Getting Into A Natural State - Four Days in Arkansas

I don't get the allure of Minecraft.  The Boy is infatuated with it, as are most of his friends at school.  Even The Girl will play it with him on the XBox now and then.  I grew up playing games on the computer, and I tried playing it with him.  Unfortunately, I just can't get interested in the game.

The Wife and I have been bothered about how much the kids are inside on nice summer days watching television and playing games.  We decided that they need to be reintroduced to the great outdoors.  As much as I enjoy making fun of my friends from Arkansas, I do have to admit that it is a much more beautiful state than West Tennessee.  For the kids fall break, we decided to drive them across the Mississippi for some real life Minecraft.  Afterwards, we would spend a couple of days enjoying the nearby Lake Ouachita State Park.

The Crater of Diamonds is a unique area in North America caused by an ancient volcanic vent that formed about 100 million years ago.  This geologic formation spewed material from the Earth's mantle including diamonds onto the surface of the Earth.  Diamonds were first discovered in this area in 1906.  Initially, private and commercial mining was done, but the State of Arkansas purchased the land in 1972 and opened it up to the general public.  This area has  produced notable finds such as the 40 carat "Uncle Sam Diamond,"  the largest diamond found in North America.  Others include the 4.25 carat "Kahn Canary" diamond worn by Hillary Clinton at Bill's presidential inauguration.  Still on display at the park, is the 3 carat "Strawn-Wagner" diamond, the highest graded diamond ever evaluated by the American Gem Society.  It achieved a perfect triple-zero score.

Are these finds anomalies.  Sure.  However, the park averages more than 1 diamond found per day.  In fact in 2007, a total of 1024 were found.  Most of them are tiny averaging way under 1 carat.  However, a month before we were to go, some kid from North Carolina found a 5.16 carat one after less than 10 minutes in the park.


*****


Friday, October 11, 2013

We set off early for the 4 hour drive to the Crater of Diamonds State Park just southwest of Hot Springs Arkansas.  The journey took us off the highway and onto some country roads that used to be part of the Trail of Tears.

Teaching the kids about the Trail of Tears was a good lesson for them to never trust Whitey.

We arrived at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in the late morning.  We parked at the Diamond Discovery Center.  The fall air was cool but the midday sun was hot.  During the summer months, there is a small water park next to the center.  However, it was already closed for the Fall.

Aside from the diamond mine, the park also had autumnal activities for the kids on the weekends.

There's a small geological museum at the Diamond Discovery Center.

Could they not find a diamond the same size as all the other rocks?

We paid $26 for admission for the 4 of us.  All sorts of mining equipment can be rented from the park including shovels, buckets, wheelbarrows, etc.  We just paid $3.50 for the use of a set of box screens.  The remaining gear we just brought from home.

The "mine" is actually a 37.5 acre field that is plowed regularly.  This allows the ground to be uprooted thus bringing some of the buried diamonds above ground.  Rain is also helpful because it washes the dirt off the diamonds making them easier to see.  Mud does not stick to diamonds as easily as it does other types of rocks.

By the time we arrived, there were already several groups of people out there.

The mine had little shade from the hot sun. 

We first set the kids off to hunt for diamonds.  We figured that with their sharp eyes, that they would be able to spot any diamonds that were just lying around.

The Boy collected many rocks that looked interesting.  But nothing valuable.

I think that The Girl was just goofing off and thinking about princesses.

The Wife and I found an unoccupied area and started "mining."  

We first dug up a bunch of dirt and put it into buckets

The park has regulations that you can't dig
a hole more than a foot or two deep.

The buckets full of dirt would be
carried over to a sluicing trough.

The dirt would be put into a series of box screens and submerged in water.

The dirt would be washed away...

...and the rocks would settle on the screen.

Successively finer meshed screens would be used...

 ...to separate the smaller rocks from the bigger ones.

Digging the dirt up was very hot without shade from the sun.  However, sticking my hands under the cool water from the sluicing trowel was refreshing.  The Wife showed no interest in doing any sluicing.  The work was hard and tedious.  But it was also mindlessly therapeutic.

