On To
Jackson and Houston |
| Week of July 18, 1999 |
| After taking several days of hiatus
from our Washington D.C. trip, we headed out again late in the week to Jackson,
Mississippi. From there, we drove on to Houston, Texas, and stayed at Traders'
Village. This is an RV campground located next to a large flea market. The
sites were nice with concrete slabs and a wooded area nearby. We used our
Good Sam's Discount card. We then headed on up to Smithville, Oklahoma.
|
Oklahoma
Bear Country and Arkansas |
| Week of July 25, 1999 |
The following morning, we headed
on over to Alma, Arkansas. On the way, near the Ouachita
National Forest in Oklahoma, we saw a large male
black bear amble across the highway about thirty yards in front of us. He
was at least all of 500 pounds. We camped at the KOA Fort Smith Kampground
in Alma, Arkansas. The park had a pond where we used the paddleboats. We
discovered that Alma is the spinach capital of the world, and has a statue
of Popeye in town. It is near Fort Smith, which has a rather wild history.
| The next day, we headed
over to Petit Jean State Park (take
Exit #108 off of I-40 at Morrilton), the first state park in Arkansas.
The mountain was named after Petit Jean, a French girl who, over 300
years ago, disguised herself as a boy to accompany her sweetheart
sailor to America.The park is one of the most beautiful areas in the
state, with large geological formations (including "turtle rocks",
Bear Cave, and the Grotto), scenic overlooks, hikes, and Cedar Falls,
a 99 foot waterfall. |
 |
Several building structures
used in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the
early 1930s. We stopped at the Petit Jean Country Store for refreshments,
and got some additional historic tidbits from the owner. After we got
back, it was time to take a dip in the pool. The summer heat wave has
kept the temperatures in the high 90s. |
| From Alma, we then headed to Rogers,
Arkansas to sightsee the Eureka Springs area. The Beaver
Lake Hideaway campground which we stayed at was at the end of miles of long
curvy, hilly roads--it was definitely a "hideaway". It had a pool
...and was close to Beaver Lake. The Beaver Lake area includes caves, hiking
trails, a water-powered gristmill, and water-related recreation. We really
enjoyed the tour of the War Eagle
Cavern. The cavern had several early inhabitants, including Indians,
Spanish explorers, and even moonshiners. It was noted also that Frank and
Jesse James and even Pretty Boy Floyd reportedly used the cavern as a hiding
place at one time. Inhabitants today include the Arkansas brown and gray
bat, salamander, blind trout, and large crickets (which are blind with long
antennae). The James gang used the bat poop for gunpowder since it is very
high in nitrogen, and it is still used by the French for cosmetics! The
cavern is a living cavern, given that it is fed by an underground spring,
its origin unknown. Bill Nolan, the manager, provided us with alot of information
on the cave and the gemstones found there. The next day, we explored Eureka
Springs and went horseback riding at Red Bud Stables. My horse, Rag,
was part Arabian, and seemed most intelligent. He was always trying to get
to be the lead horse. During our trail ride, we went through shaded trails
and saw several deer and an old springhouse. Next day we took a day trip
to Tulsa, Oklahoma and decided to look around town for the old section of
Route 66, which is 11th Street in town. We passed several
old buildings, with neon signs, many still in business. Dedicated on November
11, 1926, Route 66 originally ran from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.
It was the first completely paved transcontinental highway in the country,
nicknamed the "Mainstreet of America" and the "Mother Road".
We stopped at a Kinkos to check our email. One tip, if you have a laptop
you can hookup for free at Kinkos to check email. We decided to dine at
the Metro Diner, which looks the same with its 50's-styled neon decor as
it always has. The cherry limeaid and fried chicken were most tasty. We'll
provide more on Route 66 as we venture further out west. |
| Next Week: Eureka Springs Again and On Through Kansas |
Look for numerous photos from our visits
to appear here soon. |
RV Campground Directory |
|
Questions?
Want To Advertise Here? Contact Us
  |
|