jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 16, 2019 6:41:12 GMT -5
I am willing to make this trip if someone wants to bring a motor boat, can be as small as a 20hp run-about. Collecting can be limited to the agate rich north shore of midpoint of safe Lake Falcon around Beckwith Arm. This river spot has it all geologically for collecting fine Rio agates/woods. About 11 miles upstream from Zapata. Close to and in river. Even better, a large gravel quarry on the inside turn of the Rio.(permission to collect quarry an issue) During dry season a naked ox bow just north of quarry scar. Is it sand or gravel ? Exposed gravel bars in river again during dry season. Only a short dash up the river using a runabout boat from public ramp in Zapata. May need a BB gun to ward off smugglers , looks like prime crossing territory. Adds to excitement Zapata has a giant DEA force watching every move on that river, doubt any smugglers will show during daylight. Overhead view in 2013, a year when this large quarry was running full tilt. Quarry is scar in center: This dry ox bow, quarry below. Question is, is ox bow lined with gravel ? If it is there is enough Rio agates for 9.3 million tumbler hobbyists. May have to stay on the north side of the ox bow, the yellow line may be the Mexican border. But north side should be public navigable waterway(within reason..). Seems like the water would define the border. Not sure. You must not cross that line or you will get in trouble with US DEA. They will make you re-enter the US at their office, possible fines, etc. captbob Garage Rocker HankRocks Other crazies he he Beckwith Arm, collect west shore of peninsula using boat:
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Post by captbob on Jul 16, 2019 7:57:42 GMT -5
*cough*
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saxplayer
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2018
Posts: 1,327
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Post by saxplayer on Jul 16, 2019 8:04:10 GMT -5
Haha! We shall dub these Rios “life or death Rios”
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Win
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2017
Posts: 336
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Post by Win on Jul 16, 2019 8:12:45 GMT -5
Looks like fun, lets rent a pontoon boat and have a collecting party!
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Post by captbob on Jul 16, 2019 8:34:38 GMT -5
Too cool and green for you up there in the mountains of north Georgia?
Figure a trip to Zapata for a couple weeks in July will get you back to last year's pants size?
Maybe round up a few Japanese to bayonet anyone that starts dragging @ss in the south Texas heat?
I could stand to sweat off 2 or 3 pounds, you know I'm in! (except the last week in August when wife unit goes on vacation)
Gotta die from something... might as well be collecting rocks in Texas.
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Post by miket on Jul 16, 2019 9:48:53 GMT -5
That definitely sounds like a good time!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 16, 2019 13:11:24 GMT -5
You know what ? Granted it would be a great trip but I would love to even live vicariously thru anyone who collected this area and returned with photos of terrain and findings. Please don't go during hot season. Plan trip during hot season, go during cool season. Sure is nice in winter.... If anyone takes a 20 mph+ boat they can have great success collecting on the lake shores at middle section of lake where graveled shoes are totally legally - public land. Lake is usually low and has wide shores like 1/4 mile loaded with agate. The lake has plenty of fisherman, it is probably the best bass fishing lake in the US. I have only heard of 2 incidences in 10+ years regarding attacks from drug thugs, compare that to your local rough areas in US cities. Check wind conditions for small boats, guessing the lake gets rough.
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Post by captbob on Jul 16, 2019 13:45:46 GMT -5
Don't back out on me now! Cool season would be better. I can sweat just plenty right here!
One of the (many) things I remember from when when we went before - When walking the shoreline, the rocks in the water and near shore were covered with something like algae. Probably from sewage, but that's beside the point.
We talked about how difficult shallow water / near shore collecting was because of this. Each rock must be hammer chipped to see what is inside. Talked about a pressure washer, but not so sure that is a reasonable attempt at a solution.
The gravel pits would be the best possible collecting location, but that's a long drive to get turned away from them. We still have that spot just a little further north of where you last collected there after I had gone home. I almost made it that far and you got even closer. One fence away from what I bet is the best spot down in that area we were working. Probably a killer spot as it is private land that one would have to sneak in. The round top butte down the hill from Fernando's (was that his name?) gravel pit would be a must to hit again, as would be that private land on the south side where I jumped the fence.
Bet we left a few rocks there from the last trip!
When does deer season start? We were close to it when there in October...