There were also some large shaded...

...sluicing pavilions throughout the mine.

The kids helped for awhile.  But after an hour or two, they finally got too hot and bored.  They just took an indefinite break and rested in the shade.  

The Girl dug a few holes.

The Boy was busy "supervising" the excavation from the shade.

We also took a lunch break.  There is a cafe on site, but I had brought some barbecued ribs that I made the day before.  We ate lunch on some picnic tables located underneath a copse of trees within the mine area.  We worked for another hour or two after lunch but to no avail.  There would be no diamond for us.

On the way out of the park, we returned our screens and got our deposit back.  The Boy had his findings analyzed by the geologist that they have on site.  He showed him the different varieties of rocks that he found--quartz, calcite, lamproite, shards of glass from a broken bottle, etc.  

We spent a few dollars more for souvenir rocks for the kids.

This quarter was our most valuable find of the day.

We headed to the nearby town of Murfreesboro, Arkansas to check into our lodgings for the night.  The town itself is tiny.  It took just a few minutes to drive from one end to the next.  Just north of the town is the Diamonds Old West Cabins which just opened within the last year.  There're six cabins styled to look like buildings from the wild west.

We stayed in the Sheriff's Office.  The Jail, decorated with bars and all, was already reserved.

There are also cabins decorated to look like a blacksmith's shop, stables, a bank, and a saloon.

I REALLY wanted to stay in the sixth building which is Miss Kitty's Brothel.  However, The Wife squashed that idea because she didn't want to have to explain to the kids about whorehouses.

Inside the cabin, there are modern features such as a king-sized
bed, a shower, jacuzzi, satellite television, and refrigerator.

Photographs of old lawman and decorative badges adorn the walls.

We didn't try the handcuffs.
BDSM ain't our thing.

The world's worst gun safe.

I'm glad to see that my picture had not made it on a flyer yet.

After we settled in and rested, we drove back into town for dinner.  There's not a whole lot of dining options in Murfreesboro.  There's a Sonic (every town has one) and maybe six small local restaurants.  And that's about it.  Based on the recommendation by the owner of the Diamonds Old West Cabins, we settled on the town's "exotic" cuisine.

 Los Agaves Mexican Restaurant

Chiles rellenos

Shrimp diablo

 In fairness, I was expecting some god-awful Tex-Mex.  Usually most of these joints are just 20 menu items composed of ground beef, cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and flour tortillas arranged in different order.    Instead we got good service (chips and salsa pretty much immediately) and a varied menu.  I'm no expert on Mexican food, but I could tell it was more authentic than "On the Border."

Despite their expressions, The Boy enjoyed his quesadilla and The Girl her taco.

We all enjoyed limeaids which did take awhile to get to us (maybe they were fresh squeezed?).  Best of all, the place was inexpensive.  After dinner, there was nothing left in town to do but go back to our cabin.  Murfreesboro is in a dry county with no nightlife.  

I guess everybody was really tired from all that digging because they turned in really early.

*****


Saturday, October 12, 2013

The next morning, we checked out and headed a few hours northeast back towards Hot Springs.  We would be doing some more digging today.  But instead of diamonds, we would be looking for crystals.  In this area of the state, quartz crystal formations can be very common.  We drove to Jessieville, 16 miles north of Hot Springs, to visit JIM Coleman's Quartz Mine (There's another similar one nearby run by a RON Coleman).  

The turn off from the highway was in the middle of nowhere.

We followed the gravel road up the mountain.  I was glad that we had taken the SUV with 4x4 suspension because some of the stretches were very steep.  We arrived at the mine area.  There was a house there where we checked in and paid our fees.  It was only $10 per adult and free for kids under 10 years of age.  

