffle.
119
00:06:27,517 --> 00:06:29,241
- You built that
sluice yourself, huh?
- Yes.
120
00:06:29,344 --> 00:06:31,241
- That's not
what it came with?
- No, no, no.
121
00:06:31,344 --> 00:06:33,103
Since most of your
gold's coarse, you catching
122
00:06:33,206 --> 00:06:35,413
- most of it in the top end,
I assume?
- Yeah. Yeah.
123
00:06:35,517 --> 00:06:37,206
- You put
the screen in there, huh?
- Yeah.
124
00:06:37,310 --> 00:06:39,931
Welded pre-screen
on the inside
125
00:06:40,034 --> 00:06:42,620
because the rocks were
beating the actual screen
so much.
126
00:06:42,724 --> 00:06:44,172
Oh, yeah.
127
00:06:44,275 --> 00:06:46,206
So now you're doing
a two-day run Saturday
and Sunday, right?
128
00:06:46,310 --> 00:06:49,068
What do you pulling out
of here for a two-day run, roughly?
129
00:06:49,172 --> 00:06:51,586
It depends because
of the nuggets, you know?
130
00:06:51,689 --> 00:06:56,931
We've had as low as five bucks
a yard all the way up
to 50 bucks a yard.
131
00:06:57,034 --> 00:07:00,137
The last run we did, we were
right at ten bucks a yard.
132
00:07:00,241 --> 00:07:02,620
Of the last 30 pans
I've done up here,
133
00:07:02,724 --> 00:07:07,344
I haven't found
one single speck of gold,
if that does you anything.
134
00:07:10,068 --> 00:07:13,482
That shows you
that's a real spotty deposit.
135
00:07:15,310 --> 00:07:16,931
Well, the first run,
what we're going to do
136
00:07:17,034 --> 00:07:18,413
is we're just going
to kind of step back.
137
00:07:18,517 --> 00:07:20,551
We're going to watch
everything, just watch
what you guys do,
138
00:07:20,655 --> 00:07:21,862
how you do things,
watch the plant run,
139
00:07:21,965 --> 00:07:24,034
and we're not going
to get involved at all. So...
140
00:07:24,137 --> 00:07:25,655
- Let's do it.
- Let's do it.
141
00:07:28,034 --> 00:07:29,965
Fire it up!
142
00:07:31,793 --> 00:07:34,172
That's the hydraulic pump
getting warmed up.
143
00:07:44,655 --> 00:07:47,310
Yeah. You got
a grub face.
144
00:07:49,448 --> 00:07:51,517
Come on. Let's get some gold.
145
00:07:51,620 --> 00:07:54,896
First bucket coming in.
146
00:08:23,896 --> 00:08:27,310
Heidi and Bryce are
wonderful human beings.
147
00:08:27,413 --> 00:08:29,206
They have invested a lot.
148
00:08:29,310 --> 00:08:33,275
If they had success, it'd make
this young man very proud.
149
00:08:35,862 --> 00:08:38,172
Bryce feeds
a quarter yard of paydirt
150
00:08:38,275 --> 00:08:41,517
into the hopper with each
excavator bucket.
151
00:08:43,172 --> 00:08:48,413
The grizzlies clear
the largest boulders
onto a dedicated conveyor.
152
00:08:48,517 --> 00:08:52,517
The paydirt travels
up the feed belt
into the trommel
153
00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:58,689
where the spray bars wash gold
and fine material down
into Bryce's modified sluice.
154
00:09:03,827 --> 00:09:05,862
Hang tight.
I got it clogged.
155
00:09:09,965 --> 00:09:11,551
We're all clogged up
up here now.
156
00:09:12,724 --> 00:09:15,758
Now I've got to shovel it out.
157
00:09:15,862 --> 00:09:19,724
This is probably
one of the most major issues
we have.
158
00:09:26,482 --> 00:09:29,172
- That just cost him
two buckets.
- Yeah.
159
00:09:33,586 --> 00:09:35,000
Stuck again.
160
00:09:38,724 --> 00:09:42,241
Right now he's clogging up
roughly every third bucket.
161
00:09:42,344 --> 00:09:44,793
So if he's doing seven yards
an hour,
162
00:09:44,896 --> 00:09:47,206
he could be doing
ten yards an hour.
163
00:09:47,310 --> 00:09:51,000
It's the same amount of fuel,
same amount of everything, right?
164
00:09:51,103 --> 00:09:52,137
To get more gold.
165
00:09:52,241 --> 00:09:54,137
He's losing about
a quarter of his run time.
166
00:09:56,034 --> 00:09:59,034
Go round the other side
and see what the sluices
look like, huh?
167
00:10:09,172 --> 00:10:11,172
Go, feel them.
They're not doing anything.
168
00:10:15,551 --> 00:10:17,448
Doesn't feel like
they're working.
169
00:10:17,551 --> 00:10:20,000
The middle one isn't clear now
when I just felt.
170
00:10:20,103 --> 00:10:23,758
The top ones?
They are all blocked.
171
00:10:23,862 --> 00:10:28,241
If Bryce's
handcrafted hydraulic riffles
clog with pay,
172
00:10:28,344 --> 00:10:32,137
gold could be running
off the plant.
173
00:10:32,241 --> 00:10:34,344
Well, Freddy, you know,
I think one of his biggest
174
00:10:34,448 --> 00:10:36,068
problems is this
hopper right here.
175
00:10:36,172 --> 00:10:37,551
Heidi and I were talking
for a few minutes,
176
00:10:37,655 --> 00:10:39,172
and in that little
quick conversation we had,
177
00:10:39,275 --> 00:10:42,068
he must have gotten out
of the excavator three times
to work on this.
178
00:10:42,172 --> 00:10:44,896
And it's plugging
even before he's getting up
there to shovel it, right?
179
00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,586
So nothing's going up
that dump and then
180
00:10:47,689 --> 00:10:50,000
those Hungarians
are a big problem.
181
00:11:04,758 --> 00:11:06,517
Oh! Hey!
182
00:11:06,620 --> 00:11:07,724
Cut it.
183
00:11:10,655 --> 00:11:13,310
Got a rock stuck in it.
184
00:11:13,413 --> 00:11:15,517
Now it stops spinning.
185
00:11:15,620 --> 00:11:17,344
Might have just
finally plugged up.
186
00:11:17,448 --> 00:11:21,310
Right here, there's a rock
on that tail wheel.
187
00:11:21,413 --> 00:11:24,551
It's got it pushed
up into your hopper.
188
00:11:24,655 --> 00:11:27,758
I run over and hit
the shut off
on the hydraulic pump.
189
00:11:27,862 --> 00:11:30,896
Otherwise, we'd have tore
a belt out
for broke something.
190
00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,413
So, it's a good thing
Bryce is paying attention.
191
00:11:33,517 --> 00:11:35,862
But that's not
the first time
this has happened.
192
00:11:35,965 --> 00:11:37,896
We had to stop, that way
we don't tear the belt
193
00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,620
or break something off
that's crucial.
194
00:11:40,724 --> 00:11:44,068
Replacing the custom feed belt
would take weeks,
195
00:11:44,172 --> 00:11:47,000
leaving the Waits
without a working wash plant.
196
00:11:48,448 --> 00:11:51,000
There's a lot
of things to do on this
little plant.
197
00:11:51,103 --> 00:11:53,206
It's never going
to be a race car.
198
00:11:53,310 --> 00:11:56,965
But I tell you what,
we can make it a hell
of a lot faster.
199
00:11:57,068 --> 00:11:59,448
That was it, last bucket.
200
00:12:04,655 --> 00:12:06,034
Let's take a look
at the sluice box.
201
00:12:06,137 --> 00:12:08,724
- Let's see
if there's any gold in it.
- Absolutely.
202
00:12:16,620 --> 00:12:18,517
I hate to say it,
but I'm blind,
203
00:12:18,620 --> 00:12:21,172
- but I'm not seeing
any gold in it.
- No, sir.
204
00:12:21,275 --> 00:12:23,172
Typically,
it is tough to find it.
205
00:12:28,517 --> 00:12:29,655
Right there.
206
00:12:32,068 --> 00:12:34,000
Seeing that nugget
that far down there, Juan.
207
00:12:34,103 --> 00:12:36,413
- That's not good, Fred.
- It's not good.
208
00:12:36,517 --> 00:12:38,620
- Yeah, it shouldn't be.
- That should have been
up at the very top.
