2019 Spring Rockhunt Schedule

Below is the list of spring 2019 Rockhunts, including those in January which have already been published.

Date Time Trip Location Price
Thursday, 1/24/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Friday, 1/25/19 9:00 a.m. Ritchie Ranch $10 entrance fee plus $1/lb
Saturday, 1/26/19 8:00 a.m. East Needle Peak $40 per person
Sunday, 1/27/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Thursday, 2/7/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Friday, 2/8/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Saturday, 2/9/19 9:00 a.m. Ritchie Ranch $10 entrance fee plus $1/lb
Sunday, 2/10/19 8:00 a.m. East Needle Peak $40 per person
Monday, 2/11/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Thursday, 2/21/19 9:00 a.m. Ritchie Ranch $10 entrance fee plus $1/lb
Friday, 2/22/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Saturday, 2/23/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Sunday, 2/24/19 8:00 a.m. East Needle Peak $40 per person
Wednesday, 2/27/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Thursday, 2/28/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Saturday, 3/9/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Sunday, 3/10/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Thursday, 3/14/19 9:00 a.m. Ritchie Ranch $10 entrance fee plus $1/lb
Friday, 3/15/19 8:00 a.m. East Needle Peak $40 per person
Saturday, 3/16/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Sunday, 3/17/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Thursday, 3/21/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Friday, 3/22/19 9:00 a.m. Ritchie Ranch $10 entrance fee plus $1/lb
Saturday, 3/23/19 8:00 a.m. East Needle Peak $40 per person
Sunday, 3/24/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Thursday, 4/11/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Friday, 4/12/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Saturday, 4/13/19 9:00 a.m. Ritchie Ranch $10 entrance fee plus $1/lb
Sunday, 4/14/19 8:00 a.m. East Needle Peak $40 per person
Thursday, 4/18/19 8:00 a.m. East Needle Peak $40 per person
Friday, 4/19/19 9:00 a.m. Ritchie Ranch $10 entrance fee plus $1/lb
Saturday, 4/20/19 8:00 a.m. South Larremore Ranch $50 per person
Sunday, 4/21/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
Monday, 4/22/19 8:00 a.m. Stillwell Ranch 50 cents per lb. of rock you take
       

 

As usual, all trips start in front of the Antelope Lodge, 2310 W. Highway 90, Alpine.  To reserve your place on a trip, email me at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net.  Payment for the trip is not due until the morning of the trip.  All the ranches accept cash or check, and the Stillwell also accepts credit cards.  At least one person in your group needs to be a member of the Rollin’ Rock Club to go on the trips.  Cost is $10 per year for a single membership and $16 for a dual membership, purchasable at the time of the trip.

I’ll be out of town until the 18th, so, while I’ll be accepting reservations via email immediately, I may not send you a detailed response until at least the 19th.  Answers to most questions concerning rockhunts are available on my website (really, they are there!).

If no one is signed up for a trip 48 hours before it starts it will be cancelled.  Once cancelled, it can’t be “un-cancelled”.  So be sure to sign up!

Since the Antelope Lodge has changed ownership, the prices have gone up somewhat, and the amenities are different.  But the reservation website name is the same, www.antelopelodge.com.

I hope to see y’all this spring!

Regards,

Teri

 

 

 

 

Rockhunt Added for 11/12/18 and other items

  1. I’ve scheduled on extra rockhunt for Monday November 12, at 8 a.m., to the South Larremore Ranch. Please let me know if you’d like to attend.
  1. The following rockhunts DO NOT have people signed up for them:

Thursday, 12/13:  South Larremore Ranch  8:00 a.m.

Thursday, 12/20:  East Needle Peak  8:00 a.m.

Friday, 12/21:  South Larremore Ranch  8:00 a.m.

Saturday, 12/22:  Stillwell Ranch  8:00 a.m.

Sunday, 12/23:  Ritchie Ranch  9:00 a.m.

