Marlee, There Is A Gold Mine!

Marlee was dirty and tired, thirsty and hungry. It seems that Marlee knew more about prospectin' for gold than Grandma B thought she did. She did need a blanket and she did need food, but what about water, and what about a nap? She couldn't take a nap while she was prospectin' so she was just going to have to girl up again like she did when she wanted a Big Wheel;  suffer through.  Let's hope she doesn't get grumpy again. Grandma B drove the Ranger carefully through the gravel roads. All at once she yelled out, "Look, there's a gold mine! Oh, oh. There is someone sitting on it. Does that mean we can't dig for gold here?" That was exactly what it meant. Those people were there first. They looked kind of familiar, but they didn't say Hi, so Grandma B and Marlee and the brothers drove on. And there it was. The creek that Marlee had seen in the old magazine. Just like the picture, but no, no, no. There was a lady yelling, "It's all mine, all mine." Things were just not going like Marlee had planned at all. Maybe that wasn't what Marlee heard. Maybe she heard, "Hello, hello it's a gold mine and there IS gold in these hills. Come join us, let's mine!"

So everyone piled out of the Ranger, two (2) dogs, three (3) kids, and Grandma B. You could hear dogs barking; one (1) dog, Zoe. She was so happy to get out and run and explore. Stashia, on the other hand, was glad to get out and walk around a bit. However, she was always on the lookout for suspicious characters. She just did not know what to think of those people at the mine and that woman at the creek, good grief!
They helped Grandma B unload the Ranger and all of the gear including food and tools and a sack that no one seemed to pay any attention to. Hmm.
They all walked down to the creek with their pans and drainers, and rakes and picks. Grandma B finally said, "Okay, guys, we are not going to do any panning for gold until we eat something." They all agreed even though they were excited to get going.  Grandma B was very wise and packed sandwiches and chips for their outing. They finished their lunch quick like a fox and headed on down the creek. Orion and J.J. had brought bottles of water, thank goodness, but only two (2). Maybe Grandma B remembered water...
 Again, another disappointment. There were all kinds of children panning for gold in that creek. There were also practice panning stations that had been set up by the tour guides. These were small plastic swimming pools filled with sand. After you practiced for awhile you were ready for the creek panning.
 And you could hear bells going off all over the place. What did bells ringing have to do with panning for gold?
Do you have a guess? Will, Marlee get to ring a bell later that afternoon?