...diamonds are forever...

...yep, just like everyone else that has ever visited Crator of the Diamonds State Park, we spent 5 hours hunting for our "fortune"...he he...it was most interesting to say the least....summertime is a busy time of year for the park, so we couldn't get reservations to camp there, so instead, we stayed at the Lake DeGray Resort and State Park....beautiful lodge and resturant overlooking the lake....we did manage to get in two hikes...a nature discovery hike thru the woods and a crash course in Geo Caching....what an exciting new venture...treasure hunting in the 21st century....can't wait to find one in our area...only thing required is GPS....the diamond fields were only about a 30 minute drive from our park so we managed to take a hiking tour thru the volcano that left the crater with the diamonds...lots of history....then the next day we took a crash course in the three methods of diamond hunting....we thought "no problem"...however, it rained the night before, sooooo, we were ankle deep in mud....it was a grownup mud pit....he he...the kids were having a ball....but, no luck, so back to Texas to unpack, wash clothes, and repack...we leave the week after the fourth for another trip to Georgia to meet up with two other couples and we are heading to Lake Ontario....can not wait....

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas

she'll be comin' round the mountain....

...and we did...oh my gosh...Petite Jean Mountain State Park in Morrilton, Arkansas has to be one of the most beautiful places ever...driving to the top and standing out over the Arkansas River was a sight to see...I wonder why Bill kept telling me to back up...he he...for all you Dallas Cowboy fans, before we reached the mountain we ate lunch in Henryetta, Arkansas, home of Troy Aikman...after getting settled in we went on a hike with a park ranger to view the falls...that one was a mild one, only a mile on level ground...the next day we met him again for a hike TO the falls...one mile straight down and one mile straight UP...yes, the old heart was pumping...but the falls were beautiful and definitely worth the trip...that night there was a concert in the amphitheater and Bill won a CD as a door prize...the evening was perfect...the next day was more hiking...this time to Rock House Cave where Indian paintings were still visible, we also had to walk over "turtle rocks"....while staying at Petit Jean we drove to the Auto Museum and saw JFK's Lincoln Continental and Clinton's mustang...it was pretty interesting...the museum was having a car swap the next weekend and cars and RVs were showing up for the event....we also drove to Little Rock to tour Clinton's Library and Museum....THAT was interesting....and we drove by the Little Rock Central High School where the nine blacks had to be escorted by the national guard back in 1957...all nine are still alive and most live in the Little Rock area...there was a museum across the street from the high school which is still a high school today....the stories and pictures were most interesting...because our time was up at Petit Jean, we packed up and headed to Lake DeGrey Resort and State Park....

feeding the calves....

somebody had to do it....

Gus and Big Brother on the farm....

my favorite...peach chardonnay....

where the buffalo roam....

...Old MacDonald had a farm....

...and so did Bessie and Gordon Brown...we arrived on the farm in Drumright, Oklahoma on Saturday May 30....friends from Arizona had already arrived a couple of days earlier...the welcoming committee was waiting for us with a glass of wine and we were off to the Tidal School Wineyards where Bessie works inbetween her travels...and yes, it is an old school building...how appropriate...he he...we were given the "tour", participated in a "generous" tasting of the wines and entertained by two local musicans....a great time was had by all....a "better" time by some...he he...I learned how to feed the calves and during our stay, we were wined and dined with meat from the calves...hard to imagine those cute little "pets" would one day be on the grill...we also drove thru the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve where the buffalos roam free...that was unbelievable how big those animals were....we pulled out on Wednesday and headed to Arkansas...Jim and Karen pulled out and were on their way to Georgia....we are all going to meet up in Georgia next month and taking off to Lake Ontario....

OKLAHOMA, here we come....

we arrived in Oklahoma Thursday evening May 28...Lake Murray State Park was a beautiful lake surrounded with trees....a hike to the top of the Tucker Tower was amazing to see the view of the lake...it was built by the CCC back in 1933...this was Oklahoma's first state park...the marina located on the lake offered rentals and food to feed the carp...oh my gosh, hundreds of them....we only stayed two nights due to no vacancy during the weekend....so off to the Brown Ranch in Drumright, Oklahoma to meet up with friends....

Lake Murray State Park, Oklahoma