In the nearly four decades we’ve been married, my husband and I have made countless compromises. That’s not at all a bad thing; that’s life. We share lots of things, but we also have our own interests. Our most recent road trip is the perfect example. Rick was racing his gravel bike in Arkansas, and I tagged along for art and diamonds.
Before that makes me sound terrifically selfish and grabby, let me say I was looking for beauty and adventure and new experiences—not acquisitions. Not necessarily.
So, we started in Fayetteville where he would race the next day in nearby Goshen (a very friendly and accommodating community; the mayor contributed a calf for the meat sauce served during the post-race spaghetti dinner).
Our own Friday night dinner was pizza (Rick needed to be fueled for the next day). Again, compromise! But it turned out to be more of a fantastic choice.
Wicked Wood Fired Pizza, a mobile food truck with a proper pizza oven, was parked right outside Fossil Brewing Co. I do love visiting a new brewery! In addition to making beers I haven’t yet tried, they always are friendly and egalitarian and usually reflective, in some way, of the place we are visiting—Fossil Cove is named after a favorite fossil-laden cove on the shores of Beaver Lake (the brewery’s water source). Wicked Wood takes a dough-first approach to a delicious pie, using 100% sourdough made with a 21-year-old starter from Dough Master Bryan Brandon. The result is a beautifully charred crust topped with house-made marinara; savory meats; and fresh seasonal veggies. Delicious.
The next day, I relaxed in a field and read a book while Rick raced, and his race went well. He didn’t make the podium, but he was 30 minutes faster than last year, so he felt good about it. Besides, it’s all part of his training ahead of The Rift Gravel Race in Iceland in July.
That night we had dinner in Fayetteville at Mockingbird Kitchen, a place Rick found for us. I usually am in charge of figuring out where we eat, and I love, love when someone else does it for me.
The women-owned Mockingbird Kitchen specializes in “modern Ozark cuisine,” which translates to huge reliance on things grown and raised locally. Everything is scratch-made—including even ketchup. We started with homemade pimento cheese mousse and edamame hummus with fresh veggies and pita chips. The cool thing about our dinner: Rick got meatloaf—a dish he loves and I abhor and never, ever make. At Mockingbird, it’s a combination of house-made chorizo, Bansley Berkshire Ridge Farm pork, local beef and spices. They served it over potato smash with shiitake mushroom gravy and crispy potato skins. I got the restaurant’s specialty: spicy ropa vieja (braised beef with olives and capers in a rich tomato and red wine sauce) over grits. A scattering of preserved lemon on top added beautiful brightness to this dish and reminded me that I want to preserve some lemons.
Sunday started with coffee with friends at Puritan Coffee & Beer near the University of Arkansas campus. This place is part coffee house, part wine bar, part brewery, and I wish we had something like this here at home.
Then we spent the day at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
This world-class museum, founded by philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton, opened on November 11, 2011 and celebrates the American spirit with art that spans five centuries and ranges from a huge, four-handled stoneware jar by Dave (later recorded as David Drake) to Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington to Mark Rothko’s 21. In addition to the priceless American art, the museum boasts stunning architecture and 120 acres of Ozark nature.
There’s an exhibit on display right now (until July 29) called “Exquisite Creatures” and I highly recommend it. The life’s work of artist and naturalist Christopher Marley, this is a beautiful, immersive experience. His three-dimensional works comprised of animal, mineral, and plant specimens arranged in precise, geometric compositions, explores the fascinating intersection of science, nature, and art.
Then we hit the road and drove to Hope to spend the night because early the next day we did something I’ve wanted to do for years—mine for diamonds.
When our kids were little, we went to a lot of state parks, and in researching all the many options around the country, I ran across Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.
One of the only places in the world where the public can search for real diamonds in their original volcanic source, Crater of Diamonds does indeed draw visitors from around the globe. The 37-acre search field is the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, and it contains a variety of rocks, minerals, and gemstones—and you can keep anything you find.
Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow, but the three colors found here at the park are white, brown, and yellow (in that order). You can rent everything you need—from shovels and buckets to screen sets and fine-mesh sarucas—and there are videos demonstrating diamond-mining techniques. Park staff provide complimentary identification of any rocks and minerals you find. The park also has walking trails, picnic areas, campsites, an informative museum, a gift shop, a seasonal water park and a nice pool.
More than 35,000 diamonds have been found by park visitors since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972. Notable finds include the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever unearthed in the U.S.; the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight; the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas; the 8.52-carat Esperanza; and the flawless Strawn-Wagner Diamond—the most perfect diamond the American Gem Society (AGS) has ever certified in its laboratory. It’s on permanent display at the visitor center.
Alas, we didn’t find a single diamond during our six straight hours of mining (triple sifting bucketloads of mud and gravel we dug up in the field and hauled to one of the three washing stations). We also tried our luck surface mining by walking along the plowed furrows, which had recently had a few inches of rain. The conditions were perfect! Three other people did find three tiny white diamonds that day.
But we’re not done yet!
We brought home our own bucket of sifted gravel to sort through later; each paying guest can take home a five-gallon bucket of sifted material. One of the regulars we mined with that day says to layer it on a baking sheet and bake it in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. “The only things that shine after that are diamonds,” he said. So we still have hope!
In the meantime, we already have something pretty valuable to show for our long weekend: fond memories from a fun, delicious, active, educational, beautiful, inspiring, and adventure-filled trip that we put together in a way that made both of us happy.
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