The mine is actually a commercial business where heavy machines uncovered the dirt to find the quartz crystals.  Most of the big veins were then sold off to companies such as watchmakers.  We would be digging around in the "tailings."  This is the dirt that was discarded into large piles near the entrance of the area.  While it was unlikely that we would find a 10 foot high quartz, we were hoping to find something pretty that we could put on our display case in the living room.

The dirt around the mine is like red clay.  Therefore, we all wore clothes that we wouldn't mind throwing away.  When I researched quartz mining a few weeks earlier, many people recommended bringing special equipment including rock hammers, a crowbar, three pronged-garden tools, and plenty of screwdrivers.  These were not the items I had expected for "mining," but I made a trip to Harbor Freight and bought some of the cheapest versions of each.  The crowbar and three-pronged tool were not very useful.  But the screwdrivers were essential for loosening up the dirt and scraping off the mud.

We climbed up a big mound of dirt to get to the most recent "tailings."

The Girl had an easier time climbing up the
dirt pile since she didn't have any equipment.

The Boy tried to be useful, loosening up the dirt.

The Girl just stayed cool and hydrated.

In order to find any crystals, we
really had to get our hands dirty.

Our biggest problem is that we had no idea what we were really looking for.

We didn't have to lug our equipment far as we could park right next to the "tailings."

After a few hours, we had two buckets full of rocks that we thought might be interesting.  The problem is that we couldn't really tell because they were all caked with clumps of dirt.  We could have washed them off on site, but that would have taken awhile as others were already using the spout.  They had an outhouse which we used to clean off all of the red dirt/mud so it wouldn't be tracked into the car.  Hot, tired, and hungry, we rode back towards Hot Springs.

After washing off the rocks, we found that
most were mainly composed of ugly calcite.

We did have a few decent sized crystals, but overall the yield was disappointing.

On the way back to town, we stopped at a busy roadside restaurant.  The service and the food was attentive and excellent.

Not surprisingly, The Home Plate Cafe
is located next to a baseball diamond.

We enjoyed the chicken fried steak, cheesesteaks, fish and chips, and fried pickles.

We drove through Hot Springs, stopping once for gas and groceries,  We made our way through the Ouachita National Forest.  We would be staying at the Mountain Harbor Resort for the next few days.  We were able to get a very inexpensive rate through their Fall discount package.  We had looked at the VBRO (vacation rental by owner) website for other cabins in the area, but this was by far the best option.

We got a great rate on apartment 39c.

Unlike some units that are individually owned, this one is managed by the Mountain Home Resort.

The fully equipped kitchenette and dining area helped us save money on eating out.

There were two full bathrooms
including a master with jacuzzi.

The furnishings were a bit outdated...

...but they were clean and comfortable.

There was no view of the lake from this apartment.  That would cost much more.

After cleaning ourselves up and taking a long rest, we went to dinner at the resort's Harbor Lodge Restaurant.

Harbor's seafood pasta.

Bacon cheesburger and sweet potato fries with brown sugar

There's a nice view of the lake from the restaurant.

The Girl was too good to eat her pizza with her hands.

I think the kids liked the fries.

Later that night, The Boy and I walked down to the pier and bought some crickets from the bait shop.  We pulled out our fishing poles and I taught him how to bait his line and cast it.  I was glad that he was not timid and he had no problem with the crickets.  Teaching him how to cast a line was a lot tougher.  Finally, he was doing it right and we fished for 30 minutes.  Although we didn't get a single bite, it at least fulfilled his requirements for his Cub Scout fishing belt loop.


*****


Sunday, October 13, 2013

The week before our trip, we had made reservations with the Mountain Harbor Riding Stables that is located in the resort area.  At 10 AM, we made the five minute drive to the stables, encountering some wildlife along the way.

There was no shortage of deer wandering around in these woods.

The horses were already saddled and ready to go when we arrived.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't want to cooperate with us.  The sky was full of rain clouds.  After discussing it with the owner, we decided to hold off until the afternoon.  We headed back to the apartment and was happy with our decision when the rain came pouring down 30 minutes later.

A few hours later, we were back at the stables, ready to ride after the sun had come out.

