This past weekend we didn’t have plans and the weather is finally starting to get warm in Oklahoma we decided to cross off something from our Oklahoma Bucket List & head up North to Jet. It’s about 3.5 hours away so after a dinner party Friday night we decided to try half way and stop in a little town in Hennessy, Oklahoma.

We stayed at the Sleep Inn & Suites and really liked it! It had a very comfortable king bed and great sized bathroom. It was right off the train tracks but it only ran once in the morning about 10am. Breakfast was complimentary and was delicious that included make your own waffles, cereal, muffins and bagels, yogurt, lots of juices, coffee & tea.  HUGE thanks to our good friend Jason who graciously helps us find incredibly awesome deals on hotels. (LOVE YOU JASON!)

In the morning, we drove the rest of the way to the Salt Plains, got lost, then finally found our way there. I read Missy from TulsaKids blog about something similar and we figured it out! When entering Jet there is a sign that points straight for the Selenite Digging & another side that says to turn right for the Salt Plains. You have to continue driving straight as if you are headed straight through and out of town. About 5 miles out of town there is a huge sign that then direct you to the digging area (which you can see way off in the distance on the side of the road). Go that way INSTEAD of trying to get to the Refuge. The road is gravel but does not require a high clearance vehicle – Our little Kia did just fine making its way out there. Once you enter the Salt Plains there is a bathroom area, map and then you drive towards the are that is marked for digging (they are on a rotation which you can read more abut here)

The process for finding crystals is really easy and goes really fast once you get the hang of it! You pick a spot to start digging & dig down until you hit water- then just sift around until you find the crystals. They are fragile so you want to be gentle when digging for them – but once you start finding them you’ll feel like really easily.

The prized hourglass is what you are looking for! We found several, but most of ours are all different shapes and sizes and colors. It was so fun feeling something in the mud water, rinsing it out & then looking at it to see exactly what you found! 

Headed to Dig? Make sure to grab these things:

Clothes that can get very dirty
Small sturdy shovel
Large container and watervfor rinsing off your crystals
TONS of water to drink
Sunscreen to apply often
Towels to wipe off your hands, or to kneel on
Hats and Sunglasses
Snacks
Egg Carton/Similiar to hold your crystals while they dry
Change of clothes before getting into your car

We were worried about not bringing a giant shovel, but the ground is so soft that we only ended up needing our hand shovel and then just used our hands once we got down to the water level. We applied sunscreen every hour and it was the only thing that saved us. I ended up not doing the middle of my back and 6 days later it is still bright red and I am in a ton of pain! So definitely wear lots of clothing that covers your skin, tons of sunscreen and LOTS of liquids!

It was a long drive, but definitely worth it – we had a blast!
Head to my instagram to see how we decided to display some of our crystals. Thanks for stopping but today – ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!!