209
00:12:38,724 --> 00:12:40,517
Especially, one that size.
210
00:12:40,620 --> 00:12:43,689
If a sluice box
works correctly, bigger,
211
00:12:43,793 --> 00:12:47,482
heavier gold nuggets
should settle at the very top
212
00:12:47,586 --> 00:12:51,689
and lighter, finer gold
near the bottom.
213
00:12:51,793 --> 00:12:55,103
- Well, you guys want
to finish cleaning this up?
- Sounds good.
214
00:12:55,206 --> 00:12:56,724
And we'll meet you
for the weigh in?
215
00:12:56,827 --> 00:12:58,586
- Sounds great.
- Yep. We'll weigh it up.
216
00:13:01,448 --> 00:13:03,965
I think he's got multiple
problems here, Fred.
217
00:13:04,068 --> 00:13:05,827
That nugget
was fairly sizable.
218
00:13:05,931 --> 00:13:08,517
- That should have been caught
right on that first riffle.
- That's a five gram nugget.
219
00:13:08,620 --> 00:13:10,275
And it worked
its way down, what,
three feet?
220
00:13:10,379 --> 00:13:12,689
Yeah,
it shouldn't be there.
221
00:13:12,793 --> 00:13:14,241
We can make their plant
more efficient,
222
00:13:14,344 --> 00:13:16,241
- but we can't put gold
in the ground.
- Yeah.
223
00:13:16,344 --> 00:13:18,241
Hopefully this isn't
the one that beats us, Fred.
224
00:13:18,344 --> 00:13:20,758
Yeah.
225
00:13:38,448 --> 00:13:41,000
- So is this the last of it?
- This is the last of it.
226
00:13:41,103 --> 00:13:43,931
Oh, boy. I can't wait
to see what we got.
227
00:13:44,034 --> 00:13:46,448
I think I got something
in here to show Freddy
and Juan
228
00:13:46,551 --> 00:13:48,758
that they're going
to be excited about.
229
00:13:48,862 --> 00:13:51,931
In Montana's
Lewis Mountains...
230
00:13:52,034 --> 00:13:53,172
Looking good.
231
00:13:53,275 --> 00:13:55,586
Lots of nice little
chunks of gold in there.
232
00:13:57,413 --> 00:13:59,379
The nugget factor is real.
233
00:13:59,482 --> 00:14:02,482
Yeah, but sometimes
nuggets give you a false hope.
234
00:14:02,586 --> 00:14:04,896
Miners, Heidi
and Bryce must pull in
235
00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,034
one and a half ounces
worth of gold a day
236
00:14:08,137 --> 00:14:13,620
to leave suburban life behind
and realize their
gold mining dream.
237
00:14:13,724 --> 00:14:16,137
Gold fever is a real thing
and I 100% have it
238
00:14:16,241 --> 00:14:17,655
because there's really
nothing like pulling
239
00:14:17,758 --> 00:14:19,862
that nugget out of the pan
for sure.
240
00:14:19,965 --> 00:14:22,827
I'd love to get out
of the daily grind, you know,
241
00:14:22,931 --> 00:14:26,172
dealing with all the people
that make your life
a living hell.
242
00:14:26,275 --> 00:14:28,517
Come up here
and just dig, dig, dig.
243
00:14:28,620 --> 00:14:33,000
And don't have to worry
about nothing
other than finding gold.
244
00:14:41,482 --> 00:14:43,000
All the gold that you
brought out looks good.
245
00:14:43,103 --> 00:14:45,275
- It's beautiful.
- Well, let's weigh it up.
246
00:14:45,379 --> 00:14:48,034
There's that big nugget.
What do you think it weighs?
247
00:14:48,137 --> 00:14:50,000
- Eight grams.
- You already weighed it?
248
00:14:50,103 --> 00:14:51,448
No.
249
00:14:51,551 --> 00:14:53,310
- No, it's not weighed.
- It's a game
we all play.
250
00:14:53,413 --> 00:14:57,379
- ...30.
- Yeah,
that's eight grams 0.27. Yeah.
251
00:14:57,482 --> 00:15:01,034
- Well, there's a quarter of an
ounce just in that one nugget.
- Yeah.
252
00:15:01,137 --> 00:15:03,172
That's pretty amazing.
- Here we go.
253
00:15:10,172 --> 00:15:12,517
- 0.62.
- It's a good run.
254
00:15:12,620 --> 00:15:14,758
- That's a good run.
- Yeah, it's not bad.
255
00:15:14,862 --> 00:15:20,586
0.62 ounces
for four hours of running
is worth roughly $1100.
256
00:15:20,689 --> 00:15:22,827
Well, I think if we
take the nugget out and weigh,
257
00:15:22,931 --> 00:15:25,931
that's more of an accurate
representation of what
we would average find.
258
00:15:26,034 --> 00:15:27,448
We really rely
on the small gold,
259
00:15:27,551 --> 00:15:31,241
but when you find
those nuggets, it really
does make or break your run.
260
00:15:31,344 --> 00:15:34,862
Without their rare
nugget find, the Waits have
261
00:15:34,965 --> 00:15:39,310
just 0.3 ounces,
worth around $500.
262
00:15:39,413 --> 00:15:41,344
Heidi and Bryce
understand that the gold
263
00:15:41,448 --> 00:15:42,965
is going to be spotty
in this valley.
264
00:15:43,068 --> 00:15:45,068
It's chunky gold,
very few finds,
265
00:15:45,172 --> 00:15:47,620
so you can dig in one spot
and probably get an ounce
266
00:15:47,724 --> 00:15:50,413
and then very little gold
from then on out
267
00:15:50,517 --> 00:15:51,896
until you hit
another hot spot.
268
00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,448
But I want to teach 'em how
to get on the right material
269
00:15:54,551 --> 00:15:57,862
so they know what to dig
in the future after we leave.
270
00:15:57,965 --> 00:16:00,241
Mine and Juan's worry is that
we won't find one next time
that big.
271
00:16:00,344 --> 00:16:01,620
Yeah.
272
00:16:01,724 --> 00:16:03,310
- Because that's half
your weight almost.
- Yeah.
273
00:16:03,413 --> 00:16:05,586
I mean, that nugget
is awesome,
but it's not always realistic.
274
00:16:05,689 --> 00:16:06,793
Yeah.
275
00:16:06,896 --> 00:16:08,689
Let us go back
and talk amongst ourselves.
276
00:16:08,793 --> 00:16:11,310
Try to come up with some ideas
and we'll present them
to you guys.
277
00:16:11,413 --> 00:16:14,000
Well... Be easy on us.
Be easy on us.
278
00:16:17,586 --> 00:16:18,862
What do you think, Juano?
279
00:16:18,965 --> 00:16:20,586
Well, I really think we need
to focus on that hopper, Freddy.
280
00:16:20,689 --> 00:16:23,586
- I agree with you.
- It's not unrealistic
to say that just by fixing up,
281
00:16:23,689 --> 00:16:25,517
we'll increase his gold
by 25%.
282
00:16:25,620 --> 00:16:28,793
- That's just plugging solid.
- So what do you think
over here, Fred?
283
00:16:28,896 --> 00:16:31,551
- I'm thinking maybe
we could build a vibrator.
- I like it.
284
00:16:31,655 --> 00:16:33,034
I'd really like
to put it on the back
285
00:16:33,137 --> 00:16:34,620
because that's where
it's getting clogged up.
286
00:16:34,724 --> 00:16:35,965
Be able to knock
that material down.
287
00:16:36,068 --> 00:16:38,724
So, if we reinforce that,
on this conveyor here,
288
00:16:38,827 --> 00:16:42,103
it's just puking material
all the time underneath there.
289
00:16:42,206 --> 00:16:47,103
So if we come in there,
we put a piece of slip rubber
underneath it going forward
290
00:16:47,206 --> 00:16:49,344
so that material
can't back out of there.
291
00:16:49,448 --> 00:16:52,103
But here in the sluice box,
he's got those
hydraulic riffles.
292
00:16:52,206 --> 00:16:55,103
Spread out too far for one,
these holes were plugging up.
293
00:16:55,206 --> 00:16:56,413
Just change the top,
let's say.
294
00:16:56,517 --> 00:16:58,379
two feet of these riffles
and then leave
295
00:16:58,482 --> 00:16:59,896
the other hydraulics
because he built those.
296
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:01,172
- He's proud of them.
- Yeah.
