The Pigmon Ranch, located between Balmorhea and Toyah, is Open NOW!
Teri Smith Rockhunts is pleased to announce the opening of the Pigmon Ranch for rockhunting. This ranch is located between Balmorhea and Toyah, on rolling hills and flats, where you can find agate, jasper, petrified wood, flint, and chert. There is quite a bit of blue agate on the ranch, and some of it has black, grey, or white plumes in it. There’s also lots of other types of agate, such as fortification agates, tube agates, water-level agates, seam agates, banded agates, and saginitic agates. And there is petrified wood, flint, and chert in great colors and patterns.
I hope to get photos and a description up on my website in the next day or so. The agates are so beautiful and varied that it will take lots of photos to give you an idea of what you can find there.
The Pigmon Ranch is about 70 miles from Alpine. It will be easy to access, as a paved county road goes right through the ranch!
Cost for the hunt is $50 per adult per day. Children are free. Rollin’ Rock Club membership is required ($10 for a single membership, or $16 for a dual membership.) Contact Teri Smith at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net, or text or call (432) 386-3431.
Schedule created on 10/7/2024. If the schedule changes, a new post will be created with the new schedule.
Maybe there will be some pieces like this red and black plume agate from the South Larremore Ranch in the box(es) I send you!
The spring rockhunting season has been quite good, with many lovely cutting agate pieces found on all 3 ranches I lead trips on. The most surprising finds have been fortification agates with unusual colors from the Ritchie Ranch. With just a couple of exceptions, I’m finished with leading field trips for the spring. It’s been warm to hot on the ranches, and of course the farther south you go the hotter it gets. Even if it’s too hot for rockhunting out in West Texas, you can still buy great rough agate from me to cut and polish all summer in your ocean-front condo, air-conditioned treehouse, houseboat on the lake, or the back porch and garage.
I’m still selling some of the best agates from my collection in the ½ bucket size, or approx. 2.5 gallons. This is enough agate to completely fill a USPS large sized priority box. It should weigh between 25 and 35 pounds, depending upon the sizes and shapes of the stones included.
These boxes of agate will contain all cutting and tumbling pieces, with the specimen pieces removed. You can specify tumbling or cutting and I’ll try to get you the right sizes for your projects. Quantities are limited, so order now. I’ll be leaving for California in mid-May, so if you haven’t ordered by then, you won’t get your rocks til Fall.
Walker Ranch $150 plus $25 shipping. May contain the following types of agate: red plume, black plume, flower garden, peanut, moss, fortification banded, tube, lace, and mixtures of those types. The agate occurs in many different bright colors, from red and yellow to purple and green. The Walker Ranch has been closed to hunting for many years now. I gather the material for each bucket and half-bucket when it’s ordered, so it may take a few days for me to fill your request. Eventually I’ll run out of the good stuff, and after that there will be no more available.
Singleton Ranch $150 plus $25 shipping. May contain the following types of agate: bouquet (plume agate in pastel colors), black plume, moss, water-level banded, fortification banded, brecciated opal (common, opaque opal in beiges, pinks and oranges, in a translucent background of black, blue, or white agate), and mixtures of those types. The agate occurs in many different pastel colors, from pink and yellow to white and green. The Singleton Ranch has been closed to hunting for many years now.
South Larremore Ranch $110 plus $25 shipping. May contain the following types of agate: plume in various colors, moss, peanut, tube, flower garden, fortification (some with bands so close together that they can exhibit an iris effect when sliced thin), and petrified wood. The agate occurs in many bright colors and some pastel colors as well. The South Larremore Ranch is currently open for guided rockhunts that I lead in the Fall and Spring.
East Needle Peak $110 plus $25 shipping. May contain the following types of agate: PomPom (a rare pseudomorph of agate after aragonite), moss, peanut, fortification, banded, tube, lace, and agatized petrified wood. The agate occurs in many colors, but much of it is red, orange, or yellow, occasionally with areas of green. East Needle Peak is currently open for guided rockhunts that I lead in the Fall and Spring.
Ritchie Ranch $60 plus $25 shipping. May contain the following types of agate: Moss, banded, fortification, tube, plume, translucent chalcedony, and a lovely unnamed type of agate that has irregular blobs of opaque agate in a translucent background. The agate grew in two different occurrences, each with its characteristic color sets: translucent chalcedony in blues, greys, and carnelian, and a more opaque, complexly patterned agate and jasper in bright red, orange, and yellow. The Ritchie Ranch is currently open for guided rockhunts that I lead in the Fall and Spring.
Labradorite from the Walker Ranch. This labradorite is not like the specimens you see where the background of blue and grey has a chatoyance or cat’s-eye effect. At its best, Walker Ranch labradorite is bright yellow and almost transparent. It’s great for faceting and makes cool specimens. I’m selling it in 100 gram parcels for $25.00. Not all of the pieces are the same size, however, and those who order earlier will get the parcels with the bigger pieces in them. Shipping is $10, which seems awfully expensive, but you can ship several parcels in one small flat-rate box.