If no one has signed up for these rockhunts two days before they are to occur, they will be cancelled.  Since at least one person has signed up for each of the other rockhunts on my list, they will happen.

  1. As many of you know, I don’t get paid in money to lead the field trips, but I get to pick up rocks. This has resulted in my having a collection of well over 1,000 5-gallon buckets full of agate, specimens, and other rocks.  It’s time for me to downsize my collection to include only the things I’d most like to cut and/or display.  I’d like your opinions and comments about how I can best facilitate the sale of most of my collection of 40,000 lbs of agate, specimens, and other rocks to rockhounds such as yourselves.  The collection is 90% Big Bend material, with the other 10% consisting of saleable, cuttable rock (geodes, lace agate, chevron amethyst, etc.) from the US and Mexico.  I am going through it right now to catalog it completely and decide what I want to keep.

There are five basic ways I can sell the collection:  as a complete collection; by the category; by the bucket as they are; by the bucket after I’ve curated the contents; and by the pound.   This list begins with the least expensive cost per pound and progresses to the most expensive one, because each succeeding option requires more of my time and effort than the previous one, thus adding to the cost.

The material includes just about everything that can be found at the ranches I’ve led rockhunts on, including the Walker and Singleton, which are now closed forever.  There’s material from the Woodward Ranch, and from a couple of ranches that were never opened to the public.  There’s old Mexican material from the estate of a man from Presidio who bought and sold agate by the ton or truckload, and from a couple of other estates of local rockhounds.  There’s some unusual material from the Gila National Forest in New Mexico that I can’t legally sell but can give to those who buy other stuff.  And there’s also over a ton of slag glass.

There are also several methods I can use to sell the rocks:  my website, www.terismithrockhunts; another sales channel like eBay, or the Facebook rock pages; via emails to my email list; or at sales at my home here in Alpine.

I would appreciate you letting me know whether you’d have any interest in purchasing rocks from me, and what option and method would work best for you.  I’ll take all that information into consideration as I decide what to do. Obviously, there’s no obligation on either side…

Regards,

Teri

 

 

2018 March and April Rockhunts

Hi y’all!  It’s been one heck of a winter, and I’m only now crawling out from under the mound of paperwork (22 years’ worth) that had to be sorted and organized for our taxes this year.

Below is the schedule for the spring, starting with the Gem Show week of March 25 – April 1.    I intend to have some rockhunts the first week in May, but that schedule will have to come later.

Also, the Stillwell Ranch is up for sale.  As we know what may happen to rockhunting opportunities once a ranch sells, I would suggest visiting that wonderful spot this spring, in case it becomes unavailable in the future.

To sign up for the field trips, send me an email.  HOWEVER, I will be involved in family business and out of email range and won’t be able to reply until about the 23rd of March.  If I have access to email earlier than that I’ll certainly get back to you.  But if the information isn’t in this email or on my website, you may have to wait until the 23rd to find out.

Remember that you need to be a member of the Rollin’ Rock Club to go on my trips.  Memberships are $16 per year dual and $10 per year single, payable at the time of your first field trip.

Regards,

Teri

 

Sunday 3/25:  Ritchie Ranch, 9 a.m.  $10 per person and $1 per lb. of agate
Monday, 3/26 Stillwell Ranch, 8 a.m.  50 cents per lb of rock you take.
Friday, 3/30  South Larremore Ranch, 8 a.m.  $50 per person
Saturday, 3/31  Stillwell Ranch, 8 a.m.    50 cents per lb of rock you take.
Sunday, 4/1  East Needle Peak, 8 a.m.  $40 per person
Thursday, 4/5 Ritchie Ranch, 9 a.m.    $10 per person and $1 per lb. of agate
Friday, 4/6 East Needle Peak, 8 a.m.  $40 per person
Saturday, 4/7 South Larremore Ranch, 8 a.m.  $50 per person
Sunday, 4/9  Stillwell Ranch, 8 a.m.    50 cents per lb of rock you take.
Thursday, 4/19  Ritchie Ranch, 9 a.m.    $10 per person and $1 per lb. of agate
Friday, 4/20 South Larremore Ranch, 8 a.m.  $50 per person
Saturday, 4/21 East Needle Peak, 8 a.m.  $40 per person
Sunday, 4/22 Stillwell Ranch, 8 a.m.    50 cents per lb of rock you take.
Friday, 4/27 South Larremore Ranch, 8 a.m.  $50 per person
Saturday, 4/28, East Needle Peak, 8 a.m.  $40 per person
Sunday, 4/29 Stillwell Ranch, 8 a.m.    50 cents per lb of rock you take.

