I operated between Nome and Kotzebu. I was a professional gold prospector. It was a wonderful time in my life. There are many places in NC and SC that you can go that are not "pay" sites to find gold.
NC is a one of the most unique places in the lower 48 to prospect for gold and gems. NC has deposits of sapphire (corundum), emerald (beryl), topaz, hiddenite, tourmaline, quartz and more!!!!
In addition, if you get out near the ocean, you can find some awesome fossils. My last trip to Charleston SC I found some great prehistoric, very large shark teeth. I was driving and saw a HUGE mound of sand and dirt that had been dredged from somewhere in the harbor and dumped. I climbed around on the hill and found the shark's teeth.
One of favorite pieces that I found was of a fern leaf that was perfectly preserved in a sandstone material. This was on one of the Charlotte GMS field trips to a former surface mine. You could pull a large chunk of sandstone from a hill and then use a wedge to split the rock into layers. I opened one and found this beautiful, delicate fern leaf impression. I cleaned it up and now have it as a wall hanging.
Cheers amigo!
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