%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
BCoF 's Virtual 50-State Bucket List Tour, 2025 |
My virtual blog for
We’re going To Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa Tennessee to Tennesse Chicopee, Spirit Lake Grand Lake, Devils Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake And by we I mean myself and Lyn's a Witchy Woman   AmyJo-Downhill slide begins!   WakeUpAndLive~Petra's Vacay  and her dog SproutSandraLynn  StephBee  Krista Princess Megan Rose  Richard ~ Looking for Luck!  Jellyfish And other companions to be named later! |
| It was probably for the best that we didn’t get into Little Rock until late July 4th. With two canines and one lupine involved (my Rosey, WakeUpAndLive~Petra's Vacay ’s Sprout and Princess Megan Rose ’s Peyton), it was best to avoid the fireworks. We got in late at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (known locally as the Hillbilly Airport). My "Snegurochka"  was waiting for us, as was my neighbor G.R. My wife was driving our four door Tundra, while GR was driving my Expedition. Between the two vehicles, we got everybody loaded up for the two hour drive north to my little farm.Since Lyn's a Witchy Woman ’s fifty state tour was coming through my home state, I decided I would take a couple of days to show off some local restaurants to the group before heading south to Hot Springs and Galvan Woodland Gardens.My little farm is the last place on the left before the road goes from paved to gravel. My house is a two story farmhouse about a quarter of a mile off the road. It has a wrap around porch with an attached carport on the side. The front door leads to a storm cellar and my mini-orchard of a dozen pear and peach trees. You can see my solar panels behind the carport, even at night. Rosey (my dog who is half black shepherd, half something or other) was waiting for us. If Rosey meets a dog outside the house, it’s even odds on whether there’s going to be a fight or not. If she meets the same dog inside the house, she’s a real southern lady. She won’t touch her food until visiting dogs get their fill first. True story! Needless to say, Rosey, Peyton and Sprout got along famously. With two guest bedrooms, couches and air mattresses aplenty, we got our motley group settled in. GR bid everyone good night before heading home himself. Once we made sure our guests were settled in, me and Snegoruchka settled in to the master bedroom. Soon, strains of Handel's "Endless pleasure, endless love" from Semele could be heard throughout the house. The next morning. I gave a short tour of my farm. The farm has recently been mowed, so there are rolls of hay everywhere. StephBee seemed really interested in my three beehives, so I get her suited up to check them out.That night we went into town and bought about three dozen tacos from a taco truck. Yes, I know that doesn’t sound like authentic Arkansas fare, but the truck owners are friends of mine who came up from Guatemala and legally migrated to the US. Their truck only comes to the small town I live close to just once every two or three weeks. So I grab tacos from them every chance I get! The next night we went to Hazen for catfish at Murray’s. I’m not saying that Murray’s has the best catfish in Arkansas. But President Clinton did have catfish flown in from Murray’s all the time when he was in the White House. And, of course, I made Buffalo burgers one night. Snegurochka drove over to Duvalls Bluff for Ms. Lena’s fried pies. These fried pies are so good, they even got a mention once in Time magazine. Truth! Over dinner, Snegoruchka showed everyone a half carat diamond she found in a state park in southwest Arkansas. She then explained there’s a state park in southwest Arkansas where you pay an entrance fee and spend all day hunting for diamonds. The biggest diamond ever found there, called Uncle Sam, was more than forty carats in size, and is valued at a quarter of a million dollars. Richard ~ Looking for Luck! wanted to skip Garvan Woodland Gardens and spend a day diamond hunting instead. I laughed and said maybe next time.After a couple of days of eating, resting and doing laundry, our group was ready to head to Hot Springs and the Gardens. The next morning we loaded up the Expedition and the Tundra, with Snegoruchka and Rosey making their goodbyes to the group. We drove south to a town called Jacksonville, to have breakfast at Wee Betty’s Cafe, owned by a young lady named Nicola from Scotland. Breakfast was bangers, bacon, eggs, potato scones, black and white pudding, Heinz beans, and toast. I hoped Jellyfish would appreciate tha!Before we left, we picked up some Cadbury chocolates. These are imported from the UK, and use a different recipe than the Cadbury chocolates made in the US. We circled to the west of Little Rock to cross the Arkansas River, and I pointed out Mount Pinnacle as we passed it. Soon we were on state highway seven going through the Ouachita mountains (pronounced Wash-a-ta, not Ouch-a-ta). On the way to the Gardens, while we went through Jesseville, Krista asked if we could pull over and check out a roadside market of local quartz crystals.Soon we were back on the road and in no time at all, we were at the Gardens. Snegoruchka and I had come to the Gardens more than a few times, but it’s one of Arkansas’s hidden gems that you love showing off to visitors. Since Independence Day was only a few days ago, the Gardens was still celebrating Red, White and Bloom. First responders from Hot Springs with their vehicle were on hand to talk to,people, and the Hot Springs High School Band was there playing everything from America the Beautiful to Stars and Stripes. We wandered around the carefully kept grounds enjoying the view and the atmosphere. SandraLynn definitely appreciated the free hot dogs being handed out!We didn’t have a chance to go inside Anthony Chapel, as it had been reserved for a wedding. I promised the group that the next time they were in Arkansas, I’d take them up to Eureka Springs and Thorncrown Chapel which, to me, is more picturesque than Anthony Chapel. We spent the night at a resort that had whirlpools fed by the local hot springs, which I knew AmyJo-Downhill slide begins! would appreciate! That night, I introduced the group to,a pair of teenage guys who go to my church, and had spent the week at church camp in Hot Springs. Tomorrow morning, the pair would take our group to the Amtrak station in Malvern, Arkansas, before driving my trucks home back to my farm. Our group was going to board the Texas Eagle for our next destination: California! |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
We drive through Arkansas on our way to Arizona/Californina with our little camper in the winter.
