Blogs from Arkansas, United States, North America - page 2

DYESS COLONY An Arkansas cotton planter named William Reynolds Dyess was director of the Arkansas Emergency Relief Administration during the Great Depression. He came up with a notion to use undeveloped land on the floodplain of the Mississippi River in northwest Arkansas to provide an opportunity for destitute tenant farmers and sharecroppers to acquire ownership of subsistence farms. The acreage in question was cut over forest and swampland but it had good deep topsoil that was perfect for growing cotton. Dyess pitched his idea to the feds and it was approved by the Roosevelt Administration in February of 1934. The land was purchased by the government for what was owed in back taxes. The Dyess Colony, as it came to be known, was populated by farmers from throughout the State of Arkansas. Thousands of applicants applied ... read more

We decided to rent a cabin at Devils Den State Park for a little Rest and Relaxation. Our cabin, number 16, is really a studio with bed, couch, kitchen and bath. It is equipped with a nice TV with cable and a wood burning fireplace, which they provide a bundle of wood for each day there. It really is nice and cozy for two. After we checked in and got settled in cabin, we walked around by the other cabins. This is a Sunday and nice weather, so there were a lot of people doing day hikes. In the evening, DH build a fire and we relaxed, watching a bit of TV. Tomorrow we will do a day hike. I had a very restful night, sleeping over 8 hours. Next morning, after breakfast, we sat outside ... read more

We got back on the road after our service visit at Camping World. It was our intention to head into Arkansas next, to visit Hot Springs. The fastest and most direct route would be to head down through Nashville and Memphis, then out I40 towards Little Rock. We had a terrible time driving through Nashville last year though, so we decided to plot out an alternative course. We headed straight west from Bowling Green for a bit, then angled down into Tennessee on some nice rural two lane roads. Our route took us through Clarksville, and at one point we reached an intersection with a big arrow calling for a left turn towards that town. At that moment both Cathy and I started singing "Take the Left Turn to Clarksville" simultaneously. It was a strange coincidence ... read more

We got up and drove all day to get to San Antonio. We stopped off at Little Rock to eat the Purple Cow. The boys remembered the restaurant from several years ago and really wanted to visit the place again. It was just as good as we remembered it with purple milkshakes. Then we drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas to see the National Park there. The old majestic bath houses are preserved and open for tours. We continued our drive through Dallas and Austin then ended up at San Antonio at 1:00 am.... read more

We actually were awakened around 4:00 this morning to a horrific thunderstorm. It must have been really close because the lightening would light up inside the motor home. However, we were snug and safe inside our little cocoon! By the time we were up and about and ready to start our day, the rain had stopped and the air was much cooler than yesterday evening. Our plan this morning was to hitch a ride in the Big Blue Truck and go to the Petit Jean Mountain overlook and the historical site of Petit Jean’s gravesite. The view from the top of the bluff looking out over the Arkansas River was almost 180 degrees. It was magnificent. There we saw once again some of the huge rocks that make up Petit Jean Mountain. I hope the pictures ... read more