Stop #2: Locked up in Murfreesboro, AR

After seeing what Memphis had to offer, we made our way to Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It was quite the drive along winding, two-lane roads that serve as roadways for motor vehicles and turtles alike. We nearly ran over two turtles, miles apart, each casually crossing the road, in no hurry to reach the other side. The first turtle was a total surprise. The second was pretty funny. We waited for a third but decided that we'd count the one we'd seen early at the park as the third, making it a 3-turtle day.

Don't let this amazing sign fool you into thinking this is a major metropolis--it has a population of about 1,600 and most of those likely live in the rural sections of "town". I think we counted fewer than 20 moving vehicles during our time here.

 As was commensurate with the attitudes and behavior of our children at this stage of our trip, we stayed in the JAIL at the Diamonds Old West Hotel Cabins. Charlotte and Alex slept in a bunk bed inside the jail part of our cabin and although we weren't able to actually lock them in, the door was creaky enough that we tried to keep it closed as much as possible.

There were a lot of activities for all ages at this place and we tried many of them. The kids loved the inflated jumping pad. Alex and Andy tried the pedal cars (Andy reports that it's a lot of hard work!). There was croquet and badminton but we weren't at this location long enough to test our skills. The kids loved the corn pit. It's like a human-sized sensory bin! Each night at 6PM, several of the attractions close, but that's when the FOAM PARTY starts! The proprietor also starts a couple of campfires around this time, too.

We heard there was a nearby lake and from what we could see of the sunset over the neighboring forest, we though it would be lovely on the water. We scrambled to the van and went looking for the "sign that points to the right--if ya get to the bridge, y'all have gone too far" way to the lake and found it just in time to catch a beautiful sunset. Sarah brought a book and read on a large rock; try spotting her in the 2nd photo below. This lake definitely did not disappoint!

It was s'mores time when we returned to Old West, and we were soon to bed after that--it had been a long day. We were going to be up and at 'em in the morning for the one thing I was looking forward to doing: digging for diamonds!

The alarm followed our instructions and went off at 7am. We packed the car and headed toward Crater of Diamonds State Park. The weather was overcast and about 85 degrees but it wasn't totally unbearable. I thought it would be worse. We got our shovels and sifters and buckets and such, and headed out into a big, wide, open field with...no direction at all. The thing we learned about diamond hunting is that there's no rhyme or reason to finding diamonds. Most of it is dumb luck. BUT--we had fun and met some nice folks at the sifting basins. I've always wanted to visit this place and I'm glad we came. At the end of the day, the lady told us all that we'd found. None of them were diamonds but we have some cool rocks and even cooler memories. I'm really glad we did this.

We were dirty and sweaty, and Charlotte's shoes were fully soaked from the sifting basins so we ate lunch in the car and headed out for Oklahoma. That's where I am tonight. Everyone is asleep. The room is totally dark, save for my computer light. And I'm thankful that we can do this. I could definitely do with fewer servings of teenage angst along the way, but at the end of it all, I'm thankful to be making these memories with our children. Tomorrow will be interesting: we have no plan.