[meteorite-list] Franconia field trip Part I

From: John K. Gwilliam <jkg_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:10 2004
Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20040402090346.009a2370_at_mail.theriver.com>

Thanks for the great post Sonny.

The advice about taking lots of water should not be taken
lightly. Although Franconia is right next to a major highway, it is a
remote place with no local water available. In the desert heat this time
of year you should plan on having at least one liter of water per hour to
keep from getting dehydrated.

The snake issue is very real as well. In the morning when shadows are
still on the long side, it's easy to get too close to a rattler when you've
focused your eyes to see meteorites. The Mohave rattlesnake is one of the
most poisonous of the Southwest's venomous snakes plus they are small
compared to a Western Diamondback which makes them even harder to see.

One more thing. Be respectful of the private property. These folks moved
out into the boondocks for some privacy and solitude - let's keep it that way.

Best,
John Gwilliam

At 10:40 AM 4/2/2004 -0500, WAHLPERRY_at_aol.com wrote:
>Hi List,
>
>With all of the recent posts about Franconia I thought I would give you an
>update.
>
>I have gone out to the area 5 times and really enjoyed meeting all of the
>meteorite hunters and the recognized finder of the original Franconia
>strewnfield John Wolfe. John was one of the nicest people that I have ever
>met. He gave me the layout of his strewnfield and that helped out alot. I
>found my first Franconia meteorite within one day. John has an amazing
>ability to spot meteorites. I would search an area and then John would go
>thru and find several meteorites that I had walked right past with my
>footprints over them. I was lucky enough to find 10 meteorites during the
>5 trips I was out there. Most of these meteorites are around 400-800 grams.
>
>There has been some concern about the locals getting irritated by all of
>the meteorite hunters. They are not used to having dozens of people walk
>around their places and surrounding BLM property. I was approached by a
>local resident while traveling down a residential road and was questioned
>what was going on. He wondered if I was looking for meteorites. After a
>few minutes of talking to him I could understand why he was upset. He said
>that there had been a few meteorite hunters going on private property
>without permission. I suggested to him to post signs to inform hunters to
>stay off private land. I assume most of us would abide by this anyways but
>there were a few people who did not respect the private land. These people
>moved out there to have privacy and get away from the crowds. Just imagine
>how you would feel in the same situation. I know that most of us would be
>offended by people hunting on our land day after day for meteorites. I
>established a friendly relationship with one local couple. I explained to
>them that I would post to the list a letter requesting that we are
>especially conscientious of the private property. We should all work
>together to maintain our good image as meteorite hunters and collectors.
>
>On my last 2 trips which was a total of 5 eight to ten hour days in the
>field I recovered one 615 gram meteorite. The temperatures were very hot
>and it made hunting more difficult. The daytime temps were 90's. I also
>want to advise hunters to keep their eyes open because the snakes are out.
>I saw 2 rattlesnakes and 1 bullsnake on the last trip. This a known area
>for the Mohave green rattler. They are active in the morning sunning
>themselves and hunting in the evenings. Their daytime patterns are to be
>shaded under the shrubs/brush. This made my hunting a little nerve
>racking!! If you plan to go hunt Franconia bring lots of water. There are
>no established campsights but you can camp on BLM land for 14 days max.
>
>Out of the 6 meteorite hunters that I met in the field over the last trip
>there were only a couple of meteorites found. The largest I heard of was a
>fragmented 240 gram piece.
>
>I will send a 2nd post with a link to pictures later today.
>
>Sonny
Received on Fri 02 Apr 2004 11:22:16 AM PST