I will still also have full buckets for sale, and a few additional categories of cutting agate and specimens. I will be keeping my website current as to what’s available. You can find that information at http://terismithrockhunts.com/rocks-for-sale/.
You can order from me via phone, email or text. I will take checks, PayPal and Zelle for distance payments, and cash also for purchases when you’re here in Alpine. Twice a year I drive from Texas to California and back, so if you’re near I-10 in West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and parts of California, I can possibly deliver rocks to you if it works with your schedule.
Hi y’all! Spring rockhunting season is here, and it’s time to round up the rock bags and oil up the wheelbarrow for some great rockhunting adventures.
This Spring my schedule will be more flexible than it has been in the recent past. Aaron Thomas has said he’s not leading field trips this spring, so I have no reason to just schedule hunts for Thursdays, Fridays, and Mondays. I’ve waited til now to send out my schedule because I’ve been trying to make contact with the 06 Ranch to see whether anyone else would be leading hunts on the 06 this Spring, but I haven’t been successful, so I’m assuming that there will be no hunts there at all. If that changes, I’ll let you know ASAP.
Instead of scheduling rockhunts now and hoping those days work for rockhounds, I’ll tell you when I can lead rockhunts, and you pick the days that work best for you and let me know. It only takes one person to sign up for a rockhunt to happen, and I love to go on rockhunts, so I will be glad to lead a trip for one person. And if you’ve got a group, so much the better. I’ve had up to 30 people with me on hunts, and everyone had a good time and found great rocks!
I’ll still be leading rockhunts on the Ritchie Ranch, the South Larremore Ranch, and East Needle Peak. Jean and Bryan Larremore will also be leading trips to the South Larremore Ranch when they can.
For further information on the ranches I lead rockhunts on, and what you’ll need to do to prepare, follow this link: http://terismithrockhunts.com/for-rockhunters/ To sign up for one of my rockhunts, send me an email at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net or text me at (432) 386-3431. Please include a phone number so I can call you if necessary. I’d prefer not to have you call me because I’m forgetful, and having a text or email that I can refer to will ensure I remember the right dates and other information.
The only requirement for my hunts in addition to the fees stated below is that you need to join the Rollin’ Rock Club. This club costs $10 per year for a single membership ($16 dual membership), and provides insurance that protects the landowner from any damage we may accidentally cause.
So without further ado, here’s my schedule:
Green= Ought to be available Yellow=Probably not available, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Once again, the hunts will begin highway 118 south.in the parking lot of Little Caesar’s Pizza in Alpine, at the corner of Holland Avenue and Highway 118 south.
East Needle Peak
S. Larremore Ranch
Ritchie Ranch
Meets at 8 am in the parking lot of Little Caesar’s Pizza
in Alpine
Meets at 8 am in the parking lot of Little Caesar’s Pizza
in Alpine
Meets at 9 am in the parking lot of Little
Caesar’s Pizza in Alpine
Cost: $50 per
day. First bucket of rocks you collect
is included in cost.
Cost: $60 per
day. First bucket of rocks you collect
is included in cost.
Cost: $20 entrance fee and $1 per lb for cutting material
and crystals.
Leader: Teri Smith
(432) 386-3431
Leader: Teri Smith
(432) 386-3431
Leader: Teri Smith
(432) 386-3431
Regards,
Teri
P.S. I’ve still got great rocks for sale. I‘ll be cataloging
what I’ve got starting next week when I’m back in Texas, and I’ll send out an
email about that as soon as I have an idea what I have.
October has brought some cooler weather to the Big Bend of
Texas, so it’s time to come out and join rockhunts to have fun and find some
beautiful agate, jasper, amethyst, quartz crystals, and other specimens.
I am leading rockhunting field trips on The Ritchie Ranch,
the South Larremore Ranch and East Needle Peak, and Aaron Thomas is leading
them on the 06 Ranch. There are enough different
locations for you to go for five days in a row and not be at any one place for
more than a day.
Below is the schedule of rockhunts, and some information
about costs and meeting locations. For
further information on the ranches I lead rockhunts on, and what you’ll need to
do to prepare, follow this link: http://terismithrockhunts.com/for-rockhunters/ To sign up for one of my rockhunts, send me
an email at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net. The only requirement for my hunts in addition
to the fees stated below is that you need to join the Rollin’. Rock Club. This club costs $10 per year for a single
membership ($16 dual membership), and provides insurance that protects the
landowner from any damage we may accidentally cause.
For information about Aaron’s
hunts, search for him on Facebook, or email or text him at aaronthomasrockhunts@gmail.com, or (432) 538-2399.
I also still
have lots of wonderful agate for sale.
I’ll give you more details on that in a separate email which should come
out in the next few days.
I’ve finally got a rockhunt schedule for Fall 2020. Right now, with COVID and the resulting
changes in how things are done, we are fortunate to still have three great
ranches available for rockhunting: The
Ritchie Ranch, the South Larremore Ranch, and East Needle Peak.
I’ll be leading my field trips, cycling between all three
ranches, each Thursday and Friday in October and November. Aaron will be leading trips on most
Saturdays, October through December.
