My wild rock hunting trips to Texas 2 years ago.
Feb 10, 2014 7:59:52 GMT -5
gingerkid and 1dave like this
Post by jamesp on Feb 10, 2014 7:59:52 GMT -5
I drove to west Texas and stayed in Alpine for a week. Went to Woodward ranch and hunted some public land.
After about day 6 i was not happy with the amount of public land so i left for Lake Falcon(dammed Rio Grande in way south Texas).
The lake was fair game as were gravel roads. I met people on the desolate gravel road and was told to watch for border crossers.
I scored well. Spent 3 days and really felt good about the rocks i was finding. Decided i would leave, rest and come back in a month.
Came back for 12 days. And this is a story of events that happened to me. I was finding real nice rocks and was out in the desert
from sun up to sun down. It was August and hotter than Georgia asphalt. Never hunted rocks west of Alabama really so this was new to me.
I was collecting on a desolate gravel road. The ditch along the road was rich w/agate and wood:
I was walking/hounding the gravel roads down there. The border patrol kept stopping and checking me out, telling me to watch my back.
Gravel trucks kept stopping by and asking me what i was doing. And the game warden kept stopping and telling me to be cautious.
And a land owner stopped and asked me what i was doing.
Well, gregarious me asks them all to look at the rocks i am finding. They were quite interested.
Ended up the land owner was related to the gravel pit owner and the gravel drivers were related to half
the other land owners. The gravel truckers told me to check out the gravel pit. The land owner told
me where his gate is. And the property west of his was mine to hunt on too(again,his relative).
The land owner's property had 100 acres deep plowed on 3 of the higher hills for several miles along the river.
These higher hills have some of the best agate deposits.
They were capped with larger cobbles as they were ancient river terraces/turns. The rain had exposed them.
The agate was every where. Venerable gold mine of newly exposed agate/wood/jasper. Real hot spot.
About thursday the land owner visits me on his property and invites me to the bar on Friday in Zapatos. Well the bar was part of the
hotel i was staying at. So i meet him in the bar and half the gravel truck guys were there w/there ladies and i partied w/them. Ended
up one of their relatives owned the hotel. It was late and i headed to my room and an hour later some one was knocking on my door.
It was an attractive lady and she wanted to come in to my room. I told her i was a married man and need to behave myself.
And she understood and left. Well, those guys had sent her(i think).
Saturday i got another invite and one of the drivers had his sister set up w/me as a blind date. Again i told them i am loyal to my
wife. And we had a good time drinking and eating. So i was overwhelmed w/the hospitality. And was treated like never before.
I figured out what the dynamics was. These families had all owned properties along the Rio(Lake Falcon). They were lake homes and
small ranches. The natural gas companies had found gas along the river and had bought their mineral rights and turned the area
into a ghost town as owners/gas companies fenced every thing off to keep the area kind of sterile so the gas company's equipment
would be undisturbed. So these families were filthy rich. Like new money.
These guys were just average folks that got rich. And hadn't changed their ways much. Except they were spending money as they
desired. So i finally figured out what was going on- nat gas $$$. There was another relative i met when i arrived in town-the bait shop owner.
I always go to the bait shop and get a lake map when i rock hunt(often hunt in lakes when the water is low). I asked the bait shop
owner where big rock bars are in the lake and where public boat ramps close to such rock bars. Of course, he wanted to know why
i was asking these weird questions and i told him. He knew an older lady that recently lost her husband and was selling his 50 year
collection and lapidary equipment. I never got around to visiting her. He was also at the bar. ha what a crazy trip that was. Rock hunting
nurd turned into party animal-totally not. I feel certain if i see those guys again we will pick up where we left off.
I sent 60 MFRB of agates and wood back to Atlanta. And my little Honda was loaded to the max.
The lay of the land and the ground prep-
www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157632959424187/with/8545068886/
MY TRIP TO TEXAS THE END
After about day 6 i was not happy with the amount of public land so i left for Lake Falcon(dammed Rio Grande in way south Texas).
The lake was fair game as were gravel roads. I met people on the desolate gravel road and was told to watch for border crossers.
I scored well. Spent 3 days and really felt good about the rocks i was finding. Decided i would leave, rest and come back in a month.
Came back for 12 days. And this is a story of events that happened to me. I was finding real nice rocks and was out in the desert
from sun up to sun down. It was August and hotter than Georgia asphalt. Never hunted rocks west of Alabama really so this was new to me.
I was collecting on a desolate gravel road. The ditch along the road was rich w/agate and wood:
I was walking/hounding the gravel roads down there. The border patrol kept stopping and checking me out, telling me to watch my back.
Gravel trucks kept stopping by and asking me what i was doing. And the game warden kept stopping and telling me to be cautious.
And a land owner stopped and asked me what i was doing.
Well, gregarious me asks them all to look at the rocks i am finding. They were quite interested.
Ended up the land owner was related to the gravel pit owner and the gravel drivers were related to half
the other land owners. The gravel truckers told me to check out the gravel pit. The land owner told
me where his gate is. And the property west of his was mine to hunt on too(again,his relative).
The land owner's property had 100 acres deep plowed on 3 of the higher hills for several miles along the river.
These higher hills have some of the best agate deposits.
They were capped with larger cobbles as they were ancient river terraces/turns. The rain had exposed them.
The agate was every where. Venerable gold mine of newly exposed agate/wood/jasper. Real hot spot.
About thursday the land owner visits me on his property and invites me to the bar on Friday in Zapatos. Well the bar was part of the
hotel i was staying at. So i meet him in the bar and half the gravel truck guys were there w/there ladies and i partied w/them. Ended
up one of their relatives owned the hotel. It was late and i headed to my room and an hour later some one was knocking on my door.
It was an attractive lady and she wanted to come in to my room. I told her i was a married man and need to behave myself.
And she understood and left. Well, those guys had sent her(i think).
Saturday i got another invite and one of the drivers had his sister set up w/me as a blind date. Again i told them i am loyal to my
wife. And we had a good time drinking and eating. So i was overwhelmed w/the hospitality. And was treated like never before.
I figured out what the dynamics was. These families had all owned properties along the Rio(Lake Falcon). They were lake homes and
small ranches. The natural gas companies had found gas along the river and had bought their mineral rights and turned the area
into a ghost town as owners/gas companies fenced every thing off to keep the area kind of sterile so the gas company's equipment
would be undisturbed. So these families were filthy rich. Like new money.
These guys were just average folks that got rich. And hadn't changed their ways much. Except they were spending money as they
desired. So i finally figured out what was going on- nat gas $$$. There was another relative i met when i arrived in town-the bait shop owner.
I always go to the bait shop and get a lake map when i rock hunt(often hunt in lakes when the water is low). I asked the bait shop
owner where big rock bars are in the lake and where public boat ramps close to such rock bars. Of course, he wanted to know why
i was asking these weird questions and i told him. He knew an older lady that recently lost her husband and was selling his 50 year
collection and lapidary equipment. I never got around to visiting her. He was also at the bar. ha what a crazy trip that was. Rock hunting
nurd turned into party animal-totally not. I feel certain if i see those guys again we will pick up where we left off.
I sent 60 MFRB of agates and wood back to Atlanta. And my little Honda was loaded to the max.
The lay of the land and the ground prep-
www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157632959424187/with/8545068886/
MY TRIP TO TEXAS THE END