Hi Gary,
Not sure why Walter Eason didn't mentioned the Phoenix Chapter in his reply, but since you are from the greater Phoenix area, you may be interested in joining our chapter at one of our meetings and/or outings. We have been established since 1997 and are one of the largest and most active GPAA chapters in the country.
Our club meets near 12th Street and Glendale Avenue at the American Italian Club on the first Thursday of every month. The meetings include guest speakers on a host of different topics and we also hold gold nugget and door prize drawings for our members and guests. We have sponsored group outings and/or camp outs a minimum of once per month, and we also actively support our local community through fundraisers and panning demonstrations. The Phoenix Chapter has several mentors that will be happy to take you out and help you find some color.
You can get more information on our official website at www.gpaaphoenix.com, and you can join our very active Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GPAP.Phoenix/
We also publish a monthly newsletter that you can download from either site. It contains club news and our calendar of events. If you can't make the meetings, you can attend them "virtually" shortly after they are held via our YouTube Channel, which is linked to our website under "Meetings". As of last month, we record and upload all of our general meetings for those who are unable to attend.
Please consider joining us at our one of our upcoming monthly meetings, or consider joining us at our March Common Dig or Spring Picnic. If you have any questions, you can always call me at (815) 585-1096.
Regards,
Randy Briggs
GPAP President