We left Denton this morning and headed over to Arkansas, making it to Crater of Diamonds State Park in the early afternoon. See: http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/. This is a place I have long wanted to see and actually had figured I never would get the chance. Then when I realized that I was traveling through southwestern Arkansas I just had to visit. It is believed that an underwater volcano erupted during the Cretaceous Era (think dinosaurs) at that location. This was a very rare volcano that carried diamonds up to the earth's surface. So I did get to visit a volcano this year, just a really old one and the only traces I saw of its existence were some volcanic rocks in the soil. The diamond hunting area is basically a big occasionally plowed dirt field surrounded by woods. We rented some screens and supplies (plus some I brought from home) and ventured into the field for a few hours to hunt. With temps over 100 F again, we opted for wet seiving where we could work in the water in the shade. The experience gave me a lot more appreciation for those who make a subsistence living doing this sort of stuff, say, in Africa. We did not find diamonds (the odds are about 1 diamond for every 100 paid admissions - though someone found one yesterday) and the heat was quite uncomfortable, but other than that we enjoyed making the attempt. After that we traveled to Hot Springs, Arkansas. The hills are pretty around here. After dinner we played a damp game of minature golf -this area has humidity to go with the heat. Katie's first shot (ever?) was very close to a hole in one!
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