Boogs and I had a great time taking a little trip with D and the four J boys to
Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Five boys in the car for 6 hours led to a noisy drive. Luckily, they had books, crayons, and each other to occupy themselves.
We stayed at the
Diamonds Old West Cabins in Murfreesburo. The boys loved being in the jail house cabin. On day two, they put me in jail and tried to keep me there.
We went to dig for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park three times during our stay in Arkansas.
The diamond fields were huge. There was plenty of room to dig. We spent about two hours in the fields on our first evening. It was pretty late by the time we had dinner and got everyone settled for the night.
The boys were up bright and early the next morning. Boogs said they planned a jailbreak at sunrise. I don't think J2 was ready for the morning to begin.
We enjoyed the wooden playscape near our cabin until we discovered several large wasp nests in the bottom part of the boat.
We made it to the fields by nine in the morning for another round of diamond hunting. We found quartz, glass, volcanic rock, and LOTS of jasper. The boys were disappointed that the diamonds were so hard to find. We stopping digging and went to lunch. While we were at lunch, someone found a diamond right where we had been digging.
Boogs and J3 had more fun making clay figures at the sluicing tub than actually digging for diamonds. They played with the clay for hours.
The state park had a really neat pool. Boogs, J2, and J2's cousin really enjoyed it while the other boys took a nap.
We spent part of the afternoon at the mini golf course. It was nice to have it all to ourselves. We thought the 93 degree weather was perfectly cool after having been in 103 to 107 degree temps last week in Texas.
We went back to the fields in the late afternoon for more digging.
Boogs and J3 pretended to sleep on the front porch after our long day.
The ride home was pretty quiet. The boys slept off and on for several hours.
Thanks D for inviting us on this great adventure! We can't wait for the next trip together.
What a wonderful place to visit! JDaniel would love the jail room.
ReplyDeleteWe had a good time. The boys really liked staying in the jail cabin. The "Sheriff's Office" was located on the floor above the jail.
DeleteI was quite captivated reading this. Sounds like a great place to visit and lots of fun digging for real treasure. We have been panning for gold here on Cornwall but diamond hunting, that really is grand. How frustrating that someone else found one right where you were. Hope yu all got a good look. Thanks for linking up such a fascinating post.
ReplyDeleteBoogs was very disappointed not to find any diamonds. He really wanted to "get rich". Even with that disappointment, we had a great time.
DeleteWow, what a great adventure. The jail cabin is very cool!
ReplyDeleteThe cabin was great! They have several other cabins - Miss Kitty, Saloon, Bank, Livery.
DeleteOh wow! I love this post, it's so interesting! And the jail cabin...my guys would go nuts for an experience like that!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun adventure. Our kiddos like saying they have spent a couple nights in jail.
DeleteWhat a fantastic place to visit - my boys would just love it here - and the jail is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful place to visit.
DeleteWow, what an adventure Keitha, I love the whole place, I'd love to go there. The accommodation is brilliant. You and the boys have really shown it off as a superb place for a trip. Your pictures are fabulous. Maybe next time you'll uncover a big 20 carat flawless diamond :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind comment about my pics. My son said he would go again but would like to do other things, like hiking instead of just digging.
DeleteFun idea. I know my crowd would love it. I'm guessing its one of those activities that you want to keep doing for just another five minutes...just in case.
ReplyDeleteYes, but after the 20th "just another five minutes" you really, REALLY want to go.
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