Lots to see and do here in the Hot Springs area. Today we did a little rock hounding, looking at various gems and minerals from the area and, surprisingly, from around the world. Turns out a lot of these rock shops bring in material from all over: Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, Nigeria, etc.
In addition to all of the gems and various rocks they have great fossil formations and just about every imaginable product made of gems/rocks. Which of course includes incredible amounts of jewelry, most of which uses the various gems/rocks in one form or another.
In the rock yards, there are tables & tables of rocks, gems, and minerals. Some unfinished, some polished, all of it just lying there in big quantities. Something about seeing so much of the various items diminishes the whole experience of finding the gems yourself. We where very happy with the 20 pounds of gems/minerals we had found. And then we saw a table full of 10 and 20 pound crystals, amethysts, tiger eye, etc. Literally tons of the same material we found.
That said, we still enjoy the sense of mystery and discovery that come from taking raw piles of earth and 'discovering' gems/minerals and rocks of all types.
I'm a little embarrassed to tell you about my visit today to a local rock shop. We stopped because we saw these large table filled with brightly colored stones. I'm talking vibrant reds, oranges, deep blues and incredible greens. Beautiful. It took me a good 15-20 minutes to realize these rocks were really large pieces of glass, specifically 'slag glass'. This is glass that accumulates in large glass ovens or is unused in the glass making process. Beautiful however not really of any value. Not sure how you would use it but it sure was fun to look at.
With temperatures in the mid-90's we decided it was too hot to sit on a large pile of dirt and dig for minerals in the red clay. We will come back if we get a cooling rain or we'll dig here the next time we come through the area.
And I would definitely consider coming back through this area. Lots of lakes and wild countryside. In fact, they call Arkansas "The Natural State".
I guess that makes all the other states 'unnatural'..... See Ya!
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