I can't say that I have ever found gold. Sounds neat!
I have, however, found a shoreline with gold sand / mud. It's at the very tip of the north arm of Murtle Lake, in Wells Gray Prov. Park, British Columbia. There are pyrite deposits in the surrounding mountains. Surrounding streams deposit pyrite at the end of the lake, resulting in this amazing stretch of shoreline (and further out, mucky sandbars) that actually sparkles. When you stir up sand underwater, the resulting cloud catches the light and looks like suspended gold dust. It's beautiful. After I returned from a trip there in 2006, I was finding fine pyrite sand in my gear for months.
All the best,
- Mike
PS - I realize the post was actually about member status. I'll get around to it one day.