Giant Crystals and Caves

This is another photo from our trip to the Mid-America Science Museum last Sunday. This 500 lb quartz crystal was mined at Coleman's Crystal Mines in Jessieville, just north of Hot Springs. Arkansas has many caverns that are open to the public for exploration. A few years ago, we took the kids to Onyx Cave near Eureka Springs. I may dig around for some photos of that trip. It was really fun! 

ELECTRIFYING!

We went to a super awesome museum today: the Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's about an hour's drive from Little Rock and one we will be sure to make again and again. Yeah, we got the family membership package. It's that good!

One of the highlights was the Tesla Coil, invented by the "Master of Lightning" Nikola Tesla around 1891.  It's a transformer circuit producing high voltage alternating-current electricity. In other words: basically an intense lightning show right before your eyes. AMAZING! WE WERE RIGHT THERE in the small theatre-like enclosed room. And it is one of the most powerful conical Tesla Coils (1.5 million-volts) in the world!

I can't say enough good things about this museum. From the gigantic  mastodon skeleton in the entrance to the Tesla coil and all the hands-on exhibits, my kids had a blast and never once got bored. In fact, the hardest part was leaving. We definitely found a gem in Arkansas today =)

Hey, Little Fella

I still need a macro lens!!! I love little bugs like this one. Looks like a leaf. AMAZING!