My second trip to the Arkansas quartz mines. :)

Hi y'all.

I'm not sure if I should post this here in the crystals section or in the "get it off your chest" thread...


As you may remember I made a trip to Arkansas last Sept to the quartz mines. I found some AMAZING pieces and immediately became addicted to digging for crystals...I LOVED it!

Since then, I have sent a number of packages to fellow ATers and family members, making gifts of quartz crystals. They are simply too beautiful NOT to share. So I decided that it was time to make another run,,,,

Let me say that Hot Springs is a 7 hour drive from my home in the very southernmost of Louisiana, so it's something that is no small feat, expensive, and requires a little planning. But I was ready!! So my sweetie said he'd stay with the kids and I made plans to leave the night before, drive all night, dig all day, rent a room for a night, get up early and jam home. Sounds good, right? Here's what happened....

My mother (who lives in Shreveport) happened to call as I was packing up. I told her about my plans and she said "Gee, that sounds like so much fun, I'd love to go with you." What else could I do but invite her along.,,, When I called her back to inform her that I was on my way and would be there in 4 hours, she told me that both of my sisters had decided to come as well. I asked my mother if she understood that I intended to dig ALL DAY, and she said of course, they were all looking forward to it.





Fast forward to Arkansas. We made it to the mine! I looked at the hills of dirt and clay that I just knew contained treasure galore, and I was so excited! I got mom settled with her bucket and shovel and sat down to dig, happy as a pig in a mudhole.

In 5 minutes, mom started to complain....she didn't know it was going to be so,,,DIRTY. (huh?)

10 minutes later..she's freezing and had no idea that the wind would be blowing in her ears..(she was wearing a knit cap, for crying out loud)

30 minutes after that, my sister comes over and tells me that Mom is starving, and wants to know when we are going to go to lunch. (We stopped for breakfast on the way, but she refused anything but coffee and toast)

20 more minutes down the line and I notice mom is gone. I get up and go to locate her, finding her lying down in the backseat of the car.,,,("It's okay, I'm fine, I'm just cold and hungry. I'll just lay here until you're finished").

I desperately started picking up anything that glinted in the sun, knowing that I was collecting nothing but broken shards of quartz, but also knowing that my minutes at the mine were numbered. I was more than pissed.

I was, however, able to stop at one of the numerous rock shops there and purchase a beautiful piece of Labradorite, 4 shiva lingam, an astra-aura quartz cluster, a large piece of rose quartz, a copper nugget, 3 beautiful pieces of emerald green calcite, a desert rose selenite, a chunk of obsidian, and two beautiful pieces of raw turquoise. Good thing, because I had no quartz whatsoever..

I also found a salt lamp that was GORGEOUS for $20.

On the ride home, mom says "Oh WHY didn't I buy one of those salt lamps? I really wanted one! Why do I do that? I didn't get anything on my trip..." Sister leans over and whispers, "You know you're going to have to give her your salt lamp, don't you?".....sigh.

Needless to say, I made a 14 hour round trip to basically take my Mama to the Everythings A Dollar store...(she insisted it was what she wanted to do while in Hot Springs).

My new plan of attack is to sneak out of town sometime next month after the kids are out of school....I'm going back to Hot Springs,,, ALONE!

don't you hate when that happens?

I'm so sorry your trip felt like a bust!

*hugs* They'll always be next time, though. Just make up a good alabi.

Oh God! LOL!! What a trip!

That sounds as if it was going to be so much fun
Im sorry to hear it didnt exactly turn out the way you planned - I hope you get the chance to go again soon, and find some real beauties for you to bring home...

I love quartz mining too - there used to be an old mine where the public could go in NSW, but its reopened now and no ones allowed there any more. The fun I had was undescribable - except for the millions of leeches I came across ... you could have heard me in Uzbekistan screaming!

Best thing - go alone ... but, I hope your safe where your going? No filled in water mine holes or anything? and you've got cellphone coverage and stuff? ..

Have lots of fun on your next visit - and dont tell them a thing about where you're going ... though then again, they might not want to come next time

Thanks for a great story!

Cheers
Elven x

LOL

Oh honey, I think I'd self implode!!! Your Mom soooo sounds like my aunt!! I went last year with my aunt and uncle. I could dig as long as I wanted - that wasn't the problem. They had fun with that. But all I heard on the way home was how fast I was driving (I was going the speed limit!) and how they didn't think we'd have to pay to dig and how disappointed they were with what they found. They thought they were going to beable to find HUGE points and clusters everytime you go down there!!! ACK!!!

I didn't even know the mines were open yet this year? And I still want to go as well, but NOT with my aunt and uncle. Although if I go by myself and then come back with nice stuff I won't hear the end of it.

You know, Fauna, I REALLY thought about PMing you and asking if you wanted to meet me up there...but when I decided to go, my widow of opportunity was NOW!! lol.

I have to say that I love my Mama, and thinking about all the times in HER life when having me and my brothers and sisters kept HER from doing her thing, I only laugh it off and figure if she had a good time (and she swears it was a blast!), then so be it. I'd do it all again to please her.

But still I look at the bucket on the front porch with the ragged, chipped, broken, craggly pieces of nothing in it, and I want to wail...

Maybe we could meet up there this summer?

BTW, Coleman's mines are open every day of the year except Christmas.

I've only been to the coleman mines once. I didn't realize they were open year round.

And yes, let's see if we can coordinate a trip together. I think that would be so much fun.

Usually when you get to go, spur of the moment, the trips work out great. At least that's what I find. Sorry your's didn't this time. (((hugs)))

Very trying Morticia but you did the right thing as painful as it was. Sometimes life has other plans for us than what we want to do.
The next time maybe you will be blessed with magnificent specimens.

On the back seat, hungry, tired and dirty ! That made me laugh, honestly that was fun and she would just wait ! It sounds so much like my past life.

I used to have to take my Mother to a restaurant with fruit salad on the menu, a ground floor washroom, daylight so she could see, alcohol available, the list went on... and then she would not order the bloody fruit salad. I used to get pretty hot on occasion or they would have the wrong kind of Scotch ! Only malt. Oh I forgot.. no buffets. LOL I am still laughing now years later when she has passed over. Those moments of frustration in your life you remember. God help us all if the soup was not hot enough ! LOL

memries said:

Very trying Morticia but you did the right thing as painful as it was. Sometimes life has other plans for us than what we want to do.
The next time maybe you will be blessed with magnificent specimens.

On the back seat, hungry, tired and dirty ! That made me laugh, honestly that was fun and she would just wait ! It sounds so much like my past life.

I used to have to take my Mother to a restaurant with fruit salad on the menu, a ground floor washroom, daylight so she could see, alcohol available, the list went on... and then she would not order the bloody fruit salad. I used to get pretty hot on occasion or they would have the wrong kind of Scotch ! Only malt. Oh I forgot.. no buffets. LOL I am still laughing now years later when she has passed over. Those moments of frustration in your life you remember. God help us all if the soup was not hot enough ! LOL

Click to expand...

OH, I'm laughing so much,,you got it so right.
Mama took sugar and jelly from every restaurant, and stole tea bags from the complimentary continental breakfast in the Comfort Suites lobby right under the noses of the employees!

She will find the exploded jelly and tea bags in her purse six months from now ! I am laughing so hard, life can be so funny. Oh gee ....

Hey Morticia,
If I am home in Arkansas when you make one of your trips, I would love to meet you and waller around in the dirt all day! Can we do the diamond mine too?
aaquwaa