On Saturday morning, I had breakfast at IHOP and then drove to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. I arrived around noon and bought a ticket to the public diamond mine, on the site of an extinct volcano. I have never done this before, but some of the other park guests helped me.
I soon noticed that I was among the nerdiest group of park guests, which was awesome. One person was a geology professor from LSU. He talked constantly about rocks, and I enjoyed listening to him as I was in the wet sifting station. I could have listened to him all day.
An announcement came on at four saying the mine was closing in thirty minutes, so I packed up my things and left to check into my hotel. I didn't find any diamonds. :-(
I drove back the next morning to hike the river trail, which ends at the Little Missouri River. The water was so clear, and I could see a lot of fish and river mussels. I wished I had another day to stay to do some microfishing, but alas, it was time to drive back to Texas. I didn't want to leave. Besides the Crater of Diamonds, there were so many other interesting things to do in the area, like see Rick Evans Grandview Prairie. I tried to visit that spot last spring, but I was stopped by a flood. The weather forecast said "only a light brief shower around noon." The sky was clear until I got to Texarkana, where it began pouring down so hard that the Red River flooded over the roads. I had to turn around and go back; that "brief light shower" turned into a foot of rain.
I hope to go back to the area again in the spring to do some fishing and see Rick Evans.
My next planned multi-day trip is to the Upper Ouachita NWR near Monroe, Louisiana in November for bird watching.
Comments
Sorry you did not get rich with diamonds, but glad you brought back many great memories to Texas. Arkansas is a beautiful state.
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