Ooh La La – Paris and Diamonds too!

The Eiffel Tower - Texas style!

Bet you weren’t expecting a detour to Paris, France. Well, no worries, because there wasn’t one, but we did go to Paris, Texas! Why? Because over 300 incredibly fun and sometimes crazy RV’ers were descending on the town for the eclipse. The event was hosted by the Xscapers, a group within the Escapees RV Club that I’ve mentioned before. We attended the Escapade, the Escapees annual rally, last year in Tucson and loved the Xscapers’ energy. Technically, the group was created for younger working-age RVer’s, but they welcomed us older boomers and are open to all. These folks know how throw a party, with activities throughout the day and entertainment every evening. We opted to see the eclipse with friends and family at Stillhouse Hollow Lake but didn’t want to miss out on ALL the fun.

We're squeezed in tight, but close to all the action.

We arrived on Tuesday, 4/9, after a long and difficult drive through some truly nasty weather. The Xscapers’ convergence was held at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds and even though we were joining the party late, they were super accommodating and led us to our reserved spot, parking us nose to tail with Bob and Carole. We even made it in time for the evening’s entertainment. Lance Battalion covers 80-90’s hard rock in addition to some original tunes. It was a great way to end the day.

Lance Battalion.

We had a rainy coach day on Wednesday. There were activities throughout the day, but we were most interested in the evening entertainment. The Status Crowes are a favorite of the Escapees and it’s easy to see why. Chuck and Michelle bill themselves as the ultimate all-request acoustic jukebox duo. And they are amazing! Lots of audience participation and even Raney got to attend part of the show, although she didn’t sing along. Lol.

This was our third time hearing the Status Crowes.
Every show is different and all of them are excellent.

This was Raney's second Status Crowes concert. Lol. 

Lucky for us the weather cleared and we had a sunny day for a group bike ride on Thursday, taking the Trail de Paris to several of the town’s best known landmarks. We stopped at the Eiffel Tower, a scale model of the tower in Paris, France although at 65 feet in height it’s about one-sixteenth the size of the original. The red Stetson cowboy hat was added to increase the height to make it taller than the one built in Paris, Tennessee. Lol.

Cyclists converge for the group ride.

We loved the paved trail, and this is Texas so it was flat. Lol. 

That's a sketchy crowd. 😏

Probably my only chance to visit the Eiffel Tower. Lol.

Next to the Eiffel Tower was the Veterans Memorial Museum. There were displays of military equipment and a Cobra helicopter, we well as memorials to local men and women killed in service. Then we rode to the downtown square where we all opted for a Sundae in Paris before riding back.

Veterans Memorial.

Downtown Paris.

A Sundae in Paris - Yum!

In the evening, we were treated to J’s Dueling Pianos. I’d never attended anything quite like it – part musical entertainment, part sing-along, part comedy show.

J's Dueling Pianos - another fun evening!

The pups were not neglected either. The fairgrounds had a 3-acre dog park and the kids enjoyed several runabouts. Many Xscapers travel with their furry families and we had fun watching some expert frisbee catchers and ball fetchers. We got a kick out of two huskies hanging out the window also watching and looking like they were judging the performance. Lol.

A three acre dog park - wow!

Frisbee dog was great, but the judges don't look impressed. 😄

On Friday we went into town for lunch at 107, a well-reviewed restaurant that also had a decent selection of Texas craft beer. We fell in love with the key lime sour, but it’s nearly impossible to find in stores. Bob was thrilled to score a few cans to-go from the bar. He also picked up one can of a pineapple pickle beer, let’s just say they can’t all be winners. Lol.

The key lime sour was a hit. The pineapple pickle? Not so much. Lol. 

At 5pm we dressed up in our best Island attire and headed to center field for a Caribbean Happy Hour. In typical Xscapers fashion it was a low-key and festive event where everyone contributed dishes and drinks. We had a lovely time socializing and sampling lots of great food and beverages. Let’s just say rum punch was featured frequently. Lol.

Caribbean Happy Hour.

Happy Campers dressed in our Island finest. 

Saturday was our last full day in Paris. We started off with an incredible potluck brunch. The amount of food was staggering! Again, we enjoyed chatting with new folks and stuffing our faces. To work off a few of those calories (looking at you, homemade pecan cinnamon roll!) we hopped back on the bikes. Bob and Carole hooked up their trailer so Ruby could go along. Sadly, Raney outgrew her trailer a long time ago, so our pups had to hang out at the RV. Rog opted to stay behind to give them some time to chill on the patio and then run the pupwagon through the carwash. It was a perfect day for a ride, and we started off following the same route we’d done on the group ride. I won’t say we got lost, but we did see a lot of new territory and ended up doing about 15 miles.

Ruby goes for a ride.

We got to see new parts of the trail.

