Wandering Thanks

Giving thanks in a different sort of way through Eureka Springs, by way of Bella Vista.

An alternate Thanksgiving found four of us heading south into Arkansas again, taking a dip in the more moderate temperatures hosted by the region.  The first couple of stops of the day were not on the agenda, but a desire to stare at something besides asphalt encouraged a diversion to the biggest falls in the state of Missouri.

Once a stop is made, another is almost certainly fated.  On longer excursions it is nearly impossible to achieve the primary objective without one distraction or another.  The view of Wildcat Glade from an old WPA bridge was too much to resist, but delayed the expedition only minimally.

The late afternoon sun at Tanyard Creek Falls proved advantageous. A grand view of the feature appeared with little effort, along a trail mostly paved.  Leaving said path, following the creek upstream from the bridge, a long cascade rushes along, carving a way for itself through the surrounding limestone bluffs.  150 meters later, it takes a hard right., choosing to leverage an old fault line in the rock.

On the other side of town, investigation of Mildred B Cooper Memorial Chapel kicked off the trek eastward towards accommodations for the evening. The architecture is similar to nearby Thorncrown Chapel, but arching supports, rather than diagonal, and equally as beautiful in its own way.

A torpedo interrupted the adventure briefly in Pea Ridge, standing as a monument remembering all of the submarine veterans who lost their lives serving in World War II.  It seemed rather obscure so far inland, but appeared well-tended and cared for, aimed neatly at the local Intermediate school.

Eureka Springs arrived shuttered tight, though lit with holiday cheer. The Basin Park Hotel offered a Thanksgiving dinner from the balcony overlooking the namesake park, and our party ended the day satisfied.  A cursory reconnoiter around town occupied the group briefly. 

A few hours of lazy laughter and conversation by a warm fire on this chilly night posed a much more interesting proposition than lingering about an empty town.  This is the first such discovery of such a feature at the sort of accommodations arranged for the evening and it topped things off nicely.

. . .

The next morning, after wandering the streets of downtown for a few hours, the the voyage homeward began with a brief tour of the Christ of the Ozarks statue atop Magnetic Mountain.  The 20 meter sculpture of Jesus published in 1966 commands an excellent view of the valley below.  They also host a replica of the East Gate in Jerusalem and biblical marketplace, but other more scientific inquires begged attention.

Onyx Cave appeared about 10 kilometres to the east.  This oldest operating show in all of Arkansas does not really contain onyx.  Instead it features a few moderately interesting displays of flowstone typical of most solution caves throughout much of the Ozarks.  Many of the stalactites and other formations are damaged from the long history as a tour cave, but a few interesting bit remain here and there.

Turning back to the north and west, stumbling about karst formations in the open air rounded out the afternoon at Roaring River State.  A few other random tourists milled about hiking and fishing the destination and we found the devil still had not cleaned up his mess in the kitchen.

Other random roadside amusements captured the attention of the crew until the sun slipped away into a cold winter evening on the road.  Service stations from days gone by and the requisite fighter jet cruising low above the lawn of the local VFW are not all that unusual in this part of the world.

. . .

Further Reading

Grand Falls
RuralMissouri.org

Wildcat Glad Natural Area
Missouri Department of Conservation

Tanyard Loop
AllTrails.com

Mildred B. Cooper Chapel
CooperChapel.com

Submarine Memorial Dedication At Pea Ridge
KFSM-TV Fort Smith

Pea Ridge School Historical Complex
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program

The Christ of the Ozarks
GreatPassionPlay.org

Caves and Caverns
Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Beelzebub’s Crumbling Scullery

Along the Devil’s Kitchen Trail at Roaring River State Park

Goodbye to a Good Friend

A traveling companion and good friend passed on today, after 15 years of loyal service.  One could not have asked for a better partner on the road and through life.

Born in abandoned house in the Ozarks, she anxiously made every trip back to the shores of the Lake, enjoying the no boundaries opportunity for exploration.

Her surrogate momma raised her well, teaching her to play hard, fight for what was hers, and enjoy every lazy dog day opportunity.

Later in life, she played surrogate to another pup, but never quite understood what to do with the noisy and hyper little monster.

A faithful protector always and to the very end, her vigilant protection of home and land enabled a sense of safety and well-being for all.

This very best friend ever will be missed this Christmas.

Kiko

2005 - 2020

A Silver Dollar Waterfall

An escape to and then from Branson.

Whisked away from all responsibility landed our party knee-deep in the masked hysteria of the timeless amusement park known as Silver Dollar City. It had been ages since last exploration of the site and quite a lot had changed, though not enough to warrant an in depth exposé of the situation.

The classics remained mostly unscathed. A glassblower remained as hard at work as ever, painstakingly creating glass treasures. Many other curiosities remained off limits to community interaction. The crowd did not seem to care much, consumed more with adventuring on the variety of thrill rides the park recently embraces over customary crafting.

One cold and overcast day was enough in the City. Before darting out of town, one last stop found called on curiosity. A quiet little hollow tucked in between a massive resort and the chaos of Shepherd of the Hills Parkway enables escape from the neon distractions.