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Post by aDave on Jul 16, 2019 14:05:59 GMT -5
When does deer season start? We were close to it when there in October... Looks like the general season for White-tailed deer goes from Nov. 2, 2019 - Jan. 19, 2020. Archery goes from Sep. 28 - Nov. 1, 2019, though I would be surprised if archery was a "thing" in that area.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 16, 2019 14:12:45 GMT -5
Man, you know, I was just down that way a month or so ago and it was already hotter than Hades, humid and extremely wet this year. With lots of vegetation covering the ground. Gravel ditches were mostly full of mud and water. Texas is scalding right now and I can only imagine how bad it is down in the thornbrush country. My buddy Clayton also says there are not too many problems withe Zetas, even though their specialty is kidnapping and holding "Pollos". However Claytons phone was also full of dead body and skeleton pics from the ranch he worked on so I found that a bit discouraging. That being said, from now on trips down that way are winter or early spring trips for me. Winter is dry season too. I like heat but man that is just too much. And dude, I'd never sneak across any fence in Texas. They take trespass real serious here and trespass in Texas takes "written permission" you have to carry on you. Good way to get accidentally shot. I've always thought a lake hunt by boat would be the cool way to go but I'd go well heeled.....Mel
Archery deer begins Sept 29
Youth only Oct 27
General south zone Nov.3
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Post by aDave on Jul 16, 2019 14:37:46 GMT -5
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rockymom
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2015
Posts: 118
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Post by rockymom on Jul 16, 2019 18:48:18 GMT -5
Call this guy www.flickr.com/people/97769244@N00/. I met him at a Houston rock show. He takes people OVER THE BORDER INTO MEXICO!! Sounded like a lot of fun. Not in the summer. You have to be in good shape. Stay at a guest house IN MEXICO! Look at his collection.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 17, 2019 5:14:01 GMT -5
Don't back out on me now! Cool season would be better. I can sweat just plenty right here! One of the (many) things I remember from when when we went before - When walking the shoreline, the rocks in the water and near shore were covered with something like algae. Probably from sewage, but that's beside the point. We talked about how difficult shallow water / near shore collecting was because of this. Each rock must be hammer chipped to see what is inside. Talked about a pressure washer, but not so sure that is a reasonable attempt at a solution. The gravel pits would be the best possible collecting location, but that's a long drive to get turned away from them. We still have that spot just a little further north of where you last collected there after I had gone home. I almost made it that far and you got even closer. One fence away from what I bet is the best spot down in that area we were working. Probably a killer spot as it is private land that one would have to sneak in. The round top butte down the hill from Fernando's (was that his name?) gravel pit would be a must to hit again, as would be that private land on the south side where I jumped the fence. Bet we left a few rocks there from the last trip! When does deer season start? We were close to it when there in October... The land I collected after you left was public shoreline accessible by boat. Granted I accessed it thru a gate above full pool to get to it. Not interested in endangering my dear guest entering private property so I 'ventured' after you left. The shoreline is public domain and was way more land than I could cover. And it went on and on and easily accessible by boat. The shoreline is divided into 2 levels, 265 to 285, 285 to 301(full pool). See lake level chart below. The lake rarely goes higher than 285, these are the rocks weathered clean and easy to ID, and a vast amount of land and rock. At elevation 265 to 285 the rocks are stained with that coating forcing you to window rocks and was useless to me unless at the water's edge where the water exposed their surface. Take the boat and collect exposed shore from 285 to 301 elevation. No fences in this zone. It will take lifetimes to cover that much ground. The boat is the way. This photo shows the full pool level at 301, it is the taller thick shrubs to the right in photo. It is a long way to the lake at left of photo and more land than I could cover. This public shore kept going and going as you walked the full pool line(upstream). My car is sitting at about 301- 2 feet = 299 elevation and totally on public land but accessed over private. Note trees are growing on the 285 to 301 elevation. Lake is at 285 at this time November. Looks private, but not and the ranchers do run their cattle on this public shore because it is massive.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 17, 2019 5:47:22 GMT -5
This was the Rio pile at the local landscape business. I could have sorted thru the whole pile for $100 and filled my Honda with fine Rio's. I asked he he. They would have re-stacked the pile with their front end loader. Too boring but productive. In town, totally safe...should have asked who the quarry owner was. Decided to get back to the lake. Note spray bottle. When they were adding two lanes to Hwy 83 for miles there were 100's of piles like this, many spread out for road underlayment. The quarry we snuck into captbob is Fernando's uncle's quarry. It was running at full tilt then. There was a massive pile of over size cobbles 30 feet tall say 6 to 12 inches they had separated from the road size gravel. Had been taken away before our trip. Guarantee there were 1000's of saw babies in that pile. Pile at left is the big cobbles Samples from pile on right not 5 minutes after finding it. Sample of pile on right sprayed with water. This pile must have been scrubbed. May be a DOT requirement. They were dead clean, caliche removed ?
