From Oklahoma City we continued our eastward trek into Arkansas and spent a couple of days (Oct 30-31) camping at Springhill Park, an Army Corps Of Engineers (COE) Campground. It was a great place to get away from urban noise and be under a canopy of trees and chirping birds. We had the park mostly to ourselves and loved the solitude of being close to nature. Continue reading
With a cold front at our heels, we continued our southward migration and headed to an area in Oklahoma known for its glorious mountains and wilderness areas – Chocktaw Country. When I think of Oklahoma, I imagine vast plains, tornadoes and generally bad weather. It was a pleasant surprise to see mountains with fall colors on the horizon as we crossed the border from Arkansas.
We had planned two stops in the Sooner State – first in Hodgen, camping at Big Cedar RV Park (Steve’s review here), then in Broken Bow at Beavers Bend State Park (review here). Both locations were known for their fall foliage. What? Did she say fall foliage in Oklahoma? Hmmm, we shall soon see. Continue reading
Driving into Devils Den State Park was yet another adventure on curvy narrow roads, deep into the valleys of the rugged Boston Mountains of Arkansas. Since we traveled only 25 miles south of our previous stop in Fayetteville, we didn’t bother hooking up the car and I followed Betsy and captured her low-speed journey down the winding roads. Continue reading
Note: By the time you read this we’re already in Oklahoma. We had no internet service for several days while at Devil’s Den State Park near Fayetteville, so we had to settle for hiking and relaxing with no connectivity – but we’re not complaining!
It was a good thing we ended up at Eureka Springs when we left Buffalo Point. We discovered a real Victorian mountain village nestled in the Ozarks. We usually take the fastest way to get the scoop about a new town – by taking a guided tour. We heard that one was leaving an hour after we arrived at our campground, so we grabbed our cameras and hopped on a trolley. A long-time local native narrated the story of what made this town a destination, and why the entire downtown district is being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Continue reading
The plans for our first stop in Arkansas (the “Natural State”) were cut short due to two major storms that threatened as we entered the state. We set up camp at Buffalo National River, staying at Buffalo Point on the lower river. It is one of three designated wilderness areas within the park’s boundaries. Continue reading
