Meteorite Times Magazine

Just one spot where the grass was trampled down from hunters walking on and through it.

We entered the museum and soon found ourselves in a great conversation about meteorites and the hunting of them. There was a picture of some pieces that had been found taped to the counter. As I was talking with the two ladies behind the counter a gentleman asked if I could identify a real piece if I saw one. I said yes and we went out to his car. He had a piece of black rock. It was not the dark grey slate that is everywhere but a true black rock. It was not magnetically attractive. Too bad it was crystalline and had some quartz inclusions in it. So I told him it was not a piece of the meteorite. He said he did not really think so either. His dad had been an oil exploration geologist, so he had learned a lot about rocks himself. We chatted a while then went back in the museum and actually got through it this time. I found a couple souvenirs and made three smashed pennies. While outside the gift shop my wife walked near another woman sitting on a bench who said to my wife, “I know you.” My wife looked at her and said her name. As it turned out she was a teacher at the same school as my wife’s sister-in-law. The school is at the church my wife grew up in and attended until we married and she moved. While they are chatting the wife of the man I had given the gold flake came and sat down with them. The kids and parents down at the river panning were all from the school that my brother-in-law’s wife teaches at. If I had known that I would have given him a bigger flake of gold.

We had not had lunch so we made up a little snack from the cooler. I had seen a person with a slushee type drink and asked where she had gotten it. So I was off to the Coloma Grange across the street for a couple large cool ones. Two coke slushees in hand we got ready to drive back to Rocklin. We found no meteorites, but had a great time and some luck panning gold. More great meteorite memories and I can always say I was there and tried. Can not find meteorites sitting on the couch at my home I know that.

Daughter Laurie graduated on Saturday and we had a nice but long drive home.

Will I return in the fall to look when the grass is dead? I don’t know I guess that will depend on how finds continue to be made. If much more is found and some large pieces are recovered maybe I will. If little more is found and nothing large, maybe not. The meteorite is friable and will not last long. It is a shame if not much is found. But, I think it possible that most turned to dust in the explosion and unless big size finds are made it may be that there are not big pieces to find. I hope that is not the case, time will tell. I am writing this while it is still pretty early in the story of the Coloma area meteorite. Hope it gets an official name soon.

Right before we left we took a little drive around the area of Coloma and we drove the full length of California’s shortest state highway. It is only about a half a mile long I guess and ends at the James