Our final evening’s entertainment was the much-loved and highly anticipated Silent Disco! We were introduced to Silent Disco at the Escapade in Tucson. Another favorite of the Xscapers and for good reason, it is a total blast. This time they added a bouncy house for the adults and yes we did. Too much fun! While we were enjoying the music we also saw a Starlink satellite launch. They were visible against the night sky like a string of pearls high overhead. Not something you see every day!

Silent Disco is such a blast!

Do you have any idea how long it's been since we've played in a bouncy house?
Me neither. Lol.

Can you see the string of Starlink satellites? 
Without them, I wouldn't be making this blog post!

While we were sad to leave the Xscapers behind, we were super excited about our next destination. We arrived at Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, AR on Sunday, 4/14. Crater of Diamonds is the only place in the U.S. where you can search for diamonds and you get to KEEP whatever you find! How cool is that? Visitors search a 37-acre field, the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, for a variety of rocks, minerals, and gemstones – diamond, amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, quartz, and more naturally occur here. Three colors of diamonds are found in the park white, brown, and yellow. Park staff provide diamond mining demonstrations and will identify any rocks and minerals you find.

Diamonds aside, this park is a real gem.

You can find white, yellow, and brown diamonds here. (Online photo)

We watched a demonstration by a park ranger on how to wet sift for diamonds. You gather up a bucket of dirt and then sift it in a large water trough through two sizes of screens. After swishing for several minutes, the heavy diamonds and other crystals go to the bottom. When you flip the screen’s contents upside-down onto the table, they are right on top (or will be if you’re lucky!).

The Ranger provided a helpful demonstration,
and we got to see rough diamonds found in the park (top right).

So, do folks really find diamonds? Yes, they do! About 600 diamonds a year are found in the park. Did I find any? Nope. Although at least one lucky person found a ¼ carat diamond the day we were searching. The park keeps a running tally and more than 35,000 diamonds have been found by park visitors since the Crater of Diamonds state park opened in 1972. Among the most famous diamonds found at the crater are the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam (1924), the largest diamond ever unearthed in the U.S.; the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight (1975); the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas (1956); and the 8.52-carat Esperanza (2015).

Uncle Sam Diamond
(Wikipedia photo)

In 1997, a local resident found a 3.03 carat diamond and sent it to New York for cutting. The resulting 1.09 carat gemstone was certified by the American Gem Society as perfect (ideal cut, colorless, and flawless). Gems of that quality are extremely rare; it is literally one in a billion! The diamond was set in a ring which was purchased by the State of Arkansas with private donations to be permanently displayed the park.

The perfect Strawn-Wagner diamond is one in a billion!

While we came up empty handed in the diamond department, we did find calcite, barite, some agates, and lots of jasper. I’ll tumble the agates and jasper (shiny rocks!), so it wasn’t a wasted effort. It was certainly a unique and fun way to spend a day. And for those interested, it cost $15 to prospect all day long and you can either rent equipment from the park or bring your own. Considering you may leave with a one in a billion diamond – that’s a deal!

Rog and Bob wet sift in the water troughs...

...while Carole searches for treasure.

We also tried wet sifting in the runoff. No luck, but still fun!

How did the only active diamond mine in the US become a state park? Its history is long and colorful. In 1906 John Wesley Huddleston found some bright pebbles on his land. He took them to the bank in Murfreesboro. He’d found two diamonds, a white diamond that was over 2 ½ carats and a smaller yellow diamond. The bank president sent them to a jeweler who pronounced them gem-quality. Huddleston sold his land to a group of investors for $36,000.

Once word got out, Millard Mauney, who owned the adjacent property, also started looking for and finding diamonds. The area was soon flooded with people hoping to strike it rich. Mauney set up a washing trommel in 1907 and allowed others to prospect for half the value of any finds. In 1909, diamond hunting excursions were offered to the public. For fifty cents tourists could search for diamonds, have an ice cream, and listen to a sales pitch to buy nearby property. Mauney also instituted the policy of “finders, keepers”.  

Then in 1918, an 8-carat diamond was found and attention turned back to commercial mining. Over the years, several companies have attempted to commercially mine the diamonds, but were never profitable. The land was purchased by the State of Arkansas in 1972 for a state park.  

Rog checks out one of the old commerical washing troughs.

Scales and magnifiers to assess the gems.

One gem that we did find was the Crater of Diamonds campground. It was no diamond in the rough either! Huge, level, shaded spaces, full hook-ups, a nice trail with a parcourse, and everything was spotless and well maintained. We were super impressed! We took the pups for walks on the trail and, of course, Riley had to take a dunk in the Little Missouri River.

There was a lot to like about Crater of Diamonds campground!

The Little Missouri River Trail.

The trail was a definite hit with the pups!

Riley tries to talk Ruby into joining him in the river. 

We also drove into town to explore. Murfreesboro is tiny with a few shops to peruse. But we spent more time at the laundromat that anywhere else in town. Lol.

Don't you think we look the part? 

Bustling downtown Murfreesboro. Lol.

We just added two new states to our map – Oklahoma and Arkansas. Our next stop will check another national park off our list. Can you guess which one?