Just got back from a 3-day dig with the Big D. We did have fun but another brutal outing. After many hours in the truck, we tried to get to Destination #1, but the road was blocked off with boulders and was now a trail. Scratch that place. Destination #2 should be a little easier to find - it was a campground and it was pretty much full. Scratch that one too. The third spot we found and within minutes I had a large signal. Lots a liquor bottles, and finally some a beer can! It was the nastiest yellow Brown Derby I have ever dug. Too close to a stream - looked like it was left in citric too long! I found a few more and one possible keeper. I kept that and coke bottle.
Dale faired much better with some real super nice Best Beers from Chicago and 4 Skol fan tabs from Indiana. He didnt think much of the Skols but I think they are featured in the advertising for the new, ill-fated tab book - so maybe those are good? I found a small, honest to goodness pit of black Acmes - I took a couple. Found a bunch of 50s cans and it was time to move on.
The rest of the day pretty much went the same way. We found more spots we were looking for and some we never could find. A few more cans in the box in exchange for cuts & blisters. We made camp in an incrediably quiet spot in the forest and dug a 30s pit at dark - no beer cans but an old Prestone anti-freeze can with an old car on it and lots of paint cans.
The next day, we found an unknown, large camp - not on the maps, but more 50s stuff. Dale was becoming the king of Oly cans. The decision was made to leave this area in favor of a totally different tactic. We would have to drive a few more hours, but these spots were known 30s area - where old time RBers from the '90s have found cans before. I remember an old quote from one of them - something like Oregon is completely dumped out - because they were so good at dumping! We got to this spot Sunday night.
Well to make a long story short, the old timers would never dig a 50s pit and they left me a huge 50s pit,trench or buried dump to dig. I found some pretty nice Eastern Beer flats from Chicago. But this place was mosquito infested place around. Even with the bug spray, if you missed a spot - you got bit there. D-A-M-N the mosquitos! We were not leaving!
I did make the statement, for the hundreds of pits were dug all weekend, if we were going to find some nice 30s cans - it would be like pulling a rabbit out of the hat! That night, we threw the rib-eyes on the fire, had fresh potatoes & sweet corn Dale had pick before we left, and sat and watched the stars into the wee hours of the morning. Tomorrow would be a new day.
Dale got up early and broke out the detector. He found a spot that had buired bed springs on top. But he was persistent. He kept digging and ripped the middle of his spring out so that he could dig down. He hit a few 49 Schlitz cans and a couple of brown Sicks cans- he kept digging. I was getting the fire ready for breakfast when he comes down the hill with a grin on his face! He had beautiful red Burgie Ale OI! We found about 8-9 all together. He pulled the Rabbit out of the Hat!
The rest of the day was pretty much like the rest of the trip. Lots of pits, old ones with food cans, but no beer. We dumped our way home. Got in at 2:20am. No Town Clubs or Hop Golds to speak of. Lots of bug bites, cuts, scraps though. Lots of miles in truck 4-wheelin' on some long forgotton roads. Lots of digging fruitless pits with acheing joints and limbs. Lots of money spent on gas. Where is Buddy Baker & Andy to join in on the fun? But we did come home with 6 boxes of cans, beleive it or not. This is all that comes along with a sucessful digging trip. Oh yeah, Hop Golds & Town Clubs are EASY!
Ed S
Ed,
Sounds like you needed Andy and I to find cans for you guys again
Dan "Buddy" B
Wow those Bugies look awesome..I'd like to see em after cleaning if you could post that!
Ed the perfect mix would be your dumping ability...
Mixed with my blood. The mosquitos don't ever bite me.
Not sure why!? I can stand in a tent full of em and they turn their nose at me every time! Thats about the best luck I have though.
Sean
Dale will be cleaning the cans soon and will take a glory pic. I cant wait to see how they clean up too. One will be an upgrade for me too. Dont know what varation they are but I think they are later because Dale did find one yellow Brown Derby first, and then we did get a couple black Acmes side by side with the Ales.
Dale working a (the Burgie) pit.
Ed
PS - Dan, send Dale the dates for your next trip. He needs to book now or he cant go and then you guys wont find any good cans! 
sounds like a good trip , the way most dump trips are, no need in making a big point out of bugs and gas prices, we all know that...isnt that what dumping is all about?
will be postin some pics of my recently cleaned rare east coast black labels for all to enjoy...kB
Ed, if you really wanted a Hop Gold you should have just checked eBay. There's 5 on there right now and, since there's no bids on any of 'em, I'm sure you could get 'em cheap. Don't worry, if you miss out on those there'll be more on there next week too. Hard to believe how many people have that rare can for sale.
PS NIIIIICE Burgies!
Ok now this thread has me thinking...while i collected Oi's for quite some time i am far from very knowledgeable on them and even less so when it comes to the left wing cans(west coast). How tough are the burgie ales compared to hop golds not counting variations? In my opinion i would say the burgies are tougher. I had lots of diff hop golds, upgrading several of them a few times but only ever got one burgie ale! Granted i missed a bunch on ebay but dont think they turn up nearly as often as a hop gold does. I know most west coast ale cans are tougher then the beer versions....also that picture is a bit blurry but those that dale is holding almost look indoor! cant wait to see them all in a group photo after some cleaning..
After that said why is the the burgie ale QT seems to come available often in indoor shape (and at a decent price), was there a big find of them?
It's been my experience that the Burgies are quite a bit tougher than the Hop Golds (NOT counting variations). I've had both several times but have seen the Hop Golds available more often. One thing that strikes me as strange though, and this pretty much goes against what Mike just said, is that it seems like the Burgie Ale O/I's are found more often than the Beers. Is this correct? Seems like it used to be that the Ales were the tougher of the two but I can remember a few different finds of those over the years but I can't really remember any Beers being found recently. Which do you guys find more often, the Burgie Beer O/I or the Ale?
Rustmonger writes.......Ed, if you really wanted a Hop Gold you should have just checked eBay. There's 5 on there right now and, since there's no bids on any of 'em, I'm sure you could get 'em cheap...
Hey Monger, I believe the 5 you are talking about on ebay are all from either Ed or Dale
Dan B
Is that the way it works out there for you guys, Beers in California and Ales in the more northern states? I agree with Scott that the Burgie Beers are more common than the Ales I just don't remember hearing of any finds in the past few years. Maybe it's just because you don't get many dumping stories out of California anymore. "Mister we could use a man like Herman Oswald again" (Sung to the tune of the "All In The Family" theme song)
CHECK OUT THE NEW BOARD AND START GETTING USED TO IT NOW....IT AINT SO BAD.....
ED S