Arkansas--The Good, the Bad and the Bobcat

After Memphis it was time to find some nature. We did just that at Cane Creek State Park, where David had located a trail he wanted to ride. But first we drove on small country roads past vast fields of corn and other crops. We visited the White River National Wildlife Refuge but only took time to see the video and a few exhibits at the visitor's center because it was too hot to leave the cats in the trailer without A/C. Next we stopped at the tranquil park-like Arkansas Post National Monument with its huge trees and large expanse of lawn surrounding a lake with bayous on either side. We watched the video about the 300-year history of the post--at one time or another and sometimes more than once it was French, Spanish, English and American.

I took a short walk and spotted a small alligator while David returned to the trailer to make sure the cats didn't overheat.

At Cane Creek I asked the woman checking me in if the bike trail was easy and in good condition. "Yes, if you have a mountain bike," she said. Well, turns out she didn't know what she was talking about. The following morning after riding about 3 miles of the 15-mile "easy" trail and pushing my bike up very steep hills, I decided it wasn't my idea of fun. David liked the challenge, so he continued, and we planned to meet on a later section of the loop trail that was a dike. How hard could that be? I still had a few miles of woods and a mile or so of road to get there.

Then I started on the dike, but it was covered with grass and was a soft, unpleasant surface to ride on. Also, it was hot and humid in the sun with no shade, so I decided it was time to return to the trailer. After several attempts, I got David on the walkie-talkie. He had gotten to the dike, was extremely hot and didn't have enough water. When he finally got back to the trailer, he was exhausted and overheated. By the time he had gotten to the dike he was tired and then had a couple miles on the squishy surface in the hot sun among thigh-high grass (it got shorter closer to the road where I was) without the benefit of an electric-assist. A little while after he talked to me on the walkie-talkie, a growling bobcat jumped out at him from within the grass, none too happy about being disturbed from his siesta. David shouted at him and kept riding, hoping the bobcat wouldn't pursue him.

After our communion with nature, we enjoyed a pleasant respite in Little Rock, which itself isn't devoid of nature. Our campground was (basically a parking lot) right next to the Arkansas River, and we walked across the Clinton pedestrian bridge

to the Clinton Presidential Library.

A docent gave a good tour through the building with its massive amount of information on Clinton's time in office and more.

There was even a fabulous exhibit of Chihuly glass.
Then we walked around downtown in the sweltering heat.

The next day we did a 27-mile bike ride that I thoroughly enjoyed along the Arkansas River.

It was mostly pavement, mostly off-road and quite scenic, taking us through downtown and in and out of parks.

Great trail, and it connected to other trails for even longer rides. We saw two fawns frolicking and two adult deer eating beside the trail, completely unafraid of us.

Later we visited the state capitol, an imposing building (most state capitols are but this one was particularly so) with marble columns, huge chandeliers, massive rotunda, glass ceilings

and the first woman's bathroom I thought worth photographing. We didn't get a guided tour, but the self-guided brochure was excellent.

We went to the Central High School National Historic site where nine young black kids tried to attend an all-white high school igniting a firestorm of protests and violence in 1957. The governor tried to keep them out; Eisenhower sent in federal troops to protect the kids and control the situation. The high school still functions. There is a visitor's center across the street.

After Little Rock we spent a day at Hot Springs National Park, where we had a pleasant wooded campsite that both cats appreciated. We strode up and down Bathhouse Row where people used to visit the baths for their health in the mid to late 1800's believing the hot water from the hot springs to be therapeutic.

At least one house is still a functioning spa and another, the visitor's center, is restored to its previous glory and interpreted by the park service. We walked around in the brutal heat and took a short mountain drive but really didn't find much here to interest us for more than a day, especially because it was too hot to hike and then started raining. Other than the bathhouses and scenery, it seemed very touristy. Well, any place with a wax museum is bound to be touristy.

Our final day in Arkansas was at Fort Smith. Our two excursions here were to Miss Laura's Social Club, the visitor's center and historically a brothel, and

Fort Smith National Historic site, which had a massive amount of information arranged in a rather helter-skelter fashion about the lawlessness of the 1800s in the Indian Territory. Judge Isaac Parker was tasked with overseeing the court in this area and sentenced many outlaws to death by hanging.

All in all an enjoyable time in Arkansas. Time to move on to Oklahoma.