To celebrate TK's birthday we traveled to Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and stayed at Crater of Diamonds State Park, for a lovely four day weekend!
Murfreesboro is located in the southwest section of Arkansas and is the county seat for Pike County. This small town has great small-town charm with a very cute downtown area for shopping.
Old hotel located in Murfreesboro
Once was a gas station but now it is a community park
Water tower watching over Murfreesboro
Great antique and gift shopping in downtown Murfreesboro
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is located just three miles south of Murfreesboro and consist of 37 acres of pure diamond digging delight! This crater is actually the only place in the world where the public can hunt for diamonds and keep whatever they find. We visited the park many years ago and had no luck finding a diamond. This time we returned to rectify that situation!
Welcome center sign
Crater of Diamonds visitors center
Old equipment used in digging
The diamond digging field
We prepared for our visit by learning about diamonds and how to search for them at the park's visitors center. The three colors of diamonds found in Crater of Diamonds are white, brown, and yellow. Amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and quartz are among the minerals and rocks you can find at the park, as well. More than 35,000 diamonds have been found by park visitors since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972. Notable diamonds found at the Crater include the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever unearthed in the U.S.; the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight; the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas; and the 8.52-carat Esperanza. Sadly, our hopes for finding a diamond, or even a nice mineral sample, were denied
Entrance to Crater of Diamonds State Park
Our trailer at our campsite
The Crater of Diamonds State Park has other amenities which include a gift shop, seasonal water park, walking trails, picnic sites, 5 walk-in tent sites, and 47 Class AAA campsites (50 Amp/30 Amp/Water/Sewer).
Our campsite was amazing! Not only was it clean and level but tall trees surrounded the site providing privacy from neighbors and cover from the drizzle and rain.
There are several hiking trails in the area with some leading down to the Little Missouri River and back up to the Crater of Diamonds Visitor Center.
Not far from Murfreesboro and near the small town of Billstown, Arkansas, is the final resting place of Glen Campbell. We stopped by to pay homage to this master musician. As we were reading the historical markers within the family cemetery a truck pulled up and out popped Glen Campbell's cousin. He introduced himself and thanked us for visiting making our visit to Campbell's grave even more special.
We also enjoyed visiting the town of Washington, Arkansas. We were so impressed with this town turned living-history-museum that we decided to spend an entire day exploring this area and have saved Washington for a separate post, all by itself.
View our latest video about Crater of Diamonds State Park on our YouTube Channel!
Here is the recipe to the travel-inspired cocktail we create in this video:
Arkansas Razorback Cocktail
½ shot of Vodka
½ shot of rum
½ shot of almond liqueur
½ shot of coffee liqueur
Add all together in a shaker with ice.
Shake to froth and strain off the ice into the glass. The ice is
just to get it cold and the shaking is to make it froth. Don't worry
if it doesn't stay frothy.
Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park . The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas. The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east. Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.
Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home. When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point. This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,