297
00:17:01,275 --> 00:17:04,068
- I don't want to take
that away from him.
- No, no.
298
00:17:04,172 --> 00:17:06,448
To stop
the hopper clogging up.
299
00:17:06,551 --> 00:17:10,068
Freddy and Juan
will attach a vibrator.
300
00:17:10,172 --> 00:17:14,448
Adding chain binders connected
to the grizzly belt.
301
00:17:14,551 --> 00:17:18,517
The combined kinetic energy
will keep the paydirt moving,
302
00:17:18,620 --> 00:17:24,344
allowing Bryce to run more
material through the plant.
303
00:17:24,448 --> 00:17:27,275
To prevent rock jams
in the feed conveyor,
304
00:17:27,379 --> 00:17:32,896
a custom fit rubber strip
will block off the gap
between hopper and belt.
305
00:17:34,862 --> 00:17:38,000
Finally, they'll install
brand new riffles
306
00:17:38,103 --> 00:17:41,448
to capture each rare nugget
in the spotty paydirt.
307
00:17:43,103 --> 00:17:44,517
My worry, though,
is half the weight
308
00:17:44,620 --> 00:17:46,655
of that whole cleanup
was one nugget.
309
00:17:46,758 --> 00:17:48,275
Well, that's scary, Freddy.
310
00:17:48,379 --> 00:17:50,137
There's going to be
a lot of gold left here.
311
00:17:50,241 --> 00:17:53,586
It's just going to be
a bit harder for Bryce
and Heidi to find it.
312
00:17:53,689 --> 00:17:56,103
- Let's go talk to them.
- Let's see what they say.
All right, let's do it.
313
00:18:00,413 --> 00:18:01,620
- Hey, guys.
- How's it going?
314
00:18:01,724 --> 00:18:02,758
Gentlemen.
315
00:18:02,862 --> 00:18:03,862
We've been talking
a little bit.
316
00:18:03,965 --> 00:18:05,206
We're trying to figure
everything out.
317
00:18:05,310 --> 00:18:06,862
We want to build a vibrator
for your hopper.
318
00:18:06,965 --> 00:18:08,241
Okay. All right.
319
00:18:08,344 --> 00:18:12,000
Like 25% of your time
was wasted trying to shovel
that out.
320
00:18:12,103 --> 00:18:14,896
When there is no dirt going
to the trommel, there's no pay
321
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:16,655
going to the sluice box,
there's no gold...
322
00:18:16,758 --> 00:18:18,310
No gold in the box. Yeah.
323
00:18:18,413 --> 00:18:21,448
Then another thing,
you've got a huge pile
of material
324
00:18:21,551 --> 00:18:24,689
right underneath where
that hopper is feeding
onto that conveyor, right?
325
00:18:24,793 --> 00:18:26,793
What I'd like to do is get
down in that feed hopper,
326
00:18:26,896 --> 00:18:29,172
and we'll lay a piece
of slip rubber going forward.
327
00:18:29,275 --> 00:18:32,103
So all that material
has to go forward then.
328
00:18:32,206 --> 00:18:34,724
It can't find a home
falling out on the ground.
329
00:18:34,827 --> 00:18:36,034
Another one of the fixes,
330
00:18:36,137 --> 00:18:38,379
we know you love
that new rifle configuration
you built.
331
00:18:38,482 --> 00:18:41,344
That first nugget we picked
out of the sluice box
was three feet down, right?
332
00:18:41,448 --> 00:18:43,172
Sure.
333
00:18:43,275 --> 00:18:45,448
So if that top
hydraulic riffle was working,
it shouldn't have got there.
334
00:18:45,551 --> 00:18:47,620
Especially that big
a piece of gold.
335
00:18:47,724 --> 00:18:50,275
I'm not the biggest fan
of hydraulic riffles anyway,
336
00:18:50,379 --> 00:18:51,482
and I don't think
Juan is either.
337
00:18:51,586 --> 00:18:52,620
No. Not at all.
338
00:18:52,724 --> 00:18:55,137
But if we do
nugget riffles up top
339
00:18:55,241 --> 00:18:57,620
and then you still have
your hydraulic riffles below,
340
00:18:57,724 --> 00:18:59,275
- you've got the best
of both worlds.
- Yeah.
341
00:18:59,379 --> 00:19:01,000
Something
you're proud of,
you built them.
342
00:19:01,103 --> 00:19:02,448
Sure.
343
00:19:02,551 --> 00:19:04,724
Do you think it's even
worth keeping the hydraulic
riffles?
344
00:19:04,827 --> 00:19:08,482
Because I feel like if you
guys don't find them
to be that beneficial,
345
00:19:08,586 --> 00:19:10,448
do you think
we'd be better off ditching
the whole thing?
346
00:19:10,551 --> 00:19:13,241
- I think so,
me personally.
- I do, too.
347
00:19:13,344 --> 00:19:15,241
I mean, I appreciate you
trying to be sensitive.
348
00:19:17,103 --> 00:19:18,103
Okay. I was walking...
349
00:19:18,206 --> 00:19:20,068
We were walking on eggshells
a little bit there
350
00:19:20,172 --> 00:19:21,517
because we wanted
to rip them all out.
351
00:19:25,379 --> 00:19:27,551
So, thinking about this
on the fly,
352
00:19:27,655 --> 00:19:30,068
let's set that top box up
for coarse,
353
00:19:30,172 --> 00:19:31,379
those big nuggets
like he had there.
354
00:19:31,482 --> 00:19:32,655
Hmm. Right at the top.
355
00:19:32,758 --> 00:19:36,586
- Medium sized gold
and fine gold.
- Right there.
356
00:19:36,689 --> 00:19:38,310
Well, we put some
numbers together.
357
00:19:38,413 --> 00:19:40,103
You know, it's always kind
of the hardest part to do,
358
00:19:40,206 --> 00:19:41,655
but with the fixes
we're going to do
359
00:19:41,758 --> 00:19:43,586
is going to get
you 25% uptime.
360
00:19:43,689 --> 00:19:46,931
It's definitely going to help.
We're looking at about
$2,000 in material.
361
00:19:47,034 --> 00:19:48,482
And we'd
like an ounce of gold.
362
00:19:48,586 --> 00:19:51,413
That's not going to pay us
any wages, but that'll cover
our expenses.
363
00:19:51,517 --> 00:19:55,206
- Yeah.
- We know you guys are working
to make this your future.
364
00:19:55,310 --> 00:19:59,586
- Yes.
- So we'll donate our time
except our expenses.
365
00:19:59,689 --> 00:20:01,137
I like that.
366
00:20:01,241 --> 00:20:02,758
We can help
improve your wash plant.
367
00:20:02,862 --> 00:20:05,758
We can look at the ground,
but at the same time...
368
00:20:05,862 --> 00:20:07,655
Yeah, there's got
to be gold in the ground, too.
369
00:20:07,758 --> 00:20:10,137
You know,
this is the type mine
that scares me and Juan
370
00:20:10,241 --> 00:20:12,586
because it's coarse and you've
already said, you know,
371
00:20:12,689 --> 00:20:16,413
sometimes it's five dollars
a yard and sometimes
it's $50 a yard.
372
00:20:16,517 --> 00:20:19,758
So we'd like to look
at your cut on the field.
373
00:20:19,862 --> 00:20:21,172
We got a deal.
374
00:20:21,275 --> 00:20:22,586
- Deal, lady?
- Absolutely.
375
00:20:22,689 --> 00:20:24,482
- Thanks, guys.
- Thanks. We really appreciate
you being here.
376
00:20:24,586 --> 00:20:26,241
Thank you very much.
377
00:20:32,517 --> 00:20:35,000
With just 48 hours
before they must leave
378
00:20:35,103 --> 00:20:38,310
for their next rescue,
Juan gets to work.
379
00:20:41,172 --> 00:20:42,724
You know, it's kind
of an awkward spot,
380
00:20:42,827 --> 00:20:47,241
but it's a good thing
that I'm really small,
so I fit in these tight spots.
381
00:20:47,344 --> 00:20:49,206
Right now, the hopper
is not working properly.
382
00:20:49,310 --> 00:20:52,758
Every third or fourth bucket,
Bryce has to get in there
and knock it all loose.
383
00:21:05,103 --> 00:21:07,413
When we put these bolts in
for the vibrator,
we got to make sure that
384
00:21:07,517 --> 00:21:09,931
we put a bunch
of Loctite in there
because it is vibrating.
