Tag Archives: Bid Bend

May Rockhunts

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Thank you for 2 weeks of successful rockhunts. The hunts keep getting bigger each time we have them, and we get participants from all over the country joining us. I wish to especially thank my great friend Johnny French, who continued his tradition of providing us with the main dishes for our Sunday rockhound barbecue. Johnny orders the brisket and ham ahead of time, and stops on his way from Corpus Christi to Alpine to pick it up. He certainly knows where to find the best food!

I’ve made great friends through these field trips, and keep meeting wonderful rockhounds. I hope y’all are making new friends, as well. To find additional friends while it’s too hot for field trips, check out the many Facebook groups for rockhounds. There are also lots of websites with interesting information on them about all areas of our hobby.

If you’re happy with my rockhunts, please consider posting to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g30158-d7713497-Reviews-Rock_Hunting_in_the_Big_Bend_of_Texas_with_Teri_Smith-Alpine_Texas.html. I’ve gotten two 5-star reviews there, which makes me the #1 attraction in Alpine. Getting more good reviews will help me to get noticed by the Alpine and Brewster County Tourism groups for the rockhunts that I do, and hopefully get some support and advertising money from the hotel/motel tax money collected from you, the rockhunters.

We have one more month before it gets too hot to rockhunt. The May, 2015 Schedule is:

Wednesday, 5/6: South Larremore Ranch

Thursday, 5/7 through Sunday, 5/10: Singleton Ranch

Friday, May 15 – Sunday, May 17: Walker Ranch hunt (if we can get at least 6 people – and hopefully more – signed up, Bryan will come out and do a short hunt for us)

Wednesday, May 20: South Larremore Ranch

Thursday, 5/21 through Sunday, 5/24: Singleton Ranch

Monday, 5/25: Ritchie Ranch rockhunt for both adults and kids.

After that, I’ll be closing down for the summer. I’ll hopefully get time to sort my rocks, clean them up, and make some additions to the displays in the museum. I’ll also be working at the Antelope Lodge. Rockhunts will start again during October, probably with a big 2-week Field Trip Extravaganza like we just did.

I’d be really interested in your comments about my rockhunts in general and about this last set of hunts. The number of people attending the hunts is growing, and that can have both positive and negative effects on your experience. Please email me at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net.

Regards,

Teri

Spring Rockhunts for 2015

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The cold weather is over for a while, and I was out on the Singleton Ranch this last Sunday, on top of Telephone Hill.  The rain, ice and snow that we’ve had in the past six weeks has made agate visible everywhere.  The grass has not yet begun to grow, and the pickings are very, very good.  The same applies at the Ritchie Ranch, and I’m sure it applies to the Walker Ranch as well.

I’ve got Singleton Ranch rockhunts scheduled for the second and fourth weekends in February and March.  If you have a chance to come out in February and March, the weather should range from cool to moderate.  In other words, just about perfect for rockhunting. The schedule for the Singleton Ranch hunts will be modified in April, when the Walker Ranch hunts occur.

The second and third weeks of March are Spring Break for most schools in Texas.  I’m scheduling special hunts for families with kids at the Ritchie Ranch during these weeks.  The hunts will be Monday, March 9, and Wednesday, March 11; and again the following week on Monday, March 16, Wednesday March 18, and Friday, March 20.  The hunts will be about half a day long, and start at 10 a.m. at the Antelope Lodge in Alpine.  For details, look at my website at www.terismithrockhunts.com.

The special April rockhunts will begin on Tuesday, April 14, which is the week of the Gem and Mineral Show in Alpine.  There won’t be any hunts the weekend before that because I’ll be out of town for my husband John’s 59th high school reunion in Goliad.

The hunts at the Walker Ranch will probably begin Wednesday, April 15 and continue through Monday, April 20.  After that will be hunts to the Singleton Ranch, the Ritchie Ranch and East Needle Peak.

One of the reasons I haven’t finalized the schedule is that I’m looking at a brand-new ranch this weekend.  If there is lots of agate on this new ranch, it will impact the schedule for the days after the Walker Ranch hunt.  The ranch is located between Highway 118 and Highway 385, close to Santiago Peak, so it may have agate that’s different from any of the other places where I lead field trips. I’ll let y’all know early next week.

This year, another event is also taking place in Alpine on the same weekend as the Gem Show and Walker Ranch Rockhunts.  It’s a show at the Museum of the Big Bend entitled Trappings of Texas.  It’s been held for many years, but until this year it was in February, concurrent with the Cowboy Poetry weekend.  What this means for rockhunters is that lodging in Alpine is going fast.  So as soon as you decide that you wish to come out for the rockhunts, consider booking a room.

More to come next week.

Regards,
Teri

Ritchie Ranch Rockhunt for tomorrow CANCELLED. All other hunts are still HAPPENING AS PLANNED

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Hi Y’all!

When I said the last email was my last before rockhunts started, I was being overly optimistic.  Maybe this will be the last email before the hunts start…

No one has signed up for the Ritchie Ranch rockhunt scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday 10/8, so that rockhunt has been cancelled.

All of the other rockhunts in the series are still happening as planned.  If you’ve forgotten the schedule, here it is:

Thursday, 10/9 Singleton Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Friday, 10/10 Singleton Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Saturday, 10/11 Singleton Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Sunday, 10/12 Singleton Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Monday, 10/13 Teri’s Day Off.  Or, if anyone wants to go to the Ritchie Ranch, we can do a hunt there.  Let me know at least a day in advance!
Tuesday, 10/14 East Needle Peak.  Meet me at 6 a.m.  NOTE EARLY TIME $40/person, cash or check
Wednesday, 10/15 Singleton Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Thursday, 10/16 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Friday, 10/17 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Saturday, 10/18 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Sunday, 10/19 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Monday, 10/20 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Tuesday, 10/21 Singleton Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Wednesday, 10/22 Teri’s Day Off.  Or, if anyone wants to go to the Ritchie Ranch, we can do a hunt there.  Let me know at least a day in advance!
Thursday, 10/23 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Friday, 10/24 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Saturday, 10/25 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Sunday, 10/26 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Monday, 10/27 Walker Ranch.  Meet at 8 a.m. $75/person, some discounts apply.  cash or check
Tuesday, 10/28 Singleton.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Wednesday, 10/29 Singleton.  Meet at 8 a.m. $50/person, cash only
Thursday, 10/30 East Needle Peak.  Meet at 6 a.m. NOTE EARLY TIME  $40/person, cash or check

All rockhunts begin at the Antelope Lodge, 2310 W. Highway 90, Alpine.

If you decide at the last minute you want to attend, email me at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net, or call me at (432) 386-3431.  There are no maximums on these field trips.  The smallest hunting location is a full 640 acre section (a full square mile), and the largest is 10 sections.  So there’s room for you if you want to come.  If you call me, you’ll probably get my voice mail, because I’ll be out hunting rocks!  But leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.

Regards,
Teri