Ozarks Day 2

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Eureka Springs, Arkansas and surroundings

Pea Ridge National Military Park


This was another national battlefield full of woods and fields although it did offer some great scenic views. It was another driving loop allowing you to get out at certain points. Mostly the points were where the battles actually occurred. One of the stops was a home that was used as a field hospital for both yankee and confederate soldiers during the war. It was rather neat even though it was also locked. There was one stop that gave you a scenic overview of the entire park. This was fairly picturesque and we saw two turkey buzzards about 40 feet away. I enjoyed the park although if someone were pressed for time, I would suggest elsewhere.

Beaver Dam
This was fairly cool although I wish there was a pull off closer to the dam. Luckily we kept driving and found a pull off giving a great view of the dam but the lake was so pretty and you could hardly see the beauty from where we were. There was a path (made by a local Boy Scout troop) offering a scenic view of the area but we did not have the time or energy to partake.

I still think it was worth viewing. It was rather splendid.

Thorncrown Chapel
Even though I am not religious, I will always praise the architecture involved with places of worship and this chapel was no exception. From the parking lot, you take a short 50 foot trail through the woods to get to this chapel. I found its seclusion incredibly serenading.
The architecture of this place was phenomenal. It consisted of many windows (obviously) and limestone. The wood was placed in a very meticulous manner creating an almost mathematical feel. I could only imagine attending a service here and seeing a deer walk by. The flora and fauna were clearly part of its creation. However, I never found out what denomination, if any, this establishment was. I enjoyed it, hands down.

Razorback Tower
For a dollar, done. Totally worth it for 100 cents. However, the views were short of spectacular. Even though I said this multiple times on this trip, it would have been much more worth it had it been primetime in Autumn when leaves were changing colors. You could see the back of Jesus' head from the top of the tower. For those afraid of heights, steer clear because the stairs were very narrow and steep. In addition, the railing maybe went a few inches above my knees and clearly did not offer that much protection. I will give you the best snapshot from up above but like I said, for a dollar you get what you pay for.
After the hike to the top, we stayed and had lunch. Sandwiches, nothing exciting although I complimented my sandwich with fresh carrots covered in hummus. Yum.

Downtown Eureka Springs - the Historical Loop
Love, love, loved downtown Eureka Springs. It is definitely a place I see myself retiring. Arkansas will always have a special retirement place in my heart thanks to Josh Kilmer-Purcell. Anyway, it was very quaint and full of beauty. My family and I drove around the entire historical loop. Upon walking around, I found a bathhouse. This was very thrilling for me in addition to the numerous rainbow flags that I can only hope were in honor of LGBTQ pride. Of course, we visited the numerous springs along the route. They were pretty neat but small and scattered. What I found to be most interesting was the shops and countless refined bed and breakfasts. About halfway, we visited the Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church.
The church is on a hill so in order to get to the main chapel, you must walk down this pathway of statues from what I assumed to be the stations of the cross or random saints. Once you get there, you can enter through the entrance. Once inside, it looks incredibly tacky compared to the presentation of the outside. Unfortunately the designers spent a lot of time on the presentation of the outside but not much on the presentation of the inside. The grounds are covered by great landscaping full of flowers which made the outside even more picturesque. From the church, we headed to the other side of the hill (from the parking lot) to the Crescent Hotel. This hotel was rather large consisting of great architecture. It was built in 1886 and while it could use some maintenance, it was still grandiose. I did not go inside but it appeared to still have an active clientele. From the hotel, we continued on our historic route. At one point we encountered Queen Anne's Mansion which under normal circumstances would have been great but they were concluding severe renovation on the place.

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge
Super great and super wonderful. If you like and care about animals, this is a great place to go and support. Yes, they are super underfunded and it is heartbreaking to see the animals in these conditions but it is much better than the conditions they were in previously. It definitely made me an advocate for controlled exotic pet safekeeping nationwide. These animals were fucked up from birth. For example, one was forced to breed with her brother in order to produce white Bengal cubs. These people also seem highly educated and trained to know how to care for these animals. I am someone who loves animals and found it very intriguing to visit. Wal-Mart (whom I detest because of their capitalist practices) and Tyson Foods (whom I detest because of their treatment of animals) both donate the meat to feed these animals. I found this admirable given the circumstances. My parents and I definitely started a dialogue discussing whether or not the meat would go to waste (if it were not donated) or if they make up for any shortfall and donate the same amount at every delivery. Unfortunately, there was no conclusion. When we were there, the animals were fed whole skinned chickens and GROUND beef. The last picture is of two cheetahs spooning. Super cute, right? Anyway, after the guided tour in the larger confines, we were able to see the animals getting fed. All and all, this place was super great. I hope deep in my heart that these animals are in a better place even though the grounds did not meet my standard of living for animals. These animals are so beautiful and majestic and I was glad to have supported what I was led to believe to be a great cause. VISIT!

The Great Passion Play
Although this was the last thing I would ever want to visit, it was quite intriguing. The play, for whatever reason we choose not to attend, would have been the last thing on my list. However, the Christ of the Ozarks was a significant point of interest in this area. Could have cared less about the giant Jesus. At one point I made a joke to my father about giving Jesus a handy j under his robe. Anyway, if you walk all the way to the end of the Jesus display, you come to a scenic overlook which was rather neat. The establishment also has a piece of the Berlin wall. Unfortunately, it appears that they defaced it with their own message (this may be my own bias). I have been to many a places with pieces of the Berlin Wall which interests me to a great degree. It is amazing to me that a large piece of cement from Berlin, Germany somehow made it to Eureka Springs, Arkansas - I wish I was alive at the time.

Let's go home...
It was a long drive home and it had been a long day. I insisted on getting my hands on some brew from a local brewery. However, we only saw one, maybe two, liquor stores from Eureka Springs, AR to our place in Hollister, MO, I could only snag some Boulevard brew from Kansas City, MO. It honestly was the only thing local that they had. I chose the wheat brew which was decent, cannot complain.

Goodnight.

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