Hello again from the Happy Travelers. Havent run outta fuel yet so were still on the road. Heres another edition of our road journal. Edition #4 - June 1 -13, 2014 - We have discovered what we believe the Ozark Mountains have to offer. First and foremost, the Ozarks are technically not mountains; theyre plateaus. Theyre absolutely beautiful; they are a spiritual experience. Green, green hills and valleys; sprawling lakes that are really dammed up rivers, and lots of blue sky--except when you arrive in June, the rainy season. Their economy doesnt offer much in the way of high paying jobs for sure, except maybe in Fayetteville, AR. So, a bit about that compact, hilly, town: 75,000 some folks live there and Ill bet at least half are students at the University of Arkansas. Now, heres a college campus that really dominates the skyline as well as its culture. Huge, beautiful, new buildings are going up, cheek-to-jowl. Bicycles and pedestrians rule. For awhile, Bill and Hilary Clinton occupied a quaint red brick cottage near the Law School. And youd darned well better know what a razorback is, if you want to live here. Miles and miles of agriculture in the Ozarks...rolling hay fields, forests for lumbering, rock for quarrying. So, youll see old gray barns, old rusting farming implements, and an abundance of old, fixer-upper farmhouses. Roads off of the winding State roads are mostly dirt, but every darned one has been assigned a number (no name, just a number). Our place to hang out for awhile has been Eureka Springs, AR...only about 60 miles southwest of Branson, MO. I like to describe Eureka Springs as kinda artsy-fartsy...it is a tiny town, deep in the Ozark woods, and there really are springs there--some 70+ of them. Stubby, narrow streets, winding along steep, moss and tree covered cliffs. Tons of big old Victorians, dressed to the nines.The place oozes history. Just west of town, buried in the woods, theres the stunningly beautiful Thorncrown Chapel that we never did get to visit. It seemed to be closed a lot which was to my deep disappointment but heres a link if youre interested...the glass and steel building was designed by Architect E. Fay Jones, an understudy of Frank Lloyd Wright, at the Talieson Fellowship. thorncrown While we did our artful tour, our home was parked at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, habitat home for rescued BIG cats. There were over 100 of them, taken in from some pretty horrific living conditions elsewhere. Our Miss Kitty kept a low profile while we were there, no doubt thinking it prudent while in a place where roaring sounds can keep you up at night. Bob got some nice closeups too. A very quick note about our weather: plenty of rain--sometimes all day, sometimes in short downpours. News reports to watch out for gusty winds. Weve been blessed with no worries. Moving on, another days drive brought us into northeastern OK, Tahlequah to be sure...the Capital of the new Cherokee Nation and the end of the Trail of Tears. Surprisingly, the area is hilly and forested, much like the hills of Hendersonville. Shows what little I know about geography in the US...I expected parched flat lands of biblical proportions. To the point, however... about 16,000 Eastern Cherokees were forceably removed from their farms, their land and their homes to this Indian Territory. Removed by the US government during the early to mid-1800s. An estimated 4,000 died from hunger, exposure and disease. Four other Tribes were removed from their homelands, as well, all coming from the greatest portion of the southeast. Our Cherokee museum tours left us with deep sadness for the suffering of our fellow humans. But, what else we learned there was of the strong undying spirit of the Cherokee people...through their ever present commitment to education and the future; they are overcoming those times. Amen and Amen! So, this morning we headed west (still) on old Route 66, and by noon had settled in at Cedar Valley RV Park in Guthrie, OK. Where in the heck is that? Whats there? Well, another historical city, dating back to the late 1890s, and showing off their grand old Victorian (again) buildings. Wide, wide downtown streets. Two traffic lights direct the few dusty pickups coming through town...Guthrie is about 25 miles north of Oklahoma City. BTW, we learned today that OC is one of the fastest growing citiesin the country...go west younguns, go west. Just talked to Maggie...I was hoping we might rendezvous with them in NM but its not to be. Theyre too far away. So, I think well keep moving northwest to our July 4th reservations near the NM/CO border. Just us two and our Miss Kitty. As always, hugs for each and every one! Well stop by again, Bob and Lynn
Posted on: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 02:40:47 +0000
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