385
00:21:10,034 --> 00:21:12,275
So it will actually
rock the bolts loose.
386
00:21:12,379 --> 00:21:15,655
One more bolt to tighten up
and it's done.
387
00:21:15,758 --> 00:21:16,965
There it is.
388
00:21:36,482 --> 00:21:40,448
I want to show
you guys something here,
kind of what I see.
389
00:21:40,551 --> 00:21:44,000
To determine
why their paydirt
is so spotty,
390
00:21:44,103 --> 00:21:47,896
Detective Dodge takes Bryce
and Heidi to examine
their cut.
391
00:21:49,482 --> 00:21:52,689
I stood from the side there
and looked at it
and this was a picture to me.
392
00:21:52,793 --> 00:21:56,931
This told me a story,
that told me a story.
393
00:21:57,034 --> 00:21:58,655
Do me a favor.
394
00:21:58,758 --> 00:22:00,862
Go in there in the wall
on that damp and bring me
395
00:22:00,965 --> 00:22:02,793
a handful of that,
if you wouldn't mind.
396
00:22:09,206 --> 00:22:10,931
Let's take some of this
material right here.
397
00:22:11,034 --> 00:22:13,482
Let's hit it with a rock
or something.
398
00:22:14,965 --> 00:22:20,379
Okay.
Open your hands up, guys.
Squish that together.
399
00:22:20,482 --> 00:22:22,793
Now, the other hand.
Squish that together.
400
00:22:22,896 --> 00:22:25,827
- See how sticky
that material is?
- Yes.
401
00:22:25,931 --> 00:22:27,793
That's glacial till.
402
00:22:27,896 --> 00:22:30,586
It's never been
reworked, right?
403
00:22:30,689 --> 00:22:35,724
Okay, this material
from that point to there
has been reworked.
404
00:22:35,827 --> 00:22:38,724
You can see different things
that have happened in it, right?
405
00:22:38,827 --> 00:22:40,793
- Yeah.
- See these rocks
are laying flat?
406
00:22:40,896 --> 00:22:42,379
Yep.
407
00:22:42,482 --> 00:22:45,344
- This is called shingling,
just like a windmill, right?
- Okay.
408
00:22:45,448 --> 00:22:49,655
So you can actually tell
the direction as creeks flowed
in this tight valley.
409
00:22:49,758 --> 00:22:53,862
Freddy has
identified the two separate
geological processes
410
00:22:53,965 --> 00:22:57,206
that scattered gold
around the valley.
411
00:22:57,310 --> 00:23:01,000
First, a glacier plucked
nuggets from veins
in the mountain,
412
00:23:01,103 --> 00:23:04,620
forcing them down the valley
in a massive ice wall.
413
00:23:06,724 --> 00:23:09,965
When the glacier melted,
the mixed gold
and other minerals
414
00:23:10,068 --> 00:23:13,551
were left on the valley floor unconcentrated.
415
00:23:13,655 --> 00:23:16,793
Then, as creeks flowed through
this glacial debris,
416
00:23:16,896 --> 00:23:19,586
they concentrated the gold
in a creek bed,
417
00:23:19,689 --> 00:23:22,655
creating seams
of gold rich hotspots.
418
00:23:22,758 --> 00:23:24,793
So this has been
reworked by water.
419
00:23:24,896 --> 00:23:27,689
- What's water do
in your sluice box?
- Concentrates.
420
00:23:27,793 --> 00:23:29,103
Concentrates gold.
421
00:23:29,206 --> 00:23:31,896
That's never been
re-concentrated over there.
422
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,448
It's going to have
a lot less gold in it.
423
00:23:33,551 --> 00:23:38,344
So let's say
this is $50 a yard,
and that's $1 a yard.
424
00:23:38,448 --> 00:23:42,068
- Yeah.
- You just cut yourself
to $25 a yard.
425
00:23:42,172 --> 00:23:46,965
If Bryce and Heidi
can identify more ancient
creek beds,
426
00:23:47,068 --> 00:23:48,758
they'll get more gold.
427
00:23:48,862 --> 00:23:52,448
In this valley, you're going
to have to be a prospector
as well as a miner,
428
00:23:52,551 --> 00:23:55,620
and you're going
to have to hopscotch around
hitting those pockets.
429
00:23:55,724 --> 00:23:58,068
There's going to be a lot
of gold the old-timers missed.
430
00:23:58,172 --> 00:24:00,689
It's just going to be
a bit harder to find it.
431
00:24:00,793 --> 00:24:04,344
And for your future,
cut some trenches
across your valley
432
00:24:04,448 --> 00:24:06,931
and find out how much
of this virgin material
433
00:24:07,034 --> 00:24:09,620
still lives on this side
the old-timers missed.
434
00:24:09,724 --> 00:24:11,172
- Yeah.
- But you're going
to have to find it.
435
00:24:11,275 --> 00:24:13,379
- Sure.
- Don't dig holes.
436
00:24:13,482 --> 00:24:15,724
- Dig trenches.
- Dig trenches.
437
00:24:15,827 --> 00:24:19,758
If you dig a trench,
it gives you a picture,
like a picture on your wall.
438
00:24:19,862 --> 00:24:21,551
- You see the difference now?
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
439
00:24:21,655 --> 00:24:24,172
No, I definitely see it.
440
00:24:24,275 --> 00:24:27,758
Freddy's advice on the cut
was absolutely spot on.
441
00:24:27,862 --> 00:24:31,620
And it saves so much struggle
and trouble going after
the wrong thing.
442
00:24:31,724 --> 00:24:33,517
Having them here
is so amazing.
443
00:24:33,620 --> 00:24:36,896
I mean, truly the knowledge
they can share with us.
444
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:41,620
They need to test that muddy
material and see how much
is in it by itself
445
00:24:41,724 --> 00:24:44,241
but I think they need
to run this other material
that's been reworked
446
00:24:44,344 --> 00:24:46,310
that's not plugging
the plant up.
447
00:24:46,413 --> 00:24:48,689
I believe
there's more gold in it.
448
00:24:48,793 --> 00:24:52,000
We spent a half a day now
digging around looking at it,
449
00:24:52,103 --> 00:24:54,551
so I've got to get back
on working on the plant
450
00:24:54,655 --> 00:24:57,241
or we aren't going to get
this stuff fixed
in the time we're here.
451
00:25:02,517 --> 00:25:05,586
At the hopper, Juan
is strengthening the plant.
452
00:25:08,448 --> 00:25:11,310
We're pitting these brackets,
one to the conveyor
and one to the hopper,
453
00:25:11,413 --> 00:25:12,586
and that way
we could tighten it
454
00:25:12,689 --> 00:25:15,103
and be able
to support the conveyor.
455
00:25:15,206 --> 00:25:19,206
Chain binders
will add even more vibration
to the hopper,
456
00:25:19,310 --> 00:25:22,344
shaking any plugged paydirt
through to the plant.
457
00:25:23,344 --> 00:25:26,137
- How's it going, Juano?
- It's coming, Fred.
458
00:25:26,241 --> 00:25:28,000
- Gonna work.
- Yeah, it'll be fine.
459
00:25:36,068 --> 00:25:38,103
- Yeah.
Go ahead and open her up.
- Okay.
460
00:25:39,724 --> 00:25:41,586
Rope. Ready.
461
00:25:45,137 --> 00:25:47,206
It's kind
of like being in prison.
462
00:25:47,310 --> 00:25:48,689
I told you
we were keeping you.
463
00:25:48,793 --> 00:25:51,275
Oh,
you don't want me.
464
00:25:51,379 --> 00:25:53,137
So what we're going to do,
we're going to put a piece
465
00:25:53,241 --> 00:25:55,758
of slip rubber in here to get
that material moving forward.
466
00:25:55,862 --> 00:25:59,241
- So it'll stop falling
out the bottom?
- Exactly.
467
00:25:59,344 --> 00:26:02,482
In the initial test,
a faulty flap in the hopper
468
00:26:02,586 --> 00:26:09,068
let a rock escape,
jamming the tail wheel
and almost tearing the belt.
469
00:26:09,172 --> 00:26:14,034
The new rubber flap
will hang over the gap
blocking off the hold
470
00:26:14,137 --> 00:26:18,137
and forcing
all the material
up the feed belt.
471
00:26:18,241 --> 00:26:22,103
Little trick I learned
last year from a miner
in the Yukon.
