April 2024 - Texas - Stop 12 - Austin

We drove from Dallas to north of Austin (Round Rock, TX) and had a brief stopover in Waco, TX.  In Waco we stopped to see the Cottonwood Castle house, which was restored by Chip and Joanna Gaines.

After that, we stopped at The Silos, a revitalized area with shops, restaurants, and food trucks..

There were beautiful magnolia trees

Our next stop was Round Rock, TX, just north of Austim.  We had a nice visit with Rob's daughter and grandsons (yes, they are identical twins)

That is all from Austin, the next stop is San Antonio.

April 2024 - Texas - Stop 11 - Dallas

We drove from Crater of Diamonds State Park to Dallas for our next stop.  We had a minor layover in Greenville, TX to get a small leak in the exhaust system fixed. We made it to Dallas in time for dinner and checking into our hotel. Here is the Texas welcome center rest stop.

Here is our stopover in Greenville, TX

The next day we went to the downtown area of Dallas and visited the site of the JFK assassination in 1963

This is the JFK Memorial Plaza

This is Dealy Plaza, the actual site.

And the old Texas Book Repository (where the shots were fired by Oswald)

Last couple of pictures from Dallas

From Dallas we headed south to Austin to visit Rob's daughter and grandsons.

April 2024 - Arkansas - Stop 10 Part 4

From Hot Springs, we drove to Crater of Diamonds State Park (only about a 1 hour drive) for our first night of camping in the van and to search for diamonds!  We were excited to do the diamond search, but after a full day of searching, digging, sifting, and getting muddy, we found a few rocks and no diamonds.  It turns our there are 37 acres in the old volcano crater and most of the diamonds that are found are very small, like the size of a matchstick head.  The chances of finding a diamond are very small, but you do get to keep anything that you find.  Overall, it was a fun experience, but my preference would be to hike in National parks for a day.  Here are some pictures from our adventure.

This is the field where you dig for diamonds

And the water trough where you can sift with a set of box screens 

There is a nice visitor center with lots of information

Our first night camping in the van was in the adjacent campground in the state park.  It was fun and we slept pretty well after a nice dinner.

The next morning we went on a short at the state park before heading out.

After leaving the state park, we decided to stop in Hope, AR to see the boyhood home of Bill Clinton (it was right on the way).  

After leaving Hope, someone fell asleep, probably from not sleeping enough in the campground!

Our next stop is Texas, where we will be in 3 major cities and 2 National Parks.  Stay tuned...