[meteorite-list] Re: Thanksgiving find November 24, 1995

From: Notkin <geoking_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Nov 18 00:53:43 2005
Message-ID: <9a7089d2127baf849f3489a463888ba5_at_notkin.net>

Twink posted:

> It occurred to me today that it was ten years ago when my friend and
> neighbor Jim Kriegh asked me to take care of his house . . .


Dear Twink:

Thank you for reminding us of this most excellent anniversary! Wow, ten
years since the first Gold Basin stone was found. Can it really be
true? : )

I think the Gold Basin discovery generated one of the most enjoyable
modern-day meteorite adventures. Thanks to Jim's generosity in sharing
strewn field information, and your invitations to have visitors to hunt
with your team, a good number of people here on the Meteorite List
found their very first meteorite at G.B.! The discovery demonstrated
that non-academics could carry out important strewn field mapping work,
and the interest in the find brought new collectors and enthusiasts
into the field.

I met you and Jim as a direct result of the Gold Basin find (I
interviewed Jim and Twink for a "Meteorite" magazine article in
February, 1998). We became friends and -- years later, when I moved to
Tucson -- neighbors as well! I hunted at G.B. three times -- twice with
you and Jim, and once with Steve Arnold. I met Suzanne Morrison up in
the strewn field, and she is now also a close friend and neighbor. My
visits to G.B. generated two published articles for "Meteorite" ("The
Great Gold Basin Rush," May, 1998; "The Midas Touch: A Return to Gold
Basin," August, 1999), a few nice stones which I eventually managed to
find (after some very patient coaching from Jim), some great photos,
and lots of fine memories.

The first time I met my future friend and expedition pal Matt Morgan,
back in 1998, he was examining some G.B. stones he'd just received from
you and Jim in a trade.

I once sat up way into the night around a roaring fire of dead cactus
parts at G.B., with Steve Arnold and Jack Schrader, drinking something
strong out of tin cups, swapping meteorite-hunting stories, and
laughing madly. Of course we slept in too late the next morning, and
were awakened by Jim at about 6:15 am with a polite but stern, "Come
on, we're burning daylight!"

I guess Gold Basin ended up having a pretty big effect on me. When I
moved to Tucson, my new neighbor and fellow meteorite hunter Jim Kriegh
even came over with his ladder to show me how to fix my swamp cooler!
: )

Good friends and great times. We were lucky to be part of it.


Geoff N.
Received on Fri 18 Nov 2005 12:53:39 AM PST