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of Agate Available for Fall Rockhunts

Jean Larremore will indeed lead trips to on her ranch on Tuesday, October 18 and Tuesday October 25.

This last week, I’ve been on the South Larremore Ranch, the Ritchie Ranch, and the Singleton Ranch.  There’s lots of new agate visible on all three ranches.  We’ve had lots of rain in the last few months, and that’s at least partly responsible for uncovering new pieces.

At the South Larremore Ranch, there were a few muddy spots in the creek bottom, but very few puddles (and all of them were small enough to really call puddles).  The mud at the crossing was too deep and sloppy to attempt the crossing in a car, but we walked across it (after I slipped and fell on my butt, of course).  By the time the day was over, Brian Larremore had used the tractor and made the crossing good enough that we would have been able to drive it.  However, since then it has rained for two solid days here in Alpine, and I have no idea how much rain they got down there.

Regards,

Teri

Fall rockhunt information: Corrections and additions.

  1. The Singleton Ranch accepts only cash.
  1. On the big Fall hunts schedule, I got two of the starting times wrong. They are corrected below:
November
Th 17 Stillwell Ranch Start Time:  7 a.m.
December
S 24 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.

Or, to put it another way, the starting times for all Fall field trips will be:

East Needle Peak and Stillwell Ranch:  7 a.m.

Singleton Ranch, and South Larremore Ranch:  8 a.m.

Ritchie Ranch:  9 a.m.

  1. The Larremore Ranch and the South Larremore Ranch mentioned in the field trip list are the same place. But the South Larremore Ranch is not the same as the old Larremore Ranch that we hunted back in about 2006.  The South Larremore Ranch is very productive with lots of unusual agates in addition to those similar to the Alpine agates and the agates from the Needle Peak area.  If this is confusing, just remember that all the Larremore ranch field trips on the Fall schedule are to the same wonderful ranch.
  1. I neglected to mention in the email that, if no one has signed up for a field trip a week before the date of the trip, the trip will be cancelled. I know this makes it difficult for people who make last-minute trips to the Big Bend, but in previous years I spent a lot of time preparing for field tips just in case someone wanted to attend who hadn’t signed up. My schedule this year is too tight to allow me to do that.

Thank you all for bearing with me.  I’ve only been doing this for 15 years or so.  I should know what to put in an email by now!

Regards,

Teri

Rockhunt Schedule for September through December 2016

The big schedule below covers scheduled rockhunts for September through December, 2016.

