Crater of Diamonds
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Camping Adventures
Forum Discription: Post your camping adventures here for all to share
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3874
Printed Date: 09 May 2025 at 10:15am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Crater of Diamonds
Posted By: kymooses
Subject: Crater of Diamonds
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 10:35am
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@Techntrek Saw you mention this in an earlier post in the past day or so. Would love to hear some of the info and stories you have about this trip. How much digging you did, did you have any luck at all? How was the camping nearby? This is like a dream trip of mine and the DW is much more agreeable to my trip suggestions when she sees someone else write up a review or tell how great a trip they had! And please anyone else who has ever been there, would love the 411 on your experience!!! ------------- https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=cnBvZC5zcG90dGVyQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ - RPod Rallies https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1W1foQXGtrjf8aYly1uh0b-bHPfI&hl=en_US - RPod Owner Map |
Replies:
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 12:49pm
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He went back to work and is still talking with us, so I guess that he didn't strike it rich in the diamond fields. ------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: kymooses
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 3:12pm
I'd be happy to just dig in the dirt for a week without finding much more than some shiny specs of something. Really want to do this trip! ------------- https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=cnBvZC5zcG90dGVyQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ - RPod Rallies https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1W1foQXGtrjf8aYly1uh0b-bHPfI&hl=en_US - RPod Owner Map |
Posted By: gdonnell
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 8:49pm
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I live in Arkansas and have never been to the park but I know they find more when it rains a lot like it has this year ------------- gdonnell |
Posted By: gdonnell
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 8:52pm
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some kid found a 3 1/2 carat the other day worth about $12000 ------------- gdonnell |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 9:21pm
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All true! ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 9:38pm
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Yeah, we missed that big find by about 3 weeks. And we were drenched in a buckets-pouring downpour but I didn't know at the time that after a rain is the best time to walk around looking for stuff on the surface! That kid found his right after they started for the day so for all I know I walked right past the thing after the rain... We loved it. My wife wasn't too enthusiastic about it at first but all four of us agreed it was a bunch of fun digging around in the dirt and using the water tables. We definitely want to go back. Now that I've read up more on it I know I need to dig down a few feet to get to the gravel where the diamonds are so I'll take a real shovel next time. Plus I'll take some buckets to take the coarse stuff home after doing an initial sifting. The pros do the final sifting at home. We'll also spend more time. This time around we only planned on doing it 9-12 partly because of our travel schedule, partly because I've read it can get nasty hot out there in the field and I didn't want to be there at the hottest part of the day. We ended up staying an extra hour since we were having fun and it was cool from the rain. We found a few small pebbles which we kept as "candidates", but once the park employee identified them they were some of the common minerals found there (don't remember the name). We will do a full day or two next time and bring most/all of our own equipment instead of renting theirs. Make sure you take separate muddin' shoes for the field. The campground there is very nice, it was a shame we had such a nice site yet got in after dark and left in the morning to get to the crater. That's how I felt about Stone Mountain in GA, too. For a state park the campground at the crater is top-notch, with full hookups, leveled pads, separate leveled gravel pad for an EZ-up or tent, room between sites, and a lot of trees. We would definitely use it as home base for our next trip there. Finally as I mentioned in that other thread, we planned on going back to the pod in the parking lot so we could all take showers and have lunch. The campground isn't far so if you are there for a few days it would be easy to head back there too. Definitely one of the more fun stops of our trip. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: kymooses
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 10:25am
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I'd be happy and just have fun playing in the dirt I think. My whole idea was camp there a week and just play every day. The DW is not amused at this idea in the slightest so I'm hoping I can find other local attractions that I might be able to shoo her off to so that I can make a mess. Nice to hear the campground is nice too. I appreciate the info on it. I think we'll end up there next year probably. I've always loved those places you see on TV where you go fossil digging or to the onyx fields or things like that. Places like this are the reason I wanted the Pod. I want to find these places, drop camp, and start playing in the dirt!! ------------- https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=cnBvZC5zcG90dGVyQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ - RPod Rallies https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1W1foQXGtrjf8aYly1uh0b-bHPfI&hl=en_US - RPod Owner Map |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 12:13pm
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Send Carrie to the spa. My baby brother, his wife and youngest son (12) were just down there about the same time as tech, and they had a great time, stayed in one of the hotels, did a spa day, now they want to go back again, AND finally, 21 years after the Gulf, he says he is ready to go camping again. (My whole family is happy about that. It is a milestone of sorts)
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 9:08pm
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Not sure how much else is down there, it was a long haul through 1-horse towns down and back to the I-40 corridor. Those legs I wish I had my wife try towing, she never has and those back roads would have been perfect. I found it amusing that AR has a Nashville and Murfreesboro and they are close together. I went to college in Murfreesboro, TN for two years which is close to.... Nashville, TN. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: gdonnell
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2013 at 2:39pm
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Its around 60 miles to Hot Springs only town of any size in that area. ------------- gdonnell |
Posted By: TRICERA-POD
Date Posted: 25 Aug 2013 at 4:12pm
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Part of our summer vacation was Craters of Diamonds and Hot Springs NP. It was hot, darn hot. We spent three days at Craters of Diamonds SP. We missed the BIG find the 10 year old found by two days. The day we were there another diamond was found, and the day before we arrived another was found. The last two were not as big as the one the 10 year old found.
We however did not find any diamonds. We spent three days there and looked and dug allot, well my wife did. After a couple hours in the heat I started looking for other treasures. There is allot more than diamonds to be found. The nicest rock one can look for are the Bacon Agate. Not as rare as a diamond, but rare enough that you do not find it all over the place. We came away from there with some nice specimens and for rock hounds like my wife and I this was treasure enough for us. Since we had Tricera-Pod we stayed at the park campgrounds. Not only is it a nice place, it is very clean, and sites are large. Large enough to park an RV and set up a tent if you want. We also stayed at Hot Springs National Park Gulph Gorge Campground. This was a VERY nice campground. Only 30 sites with full RV hook-ups and it is first come first served, but if you arrive around noon you should have no trouble getting a spot. The only drawback to this campground is there are NO showers. But there is a river going through the campground and if you do not mind he cold water and do not use soap it's ok. If cold water is not your thing and do not like using sand to wash off with (old trick my dad taught me) you can go into town and use one of the two spa's. For $18 you can soap in the hot waters at the Quapaw Spa and then take your shower. By the way, if you are a rock hound you can go crystal digging at any number of places in the area. For $20 you can dig all day and take home everything you find. We took out about 100 pounds of crystals or more from our adventure. One thing of note, most of these mines are in isolated areas, no bathrooms ( except the forest), no food, or water. And in the summer it is hot. I got a touch of heat exhaustion, well more than a touch. So be careful if you go digging. I would be happy to talk to you about our trip via the phone. Just give me a call at 757-572-6731. And if you are a rock hound I can suggest a few more places we went rock collecting over the summer. We like to combine our National Park visits with rock, fossil and mineral collecting. ------------- Carl & Sandee 2013 R 177 2012 Titan |