Diamond Mining

We have been blessed to visit several Arkansas State Parks.  The boys were so excited to go to Crater of Diamonds.  It was slightly out of our way but everyone should dig for diamonds, at least once in their life, right? 

We arrived after a rain.  Rain pulls diamonds to the surface.  Well actually it washes away lighter weight sediment.  The diamonds thus rise to the top. We attended a short presentation on how to mine for diamonds. After all, this isn't Minecraft.  We are using real tools. Speaking of which, the park rents every tool you could need for the hunt.  We opted for tweezers, a pocket knife, and small shovels.   Our 1st steps on the field were filled with anticipation and hope.  

Our 2nd steps were filled with muck and mud. Both boys were quickly muddy up to their knees.  E sank into a mud hole and T followed.  I anticipated dirt but this was crazy. I, lover of dirt, was turned off.  The boys may as well rolled around in it.  They were covered.  I hunched over for a while but, as you can imagine, its not a long term option.  I finally gave in, knelt and crawled through the field.  James squatted for a while and then found a shady spot under a lone tree.

Within 2hrs we were all done. What, that's it? Really? 2 weeks of anticipation and build up for 2 hrs of mining.  I mean really 2 hrs. Start to finish.  Yahoo! I don't have to sit around and wait for the kids to get bored. I don't have to coerce them to leave!

There were lots of people, hundreds in fact, mining.  On a cool windy muddy day people sat around sifting mud, digging trenches, and being very patient.  E was the most determined. He had hopes of taking us all to a Dude Ranch and purchasing a laptop.  T tried but the kid really just likes to play in the mud.  James had the spot under the tree and watched. And me, well I have decided there are some things in life I don't understand and diamond mining is one of them.  I don't have the patience or focus for it.  I'm glad I tried it and now I never have to try it again!

In classic Mobley fashion the boys finished up a multi park ranger program called Arkansas State Park Jr Explorer.  They received hats, bandanas, badges, and certificates.  The Ranger was so happy to see someone complete the program that she had us pose for the photo.  I'm glad she did.  It is a little boy scoutish but makes me chuckle.   And now out of Arkansas we go!

I got in Hot Water...

 March 20, 2012 For some unknown reason I have been fascinated by the idea of going to Hot Springs National Park. Okay, I know why.  I love water. I love springs. So we went. Our 2 days were rain filled and cold.  We didn't hike any of the trails but we did learn a little something and enjoyed a bath.

 The city is built around and literally over the springs, which means the park is in downtown.  The public faucets for collecting hot springs water for personal use are scattered throughout the downtown.  This faucet provides hot water. It was so nice to have hot water radiating from the Sigg bottles on that cold rainy day.

This picture is goofy and I like it.  For those of you who have known us for a while, can you tell we are aging? lol.

The Visitor center is located in the restored Fordyce Bathhouse.  The traditional bathing methods include hot/cold packs, "medical" treatment, and walks in the woods after bathing.  There are several bathhouses in town and the park service is or has renovated some of them.  After renovation they house gift shops, art galleries, and baths.  The architecture on each building on Bathhouse row is slightly different. A fun JR Ranger activity involved identifying each building using clues from the design style.

Both boys earned a Jr Ranger vest.  They have worked so hard in so many parks.  Way to go!

March 2012

Update

Hello! We are not lost. Well we were lost for about 10 mins in Arches but that is because great conversations with kids and following cairns at the same time  is tricky. We have lots to blog about and we will try to share it this week. James and Aaron will be busy climbing so I'll blog away.

1 more thing, should James and I get married again in a Vegas style wedding, lol! Hope all is well with you!

Best day to see a fall

 Waterfalls! The road to Kyle's landing suggests 4x4 only.  Phil was nervous. James was nervous. I said let's go for it! 

After a very steep road and river crossing we arrived at Twin Falls.   

After a heavy rain Twin Falls becomes Triple Falls! The mist and wind surrounding the falls made us feel like crazy weather channel reporters facing mother nature!  It was absolutely worth the steep brake killing road.

Buffalo National River Float

Water makes us happy.  We rented a raft rather than trying to fit 4 people and gear in a canoe.  Rafts are slow and hard to paddle.  But we still had a lot of fun.  T loved the raft because he could move around without tipping it! We could hit a rapid at most any angle and not tip!  

The clear water makes it possible to see rocks and fish on the bottom.  I was easily distracted by the bluffs and just watching the current flow.  T just didn't want to paddle.  He wanted to sit on the boat side and act like a puppy dog.  James was the captain and he did his best to keep us all in line :)

 A gravel bar made a perfect lunch stop. We laid back and people watched.  Watching other boat is always a good time. The water was very cold. But we couldn't pass up the chance to float our bodies down the river.  James is becoming quite the mountain man.  He is not cutting his beard until our trip is over!  This photo of James says it all.

The clifflines are outstanding! Buffalo National River is our 1st national river for a reason.  Please come visit. While you are there checkout the historical garden at the Visitor's Center.  As a service project for Jr Rangers, we helped spread mulch.  It was nice to have time in a garden.