472
00:26:22,206 --> 00:26:26,482
If you wet your blade,
you can cut rubber
about three times as fast.
473
00:26:26,586 --> 00:26:31,068
- If I hold this down,
you want to draw it?
- Sure.
474
00:26:31,172 --> 00:26:34,137
What do you mainly
doing at the mine site?
475
00:26:34,241 --> 00:26:36,448
My job is to sort of be
the person on the outside
476
00:26:36,551 --> 00:26:38,793
being like, "Well,
that doesn't make sense."
So...
477
00:26:38,896 --> 00:26:41,620
And also trying to be
the voice of reason at times.
478
00:26:41,724 --> 00:26:45,034
He gets so focused
and I'm like,
"Wouldn't that be easier?"
479
00:26:45,137 --> 00:26:46,586
and "Oh, maybe you're right."
480
00:26:46,689 --> 00:26:48,689
So, just depends
on what the need is.
481
00:26:48,793 --> 00:26:52,862
- Sometimes I have good ideas.
- I bet you do.
482
00:26:52,965 --> 00:26:56,034
It's a pleasure to work
with people like Heidi
and Bryce
483
00:26:56,137 --> 00:26:58,344
because they aren't scared
to get their hands dirty.
484
00:26:58,448 --> 00:27:02,379
They're the kind of people
that ask you what you need
to get done.
485
00:27:02,482 --> 00:27:04,551
So I grew up...
My mom was a single mom.
486
00:27:04,655 --> 00:27:06,206
I didn't get to grow up
with a big family.
487
00:27:06,310 --> 00:27:09,896
So to have all these
generations on site
was really important to me.
488
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,103
- Are you going to help
dad someday catch gold?
- Yeah.
489
00:27:13,206 --> 00:27:15,103
Can I have a squeeze first?
490
00:27:15,206 --> 00:27:16,965
From Juan and Freddy,
we really need their help
491
00:27:17,068 --> 00:27:20,551
to make sure that
what we're doing here
is successful.
492
00:27:22,655 --> 00:27:24,724
You want me to crawl
on the inside of the hopper
to put it in?
493
00:27:24,827 --> 00:27:26,758
Sure, and I'll bolt it
from the outside.
494
00:27:28,413 --> 00:27:30,482
You know, if I didn't know
any better,
I think we measured this
495
00:27:30,586 --> 00:27:32,344
and cut it just perfect.
496
00:27:32,448 --> 00:27:35,827
- Like we knew
what we were doing, buddy.
- There you go.
497
00:27:37,827 --> 00:27:39,655
Gonna hop up there
and have a look at it
with you.
498
00:27:43,103 --> 00:27:44,965
Yep. Perfect actually.
499
00:27:47,448 --> 00:27:49,241
Well, another day
behind the eight ball.
500
00:27:49,344 --> 00:27:51,965
We got a lot of stuff to do
and not a lot of time
to get it done.
501
00:27:59,448 --> 00:28:01,551
The next morning.
502
00:28:01,655 --> 00:28:04,310
Right now, we don't have
a piece long enough,
so we'll use these
503
00:28:04,413 --> 00:28:07,000
and I'll weld them together
and then cut them to length.
504
00:28:07,103 --> 00:28:08,827
Use what you got.
505
00:28:08,931 --> 00:28:11,793
Freddy and Juan
have just a day
and a half left
506
00:28:11,896 --> 00:28:15,758
on the mine site,
and one more job to do.
507
00:28:15,862 --> 00:28:17,379
What do you want
to do with the riffles?
508
00:28:17,482 --> 00:28:19,620
He had six-footer
riffles in here.
509
00:28:19,724 --> 00:28:21,689
I think we'll go
to five and a half feet.
510
00:28:21,793 --> 00:28:23,068
We'll build
a new riffle trays,
511
00:28:23,172 --> 00:28:25,000
but we'll move them
down a little bit.
512
00:28:25,103 --> 00:28:27,724
That'll help spread
that material out.
513
00:28:27,827 --> 00:28:30,172
- Put a ramp on the front.
- I like it.
514
00:28:30,275 --> 00:28:32,620
The way that material
gets up on top of the riffle.
515
00:28:34,413 --> 00:28:37,172
As they measure up
the sluice box...
516
00:28:37,275 --> 00:28:39,000
I'm just seeing
the depth of it.
517
00:28:46,137 --> 00:28:49,482
- It's shot.
- That thing's gone?
518
00:28:49,586 --> 00:28:52,172
It's worse
when you see it like that.
519
00:28:52,275 --> 00:28:55,758
- 5/8th.
- I hope the other
side is the same.
520
00:28:55,862 --> 00:28:57,413
- Oh, shoot.
It's even worse.
- Other side's worse.
521
00:28:57,517 --> 00:28:59,827
Doesn't look worse, but it is.
522
00:28:59,931 --> 00:29:01,931
That's really bad, Freddy.
523
00:29:02,034 --> 00:29:04,965
The metal
of the sluice
is severely warped,
524
00:29:05,068 --> 00:29:09,103
leaving gaps where the gold
can escape out of the bottom.
525
00:29:09,206 --> 00:29:11,689
This is just some old steel
you had that was
laying around.
526
00:29:11,793 --> 00:29:13,413
- Yeah.
- I understand.
527
00:29:13,517 --> 00:29:15,896
You use what you got,
especially when you're
on a budget.
528
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:17,551
We can't let that go.
529
00:29:17,655 --> 00:29:21,724
No, this is probably
costing you 4 or 5%
of your really fine gold.
530
00:29:21,827 --> 00:29:23,068
That's not a good thing.
531
00:29:23,172 --> 00:29:26,068
When you have all that free
space underneath your riffles,
532
00:29:26,172 --> 00:29:28,517
inevitably, you're going
to get material and water,
washing it though.
533
00:29:28,620 --> 00:29:30,413
- Washing underneath?
- Underneath it. Yeah.
534
00:29:30,517 --> 00:29:31,482
You know,
at the end of the day,
535
00:29:31,586 --> 00:29:33,137
this is kind
of your fine gold sluice.
536
00:29:33,241 --> 00:29:36,655
And really, this is not
conducive to fine gold
recovery at all.
537
00:29:36,758 --> 00:29:38,724
Well, you put all the effort
and the last thing
you want to do
538
00:29:38,827 --> 00:29:40,793
- is be blowing gold out end.
- That's right.
539
00:29:40,896 --> 00:29:43,827
We're better off
just building one, Fred.
540
00:29:43,931 --> 00:29:46,896
As wide as this
one is, we ain't gonna
have time, Juan.
541
00:30:08,344 --> 00:30:09,379
Now that we see it
without carpet,
542
00:30:09,482 --> 00:30:10,965
I don't think
we can let it be.
543
00:30:11,068 --> 00:30:13,517
I know already we're kind
of limited on time, but...
544
00:30:15,724 --> 00:30:20,137
With just 24 hours
before they must leave
the Waits mine,
545
00:30:20,241 --> 00:30:25,275
Freddy and Juan face
building a new sluice
from scratch.
546
00:30:25,379 --> 00:30:28,379
Let's fix it.
We're going to have
to build a new one.
547
00:30:28,482 --> 00:30:30,000
- You can weld, right?
- Oh, yeah.
548
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,862
I know we don't have time
to do it,
but this is important.
549
00:30:34,965 --> 00:30:37,275
Yeah.
550
00:30:37,379 --> 00:30:39,517
I think we'll just
shorten this to here.
551
00:30:39,620 --> 00:30:42,724
We're only going to lose
an inch and a half
of the sluice box.
552
00:30:42,827 --> 00:30:44,793
Well, we got to quit
talking about it.
Now, we've got to work.
553
00:30:44,896 --> 00:30:46,000
Now we've got
that much more to do.
554
00:30:46,103 --> 00:30:47,413
- Yeah.
- So let's get to it.
555
00:30:47,517 --> 00:30:49,344
You want to start getting
some measurements for me
what you want?
556
00:30:49,448 --> 00:30:50,965
- I'll draw it up.
- Yeah, please.
557
00:30:53,206 --> 00:30:54,689
Bryce and Heidi,
just a great family.
558
00:30:54,793 --> 00:30:56,620
You know, they coming
out here trying
to make a living.
559
00:30:56,724 --> 00:30:58,689
Freddy and I, we're here,
we want to help him
as best we can.