September, 2016
F 16 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
S 17 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Tu 20 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
W 21 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 22 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
F 23 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
S 24 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Su 25 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
M 26 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
October, 2016
Th 6 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
S 15 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
Su 16 East Needle Peak Start Time:  7 a.m.
M 17 Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Tu 18 Larremore Ranch with Jean Larremore Start Time:  8 a.m.
W 19 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 20 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Tu 25 Larremore Ranch with Jean Larremore Start Time:  8 a.m.
W 26  Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 27 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
F 28 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
S 29 East Needle Peak Start Time:  7 a.m.
Su 30 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
M 31 Stillwell Ranch Start Time:  7 a.m.
November, 2016
W 9 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 10 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
F 11 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
S 12 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Su 13 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
M 14 East Needle Peak Start Time:  7 a.m.
Tu 15 Larremore Ranch with Jean Larremore Start Time:  8 a.m.
W 16 S. Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 17 Stillwell Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
 Su 20 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
M 21 S. Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Tu 22 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
W 23 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 24 East Needle Peak Start Time:  7 a.m.
December, 2016
Tu 6 Mule Deer Season:  Special South Larremore Ranch hunt Start Time:  8 a.m.
W 7 Mule Deer Season:  Special South Larremore Ranch hunt Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 8 Mule Deer Season:  Special South Larremore Ranch hunt Start Time:  8 a.m.
Th 15 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
F 16 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
S 17 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Su 18 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
M 19 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Tu 20 Larremore Ranch with Jean Larremore Start Time:  8 a.m.
W 21 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
Th 22 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
F 23 East Needle Peak Start Time:  7 a.m.
S 24 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Su 25 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
M 26 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
Tu 27 Larremore Ranch with Jean Larremore Start Time:  8 a.m.
W 28 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
Th 29 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.
F 30 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9 a.m.
S 31 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8 a.m.

The prices for the ranches are unchanged from last year: The Ritchie Ranch is $10 entrance fee per person and $1 per lb. for the agate you take; the South Larremore Ranch is $40 per person if I take you, and $50 per person if Jean or Brian Larremore take you; the Singleton Ranch is $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), and East Needle Peak is $40 per person.  On all of these ranches, kids under 12 hunt free, but their rocks count in the total you pay for.  The Stillwell Ranch has no admission fee and charges 50 cents per pound for good rocks. The price for the Rollin’ Rock club membership, which is required for my hunts, is also unchanged at $10 per calendar year for a single membership and $16 per calendar year for a dual membership.  And the price for my guide services is still the same:  free, but you can give me a gratuity if you feel so inclined.

All trips begin in front of the office at the Antelope Lodge, 2310 W. Highway 90 in Alpine.  However, if you’re staying someplace that is closer to the hunt site than Alpine is, let me know and I’ll try to make arrangements to meet you someplace along the route.

I look forward to seeing y’all this Fall!

Regards,

Teri

 

Final Schedule for October 2016 Rockhunts

Hi Y’all!  I’ve gotten lots of responses from rockhunters concerning the schedule in October.  Although I had several requests for changes, I had lots of people sign up for most of the trips, so I’ve decided to keep the schedule as it is.   I’ll certainly keep your suggestions in mind for the rest of the Fall schedule, which will be coming out in another email very soon.

The prices for the ranches are also unchanged from last year:  The Ritchie Ranch is $10 entrance fee and $1 per lb. for the agate you take; the South Larremore Ranch is $40 per person if I take you, and $50 per person if Jean or Brian Larremore take you; the Singleton Ranch is $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), and East Needle Peak is $40 per person.  The Stillwell Ranch has no admission fee and charged 50 cents per pound for good rocks. The price for the Rollin’ Rock club membership, which is required for my hunts, is also unchanged at $10 per calendar year for a single membership and $16 per calendar year for a dual membership.  And the price for my guide services is still the same:  free, but you can give me a gratuity if you feel so inclined.

So here’s the October schedule, with the addition of starting times.  All trips begin in front of the office at the Antelope Lodge, 2310 W. Highway 90 in Alpine.  However, if you’re staying someplace that is closer to the hunt site than Alpine is, let me know and I’ll try to make arrangements to meet you someplace along the route.

See you soon,

Teri

October, 2016
S 15 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9:00 a.m.
Su 16 East Needle Peak Start Time:  7:00 a.m.
M 17 South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
Tu 18 Teri’s day off (maybe South Larremore Ranch?) Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
W 19 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
Th 20 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
Tu 25 Teri’s day off (maybe South Larremore Ranch?) Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
W 26  South Larremore Ranch Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
Th 27 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
F 28 Singleton Ranch Start Time:  8:00 a.m.
S 29 East Needle Peak Start Time:  7:00 a.m.
Su 30 Ritchie Ranch Start Time:  9:00 a.m.
M 31 Stillwell Ranch Start Time:  7:00 a.m.