The trail slowly drifts down to a branch on Roark Creek. It was not entirely devoid of life. A few others could be heard rustling through the leaves ahead, and the resort loomed dangerously close at times. Occasionally, laughter from a condominium deck floated down, obscuring the auditory view. The scene maintained a relatively consistent air of solitude for a few in search of a promised waterfall.

The vision appeared much sooner than anticipated. Validating proximity on the trail map, deeper penetration of the terrain led another 100 meters further along to another. Water dropped 2 metres from a ledge here, twice as high was the first. The pool seemed as though it had been manipulated by humans at one time or another. The condos intrude rudely upon the scenery at this juncture. While it seemed as if the goal had been reached, the map continued to suggest more. Another 100 meters confirmed a third set of falls, only similar in scope to the first encountered.

The map recommended continuing for another 100 meters still, but the creek dried up and refused to cooperate further. Only a field of carefully balanced cairns marked the spot likely to be quite a roaring little cascade, after a heavy downpour.

. . .

Further Reading

Silver Dollar City
SilverDollarCity.com

Waterfall Trail
Branson Parks & Recreation

Indian Shelters, Video Trails, and Waterfalls

A brief encounter with the weekend in north central Arkansas 

 

Quickly putting the city in the rear view mirror, it took nearly the exact estimated requisite number of hours to traverse the 580 km of highway south into Arkansas.  The second half of the journey occurred primarily under the cover of darkness, disquieted only by the lingering prospect of suicidal Cervidae.

A test of the the GoPro out on the trails took precedence on the this particular expedition.  The first attempt at Bridal Veil Falls worked our reasonably well, and included some satisfactory scenery.  Heavy rains passed through recently, and both falls were flowing better than usual.

Later in the afternoon, a second trial yielded less satisfactory results.  The scenery stood mostly uncooperative in terms of any sort of inspirational footage.  The hike around the base of Sugarloaf Mountain was as enjoyable as always, though.

The third appraisal of the day flowed well, capturing the cascades along the Mossy Bluff National Nature Trail gushing more so than usual.  High winds and quite possibly the tornado from the previous week created quite a mess along the trail, ultimately ending the hike early than anticipated.  Downed trees much too large to simply hop blocked the last quarter of the way, and the surrounding legion of poison ivy deterred any thoughts of an end-around.

. . .

A day as bright and sunny as the first outing followed, enabling a wander north and west of base camp.  Along the way, Dill School in Ida finally emerged from hiding.  The school had long been on the list of things to uncover, but had remained elusive until now.  Built in 1938 with assistance from the National Youth Administration (NYA), grades one through four were taught in one room and grades five through eight in the other until the it closed in 1958.

Another emerged unexpectedly, further down the road, though little is known about the church, which was later a school.  It is known simply as Davis Special, reporting its own identity as having been born in 1912 and serving through 1963.

The "Indian Rock Shelter" appeared in short order, marked politely and somewhat ironically with an "American Totem Pole."  Without going on at length in this post, the ensuing trail and features proved quite an interesting discovery, in spite of lying about the past as having been a location of significant in the travels of Hernando de Soto.

Down the road and around the corner, Indian Falls Trail flowed lightly.  Falls from the prior day had set high expectations for a meeting that turned out less than as much. It is likely a fantastic sight with water cascading down staggered platforms into a giant pit after a solid ran or during the more wet season.  This day it only trickled.

A parade of flags lined the egress and departure from Fairfield Bay.  The route back to Heber Springs still holds a few points noted for future explorations, but other priorities demanded attention. The cool waters of Greers Ferry and warm shores of Sandy Beach beckoned.

The expedition headed northward again the following day.  With very little time on the agenda left to squander, no further exploration ensued.  Although, a panorama of blue skies in the windshield and a few spare moments encouraged a last second decision to change heading to ensure the course crossed at the Peel Ferry. 

There is nothing quite like crossing this little ferry, crossing over into Missouri and north.

. . .

Further Reading

Dill School
Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Bridal Veil Falls
City of Heber Springs

 Along the Mossy Bluff

Mossy Bluff National Nature Trail in Arkansas

Sugarloaf Mountain

Sugarloaf Heritage Council

Edgemont Shelter

A small Arkansas cave with a history forever obscured

Arkansas Indian Falls Trail
AllTrails.com

Sandy Beach
City of Heber Springs

Peel Ferry
Arkansas.com

Homestead bound through the Ice Age

Exploring the era of homesteading in the Kansas-Nebraska Territory, with a side trip through the Ice Age

Crossing over the Missouri River just west of Rock Port, a lonesome brown sign indicating the site of a hysterical marker drew our attention. The trail led quickly away from the highway and down to the banks of the Missouri River to a National Historical Landmark that had seen better days.  Overgrown and mostly inaccessible, this largest of a handful of surviving U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges once kept the Missouri River channel clean and free from debris from the time of its birth in 1932 to 1965.

Returning to the highway that would lead on to the intended destination for the afternoon, a pause seemed necessary to investigate the rustic river town of Brownville, just next door to the old steamboat.  The town holds a couple of claims to fame.  It was founded by Richard Brown, before Nebraska attained statehood, and served as the location by which a certain Daniel Freeman became the first homesteader to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862.

