How do I get there?

The major airlines fly into Fairbanks. From there you will need to book on Warbelow Air or Frontier Flying Service to Ruby. They offer scheduled air service to Ruby with daily flights. The roundtrip cost is about $230 (summer of 2006 price) It is not necessary to take a chartered plane. If you arrive in Fairbanks in the morning you could be in Ruby that afternoon.

You should schedule your arrival in Ruby and your departure flight for Saturday afternoon. That will give the previous weeks guests time to have breakfast, get their gear together and make the trip in from the mine. They will be departing as you are picked up.

We will be picking up our guests at the Ruby Airport. You will get a brief tour of the historic gold rush town and a chance to shop for last minute items. The selection at the Ruby grocery/liquor store is limited and prices are much higher than in large Alaskan cities. Depending on aircraft arrival times there could be a wait in Ruby for additional people to arrive.

If your coming by private aircraft you will find a 4000X100 foot maintained gravel strip at Ruby (PARY). No avgas is available. The nearest 100LL fuel is at Galena about fifty miles to the west or approximately 125 miles south at McGrath. You can buy auto gas in Ruby but not at the airstrip.

Where is Swift Creek? I can't find it on my map.

Swift Creek is about 30 miles south of Ruby, just west of Long. Lat/long for the approximate center of the claims is: 64 24'34.80"N  155 34'55.80"W. We also have claims on Greenstone Creek approximately ten miles south of Swift Creek and we have staked the tailings on Trail Creek which is east of Long. Click here and look for the circled areas on the map.

What are the accommodations like?

Dry and away from the mosquitoes. We will be using a deluxe Weather Port shelter as the primary housing along with tents. Cots are provided and you bring a sleeping bag. We have kitchen facilities and an eating area in a modified bus. No food is allowed in the sleeping area because of the bears. We currently use filtered rain water for drinking and cooking and creek water for bathing. We have a "camp shower", a water bag filled with warm water that has a valve and shower head. Toilet facilities consist of an outhouse.

How big an area will I have to metal detect in?

Our camp is on Greenstone Creek. Greenstone was worked with a bucket line dredge. The same dredge that was later moved to Ganes Creek. This dredge was infamous for leaving a lot of nuggets as it only took in 3/4 inch and smaller material. Anything larger than 3/4 inch went into the tailings. There are over three miles of tailings to detect. Weather permitting you'll also be transported to the claims on Swift Creek and we may do other day trips to claims we have permission to use in the Long / Poorman area.

Should I worry about bears and wildlife?

There are wild animals including bears in the area. They usually avoid humans. Normally yelling at bears will scare them off. It's a good idea to bring along a bell that can be attach to your clothing or detector to let the bears know your coming and avoid a surprise confrontation. You may bring a firearm if you are experienced with them . A 12 gauge shotgun (pistol grip) or a 44 magnum handgun, with appropriate loads, are generally accepted as bear repellant in Alaska. Rifles can be heavy and get in the way while metal detecting. We discourage target shooting. We would prefer you do your shooting with a camera. Check with your air carrier for any restrictions on transporting firearms.

We require food be kept out of the sleeping areas to avoid attracting bears.

What should I bring?

We recommend you travel light. The air carriers flying between Fairbanks and Ruby may have weight/volume restrictions (check with the air carrier for current information). We suggest you bring:

A sleeping bag, pillow (if desired) and a bath towel are the basics you'll need.

Bug repellant. Anything much less than 100 percent deet is an appetizer for these mosquitoes. Head nets and some of the new repellant treated clothing may be effective. While the mosquitoes are not always a problem they can be thick at times especially in brushy areas out of the wind. We use a "Mosquito Magnet" to keep the bugs down around the camp area. We like Sawyer Maxi Deet which is available at Wal-Mart or on line at Amazon.com.

Besides change of cloths you will want a coat and rain gear. The summer weather is normally in the mid to upper 70s but can range from sun and 90+ degrees to rain and 50 or colder. See a chart of average temperatures and rainfall by clicking here.

A hat and suntan lotion.  The sun can be bright and hot in Alaska's summer.

A heavy shirt will keep the mosquitoes from biting through it. Work pants, gloves and possibly knee pads.

A pair of hiking boots and tennis shoes. Most of the tailings are dry however there are some swampy areas (usually in the springtime) that you may want to cross so you might include rubber boots. You'll also want hip or chest waders if you want to do some dredging.

A metal detector, headphones and digging tool plus extra batteries. (We have a limited number of detectors you could use). We have a generator so you can recharge batteries if you need to.

Medications and personal items. Some over-the-counter medications may be available at the Ruby store. The nearest pharmacy is in Fairbanks over 200 air miles away.

There is a grocery store and a laundromat with showers in Ruby but normally you will only be in town when we pick you up or drop you at the Ruby airport. However if you stay more than one week you could do laundry and go shopping.

What metal detector should I bring?