This will give y’all three days in a row for rockhunting on your trip out
to the Big Bend, and you can pick and choose which days you’d like to hunt.
I’ll also be leading additional trips now and then, so if you have a special request, let me
know. You can sign up for Aaron’s field trips the same way you sign up for
mine: send me an email with the days you
wish to attend, and make sure to include the phone number for a cell phone
you’ll have with you. Both Aaron and I
will be leading trips to the South Larremore Ranch. Aaron’s field trips will be limited to 25
people, and there’s still no limit to the number than can attend my field
trips.
If you haven’t hunted
with Aaron, his fieldtrips are different than mine. He keeps the group together and hunts with
you. He’ll even carry your rocks back to
the car. On my hunts, I give you
instructions, make sure everyone knows what they can find, and then you hunt by
yourselves until it’s time to get together at the end of the day. I try to meet with everyone once they’re out
hunting, to make sure they’re having fun and finding good stuff.
All field trips will begin at Tri-la-Bite, which is the food
truck run by Aaron and his wife Katrina. It’s at the corner of Holland Avenue
and Garnett Street in Alpine. It’s on
the left side of the street, across from the Sonic Drive-In.
There will be some protocols in place for extra safety
during the COVID pandemic. I’m asking
everybody to wear a mask whenever we’re grouped together, and have your group
stand 6 feet away from other groups and me.
Once we’re rockhunting, however, you and your group can remove the
masks.
Rollin’ Rock Club membership is still required for my field
trips. Cost is $10 single and $16 for a
dual membership. Membership will run
through the year 2021.
Aaron and Katrina have also opened up a rock shop in Alpine,
called the Circle T Rock Shop in honor of Aaron’s family’s ranch. It’s located on the east side of 5th street
in Alpine, just north of Holland Avenue.
They’re usually open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They also have a Facebook buy and sell group
called Circle T Rock shop, https://www.facebook.com/groups/2555173857901636/,
where you can buy agate from local ranches by the pound. And there are lots of other goodies available
in their shop.
As for me, I’m still selling agate by the bucket, as listed
on my website, www.terismithrockhunts.com.
I’ll get back to Texas at the beginning of October and hunt through lots
of buckets to re-sort the material into more single-ranch buckets, especially
Walker Ranch buckets. I’ll be also
offering special deals, and going through my studio to see what else I have to
offer. If you aren’t coming out here for
field trips, I can mail a bucket of rocks to you for $50. Last Spring, I mailed more than 150 boxes of
rocks via USPS, and every one of them got there in good shape with all of the
rocks protected! A couple of them did
take scenic trips around the United States, however, before getting to their
new homes.
So here’s the schedule.
Be sure to look at the start time for your field trip because the Ritchie
Ranch hunts begin at 9, not 8. That’s
because the drive to the Ritchie Ranch only takes about 8 minutes, so we
can still get out hunting by 9:30 or so.
Those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook have
probably heard the sad news, but for those that haven’t, my husband and best
friend passed away on August 1, 2019, in Hollister, CA, where we were spending
the summer. While Smith had been ill for many years, his death was
unexpected. Emotionally, I have been
supported by our four children and four grandchildren, who came from Texas,
Ohio, Virginia and England to be here with me.
I’m learning to understand what the word “widow” means in practical
terms, and what the future is likely to look like for me. I’m just hoping that I don’t have to get a
real “job”, since that would mean that I couldn’t lead rockhunts on the days
when I work.
I intend to come back to Texas in the middle of October and
lead rockhunts through the end of November.
However, the Fall schedule is still up in the air because there’s the
possibility of a new ranch being available in South Brewster County, near the
Stillwell Ranch. I won’t be able to tell
you how good it is until I get there to look around, and that won’t be until
October.
So… I can either wait til then to publish the actual
schedule, or I can publish it right now with the caveat that the locations may
change if this ranch proves to be as spectacular as I believe it will. What I can tell you for sure is that I will
be available to lead fieldtrips on the following dates:
Friday, 10/25 through Sunday, 10/27
Friday, 11/1 through Sunday, 11/3
Friday, 11/15 through Sunday, 11/17
Friday, 11/29 through Sunday, 12/1
If the new ranch proves to be good, I’ll probably add either
Thursdays of Mondays to the schedule and go to each of the ranches on one day
of the four-day weekend. Let me know by return email whether you’d like me to
post a schedule that may change or wait til October to post the names of the
ranches I’ll be hunting at each day.
The prices for each ranch is the same as in previous years:
Ritchie Ranch: $10
admission fee and $1 per lb of cutting agate or good specimens.
South Larremore Ranch:
$50 per person per day.
East Needle Peak: $40
per person per day.
And Rollin’ Rock Club membership is required. I’ll hold the memberships and not submit them
until December, so they will apply for 2020 as well. Cost is $10 for a single membership and $16
for a dual membership for the year.
Hope to see you this Fall!
If not, I’ll be back in March and April for what may be my last set of
rockhunts.