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Post by fernwood on Jul 17, 2019 6:24:02 GMT -5
Some awesome Rios there. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 17, 2019 6:57:38 GMT -5
Some awesome Rios there. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Shared information, hope it serves well fernwood. I passed by Zapata first time on a return trip at Alpine in W Texas. A fellow rock hunter turned me on to Zapata. I hated west Texas from a rock collecting stand point. Them folks are very strict about sharing their land including the sheriff running you off the public road shoulders. The Mexican Americans in Zapata opened their gates to me, about every one I asked. Two different worlds. Must have a gift of dealing w/them don't know. The owner of the big quarry north of Zapata turned me down, and he has serious liability on his operation like pits etc. Understood. Anyway, I know the lay of the land down there and have a generous contact there, it helps when making such a long trip. The DEA watched my every move on earlier trips. Stopping me, questioning me. Apparently they installed cameras later, including high tech blimps overhead. Never got questioned on later trips. The DEA equipment yard in Zapata is loaded with some wicked boats and terrain vehicles. Would like to know their budget. Was thinking about hocking one of their twin shaft 300hp boats to get some rock hunting done on the lake shore on the Mexican side he he... captbob you are good with speed boats. Perhaps the one with the 50 caliber machine gun and start a war w/Mexico. I see a movie. Any takers ?
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Post by fernwood on Jul 17, 2019 7:36:44 GMT -5
The DEA equipment yard in Zapata is loaded with some wicked boats and terrain vehicles. Would like to know their budget. Was thinking about hocking one of their twin shaft 300hp boats to get some rock hunting done on the lake shore on the Mexican side he he...captbob you are good with speed boats. Perhaps the one with the 50 caliber machine gun and start a war w/Mexico. I see a movie. Any takers ?
Thanks for the laugh. A new Mexican-American war over rock collecting.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 17, 2019 9:29:12 GMT -5
The DEA equipment yard in Zapata is loaded with some wicked boats and terrain vehicles. Would like to know their budget. Was thinking about hocking one of their twin shaft 300hp boats to get some rock hunting done on the lake shore on the Mexican side he he...captbob you are good with speed boats. Perhaps the one with the 50 caliber machine gun and start a war w/Mexico. I see a movie. Any takers ? Thanks for the laugh. A new Mexican-American war over rock collecting. Oh well, back to the daily grind. Fun whilst it lasted.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 17, 2019 9:43:26 GMT -5
Man, you know, I was just down that way a month or so ago and it was already hotter than Hades, humid and extremely wet this year. With lots of vegetation covering the ground. Gravel ditches were mostly full of mud and water. Texas is scalding right now and I can only imagine how bad it is down in the thornbrush country. My buddy Clayton also says there are not too many problems withe Zetas, even though their specialty is kidnapping and holding "Pollos". However Claytons phone was also full of dead body and skeleton pics from the ranch he worked on so I found that a bit discouraging. That being said, from now on trips down that way are winter or early spring trips for me. Winter is dry season too. I like heat but man that is just too much. And dude, I'd never sneak across any fence in Texas. They take trespass real serious here and trespass in Texas takes "written permission" you have to carry on you. Good way to get accidentally shot. I've always thought a lake hunt by boat would be the cool way to go but I'd go well heeled.....Mel Archery deer begins Sept 29 Youth only Oct 27 General south zone Nov.3 I was stunned by the amount of animals that met there end in the drought back 2014 to 2016 ? Somewhere about that time crossing S Texas from Alpine. Jumping a fence out in west Texas may get you branded. Huge land holders and one can't blame them especially with all the border crap. The Big Bend was a goldmine for collecting but it is not allowed. I talked to a Brewster County sheriff about collecting and he said they don't give warnings, very strict. Same rules for the wildlife management hunting area east and south of Alpine. Walked around there and artifacts were still laying on the ground, obviously policed to the max. That Woodward Ranch was a fine spot to collect. I spent a week in Alpine and paid Woodward, maybe 100 pounds of rock. Stopped/stayed at Lake Falcon 3 days on way back and filled the car to the max. Went back a few months later and scored big. You live close to some fine collecting areas Mel.
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