 

2016 Spring RockHunt Recap

Wow!  It’s been almost a month since the April rockhunts, and I’ve been practicing sleeping in late and being incommunicado .  But now, in a small flurry of activity, I’m going to send out an email!

I had a great time leading all the spring rockhunts, and I think everyone that attended had a good time as well.

I found some incredible agate, especially at the Singleton Ranch and the South Larremore Ranch.  I am very pleased with the variety and quality of agate found at the South Larremore Ranch, and just a little bit puzzled geologically about how it all got there.  But the important thing is that it DID get there, and we can find it in reasonable sizes and quantities for cutting and specimens.  And there’s still some of that ranch to be explored.

I saw lots of old friends and made some new ones.  As usual, we had people fly and drive in from around the United States, including people from Florida, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Oregon, and of course all over Texas.  Johnny French brought barbecue for the group and we had a fantastic dinner during the April hunts.

In general, the weather cooperated with us, especially in April.  It had rained earlier on the Larremore Ranch, however, which left the usually-not-difficult creek crossing a muddy mess.  So, twice, we got all hands on deck with shovels and picks, and fixed the crossing so that all the vehicles on the hunt could get across if they chose to.  We also ganged up to pile rocks in holes and fix roads on the Singleton Ranch.

We also took several trips to the Stillwell Ranch.  I was really happy with the agate I found, and the petrified wood was excellent.  You can hunt the Stillwell Ranch on your own if the weather is cool and the roads are dry, but going on a trip with me means I can probably help you find a good spot to hunt and identify what you’ve found in the field, so you don’t pay for rocks you really don’t want.  The fee is very reasonable at 50 cents per pound, and of course I don’t charge anything, so the only big expense is your gas.  And the Stillwell Store has ice cream bars and cold drinks for an after-rockhunt treat.

I’ve also relearned some lessons that I used to know.  I need to take a day off once a week, so that I can catch up on sleep and laundry.  I need to be more clear in my instructions, and I need to have samples and maps for every ranch.

I’m closing up for the summer, and probably won’t have any more field trips til the beginning of October.  I’d appreciate input from y’all about the schedule, since I tried to cluster more rockhunts together in the middle of the month rather than running several weekends a month like I had last year.  Please let me know whether that worked better for you or not, and how you think I can improve the schedules in the future.

I hope to have time to work on the museum this summer, and on the set of photos I’m displaying in my slide show there.  If anyone has some photos of the hunt, or of the material you’ve found, whether rough or processed, and wouldn’t mind having me use them in my slide show, please email them to me.  I’ll add your name and a copyright line for you, and they won’t be used for anything except the slide show in my museum.

Lastly, I’ve been trying to contact Paul Bowman, who came out on the April field trips for the first time, and his email address is rejecting new messages.  If anyone knows him, please tell him to email me!  Thanks!

Regards,

Teri

Complete April Rockhunt Schedule

Hi! Below is the complete April rockhunt schedule, including meeting times and costs. All field trips start at the Antelope Lodge, 2310 W. Highway 90, Alpine. Rollin’ Rock Club membership is required to attend the hunts. Cost is $10 single/$16 dual membership for the rest of 2016.

It also has been brought to my attention that I forgot to update my calendar when I made changes to the schedule. So what’s on my website doesn’t match what’s here. This email is the correct schedule. I hope to have the time to fix the website very soon.