The staff helped the kids...

...mount the horses.

The Wife and kids kept their raincoats in case the thunderstorms returned.

All he needed was some
boots and a cowboy hat

Since The Girl was only six years old, she got a smaller horse that was led by a guide rope.

The Boy got a full-sized horse that he got to lead himself.

Our entire family enjoyed the hour-long ride through the woods.

The Girl wondered why her horse had stopped.

The horses were very well-behaved.  Only The Boy's acted a little ornery at times.  The owner/guide and I talked for quite a while as he was originally from Louisiana.  He had worked in various job sectors from Florida to the Middle East before settling down to run this stable.  We spotted a few deer along the trails, but overall it was just a nice and relaxing trip.

A friendly cat resided in the stable's office.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening doing "family game night."  With no distracting iPhones or iPads, we played board games like Monopoly and LIFE.  Why play online when you can play with the person right next to you?

*****

Monday, October 14, 2013

I woke The Boy up early and dragged him out back to the resort' pier for another try at fishing.

An hour later, we still weren't getting any bites.  I guess the water was just too cold...or I just had no idea what I was doing.  We gave the remaining crickets back to the bait shop.  There would be no amnesty today.

Lake Ouachita is a very popular destination for bass fisherman.

After The Wife and The Girl woke from sleeping in late, we all put on some comfortable shoes and headed out to the trails for a hike.

The Lake Ouachita Vista Trail stretches for miles along the southern bank of the lake.

We weren't planning to hike very far, just a 2-3 mile stretch around Tompkin's Bend.

Despite a few fallen tree stumps, the path was very well-kept.

The Girl really enjoyed the fresh air.

At the start of the hike, The Boy preferred to scout ahead...

...while The Girl stuck to The Wife.

We saw some interesting...

...and mushrooms along the trail.

...plants...

Who needs signs, when you have a guide.

It's a wonder that we didn't get lost with The Girl reading the map.

"Hi! I know you."

When your are an 8 year-old boy, anything is a gun.

Sometimes, life can be lonely...

The trail passed near the banks of the lake.

The Boy found a large fish head near the remnants of a campfire.

The kids were in awe of a pecan they found
on the ground.  Ironically, they have always
ignored the pecan tree we have in our backyard. 

The kids found a large walking stick that they agreed to share.

The Girl made me nervous dancing with
anything that even resembled a pole.

The Girl broke down and cried when it was
The Boy's turn to use the walking stick.

They negotiated a compromise.  If each one could not solely have
it, then neither would.  They left the walking stick by the bench.

Without a silly walking stick coming
between them, the kids were happy again.

At the end of the hike, we followed the road back to the beginning.

One of the reasons we chose this section of the Vista trail is its proximity to the Shangri-La Resort. We weren't planning to stay there.  No, The Wife wanted to try their pies.  Apparently, they are baked every single day by the same lady and are pretty popular in the area.  The Wife was concerned that by the time we got to the resort that they would be sold out.  She prodded us to walk faster.

The Shangri-La Resort looks like it hasn't changed since it was built in the 1950's.

The fried chicken special plate

Fried shrimp and french fries

I couldn't understand why The Boy ordered a Turkey sandwich.
I could have made him one in less than a minute.

The food was pretty good.  It was the simple down-home Southern cooking that your mom would have made...if she wasn't of Asian descent.  But, we came for the pies, and we weren't leaving without trying several of them.

Peanut butter pie

Cherry pie a la mode

Coconut meringue pie

Chocolate meringue pie

The pies were definitely worth it.  They were excellent (but I haven't met many that I didn't like).  The best part is that we had already walked off all of the calories BEFORE we actually ate them.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing with the family and watching my Patriots inexplicably beat the Saints.

The next morning, we packed up and drove back home.  We were happy that we all could spend some time out in the great outdoors getting some fresh air.  But inevitably we all had to return to our the job, schoolwork, and electronics that have defined our lives.  After all, I did have to get back to my computer to write this blog.