New 49ers ?

Who's next? Step right up. To Chicken, Alaska, that is. Last post I put out my all-in-good-fun "free panning lesson offer" to the first 50 people who accepted my invitation to come visit with us at Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost, where we'll be on staff for the summer. While I hoped someone would take me up on the offer, I wasn't really prepared for comments, calls, and e mails within 24 hours of making the post. And wouldn't ya know it? Someone actually took us up on the offer right away. Enter "Big Bill" from Anchorage, Alaska. According to his "letter of acceptance and introduction (and comment already posted posted)", Bill has been in Alaska for 22 years in the Anchorage area and even has a gold claim of his very own near Hope, Alaska, which just happens to be one of our most favorite places on earth. Bill plans on coming to Chicken to "meet and greet" and hang out with us for a couple days this summer. He already recommended a couple places for us to see while we're up there that we have previously not visited. And, he's bringing along a copy of an article that he had published in the Gold Prospector Magazine back a few years ago for us to read. Now I think it's a given that Bill won't be needing any free panning lessons from me! But technically, he did respond in the affirmative to the offer for the "first 50" , which obviously means there are still 49 offers left to be accepted. Now if we think about that for a minute, that would make all the remaining recipients of the offer for panning lessons (one of which could easily be YOU), the NEW 49ers, a term steeped in the history and lore of gold exploration and mining in this country, albeit more about California than Alaska. Just think about how special that would make you feel! Write me! Quick! Offers going FAST!!!

And Big Bill, who we learned has actually been following the blog weekly since our first trip to Alaska in 07, we are really looking forward to meeting you in Chicken this summer!