Hello from Paris... Texas, that is!

Well, I've officially survived two days on the road with my folks.  We've already entered six different states (AL, MS, LA, AR, OK and TX).  Impressive,  right?  I certainly think so! 

As expected, I don't have anything super exciting to report from our first day on the road. Shortly after crossing the Mississippi, we stumbled into Transylvania, Louisiana.  I couldn't resist taking a quick shot of the fabulous water tower: 

Transylvania, LA

After a night's rest in Bryant, AR, we headed out on day two of our adventure.  Our first stop was the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR.  It was painfully hot when we arrived, and our time in the "mine" was limited.  My father and I sifted through a bucket or so of dirt only to find two rocks, which we are calling diamonds for pride's sake.   All in all, it was a lot of fun. The park is quite nice, but I'd recommend waiting until the fall (late Sept - November) to visit if I were you.  Here are some obligatory photos for documentation sake:

Clockwise from Upper Left:  (1) Entry into the Crater of Diamonds  (2) Me and Dad at the diamond mine  (3) A better picture of me and dad after a day (ok, ok... 1 hr) in the diamond fields  (4) Our "lucky" bucket of dirt   (5) Me posing with my trusty shovel

(L) Crater of Diamonds State Park sign  (R) Marker for the location where the "Uncle Sam Diamond" was found

Our lackluster showing in the diamond mines left us hot and tired so we decided to shorten our second leg of the trip.  AND... we ended up in Paris, TX.   

 Day 2:  Bryant, AR to Paris, TX by way of the Diamond Crater State Park 
Map courtesy of maps.google.com

 When I asked the lady at the front counter of our hotel what to see in the area, she mentioned two things I HAD to see:

(1) Paris, TX  Eiffel Tower 

"I bet they don't have a hat like that in all of France!"

(2) A cemetery monument featuring Jesus wearing cowboy boots

 "I don't know about your Jesus, but mine is a cowboy! Now, let's go find us some cowboy boots!" 

Alright folks, that's all for today.  We're moving out early tomorrow and heading for Amarillo, TX.  It'll be Amarillo by Evening, in our case, but it'll have to do!