560
00:30:58,793 --> 00:31:00,241
We're going to do our best
to get 'em fixed
561
00:31:00,344 --> 00:31:02,448
and hopefully,
get 'em back on track.
562
00:31:09,206 --> 00:31:12,827
The new sluice box
will be two feet wide
563
00:31:12,931 --> 00:31:17,137
and braced along its length
with ribs to prevent warps
in the steel.
564
00:31:19,137 --> 00:31:23,517
To catch fine gold,
Freddy will fit
expanded metal
565
00:31:23,620 --> 00:31:27,448
and install
a separate riffle tray
at the top of the old sluice
566
00:31:27,551 --> 00:31:29,000
for bigger nuggets.
567
00:31:31,068 --> 00:31:32,586
We still got
a lot of work ahead of us.
568
00:31:32,689 --> 00:31:34,379
We have to kind
of divide and conquer.
569
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,965
As Juan gets
started cutting
Freddy's design,
570
00:31:39,068 --> 00:31:43,689
Freddy drafts in father
and son to tear out
the old sluice.
571
00:31:43,793 --> 00:31:45,586
We'd have left it
if it wasn't for the bends,
572
00:31:45,689 --> 00:31:49,103
but what we're doing
is going to catch you
more gold in the future.
573
00:31:49,206 --> 00:31:51,310
- You want to cut that side?
- Yeah.
574
00:31:51,413 --> 00:31:53,758
How long you been
messing with gold, Goat?
575
00:31:53,862 --> 00:31:57,206
Since the '70s, mostly
Northern California.
576
00:31:57,310 --> 00:31:59,172
You guys used to do it
together when you were a kid?
577
00:31:59,275 --> 00:32:01,103
- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
578
00:32:01,206 --> 00:32:04,827
I still got all the old gold
that he collected over there
in California.
579
00:32:04,931 --> 00:32:07,517
He was conceived
at a gold field.
580
00:32:07,620 --> 00:32:09,827
- Pretty sure of it.
- That's why
it's in my blood.
581
00:32:09,931 --> 00:32:11,655
That's why
it's in your blood.
582
00:32:17,413 --> 00:32:20,172
Here you go, Goat.
Put her on the back
of the truck.
583
00:32:20,275 --> 00:32:24,137
Let's get this done so we can
find some gold,
we're burning daylight.
584
00:32:29,827 --> 00:32:30,965
Hey, Bryce.
What's going on, buddy?
585
00:32:31,068 --> 00:32:32,344
Hey,
how's it going over here?
586
00:32:32,448 --> 00:32:34,655
With a whole
sluice box to build,
587
00:32:34,758 --> 00:32:38,275
Juan promotes Bryce
to welding assistant.
588
00:32:38,379 --> 00:32:39,620
There's some gloves there.
589
00:32:39,724 --> 00:32:41,379
There's actually another hood
inside my trailer if you want
590
00:32:41,482 --> 00:32:44,000
- to grab a welding hood.
- Okay.
591
00:32:44,103 --> 00:32:47,896
You done much welding?
I started welding
in high school.
592
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,103
I pretty much
have done it ever since.
593
00:32:50,206 --> 00:32:53,586
These ribs, they're going
to support the bottom
of the sluice box.
594
00:32:53,689 --> 00:32:56,448
- So you saw how your box
had a bunch of dips in it?
- Right.
595
00:32:56,551 --> 00:32:58,586
We're going gonna put
all these reinforced
ribs on there
596
00:32:58,689 --> 00:33:02,137
so that way it doesn't
have a chance to be able
to flex and get bent.
597
00:33:03,517 --> 00:33:05,310
- Go ahead and attack that.
- Okay.
598
00:33:08,620 --> 00:33:10,137
That's good.
That's goof, that's good.
599
00:33:10,241 --> 00:33:12,586
Let me show you
something real quick.
600
00:33:15,586 --> 00:33:17,551
So you fire it off...
601
00:33:25,413 --> 00:33:28,689
If you long arc it like that,
gets really, really hot.
602
00:33:28,793 --> 00:33:30,931
A welding arc
that is too hot
603
00:33:31,034 --> 00:33:35,448
creates bubbles in the weld,
making it weaker.
604
00:33:35,551 --> 00:33:37,896
- So if you want
to cool it off, dip it in.
- Closer.
605
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,482
The closer you get,
the closer you get,
the cooler it gets.
606
00:33:41,586 --> 00:33:43,931
It's actually pretty awesome
working with Juan,
607
00:33:44,034 --> 00:33:47,586
kind of a dream
come true really.
608
00:33:47,689 --> 00:33:49,931
Well, you guys got a beautiful
property out here, you know.
609
00:33:50,034 --> 00:33:51,827
I can see why you
and your wife and the kids
610
00:33:51,931 --> 00:33:53,344
want to stay
out here all the time.
611
00:33:53,448 --> 00:33:55,586
Yeah,
I love it up here.
612
00:33:55,689 --> 00:33:57,758
I'm hoping that Freddy
and Juan can help us
613
00:33:57,862 --> 00:34:03,448
make a living off the ground,
you know, not have to rely
on anybody else.
614
00:34:03,551 --> 00:34:06,068
That'd be a dream come true
for probably the whole family.
615
00:34:06,172 --> 00:34:11,034
Ryker, Ava, as annoyed
as they get at us
for being busy all the time,
616
00:34:11,137 --> 00:34:16,000
I think one day
they will understand why
we do what we do.
617
00:34:16,103 --> 00:34:20,344
- This time, you better
catch a fish, okay?
- Okay.
618
00:34:20,448 --> 00:34:22,931
Ryker, he's definitely
a rock hound.
619
00:34:23,034 --> 00:34:27,793
He has shown a lot of interest
in geology, gold mining,
620
00:34:27,896 --> 00:34:30,413
everything that we do up here.
621
00:34:30,517 --> 00:34:33,379
- Are you going to be
a gold miner like your dad?
- Yes.
622
00:34:33,482 --> 00:34:36,758
You already run
the excavator, don't you?
623
00:34:36,862 --> 00:34:39,448
I'll get the nuggets
that you missed.
624
00:34:39,551 --> 00:34:42,448
Someday the price of gold
will catch up with inflation
625
00:34:42,551 --> 00:34:44,896
and it's going to be
worth big money.
626
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,275
It's a good thing
for my kids to learn.
627
00:34:48,965 --> 00:34:51,482
Nice weld on there,
Bryce. Good job, my friend.
628
00:34:51,586 --> 00:34:54,137
You know, working with Bryce
has been great, you know.
He knows what he's doing.
629
00:34:54,241 --> 00:34:55,586
He knows how to weld.
630
00:34:55,689 --> 00:34:57,965
You know, he's not
scared of work.
So he's our type of people.
631
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,172
Hey, Bryce, before you keep
on welding, why don't you
put that on?
632
00:35:03,275 --> 00:35:04,482
Awesome. Thank you.
633
00:35:04,586 --> 00:35:07,793
Bryce earns
Juan's biggest compliment.
634
00:35:07,896 --> 00:35:09,827
Usually, before I let anyone
wear that, I want to make sure
635
00:35:09,931 --> 00:35:12,275
they know how to weld,
and you do,
so you can wear it.
636
00:35:12,379 --> 00:35:14,551
- Glad I can be part
of the family.
- No problem, buddy.
637
00:35:16,655 --> 00:35:18,827
I feel like
a professional welder now.
638
00:35:29,620 --> 00:35:32,448
It's time
for final preparations.
639
00:35:32,551 --> 00:35:35,586
Juan welds
the finishing touches
640
00:35:35,689 --> 00:35:39,655
as father and son
dig out paydirt for the test.
641
00:35:39,758 --> 00:35:41,620
You're...
you're really ugly in person.
642
00:35:41,724 --> 00:35:43,758
- Yeah, I know.
- Yeah.
643
00:35:43,862 --> 00:35:47,103
- How much gas you
got in this hog?
- I got a full tank.
644
00:35:47,206 --> 00:35:50,034
I think it'll go to LA
at 12 miles an hour.
645
00:35:54,862 --> 00:35:59,068
Bryce is one of the hardest
working people
I've ever known.
646
00:35:59,172 --> 00:36:02,275
It's pretty scary
having everything on the line
up here.
647
00:36:04,068 --> 00:36:08,206
Right now I'm over here
where Freddy told me
I should dig.
648
00:36:08,310 --> 00:36:11,482
That way, we can hopefully
get a better result.
649
00:36:12,586 --> 00:36:14,448
Look at that rock.
