Digging for Diamonds

Hi all, Dianne here.  We put on old clothes and took a day trip from Lake Catherine State Park to Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas for a day of prospecting for diamonds at the only productive deposit of precious mineral diamonds in the United States.  Best of all, it's "finders keepers" -- you pay an admittance fee and any diamond, rock or mineral that you find is yours to keep.  


We did a little research and discovered that dogs are allowed, so Bandido came along for some digging in the dirt.  (In May of 2009 a Yorkie actually found a 1.11 carat white diamond at the park!)  

We also knew that it would be a long, long day, so a picnic lunch was packed and off we went.  We made a wrong turn that added at least a half hour to our drive over there; by the time we actually arrived we were ready to eat our lunch at the scenic picnic area next to the parking lot.


Then it was time for a treasure hunt!  We knew ahead of time that our chance of actually finding a diamond was small, but there were lots of other interesting rocks to look for, including amethyst, jasper, agate, and more.  


The visitor's center showed displays of what to look for, instructive videos showing surface searching, dry and wet-screening techniques, and friendly park guides on hand to verify your findings at the end of the day.  We rented a screen and trowel and headed to the plowed field.  

The decision was made that one of us would walk up and down the plowed rows with Bandido, doing some surface searching.  We planned to take turns sitting in the dirt and digging and sifting with the screen.  I ended up doing all of the digging and sifting, because I was having so much fun doing it.  I hadn't had that much fun playing in the dirt since I made mud pies as a little girl, decorating the tops with dandelions and whatever else caught my imagination.  

The area is large -- 37 acres -- and the whole field is purported to be diamond-bearing soil.  There were several other folks spread out over the field digging, searching, and wet sluicing.  We learned that diamonds have no static charge and will always stay clean; dirt and mud will not stick to them.  For that reason it's possible to just do the surface searching technique, watching for shiny objects on the surface of the soil.


Typically the diamonds found are about the size of a match head, and either white, yellow, or brown.

I had lots of fun digging in the dirt, but had no luck at all finding any diamonds or minerals.  Roger found lots of pretty stones while surface searching, including a small, shiny stone that had possibilities;  we learned at the end of the day it was an agate.


Bandido started panting and acted like he was getting too hot, so we moved to a different area of the field where there was nearby shade.  When we walked closer, I realized that there were actually dog pens in the shade!  

What a nice surprise.  We made Bandido comfortable in the shade with some water, and continued our search nearby.    


We spent about two-and-a-half hours prospecting before we decided to call it quits and start the long drive back to the campground.  No diamonds, but  we had a lot of fun looking.  We came home with some nifty Jasper stones to add to our collection, along with Roger's tiny agate.  What a unique experience!    If you'd like more information, here's a link to their web site:  Crater of Diamonds State Park


Gotta say, though, that by the time we reached our site back at Lake Catherine I was totally exhausted -- wiped out -- from the hot sun and exertion of the day.  Would I do it again?   Sure would!

The pet photo of the day shows that I wasn't the only family member exhausted by our field trip.  Bandido was "out" the moment he hit the back seat and slept all the way home.

Lake Catherine State Park - Arkansas

Here's the second of our "catch-up" blogs:

Roger here...  The trip from Rend Lake, IL to Lake Catherine State Park, which is located just south of Hot Springs, Arkansas, involved two days of driving.  The first day was one of those frustrating days.  We attempted to stop at four different RV parks at the end of the day.  Two were scary looking.  One was OK, but exorbitantly priced (and the guy behind the desk in the office was wearing pajamas at 2:00 p.m.)  The fourth evidently no longer exists (we could not find it).  We eventually settled into a safe spot at the Lonoke, Arkansas Wal-Mart.  The irritating day of driving proved to be worth the aggravation when early the next day we arrived at Lake Catherine.  The opening picture gives you an idea as to why we were so pleased with our four-night stay.

What a beautiful campground.  We were parked in a huge back-in site across from the lake.  We had the most magnificent view from our front windshield every morning.


Dianne here:  The only downside to our beautiful site was that once again, we were nestled in deep woods, with no chance of satellite internet or tv.  We scoped out several other camp sites, including this one (site #45) that we plan to reserve next time:

Here's the view of the lake from site #45:

Back to Roger....

Our full-hookup site (#65) backed up to the woods and it was huge.  The hook-up area was set in concrete, among the best I have ever seen.  There was a large compressed gravel sitting area that included a metal picnic table, a grill stand, and a fire pit.  In addition, a separate tent pad, also compressed gravel was located at the back of the site.  A great spot to sit in lawn chairs to watch deer wander by.  I hear that those fluorescent blue eyes are very rare.

We went hiking every day.  All the trails departed from the campground.  After passing through a covered bridge that included a colored mural of the trail system and a description of the trails, the fun began.

We went up.

We went down.









We rested.  (Well, Dianne and I rested.)

We took in panoramic views and walked through a pristine woods.

And we rested.
(I love this picture of Dianne.)











Bandido waded in the water.

We took time to appreciate the small things - the brilliant green moss and the huge praying mantis.

Every hike ended by crossing a very cool suspension bridge.  The first time that Bandido and I crossed it, a man hollered behind us to be careful because he had built the bridge in 1981 and it might not be stable any more.  Of course he was joking.  We had an interesting talk as we approached the campground.  He told me that he had built all of the stone steps on the trails, as well as the amphitheater and, of course, the bridge.

Bandido took the man's words to heart.  After that first crossing, our brave dog resisted going across the swaying bridge where he was unsure of his footing.  Look at our poor boy as he creeps next to me - his legs as far apart as they can get without straining ligaments.

The end of each day always ended with a nap on the picnic table....

And a campfire by the lake.

The pet pictures of the day are entitled:  A Man and his Dog -- A Dog and his Duck.