Amazing Arkansas

Needing a rest we left N’Orlins, and headed back towards the swamps. Back along The Great River Road we stopped at the stunning Oak Alley Plantation House for a walk and a browse in the gift shop where they had ‘Slap Ya Mama’ sauce, among others, before continuing along the Mississippi. The area we were in was where the first Acadian settlers came, when banished from NE Canada by the Brits. These days, it’s refineries galore sadly as we headed to Baton Rouge for an overnight.

Not many people have done the US politics rant with us but that was about to change as our peaceful swampy riverside snack was interrupted by some fella who assumed we wanted to hear what he thought. We didn’t, clearly a Trump supporter and off the scale. Eventually, later than planned, we explored Rosedown Plantation House. Very different to those on the river but with the same slave history. In a very historic, cotton boom area of Louisiana this plantation was 3,455 acres, you can imagine the wealth. The lady of the house was an avid gardener of the 28 acres around the buildings but these days, having been neglected since it was sold in the 1950’s it’s a tad tired. With imagination though, the feel of the place comes alive.

Boondocking with the Mayor was fun. True as it is, the Mayor of Woodville, with a population of less than 1000 has a spot for wanderers like us. One of Drew’s ideas to bring people in… Woodville is one of the oldest towns in Mississippi, from 1811 and the Mayor is intent on making it great again! He’s one heck of a job on his hands though, we had a wander around the town square, not much more than faded charm, empty buildings and one place open. Unlikely we’d get gas at its gas station, but good luck to him, if he can get the old mercantile row trading again it’ll be a wonder. He needs an HGTV series like Laurel, MI. Nearby there is a quirky restaurant, ‘Mammy’s Cupboard’, shaped like a lady, now that’s a tourist draw….

Heading inland away from the swamps the landscape was really different. Rolling, gentle evergreen tree covered hills, very rural and tranquil. Not spectacular but lovely driving. Arriving at Natchez for a wander. We’d briefly been here before, having driven the Natchez Trace Parkway which runs from there to Nashville but we had more explore time now. On the Mississippi, so founded on trade, it’s known for its Antebellum style mansions. There are plenty other styles too. The Antebellum years were at the centre of the cotton plantation times. First settled in 1716 by French and incorporated in 1803 it’s one of the oldest and most important places in the lower river. Before the Civil War it was second only to New Orleans in slave trading and the wealthy built the mansions to fit their ambitions. That architecture gives Natchez its identity today.

Spending the day off the beaten track, we discovered gems, especially The Basilica of Saint Mary, which traces back to 1682. The current building was completed in 1883 and updated 25 years ago. Hence why immaculate but we did find humour in the sign that said “where the elevator stands today was once the confessional”, well that’s one way to get to heaven! At the other end of the spectrum, The Kings Tavern is the oldest building in town, 1789.

Continuing north out of Louisiana we passed through lots of small towns, really liking, Winsboro, and the shopkeeper humour, which is doing what Mayor Drew hopes to achieve, really well. Then we were back into State Parksville as its known, not! Lake D’Arbonne SP was a stunning place to be kicking off the next steps of our travels. Off season it was quiet but no doubt the water sports and recreational fishing folks take it over, it has a magical outlook. We felt like we had it to ourselves, tucked away in the waterside woods.

Arkansas, well, what can we say… It has 42 State Parks for one and we enjoyed a fair few! I won’t mention them all, just favourites such as White Oak where we chatted to bank fishermen, saw Bald Eagles in flight and got lost on a mountain bike trail in the woods (for a little bit!) Riding up the hilly edges of the lake, crunching the leaves while among the tree’s, glimpsing the water every so often, and taking in the pine aroma, it was a great day. We even found The Grand Canyon, well ‘Little’ at least!

Hot Springs National Park is another gem. Hot Springs is the boyhood home of Bill ‘no sexual relations’ Clinton but to be fair, they don’t exploit it 😉 Known historically as a rich folks playground, it made it’s way for tourists, offering a ‘Bathhouse’ experience, second to none. The first were built in the late 1800’s and tourism boomed. Each bathhouse offering something different to entice, the museum in one of them, The Fordyce, reflects this. Anyone up for an ‘electric bath’ or some time in a ‘head out vapour cabinet’? Many of the patrons had been ‘prescribed’ treatments at the spa hotels as we’d call them today, the doctors were onto something eh, $ probably!

