So the story behind this is that once upon a time there was a volcanic eruption that formed these diamonds and left behind a crater filled with the shiny gems.
At one time, the area was commercially mined to harvest the stones, but over the years it became harder and harder to find the big, moneymaking gems so the land was donated to the state and a park was created. 
The general idea is that you dig up some dirt from this HUGE crater (looks like a field) they they plow every month (to loosen the soil and make finding diamonds a little easier).
Then you take your dirt to the water tank and "pan" for diamonds by rinsing away the dirt and looking for the gems. Similar to how you would pan for gold.
We did not officially find any diamonds (you take them to the identification desk to check) but we took home some dirt samples that MAY contain a diamond or two, you just never know! : )
Logan enjoyed finding the dirt rocks.
And then they found some mud! While walking through the gloriously squishy stuff Amanda lost her shoe.
Logan very valiantly offered to retrieve it for her. After that, there was no reason not to go all in! 20 minutes of mud play ensued.
Close to quitting time (because we were hot, tired, and hungry) Logan found this HUGE hole someone had left behind so we had to dig just a little bit more.
"Take it Cheesy, DUDE" - his favorite shirt and his favorite saying : )
After lunch we headed over to the water park they have on site. It was very kid friendly with a dozen lifeguards stationed everywhere, only 3 feet deep at the deepest section, two large tube water slides, multiple waterfalls and a really awesome waterworks tower where you could turn on and off the various water spigots.
So all that fun was on Monday... my sister and her family joined us Monday night at the campground and we took them back to the crater on Tuesday. It was cloudy and cooler but for some reason I didn't take many pictures. Here's one good shot that I did manage to take.
That afternoon, back at our campsite, we rented kayaks and took the kids on an adventure around the lake (or at least a part of the lake... it was a BIG lake).
This is the first time I've paddled a tandem (two seater) kayak and it was SO much easier to maneuver with my monkeys upfront.
We started out with the two youngest ones in the middle of the tandem kayaks and the teenager by himself.
Amanda spent most of her time in the water (like mother like daughter!). She would just randomly shout "OVERBOARD" and jump right in.
We stopped a few times to let everyone get out and swim, Logan took the first opportunity to steal his big cousins single kayak and take off across the lake. All the photos I took of him were blurry but he looked GREAT. He was turning, steering, and propelling himself like a pro! Of course his partner in crime couldn't be outdone so Dono had to give the single a try himself. : )
Then the two younger boys jumped into their tandem and set off by themselves. I think they are ready for the big river!
After that we got a little crazy. Well, if it will hold three, why not try four! All I had to do was sit back and enjoy. I could get use to this!
Logan very valiantly offered to retrieve it for her. After that, there was no reason not to go all in! 20 minutes of mud play ensued.
Close to quitting time (because we were hot, tired, and hungry) Logan found this HUGE hole someone had left behind so we had to dig just a little bit more. 
"Take it Cheesy, DUDE" - his favorite shirt and his favorite saying : )
After lunch we headed over to the water park they have on site. It was very kid friendly with a dozen lifeguards stationed everywhere, only 3 feet deep at the deepest section, two large tube water slides, multiple waterfalls and a really awesome waterworks tower where you could turn on and off the various water spigots. 
So all that fun was on Monday... my sister and her family joined us Monday night at the campground and we took them back to the crater on Tuesday. It was cloudy and cooler but for some reason I didn't take many pictures. Here's one good shot that I did manage to take.
That afternoon, back at our campsite, we rented kayaks and took the kids on an adventure around the lake (or at least a part of the lake... it was a BIG lake). 
This is the first time I've paddled a tandem (two seater) kayak and it was SO much easier to maneuver with my monkeys upfront.
We started out with the two youngest ones in the middle of the tandem kayaks and the teenager by himself.
Amanda spent most of her time in the water (like mother like daughter!). She would just randomly shout "OVERBOARD" and jump right in.
We stopped a few times to let everyone get out and swim, Logan took the first opportunity to steal his big cousins single kayak and take off across the lake. All the photos I took of him were blurry but he looked GREAT. He was turning, steering, and propelling himself like a pro! Of course his partner in crime couldn't be outdone so Dono had to give the single a try himself. : )
Then the two younger boys jumped into their tandem and set off by themselves. I think they are ready for the big river! 
After that we got a little crazy. Well, if it will hold three, why not try four! All I had to do was sit back and enjoy. I could get use to this!
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