Charlene Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 We are planning our first trip the strewnfields and would like some information, please. Since we have never been to that area and we are traveling from San Diego, what is the last town to get gas, water and such? Is the town of Francoia big enough for these supplies or do we need to get them in Needles, or the town of Topock. Thank you for any and all information that you could supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azdigger Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Hi, well to start with welcome to the forum. Now...there is no town of Franconia. it is just exit at the 13 mile marker on I-40, about 3 miles before the exit is a truckstop/convinence store, Lake Havasu City is only like 20 min away. there is open campin on the south side, you will see where others have camped. What dates do you plan on being there, I think there is a few that might be there on the 4th, 5th and 6th of May. Read a lot of the posts on this forum, there is a lot of info to be learned from here. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 If you go to Yuma then north on az-95 you will have LHC as your last major shopping opportunity...the gas/convenience store Rick mentions is at the end of 95 where you will get on 40 for a few miles until the Franconia exit...there is a lot of nothing there so meeting up with others could save you a lot of unproductive searching...... Good Luck Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Thank you for the welcome and the information. We belong to a group called Treasure Seekers of San Diego (www.treasureseekersofsandiego.com) and we are planning an outing there for the weekend of May 19th and 20th. Our group mostly does gold & beach metal detecting, but we are trying to branch out in other areas that have our members interest. Most of our 'group' is in the late 40's to 60's year age bracket. We have a fun loving group - we help each other, no talk of politics or religion (which is why we love this group!) One of our members went to Franconia about 6 to 7 months ago and said that it would be a good place to start meteorite hunting. I have been reading the posts to this forum for about a month now. Some VERY good information is being passed via the forum. I also just received a CD "Meteorite Hunting with Treasurer Hunter Wayne Holmes in the Franconia Meteorite Strewnfield". I have not reviewed it as of yet. Thank you for your input, as I am the newsletter person and the communicator person for all information for our outings (such as where to get gas, water, etc.) - Charlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 If you go to Yuma then north on az-95 you will have LHC as your last major shopping opportunity...the gas/convenience store Rick mentions is at the end of 95 where you will get on 40 for a few miles until the Franconia exit...there is a lot of nothing there so meeting up with others could save you a lot of unproductive searching...... Good Luck Fred Thank you Fred for the info. Most of us will be coming from Escondido area. Not knowing where you are from, it seems you prefer the Yuma route. We were thinking more of the route of Hwy. 15 to the 40 and then over. But if you recommend AZ - 95, then maybe that is the way to go. I know that it takes us about 3 hrs. to get from Escondido to one of our claims in the Yuma area (depending on traffic & wind on the grade). How much farther past that till you get to the fields - (your travel experience)? Mapquest is showing about 319 miles and about 5 hours for the 15 to 40 route. Thank you again - Charlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azdigger Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I might try to get out there that weekend too...I just live about 40 miles away. One of the men in the Video(Jim Smaller) can be found out there at times. The area was a gunnery range during WWII and there are lots of .50cal and .30cal bullet heads to be found....I got a good collection of them, they sound a lot like a meteorite. A good strong magnet on a stick is VERY helpfull in picking up small bits of wire that sound off, also helps determine a meteroite or meterwrong.....I got a good collection of them too we will see what is going on at the time and hope I can meet a few of ya...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 I might try to get out there that weekend too...I just live about 40 miles away. One of the men in the Video(Jim Smaller) can be found out there at times. The area was a gunnery range during WWII and there are lots of .50cal and .30cal bullet heads to be found....I got a good collection of them, they sound a lot like a meteorite. A good strong magnet on a stick is VERY helpfull in picking up small bits of wire that sound off, also helps determine a meteroite or meterwrong.....I got a good collection of them too we will see what is going on at the time and hope I can meet a few of ya...... Thanks Rick! That would be wonderful to have someone help us newbie's in this field! I believe that Bill and I will be heading that way come Friday, the 18th, as some of the others that will be attending. Looking forward to discovering a new field to metal detect! Something other than gold and beach items. Proud owner of a Minelab Explorer II and an