Saturday, 4/9 8 a.m. S. Larremore. Cost $40/person
Sunday, 4/10 8 a.m. S. Larremore. Cost $40/person
Monday, 4/11 7 a.m. E Needle Peak Cost $40/person NOTE 7:00 a.m. MEETING TIME
Tuesday, 4/12 8 a.m. Singleton. Cost $50/person, cash only
Wednesday, 4/13 8 a.m. S. Larremore. Cost $40/person
Thursday, 4/14 7 a.m. Stillwell. Cost: no entrance fee, 50¢/lb of rock taken. NOTE 7:00 a.m. MEETING TIME
Friday, 4/15 8 a.m. S. Larremore. Cost $40/person
Saturday, 4/16 8 a.m. East Needle Peak. Cost $40/person NOTE 7:00 a.m. MEETING TIME
Sunday, 4/17 8 a.m. S Larremore. Cost $40/person
Monday, 4/18 8 a.m. S Larremore. Cost $40/person
Tuesday, 4/19 8 a.m. Singleton. Cost $50/person, cash only
Wednesday, 4/20 8 a.m. Singleton. Cost $50/person, cash only
Thursday, 4/21 8 a.m. Singleton. Cost $50/person, cash only
Friday, 4/22 8 a.m. Singleton. Cost $50/person, cash only
Saturday, 4/23 8 a.m. S. Larremore. Cost $40/person
Sunday, 4/24 7 a.m. East Needle Peak Cost $40/person NOTE 7:00 a.m. MEETING TIME

I went back to the South Larremore Ranch today and did more scouting. There’s lots of neat agate there, scattered over an area that’s at least a square mile in size. Some of the pieces are unlike anything I’ve seen before.

Thanks for all your patience while I got the schedule worked out.

Regards,
Teri

Déjà vu All 0ver Again

I am sorry to announce that, due to circumstances so far out of my control that they might as well be on the moon, the Walker Ranch rockhunt for April, 2016, has been CANCELLED.

I understand that this last-minute cancellation leaves several of you with money already expended for airline tickets which may not be refundable, and reservations for rental cars and lodging, and in Johnny French’s case, a huge order for food for the rockhound barbecue. I apologize for the cancellation and for the late notice, and I appreciate the difficult situation that puts some of you in. The cancellation hits me financially as well, as rockhounds who choose not to make the trip to Alpine will cancel their reservations at the Antelope Lodge.

I will do all I can to make your trip out here wonderful even if we can’t hunt on the Walker Ranch. There are other options to replace the hunts on the Walker Ranch. In February, when the Walker Ranch rockhunt was cancelled, the group from Florida that came out here still had a wonderful time. Besides going to the four ranches I have normally available for rockhunts (the Ritchie, the South Larremore, the Singleton and East Needle Peak) the group wanted to go down to the Stillwell for a hunt there. I had not been there for many years, and was quite pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of material found there. A dozen people went to one place for two days and were still finding great stuff on the hillsides near the cars as the sun went down on the second day. The Stillwell Ranch is huge, and there are many other great locations there that probably haven’t been looked at in a while. So the Stillwell is another fun place that we can consider. And I’m working with the contacts I have here to see whether we can get on another ranch that’s usually not open for rockhunting. I will keep you posted.

Here’s what I would like you to do for me: If you were planning to go to the Walker Ranch, please let me know whether you’ll still come out for the trip, and where you’d like to go on the days you were scheduled for the Walker. I’ll try to create a schedule that makes everyone happy.

There is a new location on the South Larremore Ranch that was only starting to be explored in the fall that is really good. It’s probably a half mile from north to south, and three-quarters of a mile from east to west, and has areas that are beds of stones from pea sized to grapefruit sized. Along with regular rocks, these stones include agate, jasper, chalcedony, quartz crystals, flint, chert, occasional fossils, and now and then an artifact. I believe there’s another, similar bed of rocks north of it, but I haven’t had the chance to explore that area yet. I don’t know if I can get there this week, but I’ll let you know.

ALSO, if anyone wants to come a day early, I’ve added a hunt next Saturday, April 9, to the South Larremore Ranch. Please let me know if you’re interested, and we’ll meet at 8 a.m. at the Antelope Lodge.

Lastly, I want you to know that I will work with the owners of the Walker Ranch to ensure that any future hunts are guaranteed to happen as announced. The cancellation of these two hunts has made it clear to me that safeguards need to be put in place to keep such cancellations from occurring in the future.

Regards,

Teri