Holy moly!
650
00:36:15,793 --> 00:36:20,931
This truck is a year newer
than the year I graduated.
651
00:36:21,034 --> 00:36:23,344
I am in much better shape.
652
00:36:30,551 --> 00:36:31,931
There it is.
653
00:36:38,586 --> 00:36:41,620
I hope there's a bunch of gold
in there, that's for sure.
654
00:36:54,724 --> 00:36:58,034
Hey, Bryce.
I'm gonna be right there.
655
00:36:58,137 --> 00:37:01,448
On a gold mine,
when time is tight,
656
00:37:01,551 --> 00:37:04,551
necessity is the mother of invention.
657
00:37:05,793 --> 00:37:08,413
I don't know what the hell
Freddy's doing back there.
658
00:37:08,517 --> 00:37:14,241
It's been about ten,
15 minutes on there, so...
See what it's like.
659
00:37:19,517 --> 00:37:21,862
Not cold or hot,
but it's done enough.
660
00:37:29,034 --> 00:37:33,172
It's not the greatest,
but it's better than
no lunch at all.
661
00:37:48,517 --> 00:37:49,620
You're good.
You're good.
662
00:37:52,379 --> 00:37:54,551
- Coming
down with the boom.
- Okay.
663
00:37:54,655 --> 00:37:57,793
- Oops.
Or the other down.
- The other down.
664
00:37:57,896 --> 00:38:01,034
With the final minutes
of the rescue ticking down,
665
00:38:01,137 --> 00:38:04,517
Juan's sluice box
arrives at the plant.
666
00:38:04,620 --> 00:38:07,586
We'll knock the boards loose
and do some layout on it.
667
00:38:16,310 --> 00:38:18,310
You're good.
668
00:38:18,413 --> 00:38:20,137
Are you going to catch us
a giant nugget?
669
00:38:20,241 --> 00:38:21,862
Hopefully.
670
00:38:21,965 --> 00:38:24,896
So I'm going to make a whole
separate sluice box area.
671
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,517
One riffle tray here,
then two sets here.
672
00:38:27,620 --> 00:38:32,620
I want to make this where
you can just pull your nugget
tray out for testing
673
00:38:32,724 --> 00:38:34,310
without
affecting the rest of them.
674
00:38:34,413 --> 00:38:35,655
Absolutely.
675
00:38:35,758 --> 00:38:38,689
Pull this one riffle tray out,
pull this one set of carpet,
676
00:38:38,793 --> 00:38:41,758
just look at it and say
"We aren't digging
there anymore,"
677
00:38:41,862 --> 00:38:45,068
or pull it and say,
hopefully, "Dang right!"
678
00:38:45,172 --> 00:38:47,931
So, what are you guys now?
You're not miners
anymore, right?
679
00:38:48,034 --> 00:38:52,000
- You're prospector miners
on this property, right?
- Absolutely.
680
00:38:55,827 --> 00:38:58,275
You can help me get
this design and we'll get it
cut out.
681
00:38:58,379 --> 00:38:59,586
Okay.
682
00:38:59,689 --> 00:39:03,379
Juan has one more
job for an aspiring miner.
683
00:39:03,482 --> 00:39:04,862
- Need a hand? You good?
- I got it.
684
00:39:04,965 --> 00:39:06,206
All right, bud.
685
00:39:06,310 --> 00:39:08,000
We're going to pull up
the table,
get some water in here,
686
00:39:08,103 --> 00:39:09,586
so we can start cutting.
687
00:39:09,689 --> 00:39:12,689
Making a sign for the Waits Mine.
688
00:39:12,793 --> 00:39:14,862
What's the name of the mine?
- Old Dirty Goat Mine.
689
00:39:14,965 --> 00:39:16,172
Old Dirty Goat Mine.
690
00:39:16,275 --> 00:39:19,448
A tribute to Goat,
Ryker's grandpa.
691
00:39:19,551 --> 00:39:21,931
All right. We don't
have a whole lot of time,
so we'll just cut something
692
00:39:22,034 --> 00:39:23,344
real simple, huh?
693
00:39:25,620 --> 00:39:27,275
How...
How big should we make it?
694
00:39:27,379 --> 00:39:29,896
- Pretty big.
- So what do you like best
about mining, Ryker?
695
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,068
I heard that you're
a little bit of a rock hound.
696
00:39:32,172 --> 00:39:35,586
Well, I love finding quartz.
All kind of shiny rocks.
697
00:39:35,689 --> 00:39:37,172
Shiny stuff, huh?
698
00:39:41,655 --> 00:39:42,724
Cool.
699
00:39:42,827 --> 00:39:44,103
All right.
You ready to cut?
700
00:39:44,206 --> 00:39:46,655
- Mm-hmm.
- Here, Ryker,
put these on for a little bit.
701
00:39:46,758 --> 00:39:49,000
- Okay.
- All right.
702
00:39:49,103 --> 00:39:51,413
Let's get over here and let's
hit start on this thing.
703
00:39:51,517 --> 00:39:54,655
All the parameters are set,
so hit start
when you're ready.
704
00:39:57,551 --> 00:39:58,931
Pretty cool, huh?
705
00:40:03,344 --> 00:40:04,862
Careful.
She's still kind of hot.
706
00:40:04,965 --> 00:40:06,862
What do you think your mom
and dad are going to think
about it?
707
00:40:06,965 --> 00:40:07,965
It's gonna be cool.
708
00:40:08,068 --> 00:40:09,655
Well, you know,
the cool thing about it?
709
00:40:09,758 --> 00:40:10,965
Is we both kind
of made it together.
710
00:40:11,068 --> 00:40:12,827
Yeah.
It's pretty neat, huh?
711
00:40:15,310 --> 00:40:17,931
Well, let's throw some
miner's moss on it.
712
00:40:20,448 --> 00:40:22,551
Well, what do you think
of this new sluice?
713
00:40:22,655 --> 00:40:23,862
I think it's awesome.
714
00:40:30,448 --> 00:40:32,620
Love it.
715
00:40:32,724 --> 00:40:35,482
I cannot wait to run.
I'm excited
to see what we did.
716
00:40:35,586 --> 00:40:38,655
Well, there's only
one way to find out, huh?
717
00:40:38,758 --> 00:40:40,241
Let's start.
718
00:40:40,344 --> 00:40:41,758
Fire it up!
719
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,068
On their fourth day
at the mine, Freddy and Juan
720
00:40:48,172 --> 00:40:52,000
put their quickest
ever fix to the test.
721
00:41:02,379 --> 00:41:03,586
Yeah.
722
00:41:20,103 --> 00:41:23,896
Bryce has got about 20 buckets
in so far and he hasn't had
to stop once for the hopper.
723
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,827
It's running perfectly.
724
00:41:26,931 --> 00:41:30,310
I'm feeling pretty confident
about how the plant's running.
725
00:41:30,413 --> 00:41:33,620
I feel the material is running
through the plant better.
726
00:41:33,724 --> 00:41:36,965
We're going to make that
huge dream a reality.
727
00:41:37,068 --> 00:41:38,689
I'm here for the long term.
728
00:41:38,793 --> 00:41:41,103
There's enough ground for me
to mine up here for the rest
729
00:41:41,206 --> 00:41:45,103
of my life and probably
most of my kid's life.
730
00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:58,758
That's a good problem.
731
00:41:58,862 --> 00:42:01,931
Yeah.
732
00:42:04,758 --> 00:42:07,206
In the first test,
Bryce had to jump
733
00:42:07,310 --> 00:42:11,000
out of his excavator
and unclog the hopper
multiple times.
734
00:42:13,551 --> 00:42:17,482
Now, the vibrator and chain
binders prevent clogs,
735
00:42:17,586 --> 00:42:22,241
allowing Bryce to load
three times the amount
of paydirt into the plant.
736
00:42:23,620 --> 00:42:27,000
Before, a gap between
the hopper and feed belt
737
00:42:27,103 --> 00:42:32,965
let rocks fall into the belt's
tail wheel regularly
shutting down the plant.
738
00:42:33,068 --> 00:42:38,620
A simple rubber flap now stops
the rocks and the breakdowns.
739
00:42:38,724 --> 00:42:42,758
And finally, the hydraulic
riffles that clogged up
with pay
740
00:42:42,862 --> 00:42:45,896
letting gold escape
have been replaced
741
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:50,103
with expanded metal
and dedicated
prospector's sluice
742
00:42:50,206 --> 00:42:53,275
for quickly testing paydirt
on the spotty ground.
