Calendar for Spring 2016

Wow! Something has happened to my calendar, and it’s not showing up. So here’s the schedule through the end of April. I apologize if this has inconvenienced anyone.

Below the schedule is the information about each ranch and the fees involved.

Tuesday, Feb 7: S. LARREMORE
Wednesday, Feb 8: EAST NEEDLE PEAK
Tuesday, Feb 14: SINGLETON
Wednesday, Feb 15: SINGLETON
Thursday, Feb 16: STILLWELL
Friday, Feb 17: RITCHIE
Monday, Mar 6: RITCHIE
Tuesday, Mar 7: S LARREMORE
Wednesday, Mar 8: E NEEDLE PEAK
Thursday, Mar 9: RITCHIE
Friday, Mar 10: S. LARREMORE
Saturday, Mar 11: SINGLETON
Sunday, Mar 12: E NEEDLE PEAK
Monday, Mar 13: RITCHIE
Tuesday, Mar 14: S LARREMORE
Wednesday, Mar 15: E NEEDLE PEAK
Thursday, Mar 16: RITCHIE
Friday, Mar 17: S. LARREMORE
Saturday, Mar 18: SINGLETON
Sunday, Mar 19: Cancelled: no one signed up.
Monday, Mar 20: E NEEDLE PEAK
Tuesday, Mar 21: S LARREMORE
Wednesday, Mar 22: SINGLETON
Thursday, Mar 23: E NEEDLE PEAK
Friday, Mar 24: SINGLETON
Saturday, Mar 25: SINGLETON
Sunday, Mar 26: SINGLETON
Monday, Mar 27: S. LARREMORE
Monday, Apr 10: RITCHIE
Tuesday, Apr 11: S. LARREMORE
Wednesday, Apr 12: E NEEDLE PEAK
Tuesday, Apr 18: S LARREMORE
Wednesday, Apr 19: SINGLETON
ALTERNATE FOR WEDNESDAY, April 19: S LARREMORE
Thursday, Apr 20: SINGLETON
Friday, Apr 21: SINGLETON
Saturday, Apr 22: SINGLETON
Sunday, Apr 23: RITCHIE
Monday, Apr 24: S. LARREMORE

East Needle Peak Start Time: 7:00 a.m.
Cost: $40 per person, cash or check. No credit cards.
Details: About 100 miles south of Alpine. High clearance vehicle required, 4wd recommended. Some hiking and climbing required to reach agate areas. Finds can include agate, jasper, flint, quartz crystals, petrified wood, calcite, aragonite, selenite, and aquatic fossils. No collecting of live plants.

Ritchie Ranch Start Time: 9:00 a.m.
Cost: $10 entrance fee per person and $1 per lb. for the agate you take. Cash or check, no credit cards.
Details: Extremely close to Alpine. Accessible in most vehicles. Terrain is rolling hills: very little climbing involved. Great for families with kids, new rockhounds, or those with limited mobility. Finds can include agate, jasper, and quartz crystals. No collecting of live plants.

Singleton Ranch Start Time: 8:00 a.m.
Cost: $50 per person, which gets you up to a 5-gallon bucket of agate (if you find more it’s $40 per bucket, charged in ¼ bucket increments). Cash only.
Details: About 25 miles south of Marfa (50 miles from Alpine). Four major hunting locations on one ranch. Terrain goes from flat to rolling hills. Two locations accessible by passenger car, but high clearance vehicle recommended. The other two require high clearance vehicles, and 4wd recommended. All areas are accessible by those with limited mobility. Finds can include agate, jasper, quartz crystals, calcite and aragonite. No collecting of Native American artifacts or live plants.

South Larremore Ranch Start Time: 8:00 a.m.
Cost: $40 per person if I lead the trip, and $50 per person if Jean Larremore leads the trip. Trips marked with an asterisk (*) are led by Jean Larremore. Cash or check, no credit cards.
Details: About 40 miles south of Alpine. Terrain in many areas is flat, but hunting in the creek beds can be steep and difficult. Some areas accessible by passenger car, but high clearance vehicle is recommended. Finds include agate, jasper, quartz crystals, flint, petrified wood, calcite, aragonite, selenite, and an occasional fossil.

Stillwell Ranch Start Time: 7:00 a.m.
Cost: No entrance fee, 50¢ per lb. for what you take.
Details: About 45 miles south of Marathon, which is 30 miles east of Alpine. Roads rough in many places. High clearance vehicle recommended. Finds include agate, jasper, quartz crystals, flint, petrified wood, calcite, aragonite, selenite, and an occasional fossil.