Eurkea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basaltgooroo Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 for the explorer two make sure u black out the entire screen then make a mediam blank spot in the upper left corner. This will allow you to find only meteorites and a few peices of basalt. [Erik] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grwgoldpro Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Charlene, watch the video it is loaded with great information on Franconia and has safety tips like water needed during the hunt and cautions about mojave green rattlesnakes and scorpions in the field. Also where to hunt. The camping area south of 40 is on the extreme west boundry of the field so be prepared to walk southeast and northeast from the camp areas. Also there is a ban on off road vehicles like quads in some of the area so you need to relay that to club members as well. The north side is about 1/2 mile away on the other side of 40 and on the other side of the railroad tracks and is accessible by quad but there is a protected area not to far from there where you have to go by foot only. There is a hugh wash in the middle as well. The locals can help you with where you can operate quads. Hope to see you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 for the explorer two make sure u black out the entire screen then make a mediam blank spot in the upper left corner. This will allow you to find only meteorites and a few peices of basalt. [Erik] Thank you Erik! That is VERY useful information. I appreciate it and will pass it on to others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 Charlene, watch the video it is loaded with great information on Franconia and has safety tips like water needed during the hunt and cautions about mojave green rattlesnakes and scorpions in the field. Also where to hunt. The camping area south of 40 is on the extreme west boundry of the field so be prepared to walk southeast and northeast from the camp areas. Also there is a ban on off road vehicles like quads in some of the area so you need to relay that to club members as well. The north side is about 1/2 mile away on the other side of 40 and on the other side of the railroad tracks and is accessible by quad but there is a protected area not to far from there where you have to go by foot only. There is a hugh wash in the middle as well. The locals can help you with where you can operate quads. Hope to see you there. Thank you Gary! Will pass the word on. Am trying to come up with some decent maps of the area to hand out at the meeting. So far, I have found only one showing the wilderness area. See you soon - I hope! Charlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Charelene, I live near San diego and just get on 8 east for my trips....40 is most likely a better choice for you all..........it is a @ 7 hour drive for me...but I am slow I guess... Good luck Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MobileHolmes Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Hi Charlene You will find my map on the DVD which you can pause on that shows the Strewn Field. The Wilderness area has the green border. Also note private property [Gray] which you should not hunt on without permission. Use extreme caution crossing the train tracks if your group hunts the north side. My advise is to talk to someone out in the field and get info on how to run the tracks if this is in your plan. Your group must not park on the railroad easements. Hope you have a great hunt. :icon_mrgreen: Mobile Holmes Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlene Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 Charelene, I live near San diego and just get on 8 east for my trips....40 is most likely a better choice for you all..........it is a @ 7 hour drive for me...but I am slow I guess... Good luck Fred Thank you Fred for the input! Some of us will be hauling our trailers or toy haulers and worry about which is the better of the roads (which one has the lesser of grades to pull), especially at today's gas prices! (Oceanside's lowest so far is $3.38) Hey, if you live in San Diego area, our club meets at the Joslyn Senior Center in Escondido on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm. We have members from all over the place...... orange county on down. Come join us! The May 2nd meeting will be nothing but Meteorite Information and if you are there, you could give us 'newbie's some advice. We are planning on showing the DVD from Wayne, if all goes well with technology! We average around 70 or so members per meeting, depending on the topic and the time of year. Go to our website for more details. Hope to see you there or out in the field! Charlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 Thanks for the invite... I doubt that either road has any advantage as regards grades...once you hit 40, it is certainly an easier road than 95. I can freely assure that there are loads of people more qualified than me to give you meteorite hunting advice...Paleface being one of the foremost experts on this forum. The video and the people in it will teach you much. Meeting up with Rick and others on the field will teach you the most. I would enjoy meeting you folks but I don't enjoy rush-hour traffic enough to get there...good luck Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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