Panning for gold

On our second day in the Black Hills, we decided to pan for gold, so we went here.

This is Big Thuner Gold Mine where we learned proper panning technique
(which I never did get the hang of)--all for the sake of finding gold flakes the size of a pinhead. If you found a nugget, it was "fool's gold" and believe me there was a ton of that. We were given a vial that holds no more than 1/2 tsp to hold our found "treasure." We went on the tour of the mine---I lost all hope of finding a chunk of gold when our tour guide told us that the 2 men who blasted out the tunnel over a period of 30 years only ever found less than 10 oz. of gold (which back then was nowhere close to the $800. an ounce it is now.) They dug and blasted all those years for nothing--they didn't even recoup the money they paid for tools.

Let me tell you who is making the money at this particular operation--the people collecting the $14.50/person entrance fee. And we could only pan the dirt they already had in the troughs--I wanted to know how long that dirt had been sitting there and how many others had also panned through it. I haven't actually said it yet, but can you tell what my thoughts are regarding Big Thunder Gold Mine? Can you say rip-off? My guess is there are other enterprises out there that are more realistic--and maybe they are in Alaska.