743
00:42:54,655 --> 00:42:58,310
They're running good.
The sluice is running great.
744
00:42:58,413 --> 00:43:02,206
The feeder's working
because we put that
vibrator on it.
745
00:43:02,310 --> 00:43:08,206
So he hasn't had to get out
of that machine
and unplug it once.
746
00:43:08,310 --> 00:43:12,103
That's a scary one,
because he even says
the nugget effect here.
747
00:43:12,206 --> 00:43:13,827
Yeah, absolutely.
748
00:43:13,931 --> 00:43:15,103
Yep.
749
00:43:17,965 --> 00:43:23,241
- Four hours in...
- Well, Juano, last bucket.
750
00:43:23,344 --> 00:43:25,000
Let's see what's
in the pan, Fred.
751
00:43:25,103 --> 00:43:28,103
You know,
at the end of the day,
the scale doesn't lie.
752
00:43:44,689 --> 00:43:47,068
Get some water.
753
00:43:47,172 --> 00:43:48,862
What do you think, Juano?
754
00:43:48,965 --> 00:43:51,241
The prospector's
sluice should give them
755
00:43:51,344 --> 00:43:54,310
an idea of the quality
of the paydirt.
756
00:43:54,413 --> 00:43:59,896
It's hard to say, Fred,
but I don't see anything
that's popping out.
757
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:07,896
I see why you can do
40 pans and not find a color
looking at that, you know?
758
00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:09,724
I can see some
gold right there.
759
00:44:09,827 --> 00:44:10,862
- Here?
- Yeah.
760
00:44:10,965 --> 00:44:12,275
I see a pile of gold
right there I think.
761
00:44:12,379 --> 00:44:14,068
- There's a nugget.
- A nugget right there.
762
00:44:14,172 --> 00:44:16,172
Right at the first riffle.
763
00:44:16,275 --> 00:44:19,137
- It wasn't
three feet down, huh?
- Right where it belongs.
764
00:44:24,724 --> 00:44:27,344
- There's quarter
of an ounce there or more...
- Yeah, we got it.
765
00:44:27,448 --> 00:44:28,931
...just in that one pan.
766
00:44:31,413 --> 00:44:34,965
When I first saw
that pan, I was pretty happy
with what I saw.
767
00:44:35,068 --> 00:44:38,413
Speculate all you want,
it don't matter until
you actually weigh it up.
768
00:44:42,310 --> 00:44:46,172
For the Waits family,
it's the moment of truth.
769
00:44:53,310 --> 00:44:55,827
- Ooh.
- This is what we got, guys.
770
00:44:57,724 --> 00:44:59,862
- Well, we know the plant's
running more efficient.
- Yeah.
771
00:45:05,379 --> 00:45:06,689
0.31.
772
00:45:08,448 --> 00:45:10,931
- Not good, Fred.
- No.
773
00:45:11,034 --> 00:45:17,896
...31 ounces
worth roughly $600,
half the first gold weigh.
774
00:45:20,862 --> 00:45:23,241
- No big nuggets
like that last time.
- No.
775
00:45:23,344 --> 00:45:25,689
The nugget factor
up here is a real deal.
776
00:45:28,241 --> 00:45:31,103
We know the sluice is doing
good because we tested it down
the sluice.
777
00:45:31,206 --> 00:45:34,034
There's no gold carrying
down to speak of. So...
778
00:45:34,137 --> 00:45:35,689
No, everything
was working great.
779
00:45:35,793 --> 00:45:39,965
Well, we were hoping
to fill a pan with gold,
but keep prospecting
780
00:45:40,068 --> 00:45:41,724
because that's what
you're going to have to
do here.
781
00:45:41,827 --> 00:45:43,068
Yeah.
782
00:45:43,172 --> 00:45:45,862
- You know, like we talked
prospector miners.
- Absolutely.
783
00:45:45,965 --> 00:45:47,620
We're set up for it now.
784
00:45:47,724 --> 00:45:50,413
This is the first time
I've been bit in the ass
like this.
785
00:45:50,517 --> 00:45:53,344
They found that big nugget
on the first clean up.
786
00:45:53,448 --> 00:45:55,586
We didn't find a big nugget
on the second one,
787
00:45:55,689 --> 00:45:57,793
but it's going
to be spotty just like this.
788
00:45:57,896 --> 00:45:59,620
The material
the old-timers missed,
789
00:45:59,724 --> 00:46:02,275
it's probably got
good gold in it.
790
00:46:02,379 --> 00:46:05,965
But there's
another silver lining.
791
00:46:07,241 --> 00:46:09,931
- Oh!
- Holy cow.
792
00:46:10,034 --> 00:46:12,068
- Nice. Awesome.
- Cool.
793
00:46:12,172 --> 00:46:13,793
Came out good,
huh, Ryker?
794
00:46:16,620 --> 00:46:17,793
Well, guys,
do us a favor.
795
00:46:17,896 --> 00:46:20,620
Keep us informed
on what happens
796
00:46:20,724 --> 00:46:23,551
because now your plant's
set up to prospect.
797
00:46:23,655 --> 00:46:27,379
You know that second gold
weight isn't what we wanted.
Honestly, that's gold mining.
798
00:46:27,482 --> 00:46:29,034
You know, especially with
ground like this,
799
00:46:29,137 --> 00:46:31,103
sometimes you're going
to hit it,
and sometimes you don't.
800
00:46:31,206 --> 00:46:32,620
Really want to know
how they keep on doing
801
00:46:32,724 --> 00:46:34,206
because they're part
of our family now.
802
00:46:34,310 --> 00:46:37,000
We want to make sure that
the improvements that we made
to their plant,
803
00:46:37,103 --> 00:46:38,655
you know,
really help them out.
804
00:46:38,758 --> 00:46:40,068
You know,
this is kind of a fluke.
805
00:46:40,172 --> 00:46:41,827
You know, the ground
wasn't what it
should have been,
806
00:46:41,931 --> 00:46:44,137
- and that's how it is up here, so...
- Right.
807
00:46:44,241 --> 00:46:46,517
But you're going to come
into some stuff that,
it's going to be amazing
808
00:46:46,620 --> 00:46:48,068
- and we want to know about it.
- Yeah.
809
00:46:48,172 --> 00:46:49,137
- Absolutely.
- Yeah.
810
00:46:49,241 --> 00:46:50,517
Thanks for all
your help, guys.
811
00:46:50,620 --> 00:46:52,413
- Thanks for everything, guys.
- Yeah.
It was really amazing.
812
00:46:54,551 --> 00:46:55,827
Well, Juan?
813
00:46:55,931 --> 00:46:57,793
Oh, man, Freddy, that was
a little disappointing, honestly.
814
00:46:57,896 --> 00:47:00,655
- Well, I guess
on to the next...
- Let's do it.
815
00:47:00,758 --> 00:47:03,137
- ...bunch of miners, huh?
- Let's go.
816
00:47:15,793 --> 00:47:16,965
Hey, Freddy.
Hey, Juan.
How's it going?
817
00:47:17,068 --> 00:47:19,413
We just want to give
you guys a quick update.
818
00:47:19,517 --> 00:47:21,586
We've been taking the trommel
around and using that,
819
00:47:21,689 --> 00:47:24,275
you know, top riffle
or nugget riffle
to kind of prospects
820
00:47:24,379 --> 00:47:26,758
some ground and see
what we can find
821
00:47:26,862 --> 00:47:29,689
and we've got
a surprise for you.
822
00:47:29,793 --> 00:47:34,482
We pulled out 0.91 ounce
823
00:47:34,586 --> 00:47:36,655
in just one four-hour run.
824
00:47:37,827 --> 00:47:39,827
Um, things are doing good.
825
00:47:39,931 --> 00:47:42,965
And that's almost
a 40% increase from when
you guys were here helping
826
00:47:43,068 --> 00:47:47,206
and it was in the same
amount of time
and a lot less work.
827
00:47:47,310 --> 00:47:51,275
Um, we just want
to thank you guys both
for everything.
828
00:47:51,379 --> 00:47:55,068
Things are running awesome
and we couldn't have done it
without you guys.
829
00:47:55,172 --> 00:47:56,965
And we really appreciate
you and your crew coming
830
00:47:57,068 --> 00:47:59,655
to help us
and hang out with us
and you're welcome any time.