Diamond mining...and other dribble

[Larry]

Since my plan to raise gas money by trying out for Survivor or buying a wining lottery ticket has failed, Kathy decided to take matters in her own hands.  She decided to finance our retirement with diamonds.  Last week she headed out to north Missouri to recruit a motley crew ranging in age from 8 to 28 to help her harvest the diamonds.  She soon discovered the crew and there equipment would not fit into her Honda CRV so she rented a big van ($$$).  She pointed the van south to the diamond fields of Murfreesboro, Arkansas.

Crater of Diamonds

After spending two days scratching around in the dirt and heat the crew gave up skunked.  They found out hardly any diamonds had been found in the preceding two weeks.

Not discouraged they pointed the van to Mount Ida Arkansas where they thought it would be possible to find quartz crystals.  They hit pay dirt...I got a call a little bit ago to bring the 1 ton and trailer as they found so many crystals they couldn't fit all of them in the van.  Told them I sold the 1 ton and trailer just yesterday. :(

Kathy assured me the crystals have metaphysical powers.  She said iffen I kept some close to me maybe I won't have to take my blood pressure medicine any more.  Is that true?

Think I'll go fishin tomorrow...Kathy is gonna take her crew to the Clinton Museum in the morning...poor children.

[Don P]

Oh, I thought metaphysics meant that you wouldn't need to keep Maalox around anymore. Didn't know it was a heart doctor term, I don't know much about medicine though.

That sounds like fun, I like grubbing in the ground almost as much as opening logs up, its all a treasure hunt 

I just googled diamond pipes. I'm not sure if its the only way they get to the surface but its the one I've heard about. They apparently break the surface doing about Mach 2 
http://www.diamondwholesalecorporation.com/DiamondScience.html

[SwampDonkey]

They didn't go far enough north. Gotta go where few men dare in the NWT. ;D

[geohayes7]

my dad traveled to northcarolina and worked one of the placer mines there set up for tourist he recovered several small amethyst and emeralds which i played with on his wet diamond grinder look good when thier wet but we dont have the final polisher besides i'm not a stone cutter but it was fun

[geohayes7]

when i was a teen ager lived with my mother and step father on the kenai peninsula alaska we placer gold mined for 6 years there. we had the largest placer mining operation on the kenai peninsula at that time. no running water or electricity so ive chopped my fair share of firewood we were located on the seward highway in turnagain pass mile post 52.... 5 miles from summit lake lodge on canyon creek never got rich but its something i still dream about 26 years later

[SwampDonkey]

Did the Ogres scare ya off? You moved about as far away from there as you could. Maybe your still warming your bones.  ;D ;)

[geohayes7]

wasn't ogres i was 14 had to go were they sent me now i'm smimming with the gators recovering sinker logs out of crescent lake florida

[Fla._Deadheader]

HEY. How'd YOU get permission ???  We could NOT pull logs from ANY LAKE  >:( >:( >:(  What ramp are you using ???  We could NOT use any public ramp  >:( >:( >:(

[geohayes7]

riverlogsinc. state permit srry permit numbers on the boat but i'll get the permit number back to you

[geohayes7]

fla-deadheader its a private landing on private property an it had to be approved by state inspectors

[johncinquo]

We actually have a plan, in a couple years when my daughter is old enough, to take a vacation road trip from up near New York all the way to the Florida Gold Coast.  There are diamond mines, emerald and amythyst and stone stuff, several gold mines, and finally to look for some "pirate" treasure along the coast.   I keep finding new places to stop all the time.  Gem mountain is a big place that has been well advertised over the years.  I am hoping it is a lot of fun, a themed vacation of finding treasures.  Gotta beat dizzy land. 

I better do it before she becomes a teenager! 

[Don P]

Check out the Spruce Pine/ Burnsville area in NC. I think that area boasts more gems of more types than anywhere. Down around Liberty Hill SC we got into smoky quartz crystals tree planting. One guy came up with a plate covered with them, it looked like a cityscape of skyscrapers. I walked by what I thought was a piece of styrofoam trash for 2 days. He picked it up, it was a rhomboid crysatal of something white  :. You don't want me helping you out on a rock hunt  :D.

[WDH]

You don't want me helping you out on a rock hunt  :D.

Lithified??  Anyone that can use a word like that does not fool me.  That has to mean that a man knows his stone ;D.

[Don P]

Or who's brain has lithified. Been working in the portland variety of conglomerate this morning  :D

Thought of annuder good rock spot. This is a state park with fairystone crosses, not far off the Parkway too. Mabry Mill is in that section of the Parkway. The Mayberry store just off the parkway sells fairystones as well if you get skunked.  In the general area is Chateau Morisette winery as well, a little pricey dining but a beautiful timberframe.
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/fai.shtml

Rumor has it that the Confederate gold is stashed somewhere in the area. I figure they must have had at least $100 left at the end. Let me know if you get lucky and I'll join you at the winery  ;D