10 May 2011

May 7, 2011
We drove US 82 through green fields and tree lined roads. This is not what we thought Texas looked like. It is good to get off the Interstate! We drove through pastoral scenes, small towns with very old and brand new houses and stores. There are a lot of churches. We arrived at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in the afternoon, met old friends for happy hour. This is a beautiful camp ground, well laid out, lots of trees, a walking trail to the Little Missouri River. But Joe can't get his Direct TV due to the dense trees. Cell phone service is poor, and the 3G access is spotty.
May 8, 2011, Mothers' Day
Our wagon masters made a pancake breakfast. We went to the Visitors Center for an orientation presentation and to look around. We learned how to go about hunting for diamonds. We went back to camp where Leah and Arden did the 1.2 mile River Walk. It was so beautiful and peaceful. The weather was warm and overcast so pictures may not be great. Our wagon masters outdid themselves preparing a delicious tri-tip dinner.
May 9, 2011
After the pancake breakfast we gathered shovels and buckets and set out to find a big diamond. We rented screen sets and a saruca, a round screen slanting to the center so that the heavier diamonds will wash to the middle. We spent several hours sifting and sleucing soil and rocks. The best we came up with was quartz, jasper, calcite, etc. No diamonds! But we had fun playing in the mud!
We came back to camp, cleaned up, and prepared for a pot-luck supper. There sure are good cooks in this group!
It got very hot and humid, and stayed hot all night. We're concerned about thunder storms predicted for the next few days.