If you're like most people today, chances are you stream a steady supply of curated channels and programs to your television. Chances are, however, my "suggested videos" in my Youtube app on my television likely includes more metal detecting videos than yours.
Maybe it's surprising, but this doesn't actually help pass the time, instead it has resulted in me going stir crazy waiting for the ground to thaw enough to stick a shovel in it.
Last year was sort of a bust. I was particularly kicking myself when I saw someone in a Facebook page boasting about their detecting finds in the Pine River at the Norway Brooke Dam work area. Sure, there was only one silver coin, but I somehow totally forgot about a once in a lifetime opportunity to detect there.
My best find was on the sidelines of a forgotten football field. I knew there was a field there, but I was able to discover the location of the sidelines when I crossed a specific area repeatedly and every time I got a hit for old Coca Cola bottle caps, signs that people were sitting in a row, drinking refreshments. I was anticipating yet another when I unearthed a 1936 Imperial pocket knife.
I'm fairly certain someone else has detected this space, however, because I know for a fact that I lost more coins than I found there when playing as a child. To top it off, all the coins I did find were very, very modern.
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The bug to treasure hunt always hits me this time of year. It's easy to understand why, being cramped inside in the cold. This year I looked at my old detector and my underwater detector and decided to make improvements.
I designed and printed plastic adapters for the battery compartments. In both machines there appeared to be a short in the wires leading to the clips securing the 9 volt batteries. I've always hated those style of clips, so when I noticed a different style in my pinpointer detector, I decided to design something familiar.
That did not last long enough. Everything's printed and now I'm just itching to get out digging again.
A while ago I bought a cheap detector to disassemble and cram into a pvc pipe to make a homemade underwater detector. I haven't finished it yet, but that project could appease me for a while. If anyone knows how/where to get submersible rocker switches and potentiometers, that would be a great help.
Speaking of great helps, I'm also looking for new places to detect. If you know your property has some history to it, or if it has old foundations that go way back, or anything of interest. I'd love to come detect it. I'll gladly welcome company from anyone who gives me permission and we can talk about what I'm allowed to do, or keep.
Otherwise, if you know of a property elsewhere that might be of interest, keep me informed. With the new GIS websites it is fairly easy to find land owners for me to reach out to.
Please drop me a line if you think you can help me get my treasure hunting fix, not that I can do anything about it right now, but at least I can start planning.
Travis Grimler is a staff writer for the Pineandlakes Echo Journal weekly newspaper in Pequot Lakes/Pine River. He may be reached at 218-855-5853 or travis.grimler@pineandlakes.com.
