October 2001 Fall Bean-O-Rama
Gold Basin, Arizona
This picture was taken on Friday, there were many more hunters by Saturday.
Bill S. with a 13.9 dwt clunker.
Ivan, our Russian friend, having his morning Orange Juice. However it was clear !?? I was very touched when on Friday evening, at dinner, Ivan raised his glass in a toast and said, “I drink this in honor of all of the people that died in the World Trade Center.” Thank you Ivan! Your support and the support of the Russian people mean more than you will ever know to all Americans!
Ivan says he drinks Vodka because you can’t trust the water here in the United States! He is very funny and has a quick wit.
Cleaning up after breakfast.
Ozzie Bubba Laden, Osama’s brother
He has disowned Osama, saying, “My brother is a brainless towel head, who prefers the company of camels over women.”
Apparently Ozzie heard we were going to be at Gold Basin Nugget Shooting, so he brought his AK47.
John B. Imagine my surprise to learn that he did not have horns or breathe fire!
Not only that, but John was the gracious benefactor of about 40 T-Bone steaks that were enjoyed by all Friday evening. Along with baked potatoes and bowls of Dodie Long’s famous beans, and corn bread.
With a full belly I slept well that night. However, after those beans I was afraid to light my heater in the tent for fear of an explosion. I didn’t want to turn Gold Basin into Gold Crater
John’s Meteorites
Kenny, from Chloride. Normally a very happy and outgoing individual, Kenny was not himself after being constipated for four days.
He denied that he was constipated. He said that it was just that he made a promise to himself that he would hold it until he found a nugget that was bigger than Bill Southern’s.
Soon after this picture was taken, Dodie’s beans kicked in and Kenny exploded.
They killed Kenny, you bastards!
After Kenny got home Krista gave him some Metamucil and Kenny got some relief. Unfortunately as Kenny was trying to get off the toilet, he slipped, fell and split his head open on the tile floor.
You killed Kenny, you bastards!
Dirty Harry Arizona Mike
Yes that’s a shoulder holster. Unfortunately Mike’s hunting partner, Kenny, met with an untimely demise.
Poor Kenny was hunting behind Mike when Mike had a confrontation with a horny toad. As Mike launched into his Dirty Harry impersonation: “Now I know what you’re thinkin’ did he fire five shots or did he fire six? Well you have to ask yourself one question, “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya’ punk?”
Apparently the toad didn’t give the right answer and as Mike was trying to pull his weapon out of that damn shoulder rig, it discharged. Blew the armpit right out of Mike’s T-shirt, and hit Kenny dead center in the forehead.
This my dear friends is a very rare picture and a tribute to the the expertise of “yours truly” when it comes to photo journalism.
It is in fact the only picture in existence of John B. sitting with a Minelab detector right beside him on the ground.
Ivan told me that John B. actually sleeps with his Minelab SD2100. However I was not able to confirm this with a picture, and at the time I was interviewing Ivan, he had been drinking quite a bit of Russian water.
During our interview, he offered three toasts. One was to lizards, the other was to American toilet paper, and the third was to dirty underwear. So as an unbiased journalist, I must question the credibility of Ivan’s claim that John B. sleeps with his Minelab detector.
You killed Kenny! You bastard!
Mike’s Finds
Rob Allison far right, keeping his hands warm. You were just keeping your hands warm right? You weren’t trying to find nuggets were you Rob?
You’ll have to help me with the names of the other folks in the picture. Bill Southern is in the very back, with his hands in his pockets diggin’ for gold.
Rob’s Finds! 300 grams of Meteorites
Lenny
We told him he couldn’t go nugget hunting until he told us what 4 times 4 equals. Poor son-of-a bitch sat there four days, just scratching his head and mumbling:
“I know I know this. Damn, I learned it in school. Give me a hint! This isn’t one of those trick true or false questions is it?”
I didn’t get much over the four days I was at Gold Basin. Thursday I got the little one at the 12 o’clock position. Friday I got the 9 and 3 o’clock, and two of the small meteorites. Saturday I got no gold but I got the big meteorite and another one of the small ones. Or maybe I got the big meteorite on Friday, I can’t remember. Sunday I got the nugget at 6 o’clock.
I spent all my time going back to old patches and using the GP and the 5 X 10 Coiltek Manufacturing elliptical. I can’t believe what little nuggets that combination finds. None of the nuggets were less than four inches deep. I’m not sure I would want to hunt all the time with the 5 X 10, but if you want to make sure a patch is cleaned out, it’s a great coil to get the little stuff. It gets the big stuff too, and is great for getting under bushes.
Wayne Loewen was certainly right about the 5 X 10 being able to hear nuggets in mineralized ground. At least one place was nothing but ironstone, and I had been over it with the 14 inch very carefully on two occasions and got three nuggets in the 2 gram range. But I never heard the two I got on Friday with the 5 X 10.
If you missed this outing, shame on you! What a great group, what a truly memorable experience. Bar none the nicest bunch of folks you’d ever want to meet. Everyone there was willing to help each other. Kenny and Lenny even helped me set up my tent, until Lenny let one of those shock corded fiberglass tent poles fly out of his hand and it went right through Kenny’s eye and out the back of his head!
You killed Kenny, you bastard!
A big thanks to all for your friendship and kindness, especially Big John B. for the fantastic steak dinner, and to Dodie and Ron, for the great beans, (WHOOPS! Excuse me! You can’t smell that over the internet can you?) And the corn bread.
If this could have been a better outing or group, I can’t begin to imagine how that would have been possible.
-DOC
Guys please help me with the names of all who were in attendance as I can’t remember everyone. I would like to list everyone here:
- Rob Allison
- Lou and his son Louis
Arizona Mike - Kenny, (May God have mercy on his soul) and wife Krista
- Ozzie Bubba Laden
- John B.
- another John B.
- with friend Mike
- Ivan
- Lenny
- Bob from Oregon
- Lloyd
- Rick
- Kimble
- Skip
- Doc
- Ron and Dodie
- Joe Bahde
- Steve and son Peyton
- Gary
- Robert
- Mark
- Artha
- Rich
- Al
- and many more!