Bathhouse Row as it’s known was the Golden Age of Bathing and fashionable, there was money to be made, reflected in the elegant buildings. The architecture really does reflect a vanished era when bathing, in its widest sense, was seen as a cure for ‘dread diseases’ and way to restore vigour. The 1950’s and 60’s were the downfall, as antibiotics replaced bathing for health recovery. We were fascinated however in terms of some aspects being ahead of their time, Dr Zander’s gym equipment for example was obviously the forerunner in design for anything in a modern gym today (not that we’d know!) Other amazing buildings were the Army & Navy General Hospital, towering over the town and the now tourist, speakeasy’s.

Aside, Hot Springs was also a mob town, Al Capone had his own bar secreted in during prohibition into his own speakeasy. In the early 1900’s Baseball clubs used to send their players there for pre season training, although apparently the Bathhouses were used more to steam out the alcohol. The FBI used to take over hotels, no guessing why, and they still have 4 police ‘jurisdictions’ on one street (local cops, Sheriff, Trooper and FED’s). Signs up for the Worlds Shortest St Patrick’s Days Parade, were everywhere, the parade is 98 ft long…. wow that must need some serious policing! No fibbing, I did hear a woman say St Patty’s day… OMG…. those Plastic Paddy’s over here…. everyone claims to be Irish but have no clue about where from 🙂

Close by is Garvan Woodland Gardens at Lake Hamilton, a gift to the people from Verna Cook Garvan who designed it when she lived modestly there. Nestled in the Ouachita Mountains it is 210acres of wonderful and varied gardens and forested areas, designed with style and consideration for nature at every turn. The aromas were powerful, the birdsong deafening at times and the tranquility a blessing. Waterfalls, Koi ponds, spring blooms beneath 4.5 miles of woodland trails with fantastic outdoor art, it was a joy. Some small pieces, some large, like the giant tree house, but all brilliantly designed and sitting within the gardens.

The Anthony Chapel is the most popular wedding venue in Arkansas and we could see why. With a backdrop of the gardens, no doubt perfect for the photographs, its the most breathtaking but simple in a way, piece of architecture. Nearby is a Carillon, a tower with at least 23 bronze cast bells (I had to look that up too) again, superb.

More mountain biking on Arkansas’s bike trails, specifically at Northwoods Trails, we had a fun and challenging day. It has to be said, it’s such a good set up there. Arkansas is a beautiful state, the areas we were in anyhow. We spotted a ‘Goat Park’, yes a park for goats! Lots of tree’s, undulating forested areas and tree corridors for roads. It makes for a great outdoors experience, hiking to lovely spots, through gorges and finding grotto’s with the ripples of waterfall drips reflecting on the rock, at Petit Jean State Park. We also saw a number of Bald Eagles.

We did find a dry spot though, the county of ‘Hope’. Little did we know when nipping into Walmart for a bottle of celebration fizz, that we couldn’t buy alcohol there. Where there’s a will though, get chatting to the right people and hey presto… what prohibition?! The town elders apparently think it’s a bad thing for the place… out of touch me thinks! Lake Darandelle had a fab sunset though although the nuclear plant across the water was a concern for our neighbour. No joke, he didn’t know the difference between nuclear power and nuclear weapons in risk terms, true as I write!

The weather had turned grey so we decided to go up a mountain, Mount Magazine, just to see if it gets colder at elevations, oh, it does! Ha! Thankfully we met a fabulous couple from Florida who invited us to campfire with them. Hot chocolate and warm cookies, just the treat. We meet people from all over and the conversations we have are really varied. When we get back, our friends might actually find us interesting! From high up, and views across the river bed to the Ozark Plateau, we then headed down and across the Arkansas River valley into the Southern Ozarks. We did wonder if the cold had frozen our brain, as we found ourselves 18 miles from Paris. We had to go and check out the sights. Then off to Devils Den State Park, to warm up!

Another gem in the State Park system, Devils Den has more great mountain bike trails. Some a bit more taxing than others and we should have realised that The Devils Racetrack would be one of them. The mark of being challenged though is mud and wet feet, we had both! No injuries, just mental scars, some sections were scary for wimps like us! After riding we headed out on a hiking trail which took us through some mini canyons, among lichen covered rocks in the mountainside, fungi covered fallen trees and some small waterfalls that I spotted fairies dancing behind. They were having as much fun as we were.