Blogs from Arkansas, United States, North America - page 4

Village Creek State Park, ???, Arkansas Things are getting so blurry, I can't remember what town we passed through to get to this park. It is about 15 miles north of Interstate 40 and maybe 40 miles west of Memphis. The park is more than 7000 acres, even has a 27 hole golf course, and is really very beautiful. The showers have river-rock floors. Seems that these state parks, where we like to stay, are all located in wooded areas, gorgeous, and very well maintained. Alas, we've stayed in so many of them on this trip that they are starting to blur. Joan and I agreed that we would have to have a picture book of each campground with notes about what we did there if we were going to keep them straight. We got a ... read more

Well, if you’ve been reading along and paying any kind of attention to the news, you saw that the middle of the country was badly hit by thunderstorms Sunday night. I left you off saying it was over. Boy, was I wrong. I had plugged Moya back in for what I thought was the last time and left it that way. At 11 with NO warning the skies opened and the thunder and lightning were constant. There was no way this 70-year-old Nana was going outside and unplugging an electric cord from a utility pole. I prayed for the best. I was awake until 3:00 or so until it calmed down enough to fall asleep. This storm system just stayed on top of us for hours. I am used to watching weather patterns move from west ... read more

Toad Suck Park, Arkansas How could we not spend the night in 'Toad Suck Park'? As best I can tell, this was originally a ferry spot across the Arkansas River, twenty or so miles north of Little Rock. According to Wikipedia, the name may refer to sucking on a bottle of local moonshine until you swell up like a toad. Wherever it came from, the name alone draws you to it. At any rate, there is now a highway over the river and a flood control dam underneath, constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers. As a late add-on to the dam project, the Corps built a beautiful campground right on the West Bank of the river. It has full hookups, huge clean restrooms with showers, and beautiful views of the river and the dam. All ... read more

I had heard about this town in numerous media - songs, TV, writings, etc. So when I saw that it was a great stopping point on my way between the Liberty Bowl and the Cotton Bowl, I decided to take the opportunity to explore. I've visited Kansas City, another city that's split between two states, but I think Texarkana - as the name implies - embraces that dual identity better. The city seems to be centered around State Line Ave, a street that literally divides the town down the border between Texas and Arkansas. The Post Office is also right on that border, and it's a great tourist trap for photographers. They've set up a "photographer's island" in front of the Post Office just for that purpose, so that you're not in the middle of the ... read more

Wednesday, October 26, 2016 found me taking a leisurely, uneventful drive from Lead Hill Campground, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facility on Bull Shoals Lake near Harrison AR, to Maumelle Campground, part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area at Murray Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River near Little Rock AR. A major portion of my agenda included taking a few scenic drives to (hopefully) see some of the Ozarks fall foliage in peak splendor. Unfortunately, I was a little early for the brilliant colors of fall; however, and fortunately, central Arkansas is replete with one of my “A-List” attractions – historic county courthouses – so incorporating those attractions into my quest for fall foliage made my journeys a 2-for-1 endeavor. Friday found me taking a clockwise journey over the Pinnacle Mountain-Greers ... read more