ARKANSAS

Our next stop was Cherokee Village AR where we have a lot and a timeshare.  However, we have to use the campground, not our lot for camping.  There is no TV or phone reception at the campground.  So we watched some DVDs from our cupboard.  And we also played Rummikub in between movies.

During the day we explored the Village looking for changes.  The roads are getting worse out by our lot since no one is building there.  We also can't tell where the boundary lines might be anymore.  The For Sale sign is long gone as well.

Many places in the foothills of the Ozarks to explore, too, so this time we drove west to Norfork Lake.  Followed the state road map to find the dam that forms this lake on the Norfork River.  What a massive amount of concrete went into this dam!

Across the road is a Fish Hatchery.  The outside troughs that hold the larger fish are set up in pairs with a drive between the pairs.  A pick-up truck drives along with a shoot that dispenses food to the fish from the box of the truck.  Gary thought it must cover a quarter mile!   We didn't count, but there must have been 6 pairs of troughs. 

Water comes from Norfork Lake to run through the troughs inside the building as well as outside.  Inside there were pictures of three kinds of trout that are raised at this facility.  The water then runs out of the troughs (there are fine mesh screens to keep the fish from leaving until the hatchery wants to put them in tanks to take to lakes) is put back into the creek that runs by the outside troughs.  A mesh is strung over the outside troughs and down all the sides so large birds cannot help themselves to the fish!

In 2010 a handicap-accessible fishing pier was built along Dry Run Creek.  There are steps, ramps and open decks for people in wheelchairs to use.  Dry Run Creek then empties into the Norfork River.   A very nice campground happens to be right by the river - we'll have to think about camping here - full hookups and cement pads!

Drove north to Mammoth Spring which is right on the MO-AR border.  9 million gallons of water an hour flow out of this spring to form the Spring River.  There were a couple of power plants at the dam over the years, but today it is just a dam visitors can walk across as they walk around the spring pond.  A really pretty goose, African goose, is on the pond with some Moscovy ducks.

Across from Mammoth Spring is the RR Depot and busy track.  Beyond that is another Fish Hatchery.  Using water from the Spring, this is the entrance to that Hatchery's Visitor Center. 

Inside were several aquariums showing some of the fish found in the Spring River.

Then we went into /Thayer MO to find the Grand Gulf State Park.  This canyon was formed when the roof of a lengthy cave system collapsed thousands of years ago.  One section of roof still stands and makes a natural arch.  Visitors walk a trail along the top of the canyon and over the arch, but cannot actually see how long and high the opening under the bridge is - 75' high and 50' wide. " The canyon stretches nearly a mile with walls almost 130 feet high."

In one area we walked down 119 steps to get closer to the bottom.  Along the way we looked into one deep area and with binoculars noticed a McDonald's cup down there.  At the end of the steps a guy ahead of us climbed down into the canyon and went back to the deep area to pick up the cup!  I hurried back up the steps and trail to get a picture of him in the deep area.  Zoomed in to see him wave the cup and head back to the stairway.  Thank you, David!  (I e-mailed the photos to him!)

Can you see the blue in the center of this deep area?  That is David!  Dye tests of the rain water falling into the canyon turned up at Mammoth Springs!  As the crow flies Grand Gulf is 8.5 miles from Mammoth Spring.

Time to visit family.  We drove down to Hot Springs Village in AR to see Gary's cousin, Cliff.  His wife passed away at the end of last December and he is doing fine, but lonely.  We stayed at Crystal Ridge Campground as usual.  But the crystals mined out of this area are washed and sorted by some of the campers.  We picked our site thinking some "rocks" had been left on our picnic table.  When we were outside with Cliff and his dog, Patches, I realized the "rocks" were in a pattern.  Wait - ALL the rocks are in a pattern!!

Some are hollow hearts and some are solid.  Then there are two crystal chunks - WOW!   God's love to all of you for following along with us!   Next stop will be Louisiana.