The scene may appear completely different during any other season, but in August there is very little visible beyond the rows and rows of corn en route to Beatrice.  Perhaps, it is is the reason that little town does not have to put much effort into visibility.  

The goal post for the day appeared a mile or so west of town.  Homestead National Monument of America is an intriguing walk through the era of homesteading on the Great Plains.  The focal point of the site, the Heritage Center, showcases an array of displays and artifacts related to time, and a luxurious cabin from 1867 gives folks a peek at life on the frontier. Up the road a piece, the Freeman School presents a look inside the education system of the early 1900s, while the Education Center shows off the tools of the farm trade.

Heading back to our own homestead passed through Blue Rapids in Kansas, somewhat intentionally. A wandering just over a year ago had encountered a group of individuals in distress from this little town.  The subsequent events cast a shadow over an otherwise beautiful day, but later curiosity about their origins led to the discovery of a one-of-a-kind monument hosting the oldest rocks in the entire state.  

All about the circle that may or may not have at one time been a square, other random curiosities appeared, identifying the history of community in Blue Rapids.  Some were more intentional than others, but all represented a close community proud of its past.

Brownville, Nebraska to Blue Rapids, Kansas by way of Homestead National Monument in Nebraska - August 2020

. . .

Further Reading

Captain Meriwether Lewis Dredge
National Archives Catalog

Brownville, Nebraska
City of Brownsville

Homestead National Monument of America
National Park Service

Monument to the Ice Age
Topeka Capital-Journal

Hope beyond Little Sweden

Stone bridge at Lake Wabaunsee - July 2020

The final leg of the return route from Colorado, crossing the eastern Great Plains and Flint Hills of Kansas.

Launching down the road, headed for home on this final day of the expedition.  Everything was left to chance.  Brief pauses at random small towns turned out a few amusements.  There were not as many displays of patriotism as one might expect on this Fourth of July. 

Hoisington offered up a few artistic renderings.  Urban landscapes covered a few nearby buildings, and in place of flags that eventually fade and fall apart, the town put up metal designs by a local artist.

Stepping back in time further down the road, Claflin presented an entirely different take on art.  One full city block appears restored to a certain time period.  Which in particular is not entirely certain, as one or two of the structures appear to be different era.

The navigator missed out on the initial Coronado Heights expedition a few month ago, but got another chance to survey the situation.  Lying in the path as it was seemed sufficient reason to pause there again.  The view from mountain offered as many amazing scenes from the surrounding prairie as before, and will always be a good respite from the road.

In the shadow of the majestic swell in the middle of the savanna, a lonesome painter toiled away, turning out an array artifacts to ensure the little town of Lindsborg remained solidly branded as Little Sweden USA.  Very few others could be found out and about otherwise.  Masked hysteria still held a firm grip on the community.

There is hope just beyond that.  A Michigan immigrant and merchant wandered through here a hundred years or so ago, likely thinking the very same.  Numerous years of successful business in the spot convinced him there should always be "Hope" in Kansas.

Cruising through White City found tributes to the rails that founded many of the towns in the area.  A tribe from Chicago immediately named this junction in honor superintendent of the Neosho division of the Katy Railroad, likely to ensure appropriate compensation from the same.

Dwight also swelled from the crossroads to offer support in exchange for stops along the Rock Island Line.  Established about the same time as the rail began to pass through, this town showcases a local namesake instead, that of one that donated the land for a church.

Perched at a lofty height 444 meters, the history of Alta Vista is similar to the remainder of towns dotting this stretch of KS-4.  Traffic is not quite what it was in those days, and population tends to have diminished in parallel sequence, and only local stone buildings remain from the glory days gone by.

KS-4 stretches on, seemingly forever.  It is a long straight shot from out west, and even the road begins to get bored with itself finally, turning this way and that, as it rises into the Flint Hills.

The last excusion to Lake Wabaunsee only explored the waterfalls below the spillway.  Encountering this quiet little resort community again, a desire to see a bit more urged a brief detour around the site.  Fireworks stood at the ready, though a more retardant site platform might be preferred by others. 

Eskridge yielded little more than on the last visit to this booming metropolis.  Affording little more than a passing glance at a few of the historic local stone structures, it stands much as it did on the last round, in varying degrees of decay.  

Drifting north through Dover only found Topeka lurking on the other side, full of impatient drivers.  Everyone seemed to be going in every direction in pursuit of various confined and localized celebrations planned for the evening.  

The homing beacon appeared near Kansas Speedway, glowing softly and colorful against a horizon full of storm clouds.  Chasing them across town, bringing a bit sun along with us, we landed safely amidst a partly cloudy evening. 

. . .

Further Reading

B&B Metal Arts
BBMetalArts.com

Lindsborg, Kansas
City of Lindsborg

Hope History
City of Hope

White City
KansasTown.us

Dwight History
City of Dwight

Lake Wabaunsee

Wabaunsee County

Eskridge History
City of Eskridge