Weekly Update Archive

Week Ending 05/28/06

I loaded up the wife and kids and off to West Texas again! We drove directly to Motel 6 in Del Rio and after we moved all the stuff in, I took out for a couple of hours on 277. I saw Rick and Melissa White from Colorado out there, and some other people who I did not speak to. Most people had given up by then. I saw no snakes at all.

Saturday we all got together and had 23 herpers meet at Crosby's in Acuna. This had been planned for a long time. Fun was had by all, and I met some new people from other states that share the same passion -- alterna collecting! We decided to go back via the international bridge which turned out to be a mistake. Thanks to "Bushy Boy" our faithful President, the driver of the vehicle has to present his or her drivers license. If ANYTHING peaks their interest, the F*** with you. They detained me for 30 minutes because I had a wildlife violation in Arizona 5 years ago and they called them wanting to know if they "had a contract" out for me. You gotta love our "homeland security" people. I would have taken my dislike to this to a much higher level, but I had people in the van sweating to death and needing to get back to Del Rio. U.S. CUSTOMS,……..what a joke!! Anyway, we collected out toward Langtry, Palma Canyon, Pumpville Rd. and cruised back to Del Rio. When I broke off and walked Palma Canyon, Kim and the kids drove while spotlighting. Caleb spotlighted and Kim drove, Weston crashed out. They found a D.O.R. Longnose, and this is all we "caught" the rest of the night. I was driving too fast on Pumpville Rd. and missed a very large snake which I believe to have been and glossy snake or most likely an Emory's Rat. In fact, I would miss 2 snakes this trip, but the were not Alterna!

Sunday, we cooked steaks at the Outback Oasis and hung out with Ruth and Roy. We hunted Sanderson this night and hunted North, East, South and West. I missed another gray looking snake West of Sanderson (no biggy) and saw a D.O.R. Gopher snake. We called it quits around 1:00 a.m. but I woke up again at 3:30 and collected North of Sanderson, but it was way too windy and below 68 degrees. The very next weekend, Roy Engledorf would catch the three alterna you see here in the pics! at 16 mile cut for 2 of them, and the other, 30 miles West of Sanderson in the flats. It's all about timing! I should have better luck next time.

Rock on herpers!

Wayne Howell

DOR Longnose - Palma Draw